From Tica to Nica

(Pictures to come, when I find a computer which doesn't give me shocks when I try to connect the camera...! Note that a day is missing - Saturday, which I can't wait to tell you about! I just really need pictures to tell that story!! :) )

It really is no problem to catch the 6 AM bus when still jetlagged. Lotte and I woke up early this morning (again, one might add), and took the bus down from Montevede in the oldest bus on the most dreadful dirt road road, but with the most beautiful view I have ever seen. Green hills as long as we could see, sometimes with the Gulf of Nicoya in the horizon. 2 hours later we arrived at the Transcentral American Highway, from were we could catch our next bus.

The old bus leaving in a black cloud.

We thought we had to go to Liberia to change busses to go the Nicaraguan border (oh, I didn't mention, we were heading to Granada in Nicaragua...), but the bus actually took us all the way to Peñas Blancas at the border. There were no more seats in the bus, but we set up camp in the square meter meant for a wheel chair. Sitting at the floor for 3 hours was not the most comfortable, but could have been worse.

I never crossed a border like this before... We were stamped out from Costa Rica, leaving the Ticas behind, and sent into no-mans-land, which in this case meant a large patch of mud. 1 km of it to be exact. Then a lot of bureaucracy with documents and stamps and dollars, and then we were released on the Nicaraguan side, catching a bus to Rivas 12.30, a bit north. From here we could get on a bus to Granada. Both buses were old, American school buses, just painted in happy colors, and filled with friendly people!

In the latter bus our backpacks were on the roof, which I have tried before when travelling in Mexico. I wasn't too worried, but I must admit... When there was a pot hole and the bus jumped, a bag feel down from the roof, Lotte was right in saying : "We couldn't have written the script better ourselves..." Luckily, our bags were indeed still there when we arrived in Granada.

In the bus I struck up conversation with two local guys with very good English, who told me about the country and a lot of other things on the 2 hour bus ride. We are meeting the guys, Omar and Marvin, for dinner and a tour of the city - and yes, of course we will take care, and not let them lead us into trouble!!

 The dinner was nice / always good to have someone local help you with ordering the right stuff, at the right price, and explaining what it was! In this case it was fried platan (kind of a banana) with cabbage and chicken. After dinner we went back to the hotel to sleep in the heat - its over 30 degrees here in the days, and very very humid! We will see how it goes for our trip to Managua tomorrow! :)

So yeah, a lot of new experiences over here - I love it, of course! :)