Travel Day - Crossing the Nicaraguan/Costa Rican Border

 RISE and SHINE!!  It is 5:00 am and our travel day was here! We were on the move from Costa Rica up to Nicaragua by public bus,  have to say I was a little nervous.  We had researched this crossing to death but that can only do much, things can change and one person's opinion may not jive with my family of 5.  I was sure it will be fine but didn't change the uneasy feeling in me.  I had Doug with me so it would be ok, he is my rock and my comfort zone.  Let's do this!!  Two taxis arrived to drive us and all of our luggage, we need to seriously ditch some, down to the bus stop in Coco.  Time to kill before the bus arrived so we hit up the bakery one last time, we were not sure when we would be able to get food or snacks for awhile.  We rode the bus into Liberia, 50 min, to the main station where we then had to unload our luggage and walk about 2 blocks down a side street to get to the other bus station.  This station is where we will catch the bus to Penas Blancas which is the small town that is the official border crossing into Nicaragua.

We had to wait about 20 min at the station before I bus left so we had time to grab a drink and then pay one last time to use the bathroom, 350 colones for toilet paper (80 cents). lol  I find it funny when we have to pay to use the bathroom! Bus trip was pretty uneventful but we could tell as we got closer to the border things were changing, the mood on the bus changed.  The bus stopped in a town called La Cruz about 20 min before the border and when it did about 15 African American men got on the bus and immediately the mood changed and not for the good. You could just tell everyone was on edge, looking around constantly and many of the locals that were on with us prior to that pick up didn't seem happy anymore.  As we continued down the highway many of the Africans got on and off at various spots. We had read about the numerous semis that would be lined up along the highway waiting to cross into Nicaragua once they clear through customs but it was crazy to see them!! There must have been close to 3 miles of semis and trailers all lined up, they just kept going and going. Seeing we were on the bus we took the inside lane and went right by them otherwise I think we would still be there! Just before the area where the semis get cleared the bus stopped one last time before the border and at that time all of the Africans got off. You could see rows and rows of tents in the trees, fires burning and African women and men, hundreds of them, all standing around. We were very curious about why they were all there?? We definitely knew there was something not right.

As I write this, we now know what was going on and it is truly heartbreaking and I don't believe many people out there even know that there is an issue at the border.  We have found out that over 600 US bound African migrants are stranded and being kept in these rough makeshift detention camps which are now being tended to by the Red Cross. They are stranded in CR because Nicaragua won't let them pass through as a migration route to the US and Costa Rica can't deport them because they don't have proper papers to prove where they are from.  It is unclear to the officials where they are all from, some are saying they are from Haiti, some the Congo or some won't say, so since they can't prove anything  the officials can't release them.  Officials say if the numbers keep increasing there is going to be a humanitarian crisis. This immigration route is not a new one but because Nicaragua had taken a stance and has decided not to let them in and are sending them back into CR they are seeing this human traffic jam.  It's a real mess actually and heartbreaking to see!!  I wish there was something we could do, we truly do live a blessed life.  Once we passed through the vehicle security check point there was a very strong military and police presence.  Guards were lined along the road with machine guns on their hips, there was groups of about 5 everywhere. As our bus came to a stop a man sitting behind me told me that we needed to make sure we paid the Costa Rican departure tax before we headed to the Nicaraguan Immigration office.  We knew that but he told us he worked in Immigration and to follow him. The kids and I lined up along a fence across from the police to wait for Doug as he had to go back outside the entry gate to fill out the CR departure forms and pay $55 to leave the country.  Doug was hesitant to leave me and the kids but I felt totally safe and we were in a good place to wait. 

Turns out the guy helping us, Eric, filled out the forms for Doug which was awesome because that was the part we were a bit nervous about.  The forms are all in Spanish and if you fill it out wrong we could be in trouble without even knowing why!  Eric then brought Doug back to us and then he stayed by our sides as he directed us into the CR Customs Office where we had to get our passports stamped. One of us stayed with our bags while the other one went into the office to prove ourselves and we rotated it this way without carrying all of our luggage into the building.  Eric also stayed with us to help us out, we made it in good time because just as we entered the building a huge tour bus pulled up behind us.  We beat the crowd!! YAH!! After we left this building we had to go through a chain link fence and say good bye to Eric.  Doug gave him a $5 tip and as we walked away we saw him high fiving his friend, thinking he didn't work in the office he was just making a quick buck off us! Haha  Oh well, he helped us out big time and he was super nice to us so I don't really care where he works.  Now that we had our exit stamp we had to walk down the main road for about a block or so until we reached the office to enter Nicaragua, it was actually just a tent set up outside.  They checked our passports there again and once they saw we had our exit stamp they let us through and sent us to the Nicaraguan entry office. As soon as we entered the building we were stopped and we had to pay $7 for a municipality tax. After that we now had to fill out paperwork to enter Nicaragua but the officer actually did it, we also had to pay another $80 to enter the country. Once we were cleared and got our passports stamped here we then had to load our luggage onto a belt to have it screened through security. Cleared that area and left the building where we were asked for our passports again just outside.  Once we were officially through the border we were then in need of a taxi, we were warned by many that once we walked out we would be POUNCED on by guys looking to take us and were we ever!! We had warned the kids to stay close to us and do not let them take the luggage out of their hands but even though we were prepared we still were not prepared!! They are not there to hurt you but are desperate for your money and they are relentless. We had about 10 guys in our faces yelling different prices and trying to get us to go with them.  In the end, we got 2 cars and made our way out of that craziness!!  I didn't enjoy that part at all, the rest of the crossing went pretty smooth and we did it in good time.  We didn't really have to wait in any line ups and we felt safe during the whole procedure.  There was a very strong military presence the whole way through  I even saw a guard secretly smiling at our boys as they walked by with their hockey sticks, nice to see!  About 2 km from the border we were stopped again in our taxis by the military guards and they checked our passports one last time.

 Finally, hello Nicaragua!!! Long day but worth the experience.  Entering this beautiful, rustic country with open eyes and we can't wait to experience life here.  We drove for about 40 min from the border to get into the town of San Juan del Sur.  Our house that we have rented for the month, found it on VRBO,  is about 3 km north of town in the country side but we still have many other developments around us. We have a million dollar view of the Pacific Ocean and it is my favorite part of the house! With no vehicle again we are prepared to walk this month out and see where we can make it to.  We have been putting on so many miles!! lol  Oh well, won't kill us!

We have a lot to discover here and a lot of new places to go!! Another month, another country, another adventure!! Excited to see what Nicaragua is all about!  Thanks to everyone out there that has been following us and for sending us so many positive messages on our adventure.  It makes us feel so good to know we have so many friends and family members back home and around the globe thinking of us.  We think of you often!!  We miss you all!!

Love from the whole Steel clan!!
XXXXX

Costa Rica - Playas del Coco

Sad to think that this has been our final week in Costa Rica, we have been here for 7 1/2 weeks and apparently that's all it takes to feel like home somewhere!! During our time here one feeling that has been present wherever we have travelled to is, welcome.  The Costa Ricans gave us such a good vibe and made us feel like they were genuinely happy we were in their country.  They were always there to help us out with directions or offering us helpful tips, they would always greet you with a smile and look you in the eye. They all seem to be hardworking, happy and kind, I'm sure that they all are not like that but where we went and who we interacted with, sure were. The people of CR definitely made our time here very enjoyable and memorable.

    On our "to go" list was a place called Playa Conchal, it is one of the top beaches in all of Costa Rica and it is famous for its sand, or lack of, which is composed of millions of tiny crushed, smooth shells.  It was a place we knew we had to go to and our days were dwindling down so if we were going to go we better just do it.  Headed out early Tuesday morning to bus our way to to Conchal.  Stopped by our favorite local panaderia (bakery) to fill up on yummy baked treats and then boarded our bus by 8:00. We always seem to find the best bakery in town, YUM!!

 We needed to make it to a small town called Comunidad to then get off our bus to transfer onto another one heading south towards Tamarindo.  We then rode that bus for 90 min until a town called Huacas where we got off and then transferred to another bus that would take us to Brasilito.  Once we arrived in Brasilito we had to make our way to the beach where you then walk along the water for about 1 km until you hit a treed area where you then follow a trail through them and on the other side is pure BEAUTY!!!

 The government doesn't allow buildings to be built right on the ocean so the shoreline is thick with trees, shrubs and full of wildlife.  The water is a combination of beautiful blues and greens, it reminds me of a Caribbean beach not one along the Pacific Ocean. The shells on the beach are absolutely incredible!! I thought they would be hard on the feet and too sharp to walk on but they were so smooth, felt great on the bare feet!! It was pretty amazing to see and I kept asking around why the shells are there and no one really had an answer, secret of the world they would say.  One guy had told us that out off the shore is the Catalina Islands where the Red Snapper are and they eat so many clams that the shells break up and get washed up onto the shore.  Not sure about that one??? Conchal's beach is made up of shells yet around the rocks on the Brasalito Beach side there is only sand, makes me wonder why!!

   

Spent some time snorkeling which was pretty cool, saw some huge Angel Fish, Puffers, an eel and Rhett even discovered a Stingray that was lying on the ocean floor. We were approached by a guy selling his tours and he offered to take us all out fishing and snorkeling for a pretty good price so we took him up on the offer.  We have wanting to get out onto the water for awhile now so we all were pretty excited.  Had to pay him $5 first so he could go and buy some bait (sardines) and then he rode his bike to go get his boat from the neighbouring beach.  He did eventually show up, with a friend in tow, and out we went!! Adison was the lucky one and pulled in a huge Silver Fish which she was super excited about but the rest of us didn't have as much luck.  Doug and I brought in a few small ones but the boys didn't catch anything.  Rhett wasn't too happy, poor guy! He wanted to catch in the worst way and then he didn't but his sister did, not a happy camper!  Lol, oh well, that's fishing for you!! Once we were out of bait we made our way to some rocks that weren't too far from the shoreline and did some snorkeling. There sure are some HUGE fish out there with beautiful colors!

Juan Lois, our fishing friend, had offered for us to take our fish that we caught to his families Soda in Brasalito and for $5/fish they would prepare a meal for us.  Probably the best fish we have ever had, soooo good!!  Pretty amazing day out on the water and on the beach we all came home with full bellies, sun kissed and exhausted! That's a good day in CR :)

 Wednesday was a day at home with school all morning, packing up, pool time and then some time down at the beach. Trying to soak up life here as much as possible because we will be on the move again soon.  Last week when we were at Playa Ocotal we met a man who was playing with his daughter on the rocks and it turns out he is a professional photographer in the area.  We chatted with him for a while and he was such a great guy!  As we were saying goodbye he offered to take some family photos of us and he said he didn't want any payment.  It was his Costa Rican gift to us!! We couldn't believe it and were so thankful that our paths crossed!  Thursday morning we met him down at Ocotal and he took a ton of pictures of us, can't wait to see how they turned out!! The setting was incredible but the question is, how will we turn out?? lol Never easy getting all 5 of us to look decent at the same time. Diego Mejias is who did our photos and if you are ever in the area and want pictures done he is amazing!! His contact is photoprocr.com to book or Google him to see his beautiful work.  Spent some time after pictures getting in some last time snorkeling at our favorite spot but didn't last long because Rhett got stung by a Jelly Fish around his wrist.

  It was pretty bad, it looked like he had a bracelet of swollen welts wrapped around his wrist and it was very painful.  I was quick to pull out the BEST treatment possible, Pure Lavender Oil from YoungLiving. The swelling and the welts were gone within 10 min!!  Nothing better than this oil, we have used it for everything on this trip.  I have packed so many different medications for various issues on this trip but all I have used is Lavender. Bug bites, cuts, swelling, headaches and always before bed to sleep well.  Big fan of Lavender and it is our go to now more than ever! 
This will be my last blog from here in Coco and we are in the same boat as last month when we left Manuel Antonio, excited to go but sad to leave!!  We have LOVED our time here in this country and are so thankful we have had the opportunity to spend so much time here.  We now know first hand why Costa Rica is so popular and people return so frequently, it is a wonderful place to be that makes you feel welcome!! Thanks for the wonderful memories Costa Rica, we are so happy and our hearts are full!!

PURA VIDA

Costa Rica - Playas del Coco

Hola a todos or as we Canadians say, "Hello everyone!"  This past week is a week where we are feeling like we were finally faced with the rainy season!  We chose to travel to Costa Rica in their low season which is known also as green season or the dreaded rainy season because that is when we could afford to.  To be honest though, I think we chose the best time to come!!  Flights here and our accommodations were cheaper in September/October, where as in Dec - April they are quite expensive. We have noticed that prices within in the country for food and tours are pretty much the same regardless of the time you travel. We have loved this low, rainy, green season for its beauty and how quiet places are.  Wherever we go it seems like we have it to ourselves or we share with locals which we love! Flowers are in bloom, plants and trees are all vibrate shades of green and the country side seems to glow, so beautiful!!

With all of the beauty comes the rain, and does it rain when the skies open up!! In this area of CR the weather pattern is more sporadic and hard to predict.  When we were in Manuel Antonio the days were easy to figure out, the rain showed up later in the afternoon and continued into the evening but we would wake up to sun. We would usually hear thunder for about 30 min to an hour before the rain started as well so we knew it was coming and we could get where we needed to in time.  Here in Coco, no warning and it will rain anytime of the day and hard.  This week it did anyway!! We were pretty much housebound for about 3 days this week because of the rain.  The skies would clear for a bit so we would try to head out and it would start up again.  No such thing as a light drizzle! By Wednesday night we had enough  and treated ourselves to all you can eat pizza and a movie at a local restaurant/bar called Coconuts. Made it there and back dry!! YAH!!

With being housebound we were able to get a ton of school work done and it felt awesome to power through the units!  Have to say, Doug and I are pretty impressed with our 3 students!! They have been working so hard and getting so much done.  We typically start school right after we eat breakfast, so at the table by 7:30/8:00 and we work for about 30 min and then take a 10 min body break.  Actually, I need to back our day up because Adison and Rhett complete a Spanish lesson on Duolingo first thing in the morning before we even have breakfast.  Nate isn't doing the program yet, a bit tricky for him and I struggle with it too. I can do the program my problem is I can't seem to remember it!!  If I read Spanish I can figure things out but listening to it goes in one ear and out the other.  Doug calls me a "reluctant learner!" Haha  I just might be! ;)

Prior to us leaving on this trip Doug had to write up an Education Plan for each child and submit it to our school division.  Being a teacher Doug felt additional pressure to write up a comprehensive, cross curricular, well thought out plan for each child.  He was praised for his thorough plans and effort as she stated never has she ever received such detailed plans before.  We follow along with the curriculum for each student using a combination of workbooks we purchased from Scholastic and other educational outlets, Doug's own classroom resources and resources he was able to obtain from his colleagues (thank you so much Andrea and Kandace).  We have also been using IXL which is an online math program that the kids home school uses. The kids also have an endless supply of educational books and novels to read using Epic (Nate's favorite) and Hoopla which is affiliated with our home public library. We are also able to download novels for Rhett and Adison onto their iPads using iBooks so they can do the same novel studies we would if we were back home.  With all of the resources out there our school days are stress free and we are loving it!! Time management is important so we utilize the rainy days and work hard when we are limited to our activities outside and in the community. Yet, when we leave the house, school is still all around us, we are learning all the time!  This adventure is a continuous science and social studies lesson.  #StarStudents

Thursday is the day we dedicated for bus research and the farmer's market.  Caught the bus here in Coco and rode the 50 min into Liberia where the big bus depots are as well as the market.  We are only in Costa Rica for another 5 days because next Friday we are making our way to Nicuragua and are attempting to cross the border on our own.  We have been quoted $200 US to have a private driver take us up to the border and help us across by filling out the paper work.  We don't believe we need to do that and spend all that money when we can bus on our own for less than $20.  We had talked to so many people and researched about the border crossing and it doesn't seem like a difficult process.  We have the time to do it and it is a safe border, so we are going to do it!  Wish us luck!!

Spent the rest of the morning at the amazing market, sooooo much goodness all in one spot! The vendors are all so nice and very interested in the kids.  I don't think they get a lot of blonde hair, blue eyed, mohawked customers!! lol The kids are little rockstars around the market!

Friday was a nice day so we decided to taxi our way to a nearby beach called Playa Panama which is in Snake Bay about a 20 min drive north of Coco. The sand is slate gray, the water is a beautiful blue and the beach is lined with many trees, shrubs and a grass area to play on.  We are all on a snorkelling kick so we were all pretty excited to try out a new spot.   We had heard this beach was a good spot because the currents are not strong and the riptide is usually low. We were either there at the wrong time or we were told wrong but all we saw and felt were rocks.  The possibility to snorkel was out the window and after a bit of swimming and beach time we were ready to move on.  Our kids are turning into beach snobs, haha!

There were no taxis around to drive us so Doug found us a ride with a local tour guide who was selling tours and he had a jeep that we all could fit into (kinda.)  He drove us to Playa Hermosa,  which is a popular beachfront resort town , it is between Coco and Playa Panama. 

Super cute place that spreads along the ocean, there are lots of little restaurants and hotels to see and most of them have access to the water. We made our way to a Canadian owned restaurant and hotel called El Velero where after meeting the owner earlier on he invited us to use his pool, showers and facilities if we stopped in for a beer. Great place on the ocean where we could sit in some shade, have a drink and watch the kids play in the ocean. 

 While sitting on the beach in Hermosa we met and made plans with a guy who sells snorkelling tours. He was going to pick us up Saturday morning in Coco to take us out to this island to snorkel for 2 hours. Not sure if it was a mix up because of the language barrier, or else he couldn't find a captain to take us out for the cheap price he quoted us, but  we got stood up! lol  Oh well, we were snorkel/beach ready so we went back to Playa Ocotal.  We had been trying to go back there all week to snorkel but the rain had kept us away.  Spent another day discovering the underwater life and all of the beautiful fish. We wish that we had an underwater camera so we could share it all with you!! So amazing!  We tried the other side of the beach this time and it was better than where we were the other day. Tide was low all day so we were able to climb on the rocks and discover some of the caves and cool things amongst the rocks. If we weren't in the water or on the sandy beach we were climbing the rocks.  This beach is going to be a hard one to top, one of our Costa Rican favorites!!

It's hard to believe we are counting down the days until we leave this area and make our way to our new home in Nicaragua. Our time here has gone by very quickly!! I am hoping the rain settles down this week so we can check off a few more places on our to go list. The kids have worked hard this week in their academics and we are proud of their progress. Secretly, I think they are too!! We weren't sure how this year would go with us teaching our own kids, but so far so good!! I really like working with them and I definitely think this one on one time is good for all of us.  I can truly say we  know their strengths and weaknesses in their studies and we can spend our time wisely because of it.  All is calm on the education front!! :)  The rainy days have been good for us academically and we are thankful for the beauty it has brought to this country.  We are all happy and our hearts are full!!
 

PURA VIDA!!!!!