On Friday Feb 4 with our ticket in hand, we left our Granada hotel and headed to the Tica Bus terminal ready for our return trip to San Jose, CR. We expected the trip to be uneventful and that we would arrive in San Jose about 9pm – not so!
The bus was 20min late arriving in Granada, and shortly after leaving Granada, we were informed that the air conditioning wasn’t working. The steward apologized for the inconvenience and opened the roof vents. Fortunately, we were seated on the shady side of the bus, and since it was now 2:00pm, we felt that it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable. However, when we reached Rivas, an hour from Granada and only 25km from the Costa Rican boarder, there was more bad news.
In the centre of town, the driver stopped the bus on the side of the road, a mechanic appeared from somewhere to assess the situation. He worked for awhile, but in the end the assessment was that the compressor was not working and we had no brakes as well as no air conditioning and we couldn’t open the luggage compartments. After some time, some looking, some head shaking and cell phone calls, finally the verdict. The bus was disabled and could not be fixed. We had to wait for a replacement bus that would be sent from Managua. Sigh!
While we waited, we had time to eat at a nearby chicken restaurant and meet the English speaking passengers on the bus. One of these passengers was a Nicaraguan coffee farmer named Sheldon who spoke perfect Spanish – our translator.
About 7:00pm almost five hours later, a replacement bus did arrive. We boarded, bags were transferred and we set out again. International border here we come!
Crossing this border is a mysterious three step process. For us, it took 2 hours, but apparently, it can easily take much longer.
Step one: The Tica bus steward collects all passports and fees, and takes these to the immigration officials on arrival. Passengers get off the bus and wait until an immigration official appears with the passports that now contain an exit stamp. He reads the names, one at a time, and each person comes forward to collect his or her passport and re-board the bus.
Step two: The bus with all passengers aboard drives a short distance into Costa Rican territory. Everyone gets off, and enters the immigration office to get an entry stamp. At this point, there are signs that state that it is a requirement to show proof that you have a exit ticket from Costa Rica, a flight, a bus ticket, etc. But this policy is inconsistently applied. One of the officers didn’t ask, and one did. But in practice, I think it doesn’t really matter what you show the person even if you are asked. For example, he accepted an outdated internet printout for a flight that I had actually cancelled.
Step three: Now the bags. Once you have the entry stamp, immigration staff can inspect and open your bags if they choose. For this crossing, we got our bags, and lined up ready for inspection. But after a few minutes, we were directed to return to the bus, and no one examined any of the bags. I guess the performance was more important than what actually is done.
About 1:30am over four hours after leaving the border, we arrived safely in San Jose. We stayed at the Tica bus hotel at the bus terminal and made our way to Alajuela the next morning. Two days here will give us time to catch up on our sleep so that we are ready for the flight.
The bus was 20min late arriving in Granada, and shortly after leaving Granada, we were informed that the air conditioning wasn’t working. The steward apologized for the inconvenience and opened the roof vents. Fortunately, we were seated on the shady side of the bus, and since it was now 2:00pm, we felt that it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable. However, when we reached Rivas, an hour from Granada and only 25km from the Costa Rican boarder, there was more bad news.
In the centre of town, the driver stopped the bus on the side of the road, a mechanic appeared from somewhere to assess the situation. He worked for awhile, but in the end the assessment was that the compressor was not working and we had no brakes as well as no air conditioning and we couldn’t open the luggage compartments. After some time, some looking, some head shaking and cell phone calls, finally the verdict. The bus was disabled and could not be fixed. We had to wait for a replacement bus that would be sent from Managua. Sigh!
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| Hmm ... what to do? |
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| Lots of time to talk and get everyone's story. From left to right, Annie, from Montreal; Dayna, from Nebraska; Karen; Seldon, from Nicaragua. |
Crossing this border is a mysterious three step process. For us, it took 2 hours, but apparently, it can easily take much longer.
Step one: The Tica bus steward collects all passports and fees, and takes these to the immigration officials on arrival. Passengers get off the bus and wait until an immigration official appears with the passports that now contain an exit stamp. He reads the names, one at a time, and each person comes forward to collect his or her passport and re-board the bus.
Step two: The bus with all passengers aboard drives a short distance into Costa Rican territory. Everyone gets off, and enters the immigration office to get an entry stamp. At this point, there are signs that state that it is a requirement to show proof that you have a exit ticket from Costa Rica, a flight, a bus ticket, etc. But this policy is inconsistently applied. One of the officers didn’t ask, and one did. But in practice, I think it doesn’t really matter what you show the person even if you are asked. For example, he accepted an outdated internet printout for a flight that I had actually cancelled.
Step three: Now the bags. Once you have the entry stamp, immigration staff can inspect and open your bags if they choose. For this crossing, we got our bags, and lined up ready for inspection. But after a few minutes, we were directed to return to the bus, and no one examined any of the bags. I guess the performance was more important than what actually is done.
About 1:30am over four hours after leaving the border, we arrived safely in San Jose. We stayed at the Tica bus hotel at the bus terminal and made our way to Alajuela the next morning. Two days here will give us time to catch up on our sleep so that we are ready for the flight.