after taking the long route to El Salvador, we were more than ready to spend a few days on the beach. My friend Toby was not ready for us to visit until the 13th, so we decided to head down to the beach and explore the waves that get surfers all excited. We found the area surprisingly affordable. The country is dollarized, and tends to be more expensive than surrounding countries. Nonetheless, our dorm room lodging the first night cost $6 each, and we moved to a place that had a private room and air conditioning with free water and free [View Full Entry]

---

---

As we found out, sometimes it is best to stick with what the guidebook says and forget about what the locals say. As we were leaving our guesthouse on the lake, we asked if the border crossing to Perquin was now open. "oh yes, no problem." So, like the dumb tourists we can be, we went down towards Marcala to take the bus over to El Salvador. However, once we got to La Esperanza, we realized that this was going to be much more difficult than we thought. We asked the staff at the terminal we arrived at where the bus [View Full Entry]

---

---

Once we arrived at the destination we had tried to get to a day before, we were actually glad that we got stuck in Tegucigalpa because of the curfew. D&D Brewery is a fair bit out of the way. However, the owner is from Oregon and Justin was intrigued by a microbrewery in the Honduran countryside. We ended up taking a taxi there for a couple bucks. Once we got there, we found out that "we don't know where the owner is or when he is coming back...and we are out of beer." Followed up by receptions recommendation that we stay [View Full Entry]

---

---

We decided to leave Nicaragua a day early, partially because of the ongoing conflict in Honduras (the thinking was that we might need to add a bit of a time cushion for the country) and also because we were facing a 4 hour wait to get to the place we wanted to go to in Nicaragua. So, spot change of plan, we got on the bus to the border instead. Other than paying a "municipal departure tax" on the Nicaraguan side, nothing was out of ordinary. In fact, everything was rather organized. For the first time this trip, both countries had [View Full Entry]

---

---

As we headed north from Granada, we saw more and more guys in jeans and cowboy hats. Estili was agriculture country through and through. While the city is not overwhelmed by a number of sights that would qualify for posters designed by the ministry of tourism, it did serve as a very good stop for us. Isle de ommetepe and Granada are very different. As such, I felt that it was very worthwhile to swing by to see a region not as touristy, and what felt like was a more authentic representation of everyday life in Nicaragua. The hostel that we [View Full Entry]

---

---

We were able to take a collectivo bus from the ferry dock to a junction about 5 kilometers from Granada. From there it was a short moto taxi ride from the junction to Granada. Our driver cracked me up. He didn't know where our hostel was, and didn't want to look at the map we were holding to find out. He insisted the central park was his destination. Whatever, the hostel was two blocks off the park. Hostel Oasis is a great place to stay in the city. It has a small dipping pool, hammocks, clean dorms and good decor. Its [View Full Entry]

---

---

Knowing that we were going to be heading toward a country that was not as developed as Costa Rica or Panama did nothing to prepare us for the utter incompetence of the Nicaraguan border authorities. Note: the ones we encountered were not corrupt. They were simply not up to the task of running a border crossing. Costa Rican immigration was polished and efficient. We then walked for a few minutes to get to the Nicaraguan side. We were instructed to walk through a chain link fence lined walkway, only to emerge right next to the road we were alongside before entering. [View Full Entry]

---

---

The Lonely Planet guide describes spending a night in the city as a necessary evil. The city write up also mentions it as a cross between cosmopolitan and commercial. If in summery of the above comments were meant to convey that there is nothing to see, they were right on. The most interesting aspect of Costa Rica was the accident we had to wait for after crossing the border with Panama. Another bus had hit the back of a back-hoe and broken the window pane of the door. No other damage. Just the window pane. The back-hoe was not even scratched. [View Full Entry]

---

---

I am writing to share my experience with a Panamanian Hostel in the city of Boquete. Namely, the unprofessional conduct of the owner of Hostal Palacios, 'Pancho.' We checked in with 4 people in our traveling group. 2 were staying a day longer before heading out. We had paid for 2 private rooms. Because Pancho charges a fee ($3 a bag) for bags left after checkout (12 noon) and our bus was not until 3, we left our two backpacks in our friends room because they were staying another day. Upon returning to the hostel after hiking around, we did not [View Full Entry]

---

---

Boquete was one of those destinations which was not really planned on our itinerary, it more or less came into it the night before. Justin and I were having dinner with Arie and Stephan, and they invited us to join them to go to Boquete. Since we knew we could cut costs, and were planning on getting out of Boca Brava after one night anyway, we decided to join them. Besides, going to a coffee growing region was on our to do list. It boiled down to one of those joys of travel, the change in itinerary based on who you [View Full Entry]

---

---