Into Nicaragua and Costa Rica

Monday, 21 December 2009 20:49

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Playa Roca is a wonderful place to hang out after crossing the borders of El Salvador and Honduras. I was told it is busy at times, but during my stay there was no one there.

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Playa Roca Beach

Playa Roca Sunset

After a day of relaxation it was time to head south to Lago de Nicaragua. With the destination of Hotel California, another expat run hotel located near the lake, Kevin and I got another early 10:00 AM start. The Hotel was only 20 miles from boarder with Costa Rica so it made another good staging point for out next border crossing.

Lago de Nicaragua

Wind Power in Nicaragua

Arriving at the border crossing at about 10:30a.m., we were immediately surrounded by helpersKevin had made prior arrangements with for a helper with Frank, the owner of Hotel California, but just as we arrived, another biker on a KLM pulled up, and he and I decided to cross without any helper. This was the largest border crossing I had seen, so trying to get through was going to be interesting.

Nicaragua Border

It took about 20 minutes to convince the helpers that we were not going to use them, and once they left us alone, the border was quite pleasant. Customs out of Nicaragua was a little confusing because you need to you get a customs officer, and a police officer, to sign a small slip of paper that you were given prior to entering the border zone. After that, you stand in a line and get an official stamp on the paper, as well as another signature. Luckily, a mute government worker took pity on us and walked us to each person that needed to sign or stamp the paper. At the end, she smiled and waved goodbye before turning to find the next lost sole.

With Nicaragua done, it was on to the Costa Rica side. This is where we where rejoined with Kevin who had finished the complete process and paid off his helpers. Kevin told us to get in line for immigrations, and about 30 minutes later, that step was done. Next was customs which took two steps. First, you needed to get insurance and a copy of your passport stamp, along with the insurance ticket. Then, another guy would look over all the copies, check them with the originals, and sign a customs form. I didn’t get the insurance first, so I got the privilege of waiting in line for the customs inspection twice.

The next step was to take all this paperwork to an office about 300 yards away and hand it to yet another person who rechecked the documents with the originals. Once he was satisfied he would printout a new document, stamp and sign it and hand it to you, you were finished with the paperwork. We all decided to take a break and get a drink from one of the local food vendors.

The final step was to ride another 300 to 400 yards to a guard shack, show him the papers, and enter into Costa Rica. Total time was about 4 and a half hours without a helper. Kevin did it in two hours and then got to wait for us to complete the process.

Costa Rica Border

It was at this border crossing I decided that crossing a border is not really that bad. You need to have the correct mindset, not be in a hurry, and be willing to make mistakes and ask questions. If you can do that, then you will truly enjoy your time at the border. It’s a great place to watch people get frustrated.

The last step in Costa Rica

The first large town was Liberia which we arrived in at around 4:00 p.m. While standing around talking about what to do, a local offered help and told us that the beach was about 1 and a half hours way and the next town down the road being only 40 to 50 minutes. We talked about what to do and decided to stay put in Liberia, picking a hotel with a restaurant specializing in steaks.

Northern Costa Rica

In the morning, it was off to Club Fred. Club Fred was a guest house owned by a friend of a friend. It was promised to be a good stopping point for the day, as well as close enough to the Panamanian border for and easy morning border crossing.

Waiting for dinner

On the road to Club Fred

The question was "which morning?" For Kevin, it was the next day, and he made another early 10:00 a.m. departure while I decided to hangout for a day or so soaking up the Costa Rican sun.

Beach near Club Fred