Nicaragua

The time has finally come. We need to do our first border run to Nicaragua. At the beginning of our trip I mentioned that we had a decision to make. Do we stick with the three month tourist visas, or do we try for the new digital nomad visa? Well, the answer for us at the moment is both! We are trying for the digital nomad visa because we would like the freedom of not being bound by the border runs. However, as predicted, the process for the visa has been long and not super straightforward. Dave has taken the lead on submitting the forms online, and never a more meticulous direction reader have I met, but we are still in the midst of it. Even before submitting online, we needed to find an official translator for our documents, have a lawyer draw up an affidavit regarding our bank statements, have her certify our passports, etc. We are hopeful, but in the meantime we feel like we need that next 90-day stamp.

We were also thrown another twist in that school has been closed all week because the Ministry of Health here declared an emergency. There have been too many children under four coming into the hospitals with severe non-Covid respiratory illness so they want kids to stay home from school to try to let this wave of illness pass. So, even though we are about two weeks early on our first 90-day timeline, we decided to take advantage of the girls time off and make the run. We are making it easy on ourselves this first time and are going with a tour group so we also get to see some sights. Our day began at 4am when we were picked up in Flamingo. We then met up with the tour van in Huacas for the two-hour drive to the Peñas Blancas border.

There were already a lot of trucks waiting in line to cross the border when we arrived. Because it is easier not to cross in a Costa Rican vehicle, and because we were with a group, we all walked across the border.

Vaccine cards or recent PCR tests are still required. There were a few more steps before we made it all the way across, but going with a guide made things easy and smooth and we now feel prepared if we need to do a crossing on our own.

Breakfast, coffee and juice was waiting for us on the other side!

Even though Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Central America the roads are so much better than the roads in Costa Rica. It was smooth sailing the whole time and there were roundabouts! We’ve only lived in Costa Rica for three months but we are already joining the ranks of folks who wish there were lights or roundabouts at a few choice intersections near us that get incredibly backed up and really slow things down.

The views were stunning and we lucked out with the beautiful sunny day.

There was a lot going on at this lookout point although you wouldn’t know if from this picture. There were about ten horses lined up and all of the men were scrambling to ask us if we wanted a ride. Even though I kept saying no, the girls ended up on two of them for a photo op. I am sure they were looking for money or a tip for this photo, but since we were so pressured into it I did not oblige in this instance.

Bathroom break. Tess picked up the local method of flushing right away.

The volcano was very impressive and was the backdrop for one of only a few family shots.

Lydia was allowed to purchase one souvenir in the local markets and she chose this octopus that can flip from a happy face to a mad face. You will see that it makes an appearance in all photos for the rest of the day.

We made it all the way to Granada, an old colonial town about two hours from the border.

The easiest way to see some of the town was via horse carriage.

We stopped at a chocolate factory that was pretty touristy at which point there was nothing to do but surrender to the scene. May I present Dave grinding cacao beans in front of an audience.

How does his work compare with our hosts? This guy had some intense energy. Dave liked him immediately when he noticed a tattoo of a caffeine molecule on his forearm.

I liked this door. The same volcano imagery is depicted on the Nicaraguan flag.

The Cathedral of Granada, which is located on the central plaza. It was originally built in 1593 but was destroyed in the 19th century and was rebuilt in the 20th.