En route to Nancite
Everyone laughed, sympathized, and stopped their land rovers to warn us that this little car would NEVER make it up and down the very rocky and potholed road through Santa Rosa National Park in Costa Rica. They underestimated the determination of the Hero of the Planet who was driving and the adventurous spirit of his passengers…
Peter Pritchard, Tete (Maria Theresa Koberg) from Costa Rica, Angela Formia, Romeo from the Guyana Sea Turtle Program, and I were on our way to see the arribada beach at Nancite after the Symposium. We had attempted to rent a boat at Playa del Cocoa to make a beach landing at Nancite, but the logistics were not simple. Soon we found ourselves inching our way through deep ruts and very rocky terrain across Santa Rosa National Park. 
The brave little Honda rocked from side to side, advancing at precarious angles and grumbling frequently when its undercarriage scraped the ground or was bombarded by leaping rocks. To lighten the weight, Romeo, Angela, and I walked much of the way. 
It was mid-day, but a strong breeze kept us cool, while Peter skillfully and miraculously navigated the treacherous terrain. Occasionally the car stubbornly refused to advance. So we would clear the rocks on the road and every time with squealing, spinning tires, smell of burning rubber, and flying rocks we got through. Yeah, we did lose some of the more superfluous car parts!! 
Eventually we arrived at the path that cut parallel to the coast to Nancite. It was a long walk and a steep climb up a mountain from where we had the most marvelous view of Playa Naranjo. 
At the top of the mountain we realized that there were several more undulations to get across and because it was getting late in the day and because the little Honda had to be driven back out over the bad terrain, we abandoned our quest for Nancite. Meanwhile, we lost Romeo and Tete, but they caught a comfortable ride out of the park with two very amused American surfers. 
We never caught a glimpse of Nancite, but there was no disappointment in being left “en route.” In a country so overrun with tourism, it was almost a relief to know that some destinations still remain difficult to access…
