Nicaragua Part 1

Greeting and Saludos from Granada, Nicaragua!

We arrived in San Jose on Saturday evening to catch TicaBus to Granada Sunday morning. Upon our arrival, we were told that there were no buses to Granada until Monday at midday. Crap. We went to another company and they were closed, but were told that we could come at 4am (yes, 4am), to see if there was room on the 430am bus.

We checked into a hotel/hostel right across the street and headed out for some beers. To the hooker bar, no less. After several beers and me acting as the translator between Kurt and Clint between 2 hookers for their upcoming excursion to South America (they were trying to arrange guides through Colombia, right), we got back in time for about 2 hours worth of sleep.
Having slept in our smoke filled clothes, we got up at 345am to try and see if we could get on a 430am bus. No luck. A taxi ride later, we were back at the TicaBus station by 430am for a 6am bus to Granada. Passports and money exchanged hands, and tickets were presented. Sweet.

We got on the bus, left a bit late around 620am. We were about 2 minutes from San Jose airport, about 25 minutes outside San Jose when our first big problem occured. I felt the bus swerve, and then crash! We hit a car. Awesome.
The front bumper of the car that was hit was half on, and half off the car. Of course, the ticos/nicos had to get off the bus and be lookieloos. After a 20 minute delay, we were on the road again. The bus was comfy, and had advertised that it was air-conditioned. More like Arctic-conditioned. Holy cow. After sweltering in Jaco, this was seriously the Arctic chill. I was frozen. Luckily, the car accident allowed me access to the 1 long sleeve shirt I had brought.

Around 11 something, we arrived at the border. Swindling was definitely occurring here. You step off the bus to get your passport stamped, and are immediately bombarded by millions of Nicaraguenses trying to get you to exchange your colones for cordobas. There had been a guy on the bus doing the same, and honestly, but when I wanted to exchange my $30 worth of colones, he had run out but promised he could give me my 495 cordobas when we got to the border. Some other swindler (probably related to the Moroccan swindlers of another trip) tried to give me only like 192 cordobas I said forget it. I got stamped, exchanged, peed and back on the bus.

Then we went about 100 feet and had to get off again, this time for bag check. They aren't kidding at these borders. Passports were collected, bags were checked, more money exchanged, individual names called by passport to get back on the bus and then again on our way.

Granada came about 1.5 hours after the border. We found a dorm room for $6 each, and that is where the 3 of us are now. We are going on some island tour in about half an hour, and then a volcano tour tomorow morning. Then to Ometepe Island tomorrow afternoon or Weds morning.

So, greetings and saludos from Nicaragua, which, by the way, is way nicer than San Jose by far!!!! Very European and charming, and we're having a great time so far.