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Huntingwhale · 10-04-2017, 09:10 AM

The Costa Rica/Nicaragua border is the absolute craziest border crossing I have ever been to.

When I was in CR, we took a day trip to Nicaragua with a tour guide who arranged for us to do a day excursion at various cities. He was driving one of those tourist vans that had probably about 12 people in it. At the border he was instructed to park beside the building and wait for further instructions. He took all our passports and said he was waiting for the border guard.

Instead what happened was a group of a couple kids, maybe 10 years old, came up to the van's window and started talking to the guide (who was also the driver). I then witnessed the tour guide GIVE ALL OUR PASSPORTS to these little kids, who then ran off with them and disappeared into the building. I start asking wtf is going on. We f'ing need those!

The kids come back and magically we all have visas stamped in our passports. The driver gives the kids a couple bucks and off we go.

There were various checkstops on the highway and each time our driver would hand the guards bottles of water and they would accept it and let us on our way. Bribery is a way of life there we were told. Imagine giving a cop here some bottled water at a checkstop. Things like that just don't compute with our way of life in Canada.

Coming back into CR from Nicaragua was just as interesting. Apparently a huge semi truck had gotten busted trying to smuggle 100 kgs of cocaine into the country in the tires of the semi. We saw tables set up with tires cut in half and dozens of white bricks packed with blow on the tables, surrounded by armed guards.

As our van approached the border crossing, the semi in front of us stopped and we waited behind it. Suddenly 2 guards and the semi's driver open the back of the semi, and inside are about 20 people on chairs and blankets being smuggled across, just hanging out in the back of the semi. The semi had to pull over and we just drove past. Never learned what happened to them.

Nicaragua was a crazy place. But it was pretty cool. Extreme discrepancy between rich and poor. The beggers will hound you as soon as they see you're a Westerner. But the countryside is so beautiful, green and lush. I'd love to go back and I hope you post more photos Oil Stain.

10-04-2017, 09:10 AM	#19
Huntingwhale Franchise Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Exp:	The Costa Rica/Nicaragua border is the absolute craziest border crossing I have ever been to. When I was in CR, we took a day trip to Nicaragua with a tour guide who arranged for us to do a day excursion at various cities. He was driving one of those tourist vans that had probably about 12 people in it. At the border he was instructed to park beside the building and wait for further instructions. He took all our passports and said he was waiting for the border guard. Instead what happened was a group of a couple kids, maybe 10 years old, came up to the van's window and started talking to the guide (who was also the driver). I then witnessed the tour guide GIVE ALL OUR PASSPORTS to these little kids, who then ran off with them and disappeared into the building. I start asking wtf is going on. We f'ing need those! The kids come back and magically we all have visas stamped in our passports. The driver gives the kids a couple bucks and off we go. There were various checkstops on the highway and each time our driver would hand the guards bottles of water and they would accept it and let us on our way. Bribery is a way of life there we were told. Imagine giving a cop here some bottled water at a checkstop. Things like that just don't compute with our way of life in Canada. Coming back into CR from Nicaragua was just as interesting. Apparently a huge semi truck had gotten busted trying to smuggle 100 kgs of cocaine into the country in the tires of the semi. We saw tables set up with tires cut in half and dozens of white bricks packed with blow on the tables, surrounded by armed guards. As our van approached the border crossing, the semi in front of us stopped and we waited behind it. Suddenly 2 guards and the semi's driver open the back of the semi, and inside are about 20 people on chairs and blankets being smuggled across, just hanging out in the back of the semi. The semi had to pull over and we just drove past. Never learned what happened to them. Nicaragua was a crazy place. But it was pretty cool. Extreme discrepancy between rich and poor. The beggers will hound you as soon as they see you're a Westerner. But the countryside is so beautiful, green and lush. I'd love to go back and I hope you post more photos Oil Stain. Last edited by Huntingwhale; 10-04-2017 at 09:13 AM.