We did cross the border into Costa Rica on Friday the 13th. It was another hot, slow and corrupt border crossing. We paid $100US in bribes and fees (mostly bribes). On our way to the border, we were on a road which was extremely pot holed, so Tommy was playing "dodge the pothole". All of a sudden we were stopped by the Nicaraguan police, who wanted to fine us for zig zaging on the road! Due to my limited Spanish, this took a while to understand. While this was sinking in, the police stopped a Nicaraguan car and told them they were going to be fined; the Nicaraguan started arguing fiercely. Accordingly, we too gained some courage and start complaining about the "carretara muy mal". The police had enough of our act, and waved us onward. Hey, a minor victory is still a victory!
About 60 miles (or was it kilometers? can't remember) from the border we arrived in Liberia, a modest-sized town, where we stopped to go to a bank and grocery store. I found myself wimpering with joy, as I entered the air conditioned, modern grocery store with everything I could ever want! Boy, I guess it has been a while! Lovely! We stayed that night in a "decommissioned RV park" (whatever that means), and the next day drove down to the beach.
It was really too hot for us at the beach. After a few refreshments, we headed up into the highlands. As we drove into the Laguna del Arenal area, we were flabbergasted at the beauty and tranquility. We only stopped for a drink, and ended up spending the weekend there. This also happened to be the weekend of the local festival, much of it right in front of our hotel. That was great fun! One of the main parts of the festival was a "tope", a horse parade up and down the main street. The fancier riders got their horses to prance and dance. After several hours of this (mind you, refreshments were plentiful), the horses and festival goers went down the hill to the bull ring plaza, where there were lots of food stands, a merry-go-round, etc. etc., as well as the bull fight (for which we didn't stay). Lots of local color!
The town of Arenal felt good to us, with the right mix of gringos and ticos (as the Costa Ricans are called, and this nickname isn't derrogatory). The lake is incredibly beautiful, and there are lots of artists around. So on Sunday, we looked at land and houses for sale. Nothing was quite right. To jump ahead: we returned this weekend to look some more, and this time we did see two different parcels, either of which could work for us. We aren't going to put in an offer because we first want to see what Panama has to offer. But gosh, it is beautiful here!
In between the two weekends, we stayed in the San Antonio de Belen RV trailer park; this is right outside of San Jose, the capital. The park is run by a transplanted Californian, and its guests were either German or Californians (not just us). One of the Californians wants to return to Yuba City, which should be an indicator of how much time we have spent with him. One of the German couples had had their camper van shipped to North America and they had been travelling for almost a year. They were ready to finish their trip and go back home, had paid their passage (including the car), and had confirmed reservations on a freighter (this costs about 5,000 euros, one-way). The day of boarding, they were told that there was no room on the ship for them because the freighter was full of mangoes; perhaps there would be room on the next ship in two weeks. And they have no recourse! Life in the second world!
During our time in Belen, we got TwoBaby's papers sorted out. He first had to see a vet, get another shot, and then the vet had his papers verified and stamped by the Minister of Agriculture. We took those papers to the Minister of the Exterior, where they were stamped and signed. Then we went to the Panamaian Embassy, where the papers were stamped, signed and verified or some such bullshit. To do our part, we had to go into San Jose, which we found quite unfriendly and a bit too rough for our tastes, so once our business was finished, we took a local bus back to Belen.
This last week, the electricity has been cut three times for several hours each time. Apparently these were planned cuts, but no one around us seemed to know that. We have been told that the electricity company is doing this due to shortages, or, alternatively, in preparation for a rate hike.
We have been lucky so far with regard to the roads: they have been pretty good. And, contrary to Nicaragua, there is very little roadside trash (Nicaragua was terrible in this regard). As you drive around, periodically you see the following painted on the road surface: a square, and in the square is a heart with a halo. We were told this was a reminder to wear your seat belts, which you surely need here. The number one cause of death in Costa Rica is road accidents!
Our plan is to return to Belen tomorrow, and then on Tuesday, go to Pete and Mary Jo's house near Dominical, after which we will make our way to the border. Tommy's goal has been to get to Panama by the end of April so we should meet that goal (fingers crossed!).
Talk to you soon!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, April 12th
This place is a little slice of heaven. In many ways, it reminds of us what the Algarve must have been like in the 1970's. San Juan del Sur is a surfers' paradise (consequently, we are probably the oldest people in the town), with the smallish town built around a bay. The only thing between our hotel and the ocean is our favorite bar. No DWI's for us! Last night we had a lobster dinner...so good and so cheap!
Tomorrow we expect to cross the border into Costa Rica, and then head south towards Liberia and the Nicoya Penninsula. We expect to spend the weekend there, and then head for San Jose (the capital of Costa Rica) because TwoBaby has to have specific papers, verified by the Panamaian Embassy, in order to cross into Panama legally. Everyone advises us to forget about the papers, and bribe our way across the border. Our decision still hasn't been finalized. We'll see how we feel next week. In Costa Rica, we hope to visit Pete and Mary Jo's place (although they aren't there, and Pete just reported that the river is not passable in our van). Lots of adventures ahead of us!
Before we came to San Juan del Sur, we spent a day in Granada. What a fabulous place! It is picturesque, it is clean, has lots of history and is very easy to get around. We took an hour-long buggy ride around the town, with our driver doubling as a tour guide. And didn't you want to know that there are 12 Catholic churches in Granada? We would be happy to return to Granada, particularly if the baseball championships were going on!
Granada is on Lake Nicaragua, which is HUGE! This lake is part of the passageway for the proposed canal project to link the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We had heard rumors that the Japanese were funding this project, but those could be just rumors.
Speaking of funding....as one drives around, particularly on the miserable back roads, you see lots of billboards which credit various countries for funding to fix the roads. Countries so far are Japan, Denmark, Holland and the EU itself. And this is funny...on the potholed back roads, you will come across kids with shovels. They are filling in the potholes, and as you drive near them, the kids are pointing to the pothole they just filled. Of course, some money is expected.
Contrary to several guidebooks, the beer through Central America has been great. Tommy likes wine with dinner, and that has been mainly from Chile, and a few times, from Argentina. The food hasn't been that terrific except for special dinners like last night. But here in Nicaragua there are these little treats called rostillas, which are corn bread rings. Some of them are plain and some have cinnamon, and they all are delicious!
We have been surprised by the great differences among the countries, and how the changes are immediate rather than gradual. There is no place like Guatemala, with the colorful weavings and crafts. The people in Nicaragua have been the friendliest so far. The scenery changes dramatically every thirty miles or so.
So, tomorrow...onto to Costa Rica!
Tomorrow we expect to cross the border into Costa Rica, and then head south towards Liberia and the Nicoya Penninsula. We expect to spend the weekend there, and then head for San Jose (the capital of Costa Rica) because TwoBaby has to have specific papers, verified by the Panamaian Embassy, in order to cross into Panama legally. Everyone advises us to forget about the papers, and bribe our way across the border. Our decision still hasn't been finalized. We'll see how we feel next week. In Costa Rica, we hope to visit Pete and Mary Jo's place (although they aren't there, and Pete just reported that the river is not passable in our van). Lots of adventures ahead of us!
Before we came to San Juan del Sur, we spent a day in Granada. What a fabulous place! It is picturesque, it is clean, has lots of history and is very easy to get around. We took an hour-long buggy ride around the town, with our driver doubling as a tour guide. And didn't you want to know that there are 12 Catholic churches in Granada? We would be happy to return to Granada, particularly if the baseball championships were going on!
Granada is on Lake Nicaragua, which is HUGE! This lake is part of the passageway for the proposed canal project to link the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We had heard rumors that the Japanese were funding this project, but those could be just rumors.
Speaking of funding....as one drives around, particularly on the miserable back roads, you see lots of billboards which credit various countries for funding to fix the roads. Countries so far are Japan, Denmark, Holland and the EU itself. And this is funny...on the potholed back roads, you will come across kids with shovels. They are filling in the potholes, and as you drive near them, the kids are pointing to the pothole they just filled. Of course, some money is expected.
Contrary to several guidebooks, the beer through Central America has been great. Tommy likes wine with dinner, and that has been mainly from Chile, and a few times, from Argentina. The food hasn't been that terrific except for special dinners like last night. But here in Nicaragua there are these little treats called rostillas, which are corn bread rings. Some of them are plain and some have cinnamon, and they all are delicious!
We have been surprised by the great differences among the countries, and how the changes are immediate rather than gradual. There is no place like Guatemala, with the colorful weavings and crafts. The people in Nicaragua have been the friendliest so far. The scenery changes dramatically every thirty miles or so.
So, tomorrow...onto to Costa Rica!
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Jinotega, Nicaragua, April 7th
Wow! We are in Nicaragua, in a little town in the highlands, about 100 miles north of Granada. Since this is Semana Santa (Easter week), we have been trying to stay away from the populated areas to avoid high prices and scads of people. We are staying in a lovely, fantastic, what a surprise! little boutique hotel with terrific staff and a gourmet restaurant. We decided to give ourselves two nights here, since we were all suffering from too much travelling and too many border crossings. We will probably leave tomorrow for Granada.
To back up...we left Xela four days later than planned because Tommy came down with bronchitis. The hotel found a doctor, who made a hotel call and proscribed antibiotics and four days of bed rest. We left on Thursday, March 30th. Tommy, who had been imaging maneuvering the car out of the garage (for two weeks), had no trouble at all. As we drove south out of Xela, we saw the lush harvest gardens which supply organic produce to the USA, and nonorganic produce to the rest of Central America.
We chose to drive on CA 2 (not CA1, the Pan American Highway), which parallels the Pacific coast line. This road is in much better condition than CA 1, but we still endured tremendous traffic jams (for no apparent reason). Our last night in Guatemala, we camped in a water park (how about that Greg and KG!), which was set up for RVs and camper vans with electricity and water. They just forgot to tell us that the park and restaurant closed at 6pm, so we had a lovely dinner of crackers that night! (Once the park closes, the gates are locked and you are there for the night.)
The next day, we crossed into El Salvador. The crossing, even though we hired someone to help us, took much longer than expected (about 2 hours) so we were a bit late finding a place for the night. We ended up in a town called Acajutla, which is on the Pacific Ocean but could only find one hotel with secure parking, our primary concern. Although right on the ocean, this hotel was a true shit hole, so we slept in the van and were careful not to use any of the facilities. Repulsive. This next morning we were encouraged to leave by 9am, so that the hotel could rent out its rooms to beach goers.
With such an early start, we decided to take the guidebook recommended Ruta das Flores, a road going up into the mountains. It was beautiful and cool, and so lovely that we stayed in a little hotel in the middle of a coffee plantation. We had our own cabana, complete with hammocks on the porch. It rained during the night...our first rain since we left California! What a terrific little stop!
Our third night in El Salvador was in Zacatecoluca, a rather miserable, though lively, market town. In order for us to pull through the driveway into the parking area, the owner had to move his taxi and open the rubber curtain across the driveway. The van and TwoBaby were great curiosities to the owner´s kids. The local bank was also the internet cafe. This was located right on the main square, which was surrounded with market stalls selling food and everything else imaginable. Our hotel had cable TV, so Tommy watched the final game of the NCAA tournament (sorry about your team, Greg!).
The next day we stopped at Playa El Cuco, where we had planned to stay at a beach resort. Unfortunately for us, the resort had doubled its prices due to Semana Santa so we continued down the road til we found a small sign for quartos. The rooms were disgusting so we talked the owner into letting us camp in the van, under palm trees, about 100 yards from the ocean. It was magical, complete with ceviche for lunch and fresh fish for dinner, both prepared by the owner´s wife. Again, we were the curiosity of the day to the local kids and chickens and turkeys, which were wandering around the property. The property itself was huge, with palm trees and three medium sized dwellings, disgusting as they were. And it was right on the ocean. We asked the price of such a property, and were told it would be about $250,000US. Not that we want to live there!
On Wednesday, 4 April, we crossed from El Salvador into Honduras at El Amatillo. This border crossing, no matter which way you are going, has the worst reputation in Central America. It is hot, it is slow, it is expensive, it is absolutely horrible. We hired a guy with a Michigan shirt to help us, but even so it took us almost 3 hours and $100US to get into Honduras. The guy with the Michigan shirt had lived in the US for about twelve years before he was deported (we were too chicken to ask him what he did).
About 60 miles from the border, we found a brand new motel (two weeks old!), complete with huge swimming pool, a bar and a restaurant. We had to stop. The people here were extraordinarily helpful and friendly. This was the first place with satellite TV (previously TVs had been cable), and it was amazing how many US channels were available (not that there was much interesting to see). During the night we lost electricity and the TV, due to a terrific rain storm, complete with thunder and lightning. Fortunately, the electricity came back on after about 20 minutes, so we didn´t suffer in the heat and humidity. During our 24 hours, or so, in Honduras we were stopped by four security/border patrols, and one which asked to see our emergency triangles. Oops...no where to be found in the van! (The question is, how can you sell a $25,000 van and not include triangles). The cop said we would have to return to Choluteca (about 60 miles westward) to pay the fine. We must have looked so pathetic that he finally let us go (no bribes). We stopped the first possible place and bought the two required triangles.
And then on Thursday, we crossed the border into Nicaragua. Our guide, Carlos, ran around, getting all our papers signed and bribes paid (yes, we are not too proud to pay the border bribes!), so the whole process only took about an hour. We headed eastwards, towards Esteli, which sounded great in the guidebook. It wasn´t so great, but we needed a place to stay since it was getting late in the day. We rejected the best local hotel, and went to the best restaurant, which was on a hill, overlooking the town. We talked the restaurant owner into letting us camp near his restaurant. This area was patrolled by his security guard, so we felt safe and were happy to get to our van after a good dinner. The guard said something about us having to leave early in the morning but we told him we were leaving at 9am. WRONG! At 5 am, he pounded on our doors, saying we had to leave because his boss would be coming soon. Arguing didn´t help...he had the gun (he didn´t point it at us, we just knew we was in the position of power). Obviously, I need more Spanish lessons to find out where our communication with the restaurant owner went wrong.
So, we were up early with no real plan. We head up into the highlands to the "City of Mists", Jinotega, which is about 100 miles north of Granada, and found this terrific hotel which allowed us to check in at 9am in the morning! Also staying at this hotel, is a youngish Texan, who is developing a first world style subdivision (urbanization) near here. The houses are much cheaper than Panama and Costa Rica, and he said that sales were great. Could be bullshit, but maybe not. It is lovely up here, and the Nicaraguans we have met have been so nice and friendly with lots of smiles. Yesterday we went for a drive to the lake and were stopped by the cops, who asked to see our papers. Oh shit! This was the one time we didn´t have them with us because we had unburdened ourselves of all that stuff and left them (inadvertently) at the hotel. After lots of explaining, the cop smiled and let us go on. Lucky, weren´t we.
We wanted to tell you about "Auto Hotels", which we have seen all through Central America but mostly after we left Guatemala. At first we thought that these were like North American motels. However, after looking a bit more closely and reading about these auto hotels, we realize that they are not motels as we know them. Picture a cinderblock courtyard, with about 10 to 20 one car garage type openings. There is a curtain across each opening. Apparently, you drive into this garage opening, the curtain is closed and you and your honey have the privacy to do whatever you want. Some of these places look quite desparate, and some look very fancy, and they all charge by the hour.
So many of the people we have met have been deported from the US, after living and working there for years. One gets a whole different feeling about "illegal immigration" into the US after travelling in these parts. So many of these immigrants are the main financial support for their families. In fact, 15% of El Salvador´s GNP is due to funds sent by the immigrants. That was one reason that El Salvador now uses the US dollar as its currency.
Time to go....talk to you soon!
To back up...we left Xela four days later than planned because Tommy came down with bronchitis. The hotel found a doctor, who made a hotel call and proscribed antibiotics and four days of bed rest. We left on Thursday, March 30th. Tommy, who had been imaging maneuvering the car out of the garage (for two weeks), had no trouble at all. As we drove south out of Xela, we saw the lush harvest gardens which supply organic produce to the USA, and nonorganic produce to the rest of Central America.
We chose to drive on CA 2 (not CA1, the Pan American Highway), which parallels the Pacific coast line. This road is in much better condition than CA 1, but we still endured tremendous traffic jams (for no apparent reason). Our last night in Guatemala, we camped in a water park (how about that Greg and KG!), which was set up for RVs and camper vans with electricity and water. They just forgot to tell us that the park and restaurant closed at 6pm, so we had a lovely dinner of crackers that night! (Once the park closes, the gates are locked and you are there for the night.)
The next day, we crossed into El Salvador. The crossing, even though we hired someone to help us, took much longer than expected (about 2 hours) so we were a bit late finding a place for the night. We ended up in a town called Acajutla, which is on the Pacific Ocean but could only find one hotel with secure parking, our primary concern. Although right on the ocean, this hotel was a true shit hole, so we slept in the van and were careful not to use any of the facilities. Repulsive. This next morning we were encouraged to leave by 9am, so that the hotel could rent out its rooms to beach goers.
With such an early start, we decided to take the guidebook recommended Ruta das Flores, a road going up into the mountains. It was beautiful and cool, and so lovely that we stayed in a little hotel in the middle of a coffee plantation. We had our own cabana, complete with hammocks on the porch. It rained during the night...our first rain since we left California! What a terrific little stop!
Our third night in El Salvador was in Zacatecoluca, a rather miserable, though lively, market town. In order for us to pull through the driveway into the parking area, the owner had to move his taxi and open the rubber curtain across the driveway. The van and TwoBaby were great curiosities to the owner´s kids. The local bank was also the internet cafe. This was located right on the main square, which was surrounded with market stalls selling food and everything else imaginable. Our hotel had cable TV, so Tommy watched the final game of the NCAA tournament (sorry about your team, Greg!).
The next day we stopped at Playa El Cuco, where we had planned to stay at a beach resort. Unfortunately for us, the resort had doubled its prices due to Semana Santa so we continued down the road til we found a small sign for quartos. The rooms were disgusting so we talked the owner into letting us camp in the van, under palm trees, about 100 yards from the ocean. It was magical, complete with ceviche for lunch and fresh fish for dinner, both prepared by the owner´s wife. Again, we were the curiosity of the day to the local kids and chickens and turkeys, which were wandering around the property. The property itself was huge, with palm trees and three medium sized dwellings, disgusting as they were. And it was right on the ocean. We asked the price of such a property, and were told it would be about $250,000US. Not that we want to live there!
On Wednesday, 4 April, we crossed from El Salvador into Honduras at El Amatillo. This border crossing, no matter which way you are going, has the worst reputation in Central America. It is hot, it is slow, it is expensive, it is absolutely horrible. We hired a guy with a Michigan shirt to help us, but even so it took us almost 3 hours and $100US to get into Honduras. The guy with the Michigan shirt had lived in the US for about twelve years before he was deported (we were too chicken to ask him what he did).
About 60 miles from the border, we found a brand new motel (two weeks old!), complete with huge swimming pool, a bar and a restaurant. We had to stop. The people here were extraordinarily helpful and friendly. This was the first place with satellite TV (previously TVs had been cable), and it was amazing how many US channels were available (not that there was much interesting to see). During the night we lost electricity and the TV, due to a terrific rain storm, complete with thunder and lightning. Fortunately, the electricity came back on after about 20 minutes, so we didn´t suffer in the heat and humidity. During our 24 hours, or so, in Honduras we were stopped by four security/border patrols, and one which asked to see our emergency triangles. Oops...no where to be found in the van! (The question is, how can you sell a $25,000 van and not include triangles). The cop said we would have to return to Choluteca (about 60 miles westward) to pay the fine. We must have looked so pathetic that he finally let us go (no bribes). We stopped the first possible place and bought the two required triangles.
And then on Thursday, we crossed the border into Nicaragua. Our guide, Carlos, ran around, getting all our papers signed and bribes paid (yes, we are not too proud to pay the border bribes!), so the whole process only took about an hour. We headed eastwards, towards Esteli, which sounded great in the guidebook. It wasn´t so great, but we needed a place to stay since it was getting late in the day. We rejected the best local hotel, and went to the best restaurant, which was on a hill, overlooking the town. We talked the restaurant owner into letting us camp near his restaurant. This area was patrolled by his security guard, so we felt safe and were happy to get to our van after a good dinner. The guard said something about us having to leave early in the morning but we told him we were leaving at 9am. WRONG! At 5 am, he pounded on our doors, saying we had to leave because his boss would be coming soon. Arguing didn´t help...he had the gun (he didn´t point it at us, we just knew we was in the position of power). Obviously, I need more Spanish lessons to find out where our communication with the restaurant owner went wrong.
So, we were up early with no real plan. We head up into the highlands to the "City of Mists", Jinotega, which is about 100 miles north of Granada, and found this terrific hotel which allowed us to check in at 9am in the morning! Also staying at this hotel, is a youngish Texan, who is developing a first world style subdivision (urbanization) near here. The houses are much cheaper than Panama and Costa Rica, and he said that sales were great. Could be bullshit, but maybe not. It is lovely up here, and the Nicaraguans we have met have been so nice and friendly with lots of smiles. Yesterday we went for a drive to the lake and were stopped by the cops, who asked to see our papers. Oh shit! This was the one time we didn´t have them with us because we had unburdened ourselves of all that stuff and left them (inadvertently) at the hotel. After lots of explaining, the cop smiled and let us go on. Lucky, weren´t we.
We wanted to tell you about "Auto Hotels", which we have seen all through Central America but mostly after we left Guatemala. At first we thought that these were like North American motels. However, after looking a bit more closely and reading about these auto hotels, we realize that they are not motels as we know them. Picture a cinderblock courtyard, with about 10 to 20 one car garage type openings. There is a curtain across each opening. Apparently, you drive into this garage opening, the curtain is closed and you and your honey have the privacy to do whatever you want. Some of these places look quite desparate, and some look very fancy, and they all charge by the hour.
So many of the people we have met have been deported from the US, after living and working there for years. One gets a whole different feeling about "illegal immigration" into the US after travelling in these parts. So many of these immigrants are the main financial support for their families. In fact, 15% of El Salvador´s GNP is due to funds sent by the immigrants. That was one reason that El Salvador now uses the US dollar as its currency.
Time to go....talk to you soon!
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