...climbing volcanoes, trying new things...(did I mention we rode on top of a school bus? It's pretty intense trying to avoid tree branches!)
...learning strange cultures, volcano boarding, and having to deal with living (a few days) with no money and having to get a new passport?
Anyway, I've had countless people ask about the last few days of my trip, so instead of repeating myself 500 times, I thought I'd type a quick (hahahha) story-like explanation for you beautiful people who support me in my crazy life. :)
Monday morning. A morning that is already looked down on, but 3/3/14 was promising to be an especially "exciting" Monday.
Sophie and I left our $5 bedbug/eager Nico boy/hammock/couch hostel around 6:00 in the morning and after a quick breakfast thanks to a kind fellow traveler, we hopped in a cab with a guy we had gotten a number for - we had heard awful things about sketchy Managua cab drivers, so were playing it safe to try to avoid any more unwanted excitement. (Like this...)
At 6:45 we arrived at the super fancy American embassy. Apparently our taxi driver is known for driving around peace corp members, so at first we were treated like royalty - and then Sophia decided to be honest and say we were just travelers, not volunteers, and we were sent to sit and wait among countless other "normal" people.
Sophia, thankfully, used her fluent Spanish to convince the security guards to let us in after about an hour of waiting - at first we were told the lady we had to see was with someone, and then we were told she was gone that day, and then finally the security guard realized that we were an emergency case and let us in.
The process was surprisingly simple. After getting through airport-like security, we filled out some forms, paid a bunch of money, ran outside next to the highway to get an awful passport photo, and then returned, waited an hour, and left the embassy with a new, temporary passport. I was amazed at how simply it went considering how things could have gone.
After the passport we had to drive across town to migration which was in a really sketchy part of Managua. This was the hardest part of the whole process because no one could understand the form we had to fill out - me, Sophia, or the nice Nicaraguan guy who tried to help us. Sophia was amazing and convinced the people to work with us, and we got our entrance stamp. Of course, they stamped it with the wrong date which added a little more stress, but, we got it fixed, got out of there and to the bus station, and even had time for lunch.
Sophia and I enjoyed our last hour together and celebrated the fact that we had successfully made it through a traveler's worst nightmare. I waited as long as I could to get on the bus to avoid saying goodbye, but, goodbye always happens. So, after a crazy difficult goodbye to my dear friend Sophia, I was headed back to Costa Rica. An hour or two into the trip we reached the border and had the simplest crossing of my life - the bus staff took our passports and got them stamped to exit Nicaragua, we got them back and stamped to enter Costa Rica, our luggage was scanned, and we were back on the road.
As soon as we were officially in Costa Rica, I felt a huge, unbelievable wave of relief. It's amazing how comfortable the country has become, even the unfamiliar areas. The bus made its way through the country as the sun set - My last sunset in Central America for this time, unfortunately on a bus, but breathtakingly beautiful nonetheless.
I tried to sleep, but I was so excited to see my friends and relieved to be out of Nicaragua that it was difficult...The ride took forever, but finally, finally, we started driving through the familiar city, San Jose. The bus station was just a few blocks from my friend's house, but when I showed the taxi drivers my friends' address, they wanted to charge me 3,000c - $6. Um. No. (It shouldn't cost more than a dollar, but they think every blonde tourist is stupid....)
I asked a few different drivers, but no one seemed to know where the address led to- even though every taxi driver in the past had no problem, and I could have walked in just a few minutes. (But walking at night with a big bag and blonde hair is the dumbest thing a tourist can do...)
One of the taxi drivers I asked took the piece of paper with the address and after a quick glance motioned me to come with him. He took me a few feet away to a large taxi with two guys inside and handed the paper to the driver. He asked where it was, and the driver gave the paper an instant glance before saying, "get in." At that point I was getting a little sketched out and informed them I'd find another ride...There is no reason that all three guys were needed, and that's another common robbery technique. Not like I had anything more to take, but I was sick of dishonest, creepy people. Instead, I borrowed a phone and my friends were there within minutes to get me. Should have just called them in the first place...
We spent the night and morning catching up a bit in between their studying (to be lawyers!) and in the morning Gerardo took me to the airport and we tried really hard not to be sad as we said goodbye...It never, ever works.
And suddenly, I was on a plane, flying back to the states. The day before I had told someone that I shut down my mind in travel mode and just went with the flow because at that point, your trip is over and you just want to be home. Luckily, thanks to my temporary passport and a short story about how I got all my stuff stolen, I was quickly waved through immigration and customs with no problems. I even got three seats to myself on the plane to Minneapolis, making for a quick flight because I slept the whole time.
And definitely not important but important anyway - when I stepped out of the airport, I was not expecting 16 degrees to feel that cold. I guess 60 degree difference in a few hours really is a shock to the system. Ha.
Being home is amazing, but my hunger for adventure is far from satisfied. Soon, there will be more adventures and more stories for you to read, but right now, I need to do some processing from the last two months...and especially the last two weeks.
Yep, that is THE waterfall. The place where life decided to make my trip a little more exciting. :)
Partly because of what happened at that waterfall, and partly because you are all so awesome, I have sososo many people to thank, but for the sake of space; for those of you I can't tell in person:
---THANK YOU!! To Sophia for being my lifesaver, my translator, my shoulder to cry on, and everything I needed when everything I needed was gone. Don't know how I would have survived without you. Love you, woman!!!
----THANK YOU to my amazing Costa Rica brothers Jenner Alfaro and Gerardo Sanchez Jimenez (and Felix!!) for being my family and home away from home. For the fun times, taking us everywhere, valentines flowers, dropping everything to come rescue me from creepy taxi drivers, and sharing your food. You guys are the beessttt!!!! :D
----THANK YOU to my Sonati friends - for letting me stay there, for making us meals, for the countless hugs and for assuring us that all would be fine after I lost my money and passport. I miss you crazy kids already! (Fu, George, Michael, Anthony, Ali, Sjoerd, Elske!!)
----THANK YOU to the Heisers and Foote family in Panama for being a channel of grace and love and allowing God to use you to impact my life, for welcoming us as part of your family, and for introducing me to a real live scorpion. :)
----THANK YOU to every single one of you who has been there for me 100% offering love, support, and money. You are all my backbone and what keeps me going. (Honestly, you probably fuel the fire. Muaha.) You will never know how much I appreciate every single one of you guys.
---And most importantly, THANK YOU GOD. For loving this pitiful soul of mine through it all, providing these opportunities, and protecting me when I decide to run after bad dudes with knifes. :)
Now back to planning my next trip......
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