El Pital - Miramundo
7/31/09 - 8/1/09
After La Palma, we continued north until we hit San Ignacio. At this point, we turned up the road to El Pital and Miramundo, but we first encountered many people in masks and costumes, which apparently was for the Fiestas Julias? Climbing out of San Ignacio, the road became very steep and windy with amazing vistas of the countryside below. We stopped at a few mirador turisticos (scenic viewpoints) for photo opportunities.
Road to Rio Chiquito
Mirador turistico
In search of a hotel or a place to camp, we turned up the road to El Pital. While this is a gravel road, it seemed passable to a point, although after a rain I am sure it would be somewhat treacherous. Since we didn't find what we were looking for, we decided to turn back, at which point we got stuck in the ditch. After 20 minutes of various efforts, we finally shifted enough weight to the right side of the vehicle (with the help of three kids sitting inside the van and the parents standing on the bumper), and managed to drive out. Phew!
Road to El Pital
After driving back down the hill, we drove up a different hill toward Miramundo. There we encountered the Hostal Miramundo, which rents rooms and bungalows on a fabulous view-laden piece of property. The owners were on site and while we didn't join them for karaoke, we did enjoy a few drinks with them.
View from Miramundo
Waking up to a chilly damp morning, a tiny live scorpion on my pillow and a second dead one on the floor, we rethought our previous leanings toward a second night stay. We took a short stroll around, ate breakfast and decided to head back to warmer, drier ground. While it is a delightful drive down through the cloud forest, I highly recommend heeding the advice of the locals as we did by putting the engine in first gear and using it to brake as it is a steep steep descent.
Cloud forests
After La Palma, we continued north until we hit San Ignacio. At this point, we turned up the road to El Pital and Miramundo, but we first encountered many people in masks and costumes, which apparently was for the Fiestas Julias? Climbing out of San Ignacio, the road became very steep and windy with amazing vistas of the countryside below. We stopped at a few mirador turisticos (scenic viewpoints) for photo opportunities.
Road to Rio Chiquito
Mirador turistico
In search of a hotel or a place to camp, we turned up the road to El Pital. While this is a gravel road, it seemed passable to a point, although after a rain I am sure it would be somewhat treacherous. Since we didn't find what we were looking for, we decided to turn back, at which point we got stuck in the ditch. After 20 minutes of various efforts, we finally shifted enough weight to the right side of the vehicle (with the help of three kids sitting inside the van and the parents standing on the bumper), and managed to drive out. Phew!
Road to El Pital
After driving back down the hill, we drove up a different hill toward Miramundo. There we encountered the Hostal Miramundo, which rents rooms and bungalows on a fabulous view-laden piece of property. The owners were on site and while we didn't join them for karaoke, we did enjoy a few drinks with them.
View from Miramundo
Waking up to a chilly damp morning, a tiny live scorpion on my pillow and a second dead one on the floor, we rethought our previous leanings toward a second night stay. We took a short stroll around, ate breakfast and decided to head back to warmer, drier ground. While it is a delightful drive down through the cloud forest, I highly recommend heeding the advice of the locals as we did by putting the engine in first gear and using it to brake as it is a steep steep descent.
Cloud forests
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