I wake up in the mountain town of Tilaran, Costa Rica. Forty kilometers south, via a dirt road, is the eco-paradise once featured by National Geographic, Monteverde. It has butterfly, frog, and snake gardens, suspension bridges, and canopy tours. But I’m not going there. No, I’ve had enough of Costa Rica and its high prices; paying $10 for a breakfast that would cost $7 in LA. In Monteverde I could spend as much walking across one bridge as I would for three days of adventure in Nicaragua. And so, I’m heading north, back to Nicaragua. My destination: a beach city named San Juan del Sur just 25km north of the Costa Rica/Nicaragua border. Here I should be able to get a hotel for $5 and breakfast for $2. I’m happy to be on the road again
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