The drive to the border was really straightforward and uneventful, but then we got to the border. Luckily, Graham researched the crossing procedure ahead of time and read about the experiences of other people, or the swarm of helpful would-be "guides" surrounding our car would have been a bit more disconcerting. It took us an hour and a half to cross into Nicaragua, which we found out later was incredibly speedy. (One friend told us a story of standing in line for four hours in the rain - no thank you.)
As we approached the border, there was a line of trucks stretching about 5 kilometers (3 miles). Apparently, the drivers were waiting for paperwork that they needed to cross. Luckily, a friendly truck driver told us to hop the line, so we drove on the left side of the road to get to the border. The line just kept going, and going, and going...
We made it to our B&B just as night fell. We stayed at Empalme a la Playas ("Fork in the Road at the Beaches"), about 20 minutes north of San Juan del Sur and a five minute walk from Playa Marsella. It's owned by a lovely couple from Jackson, California named Roy and Karen Goldman. They were marvelous hosts and made us feel very welcome and at home. And Karen is an incredible cook - we've already duplicated a couple of her yummy side dishes at home. (Mashed avocado and cream cheese on toast, and cucumber-apple salad with lime and salt.)
Our cabina (the one in the back). Luckily, the beds had mosquito nets over them. (We got eaten anyway.)
The next morning we walked to Playa Marsella, the first beach we've ever shared with cows. It was strange seeing hoofprints in the sand, and a local boy kindly shooed a small herd out of the road so we could get to the beach. Claire enjoyed playing in the sand, but then decided she doesn't like the beach because she has to clean the sand off in the surf and the waves scare her. "Maybe when I'm bigger," she says.
Happy girl playing in the sand
Cleaning off in the surf - Claire did NOT enjoy that (although I thought the water was warm and lovely)
Friendly neighborhood beach cow
Saturday it rained all day, so no beach for us. We did go into town to get our tire fixed, as a leak that we had previously patched re-opened. Graham thought it was funny that the first tire guy Roy asked for help said he didn't have the parts to fix a tire. But he's the tire-fixing guy. We heard that was a common scenario in Nicaragua. The guy who helped us on Saturday was fantastic - he and Graham bonded over soccer (the Copa América) in Spanish.
Passing an oxcart on the way into town
We also hung out and played games on Saturday with our fellow guests, Bastian, Janina, and Charlotte Gerber, a very nice German family living in Nicaragua. A family of four from Switzerland stayed with us, too, but didn't spend much time hanging out.
Roy and the Gerbers
Claire in her favorite chair with her bean bags (Roy put one on her head and she thought it was hilarious)
Daddy and his girl hanging out
Sunday morning we left early for the border to see if we could cross any faster. We reconnected with our Nicaraguan guide from Thursday, an incredibly helpful young man named Jarold (pronounced Harold) - he knew all the ins and outs of what we needed to do to get our car across (lots of paperwork), who we needed to see, and how to get us across faster. For example, at one point we had to take our paperwork to the police station to get it signed, and the "police station" was a man in uniform standing under a tree. If you cross the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, a guide is worth every penny. Ask for Jarold on the Nicaraguan side.
Jarold and Graham
Overall, it was a successful trip, but we were sure glad to be back home in our own beds with hot water and no mosquitoes.
The Spanish summary:
La semana pasada, nosotros manejemos a Nicaragua. Nosotros pasamos una hora y media para a cruzar la frontera, cual pensamos fue muy lento, pero en actualmente fue muy rápido.
Nosotros nos quedemos a Empalme a las Playas a huéspedes de Roy y Karen Goldman de California. Ellos eran muy hospitalarios y amigables, y Karen era una cocinera maravillosa.
La próxima mañana nosotros fuimos a la Playa Marsella y la compartimos con las vacas. A Claire no les gustaban las olas, pero ella le gustaba la arena.
El sábado tenía mucha lluvia, así que no playa para nosotros. Manejemos a San Juan del Sur para arreglar nuestra llanta, y pasamos tiempo con otros huéspedes, la familia Gerber de Alemania y Managua.
El domingo nosotros regresamos a la frontera, y encontremos nuestra vieja guía de Nicaragua, Jarold. Él nos ayudó a cruzar la frontera muy rápido otra vez. Si usted necesita a cruzar la frontera, pida para Jarold.
Era un viaje éxito, pero nosotros estamos muy contentos en nuestras camas, con agua caliente y sin mosquitos.
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