On the drive back from Isla Tortuga to San Jose, before we hit the beautiful multi-lane toll road, there was apparently a crash on the highway. Traffic was stopped in both directions - total standstill - for easily 30 minutes while we waited for the obstruction to be cleared.

This is a common occurrence in Limon province on the Caribbean side, where the entire way from San Jose to Puerto Limon is two-laned Highway 32 and the jungle threatens to invade the very pavement if allowed. Every trip I've taken between the two cities I've had to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes while injured people and/or vehicles are removed from the roadway.

This is a very important road for the country, because Puerto Limon has two port terminals for export of Costa Rican goods and a cruise ship terminal. These delays are costly and for this reason the government is now in the process of widening Highway 32 to four lanes.

They've brought in a Chinese firm to complete the road, which has me conflicted.

First, in a country that has such a high unemployment rate, the Chinese engineering firm has not only brought many of their own workers, but built a village for them to live in. This removed money from Costa Ricans by not giving them jobs and not giving them the opportunity to host road workers.

On the flip side, another teacher in Limon province told us over the weekend that her host family is happy the Chinese company is managing the road construction - no matter how they complete the project - because it is moving so much faster than if the CR government were managing the project.

So, in a nutshell, travelers in Costa Rica are at the mercy of the roads and tourists should always pad the expected travel time so they don't miss their flights.