Autopista del Sol

The excitement has been mounting since we arrived in July. We knew that it was coming. We watched its construction, eager to try it, yearning to enjoy it. Alas, the moment came this past weekend.

I have never been excited for the opening of a new highway before. However, all last week, Mélanie and I couldn’t wait to drive on the new autopista that officially opened on January 27, 2009.

The entrance to the highway is close to the center of town, east of the church.

The one to two lane highway pales in comparison to some of the monstrous four to six lanes that they have in some areas of North America, but for this country and the rural area in which we live, our newborn autopista is pure pleasure. Anybody who has visited us can attest to the fact that the regular Costa Rican roads with insane vertical drops, and crazy twists and turns, really test the stomach and the nerves.

We can now reach “the big city” (i.e. the outskirts of San José, the capital) in less than 20 minutes. We timed our return at a mere 14 minutes; it used to take us around an hour.

To try out the new highway this past Saturday, we drove to Santa Ana to enjoy the international cuisine that Western Canadians love… Asian! :)