Borders Made Easy

Along the gringo trail, it is well known that the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica is an extremely complicated process. Anna from London told me that it took her over 2 hours AND she chartered a bus to get it done. I must admit that I was really, really nervous about the whole ordeal. And doing it alone! I left San Juan Del Sur at around 1 for a bus headed in the direction of Rivas, but it dropped me off half way through just in the middle of what looked like nowhere to catch another bus headed toward the border. Luckily I got off at this invisible stop with an EXTREMELY helpful family. The mother sat next to me on the bus and explained that her son is a tour guide and they travel between Nicaragua and Costa Rica almost daily for work and such. Her son, Norman, who was with her is 18 years old and it seems a lot like he supports the family. They were three of the most helpful and amazingly nice locals I have met my whole time in Central America. Norman was the only one among the three that spoke any English. He explained the complicated process to me in a way that I could understand which was more valuable than I think I could have imagined. The stamp I received from Nicaragua when leaving the Nicaraguan side of the border was really faint and hard to read. They were going to send me back to the VERY long line to get a new stamp, but Norman explained to them that he was with me in line and that the stamp was legit. The ONLY reason they took his word for it is that he crosses the border SO often that they all knew him by name. This says TONS especially because the border patrol are NOT nice looking people… On the Costa Rican side, Norman stayed behind while his family grabbed a ride home in order to ensure that I was able to get through the process despite the faint stamp. AND because I was with Norman, the patrol-man did not make me pay the taxes or return ticket purchase that are usually required of foreginers. Thanks Norman!
From the border I grabbed a bus to Puntarenas which is really confusing because all the buses are going to San Jose, so they made a special stop for me in Barranca. I spoke with a local man on the bus who told me to grab a taxi ASAP when getting off the bus because at night it’s a really dangerous place for a gringa like me. True to his word, this city is SCARY. I grabbed my bag and a VERY nice elderly woman helped me grab a taxi ASAP but not before she also stressed that I needed to be careful. WOAH! Jose, the taxi driver was REMARKABLY nice. He explained that unfortunately there is a lot of robbery in Puntarenas during the evenings and that he would make sure I arrived to my hotel safely. He sure did, too! Carried my bag and ensured that the reception came down to help me into the locked gates. OH MY! I will not miss being so worried and afraid but I need to take some serious time to appreciate the immense amount of help I have had today. It is astounding how hospitable all of these people are. In a country, a city, where crime is rampant, there are still people who will do anything to help a stranger.