Headed out for Nicaragua at 4am yesterday. After a couple stops to pick up other tourists at hotels along the way, and a couple hour drive, we arrived at the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. This week is 'Semana Santa' (Easter week- and a very big holiday week around these parts), and the border was PACKED with people. Our tour guide tried to use some of his 'friendships' at the border to get us through faster, but yesterday, no dice.
Waiting in line.
More people, more lines.
We waited in line for almost 2.5 hours just to exit Costa Rica. We then hopped back in the bus and drove over to the Nicaragua side, but had to go through customs there too. Our guide and driver tried to 'work their connections' again, but to no avail. . . . after another 2 hours, the guide got all of our individual passports stamped, but the driver had some issues* going through the line for vehicles at customs, and wasn't able to get through.
*Issues: the driver tried to cut the line, got busted, and kicked to the back of the line. The line was so long, that we wouldn't have gotten into Nicaragua until mid-afternoon if he waited. For a day trip, it wouldn't be do-able, so we got the sad news that we needed to turn around.
Enjoy your stay....however long OR SHORT that might be.
Customs/duty free area in Nicaragua
So, we had to then get our individual passports stamped OUT of Nicaragua, THEN head back to the Costa Rica side and go through customs to re-enter Costa Rica. Add another hour and a half there, and we finally headed back on the bus for the several hour drive back to Tamarindo.
What next? Yup, you guessed it: a flat tire on the ride home. That was another hour+......
Flat.
The other tourists on the trip weren't too thrilled with the day's events. Our group wasn't either, but we still managed to have a GREAT time. Our group of six spent hours shootin' the you-know-what, joking around, and making the best of the situation. Even though the day was a comedy of errors, spent mostly waiting in lines, and we didn't quite accomplish our Nicaraguan goals, we had a stinkin' fun time.
Team ''Go Nicaragua'
Since our group was the first group picked up in the morning, we were the last to be dropped off, so once all the other tourists got off the van, we went and had a nice, relaxing meal with the tour guide and driver, and made plans to re-try the trip in 2 weeks. The guide said, next time, he would take just us. Between a more private tour, and less holiday traffic, we should have another great time, and more successful, Nicaraguan re-do.
Got back to Tamarindo at about 7:45. It WAS a full day trip TO Nicaragua, but..... not exactly as planned, but, as they say in Costa Rica, Pura Vida....
2 comments:
That's funny!I didn't know it's a day trip.
Where you headed to San Juan Del Sur?
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