Border Run

(photo: us in Nicaragua with our new friends)

We arrived in Costa Rica just over two weeks ago and intend to live here. Despite that fact, we were only granted a fifteen-day visa at the airport, so we had to do what the expat community calls a border run. It sounds a bit sketchy, but there’s really no way around it. When the government says you have to be off of their soil by a certain date, we feel it’s a good idea to comply. So, not really knowing what to expect, we bought one-way bus tickets to Nicaragua and packed our bags again. In the end, it wasn’t the worst experience we’ve ever had. I just wish we could have done it a bit later on so we could truly embrace and enjoy the adventure without feeling so unsettled.

Thankfully, a wonderful missionary couple, who has lived in Costa Rica for twenty years, agreed to care for our Boston Terrier during our excursion. Our family also had the pleasure of traveling with two wonderful companions. One was the local pastor who helped get our house move-in ready while we were still in the States, and the other was his (and now our) friend from Canada who has lived here for several months and was also in need of a border run. The seven of us met up at the bus station at 6:45am and headed out for an eight-hour trek. It was comforting to travel in a group, and we were grateful to have help with the language.

The bus was equipped with a bathroom and air conditioning, but the seats were smaller and had less leg room than a typical airplane in the States, so John and the taller passengers had to contend with a lack of personal space. And, since we were some of the last people to buy tickets for this particular trip, we sat at the back of the bus, where the air is thick with the smell of toilet water, and I don’t mean the kind you find in the perfume section at Macy’s. The scenery along the way was interesting and beautiful though; I saw an iguana and a Blue Morpho butterfly, John spotted a monkey on a leash in someone’s yard, and we were all in awe at the volcanoes. Next time I’ll bring my camera so you can see the sites too.

We stopped along the way and filled up every seat on the bus, and then we all disembarked to have breakfast at a charming little open-air roadside restaurant. After leaving the relatively cool mountainous area we live in, it was a bit like having a meal on the surface of the sun, or so I imagine. Truthfully, it was hot enough to make me nervous about where we were headed. The food was tasty though, an omelet stuffed with well-spiced ground beef and gallo pinto (literally “spotted rooster,” which is leftover black beans and rice sautéed together). After each of us downed a large bottle of water to replace the fluid we had lost sitting at breakfast, we got back on the bus and thanked God for the miracle of Freon.

When we reached the border, we collected our luggage from under the bus and got the necessary leaving-the-country stamp on our passports. It was quick and painless. Then we got back on the bus and right back off at the Nicaraguan immigration office, where they gave us a ninety-day tourist visa and sent us on our way. We ended our journey in a town called Rivas, where the bus surprisingly dropped us off on the side of the road.

I was immediately relieved that the air was not quite as hot as it had been at breakfast but a bit concerned at the welcoming committee that greeted us. The locals were congregated and ready for tourists. There were a few people selling souvenirs and no less than six fast-talking Nicaraguans with bicycle tuk tuks, saying things DuoLingo had not prepared me for. This was where it became apparent that our native Spanish-speaking travel companion was invaluable. In the end, everyone was quite friendly and accepted our polite “no thank yous.” We ended up renting two car taxis and asked them to show us the hotels we had found that boast decent reviews online.

We reluctantly loaded our bags and ourselves into vehicles that felt like they had been stripped for parts. The dashboards had no buttons or lights or really anything that appeared to be functioning, and there were no door handles on the inside at all. We couldn’t have gotten out without the drivers’ help to save our lives, which I feared we might have to do. Again, I was especially happy to have a native Spanish speaker along. It quickly became apparent that my concern was all for naught, as the drivers were perfectly friendly and helpful and got us safely to our destination.

We settled on two nights at a very reasonably priced hotel in the town center that reminded me of something from a movie set in Morocco, with stark white walls, painted tile stair risers and a pool in the middle of an open air courtyard. But, before you get too jealous, I sustained a nasty spider bite in our bathroom where the lights were burnt out, and there was no hot water in the shower or the pool, which truth be told was not exactly a bad thing given the hot humid weather. Come to think of it, I’m not entirely sure the pool was intended for anything more than decorative purposes since we were the only ones who ever got in there. People did stare, but it was cold and so refreshing!

As we walked into town the next day, the streets were full of horses, dogs, and kids. People were as warm as the weather, smiling and saying hello to us. Every meal we ate was outside and there were always dogs and kids waiting to finish our scraps. At one point it was an emotional experience and there was no lack of tears at the table. I know we can’t feed every hungry kid, but we want to. Somehow, even knowing that we are truly making a lasting difference in the lives of so many children in Malawi doesn’t mitigate the sadness I feel at the overwhelming amount of poverty in this world. I know you know what I’m talking about because you’re in this with us. Thank you so much for not just feeling bad about the state of the world but for helping us do something to change it. I mean it. Our supporters are the best, and we love you!

We’re back at our house in Costa Rica now with our obviously well-cared for dog and our passports stamped for another 180 days by a satisfied government official. It might take some of us a few days to recover fully from the aftereffects of the unfamiliar foods we ate but, on a positive note, my spider bite seems to finally be healing. Thank you all for your prayers and concern for our family. The best way to support us right now is to pray for us to settle in well and to be able to visit Malawi soon. We’re building the fifth grade classroom and planning the chapel on the HUGS campus, two projects that were recently funded. We’re super excited about what God is doing and about what He will do with the next 180 days. You’ll be the first to know all about it. Thank you and God bless you for your support!