San Juan del Sur

I finally made it to Nicaragua. First it looked like we are good in Time. It took us 4 1/2 hours to the Nicaraguan border, or better the end of the queu. The biggest problem were parking cars and the drivers. Drivers of both direction wanted to get through a road which was basically a one lane road because of the parking trucks. After about two hours we made to the costa rican border control. We got our assports back, only to be collected again with the border tax (8 USD for Germans). Then again queuing and finally the nicaraguan border control) In the meantime it was just before nine in the evening (we got to the boarder at five). Everybody has to take out their belongings and take it to customs, were a buzzer decided whether your bags will be checked in detail. The other formalities were done by the bus drivers. After it was already late, I went for the proposal of a taxi driver to bring me to San Juan del Sur for 20 USD. It was just a bit more than from Rivas and it worried that it takes long for the bus and that I may get not a taxi in Rivas (probably for no reason) or some of the other passengers will be stucked at customs. It took as again a while to get away from the border (the same scene, both directions wanting to go through a one lane road simoultanesly) and finally we got checked by the police. The bus passed while we waited to be checked. the check itself was a joke, just my passport and that was it. After a muchas gracias we continued and arrived at about ten in San Juan del Sur, I got a bed in a Hostel and went to bed, but not befor having a short talk to other travellers whichwent over the boarder the day before. It took them nine (!) hours, but they went with local busses till the end of the pedestrian queu (which was more than a kilometre) took a taxi between the two control points (about 2 km). So it paid of to take the Ticabus all the way from san Jose which was ca 20 USD (local busses would be probably the half or even less).

Today I had to solve a Money crisis. In all 5 ATMs in Town I (and so did all others I met) didn´t got money. In the afternoon I was lucky to get money with my savings account (where I can make 4 free withdrawls a year at any ATM worldwide). This account wors with the VISA system and that probably worked, because the two guys before me were unlucky with their maestro cards.

Im still not sure what to do for the next days. Today I took a shuttle to one of the beaches (Madera) which was nice but very small waves (but that´s due to the lacking swell, not the fault of the beach). There is a nice place to stay one beach further (Playa Majagual), but it has no restaurant and you are stucked at that beach. If I stay in San Juan del Sur I have the facilities of small but developed town with plenty of sodas (foodstands), restaurants, banks (if the ATM wors – they all take no traveller checks) and there are boat shuttles to all the beaches. The downturn is the price of the shuttles, but mor the lack of a surfbeach in town, so you always have to book a shuttle (taxi or watertaxi) and they leave not before nine. At least you don´t have to worry the wind may turn, since it has 300 days a year offshore winds, due to the big lake nicaragua.

If you don´t hear from me the next days I am probably at Playa Mjagual. So for that case I wish a merry christmasand a happy new year.

PS @Tobi: Anmelden und Schreuiben klappt auch auf dem recht alten Rechner hier wunderbar. Fotos muss ich noch ausprobieren, denn bloederweise klappt der Upload auf imageshack hier nicht. Aber es gibt noch einige Internet Cafes hier.

• Es geht mir: good
• Heute schon surfen gewesen: Nein
• Spot-Name: Playa Maderas
• Spot-Typ: Beach Break
• Aktuelle Wellenhoehe: 1 Fuss / ankle high
• Wellenform: Hollow aber Closing Out
• Spotbedingungen: Clean
• Wind: Offshore