El Salvador-Honduras-Nicaragua-Costa Rica

El Salvador greeted us with good and smooth highways, on par with Canadian ones! Right from the border, we got a ride that was going straight to San Salvador, but we got off early because we wanted to find a good place to camp and not get stuck in a big city. The camping spot was perfect: tall grass, full moon and nobody around. Really hot though. In the morning we hitched to the city, where our senses were assaulted by the noisiest market we ever saw: everything from sweet buns to pens and bra´s can be bought right there, it was difficult to brush off the insisting vendors! In San Salvador we splurged for the first time in our trip: we got a room with hot shower and laundry included, and had the most relaxing evening in months. Next morning, a bus out of town and a ride that was supposed to take us all the way to Managua (capital of Nicaragua). When the pick up pulled over, we did not think there was room for us in the box, but the driver said:¨tranquilo, tranquilo¨, shuffeled a few bags around and we got in.Too damn bad that we did not have enough cash to pay the entrance fee into Nicaragua! So we had to overnight at the border and in the morning go back 50 kms and search for an ATM that is actually connected to the international system... We felt like schoolkids, taking the same exam third time in a row, when are we going to learn the f...g lesson!? Have extra cash stashed away!!!
Having this figured out, we rode from the Honduras-Nicaragua border in the comfort of a vacationing family, and in Nicaragua we were picked up by a Nicaraguan land surveyor, who invited us to stay the night at his house at Managua. His two sons and their friends played a rock gig in our honour in the living room and it was great to meet the real people of the land, you know... Father singing along with the tunes his sons are hammering out, it was goood!
From Managua, a straight ride to Rivas, where we camped on the shore of a freshwater lake, what a blessing! To be able to wash the road dirt off at the end of the day!
In the morning we had some good camp-stove coffee and when we were packing up, an ox cart went by, the driver casually said ¨buenos dias¨ and sped away...
The crossing of the Costa Rican border required quite a bit of patience, for the line up to get your passport stamped was 5 hours long!
From the border to San Jose we got a classic ride in the sleeper of a tractor trailer, spending the night in the cab with the driver...
In San Jose we are staying with a CS host for a few days and then we´d like to explore the country a bit more before moving on. We´ll see what happens!