Arrived early at the border. I must admit to being more than a little fractious with a couple of the tranaplodores or something like that. These are the pestering little prats that jump at you the moment, no, actually moments before, you stop.
If another one grabs my arm while I’m holding the bike up, I’ll…well I’ll drop the bike first, then I’ll swing for him.
Today’s tactic was dark visor down, say nothing and just try and darth vader him with the force of my annoyance.
I got out of Nicaragua without any help other than from the appointed officials, who stamp documents and were very helpful, unlike on the way in. Plus there’s signage in English…easy peasy.
Outside I took a tourist survey, that a friendly well spoken lady was undertaking for the tourist board. I reported the police and said if it happened again it was her fault. She apologised. The chief of police is a woman in Nicaragua apparently, not that I draw any conclusions from that, the tourist lady apologised again though.
Costa Rica documentation follows the by now tried and tested formula of three stages, passport, vehicle documents, customs, then just for fun a bit further down the road, just as you have finally packed everything away, another police check point. But at least I was called ahead of all the trucks that were parked up. There was hours of paperwork there. Oh and for $3 they squirt water at your bike, but just a note, they do refuse to wash your bike boots. I asked.
4pm tea time in Costa Rica turned into a failure, despite my renewed determination to complete this task. The reason was my second encounter with rainfall while riding, so far. This time up a mountain, in a mist cloud. I’ve stopped at the nearest hotel and am now in Palmares, Alajuela, in a Boutique hotel
www.hotel-casamarta.com
Costa Rica seems more switched on than other countries, its signs selling in neon English and Spanish and this hotel, I’ve just been informed, has a New Jersey toll free telephone number, but I’m not going to post that, as I’ve only just arrived, so can’t pass comment.
There’s an MG in the car park that looks in good nick.
I’ll get a pic and post it.