A trip by bus from Guatemala to Costa Rica and Nicaragua and back again, part 1. Leaving Guate City direction Costa Rica…
Waiting at the bus station
We reserved our tickets for the bus a few days ahead. There were a few possibilities. We choose KingQuality as this was the only company that would bring us in one day from Guatemala City to Nicaragua.
Not one bus-company is willing the risk to drive through Central America during the night, except the part from Costa Rica to Panama City. An other company TikaBus stops in Salvador where you will have to stay in a hotel for the night to get on moving the next day. We figured the extra cost for KingQuality, where a ticket costed 55$US instead of the 25$US for TikaBus would neutralize with the cost of a night in a hotel in Salvador.
5.00 o’clock in the morning
We had to be one hour before leaving at the bus-station. The bus would leave at 6.00 o’clock so we were there…and the station was closed.
We were lucky to find a gas-station that was open. We had a coffee and I bought the ‘prensa libre’, one of the more serious papers in Guatemala.
We tried our luck at 5.30. The bus-station was open. It gave me the impression of a very small airport.
We didn’t have much information about the ride. We knew we would get something to eat and drink during the trip and that the toilet was working. The schedule to be in Managua, Nicaragua was around 18.00 o’clock.
Crossing the border Guatemala-Salvador
A whole busload full with tourists and trekkers means business for the money-changers.
And I still have something of this European attitude like “changing money you do in a bank”. I never feel comfortable doing these kind of things on the street. We were very lucky that I changed some Quezales in US-dollars. (Salvador is a dollar country).
On the Salvador-side of the border, we had to stop again. This time to check the luggage. I was happy to get of the bus for a moment and bought Vivian some Pupusas, a typical specialty from Salvador. That was one dollar well spent, as the food in the KingQuality bus was not much.
Bus stop in San Salvador
A lot of people got out of the bus in San Salvador. No time to waste. We were on the road again in 5 minutes.
After a movie and something to eat we entered Honduras. I had to pay 3 US$ to the Honduran authorities for the right to pass their country. I was lucky I had changed some Quezales in US-dollars.
They said that my permit to stay was due that day and asked me what I was going to do about it. I said I was going to go to Costa Rica.
This is a rather new regulation. Just a month ago the C-4 countries (Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador and Nicaragua) decided that a visa was now for all the 4 countries instead of a visa per country. This is a small catastrophe for foreigners that were used to hop over the border, get their passport stamped and back again the same day. This will not work any more. You now have to go to Belize, Mexico or Costa Rica to get stamped out and to get a new 90-days permit again.
Somewhere in Honduras
Changing busses with a group of people that were going north. As we were too late, it was a quick move of persons and luggage from one bus in the other one.
In 10 minutes we were on the move again.
21.30 hours, Arrival in Managua, Nicaragua
We got a taxi, went to an ATM-machine to get some dollars and found a hotel for 25$US.
You can pay everywhere with dollars in Nicaragua, but the official valuata is the Cordoba.
We walked a bit around, had something to eat and were asleep in an airconditioned room at 23.00 hours. We decided because of this visa-changes and the awareness of all the officials of that, that we would go on to Costa Rica the next day.
The busride was ok. The chairs had enough leg-space. The food was horrible but they were nice to give us blankets and a pillow. Those air-conditioned buses are always too cold. We suffered in different buses, as you don’t think of anything warm when you are waiting for the bus in the sun. And later on it is too late. Your clothes are in another compartment.
