We have moved on from our short stay just outside San Ramon, Costa Rica, and started our newest adventure in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. The 10 days we were able to spend in San Ramon were fantastic. It was the respite from hot weather that both Karen and I badly needed. As well, it would be hard to beat the comfort of the home we had the privilege to watch during that time.
After much investigation and the knowledge gleaned from our first trip to Nicaragua, Karen and I chose to hire a private driver to provide transportation from San Ramon to San Juan del Sur. I honestly don’t know whether we could have found a cheaper driver and quite frankly don’t care. We know the bus fare would have been about $56US plus we would have been looking at a minimum of $150US in extra fees for our excess heavy baggage, with no guarantee that the extra bags would have ended up on the same bus as us. We were informed that it was very possible we would have to make an extra trip to Managua to pick up our bags if the bus we caught was already full. So when we inquired with Arenas Travel and they set us up with Seley to drive us to San Juan del Sur for $300US door to door, we were sold. Not only did Seley come and see us a couple of weeks early to make sure all of our bags fit into his Toyota Yaris (just), but on travel day he shows up 15 minutes early. The bus trip that takes 9 hours turned into 5.5 hours with Seley picking us up at our house, helping us through the border crossing, and delivering us to the doorstep of our new condo home. Worth every penny.
Our new home is the second floor of a 4 story condo complex which is directly across the street from the beach. There is an ice cream shop across the street which blocks part of our view, but provides some outstanding people watching opportunities. Very different locale compared to our previous homes. When we first arrived we were a little nervous because everything was so dark and quiet, then the gentleman on the first floor informed us that the power had been off all day. Shortly after that the power came on and we got around to unpacking. Great condo. A few kinks, but we got them sorted out in short order and were settled in comfortably.
Our condo is located right in the middle of the action and as such prices are a bit higher here. However we have taken the opportunity to check out a couple of restaurants right on the beach and I have to say, very nice. Yes you pay a bit more, but the view is truly outstanding.
And we felt it would have been negligent not to check out the national beverages.
Our border crossing allowed us the perfect chance to stock up on the rum of Nicaragua.
We are looking forward to a very relaxing 6 weeks here in the heart of San Juan del Sur.