My Trip to Costa Rica -- Part II

On day 2 I thought the adventure would be the bus to the border. Well, that adventure has been saved for another day but there were replacement adventures.

At 0620 I head for the market/bus station on foot. It is a five minute walk and the bus leaves at 0630. Like most of Nicaragua, there are lots of people on the street at this time of day. But, two blocks from the hotel I see something a little unexpected. I am just about to a corner and a naked woman comes around the corner walking toward me.

At first, I had to do a quick review. That is, in the land of white-skinned people, it is quite common that the body parts you normally don't see are much lighter than the parts you normally do see. Not so here. But, she really was sin ropa. Probably in her 40s, she just smiled and walked past brushing against my backpack as the sidewalk was rather narrow.

Ok, on the the bus station. I don't know which bus is which as I arrived at the back side of them and they are usually marked just on the front. As I am walking toward the front I hear a guy hollar "Hey, chele". He's in a "cab" (the kind that isn't really a cab but he needs to make some money) and wants to know if I want a ride to the border. I tell him it costs too much. He says C$20 which, I think, is the same price as the bus. So, going against my better vehicle judgement, I get in his Hyundai (after he reaches inside to open the door as the outside handle doesn't work).

He then tries to pick up more passengers. We are still in Rivas when the car breaks. He pulls over and suggests I take the bus. But, as luck would have it, another cab pulls over and I am off to the border in another Hyundai--this time with two other passengers. We hit the highway and are running along at about 90km until La Virgen when we stop to pick up a police officer. Then we continue on at 110-120km the rest of the way to the border. Guess that is a side benefit.

When we get to the border I wait to see how the payment stuff will work. That is, are there different prices for Nicas, cheles and cops? Well, the three of us from Rivas pay C$20 and the cop, who got on about half way along, paid C$10. So, all is fair and we are at the border at 0715. Not bad when you could the broken cab in the equation.

After paying the $1 for the privilidge of being where you are, I walk into the border region and try to find a form to fill out. I am sure they exist somewhere but people like to fill them out for you and expect a tip. That would be fine except they generally know less that I do about the process. But, a guy did it and told me I had to pay $4 at the window. I told him it was $2 but he assured me it was $4. It was $2 and I gave him a C$5 tip.

Next, I walk the 500 meters to the Costa Rica side. Here, there was a woman who just handed me a form. That saved some time. Filled it out, went to the window, got my passport stamped and I was on my way to get a bus. The Transportes Deldu buses are nice and 600 colones (about $1.25) to Liberia. Hard to pass up. Except I can't find my colones and, while there are money changers every 20 feet, the bus people only take colones. I find my colones and all is well. I get talking to a woman returning from San Juan del Sur who lives in Santa Theresa (south end of the Nicoya peninsula). I tell her the cab story and she tells me the cab wanted $10 to the border so she took the bus for $.75. The drill now changes from normal. We are told to get in a single line and a guy "inspects" our luggage. I finally realize he is looking for agricultural products. When he finds something he just throws it on the ground behind him and continues. I am at the end of the line and the bus is about to leave so he tells the woman in front of me and me to just go ahead.

On the bus there are women selling stuff but they get off as we leave the border area. Then, a few km later there is the first puesto de control. It is a somewhat random passport check. If you look Nicaraguan (darker skin than the average Tico) or a wearing a baseball cap (me) they check. Then, back on the road to La Cruz, the first town in Costa Rica.

In La Cruz we have a more thorough check meaning everyone's papers are checked. I decide to use my residence card this time. With the passport they have to look at the picture page and then the immigration stamp page so I figure the resident card should be quicker. Wrong. As is typical, the cop has never seen one and spends a lot of time looking at he. He doesn't complain or ask questions, he just stares at it.

On the road again, our next stop is just north of the next puesto de control to pick up passengers. This is the middle of nowhere and I can only assume this is where the illegals get picked up. No papers check here. But, to my surprise, we actually have two more papers checks. So, either there were no illegals or it is magic somehow.

For me, the next check the residence card works just fine and very quickly. Ok, that's better. But, at the final check before Liberia it doesn't work at all. That is, I get asked for my passport too. I ask why I get the equivalent of "just because". Ok, nice to know a CR resident card doesn't make it possible to travel within Costa Rica. Another item on the list of why I liking it so much better in Nicaragua.

And we continue to Liberia rather uneventrully. But, when I get there, I find out that July 25 is the day that Guanacaste was stolen from Nicaragua and so tomorrow night is the biggest party of the year here. I get the rental car early and find what seems to be the only empty 3-person room in a hotel with a parking lot. It is the only room in the whole hotel (which is a big convention center) with no view of anything. I guess it was the suite for entertaining once or maybe a big janitor's closet. Whatever. We don't have to sleep in the car tonight. And in Banco Nacional women in long, flowing dresses are handing out baked goods and horchata while you wait in line.