Back to Costa Rica

So, off we go again. After 7 weeks in beautiful Nicaragua we are heading back to Costa Rica for a house sitting opportunity. We very much enjoyed our time in Nicaragua. At first we were nervous because of a totally misconceived belief that Nicaragua might be an unsafe destination. We could not have been more wrong. The people were the same warm helpful people we have had the pleasure of encountering throughout Central America. As well, we were there for the “rainy” season and had to endure all of 3 days in 7 weeks where it actually rained most of the day. Every other day ended up being gorgeous.

As the date for our house sitting job approached we prepared for departure from Nicaragua. We had already arranged for the same driver who brought us to Nicaragua to come and pick us up for the drive back. Yes it costs more money, but with the luggage and border crossing we are finding it is worth every dollar.

The other item we realized as we prepared for departure is that we had inadvertently over stayed the limit of our visa for Nicaragua by 3 weeks. I didn’t think this would be a big deal, and it wasn’t. But a big part of that was the fact that our driver, Seley, was there to interpret and help at the border with us coughing up an additional $128US to exit the country. Not a big deal really, the information was readily available on the internet and it was our fault for not dealing with it earlier. Even with the additional time to watch the clerk fill out the forms (in triplicate with carbon paper) we were done and through both sides of the crossing in 75 minutes.

Our entire journey of 402 km took 7:40 of solid driving except for the border crossing and one gas station stop. A long day but satisfying. Part of the satisfaction was that it was one of our worst days for weather and poured rain for most of the trip, great day to spend in a vehicle with someone else driving

We arrived to find the most gracious home owner waiting for us with his dog, Omber. Omber is the main reason we are here. His owners are heading back stateside for a couple of months and needed someone to look after their dog. House sitting is truly a win/win situation where home/pet owners can leave their properties with the comfort of knowing they are being looked after, and sitters get the opportunity to look after great pets and see some more out of the way locations around the world at a fraction of the cost.

Part of our job is to take Omber for a couple of walks a day. This is a serious responsibility and one we are looking very forward to. Life truly is good.