Costa Rica & Nicaragua
There are 24 pages in a Canadian passport….and im proud to say my Nicaragua stamp has now taken me up to page 17.
After exploring down the Costa del Pacifico Norte….in search of the perfect wave, the most pristine beach, and yoga friendly vibe…. the border crossing into Nicaragua was an experience unique in itself.
With my Venezuelan and Canadian buddies, in a 1980’s rickety 4×4, we set off for the border. the line of trucks waiting for inspection goes back for miles….hammocks attached underneath the trucks, so the driver can sleep.
Regular cars (us) drive those miles on the opposite side of the road, narrowly tipping over the embankment each time oncoming traffic comes. Since crossing over the border with a car is a nightmare, what people generaly do (and what we did), is park your car at one of the houses right before the border, pay the homeowner a couple of dollars, and walk through the border & get a taxi or bus on the other side.
We parked, grabbed our backpacks, walked to the costa rica border office, got our passport stamped, then walk the 2 miles to the nicaraguan border, chaos in between, military presence everywhere, passport check at two different stops, passport stamp by a sketchy guy sitting behind a flimsy desk with one dinky lightbulb hanging above him, you pay $12 to enter the country (and they dont accept colones or cordobas – the nicaraguan currency – @ the nicaraguan border!!! only accept american dollars).
In a taxi on the other side, we are bound for san juan del sur (the driver making a pit stop at his house to pick up his wife, so she can feed him his dinner while he drove us). I couldnt stop grinning through the entire experience….truly fantastic
Nicaragua is wonderful …. I imagine its what Costa Rica used to be 10 yrs ago. Unsophisticated and easy, with such a special kind of character.
Tags: Central America, Uncategorized
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