 derecho as used in helpful explanations can also mean something like " just follow the front wheel forward down the road that gets you to the place we are talking about". It is always a direct route ..... if one knows the way , no need to mention upcoming Y or T intersections and curves. The providers of the
information are not lying or trying to fool you , it is only that they forget to take into account how totally clueless we as tourists can be: 
As for San Jose , there is no direct freeway setup to get you around town , the directional signs on the main routes refer to names of the various suburbs so you need a map of some sort to establish a frame of reference.
Another complication comes from our imperfect Spanish , our ear is not tuned to detect the fine points beside derecho . I discover that I keep misunderstanding distances when it comes to 2 km or 12 .... dos and doce , 3 and 13 and it slowly dawns on me only after riding longer than expected without seeing the target.
Lack of street names is only a partial handicap. Relying on street names has as drawback the fact that for one long straight street names can change repeatedly every few blocks as some
local hero or event is honored and commemorated . If Google maps on the web is an indicator it is unlikely that the electronic map service would have all those details.... or do they?
A compass is essential for overcast days when the direction of sunlight is no help to determine North . Even with full sun on a tropical midday it becomes a challenge. Add to that an unconscious mindset which makes one
think one knows the direction of North and one can be far off course before one realizes it
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