A moving on day. Posada Colonial came with three dogs - and every morning one of them hopped off the outside dining chairs when we appeared.

We said our good byes and headed off along the road round Lago Arenal to our next stop in Bijagua. Near the hydro-electric dam, we came across a troupe of coatis alongside the road. Everyone, including us, stopped to take photos of these tame creatures.

Heading off down the lake, there was a lot of real estate for sale as well as parcels of land. The weather was cloudy and there was no sight of the volcano. Wehad to be careful as thee were deep pot holes.

In Canas, traffic came to a halt. We were there quite a time and saw a couple of ambulances go past so expected the worst. However it turns out we had stumbled across a stage of the Vuelta de Costa Rica and that's why we had stopped.

Onto Bijagua, we had to pick up our keys from the veterinary store and were lead to a small cabin up a bumpy, rocky road south west of the town. We were guided by a youth on a motorbike. The locals don't wear leathers or helmets and sometimes a whole family can be on them. It was as if they had just swapped them for horses.

Bijagua isn't a touristy town. It was along strip along the highway with local shops, banks and a few restaurants and Cafes. We walked down to town, about 2 km. There was a pizzeria which sold only beer. We noticed people tended to start driving their cars before turning on the lights. Suicidal dogs barked and chased the vehicles. Locals greeted each other and shook hands in the bar. We noticed the locals, like Chile, tended to have soft drinks.

The rain came and it was heavy. We asked the waitress if there was a taxi in town. She came back and said one would be with us in about 15 minutes. A guy with a battered pick-up turned up and we squashed in beside him as he drove us up the dark road back up the hill.