By the time we got through walking Oso and getting things loaded it was by no means an early escape from Casa Playa Blanca. The drive was easy going north with only a small amount of traffic passing through Liberia. Lots of Savanna and sugar cane from there on to the border.

A couple of border ‘helpers’ talked me into letting them guide me through the exit at the Costa Rican side. It helped a little, but I could have figured it out myself and not paid the few bucks to get walked through. The most helpful part was them pushing us to hurry to beat a charging line of passengers that just exited a bus and were racing to the visa office.

The Nicaraguan side took forever with no real rhyme or reason. Tons of beaks to wet. A fee for the car, for the dog, for us, for the covid lady. The sound of official stamps being pounded onto paperwork gave a very bureaucratic air to all of the doings. Finally, after hunting down the aduana lady who had neglected to give us the declaration page at the beginning of the process, we managed to get the permits we needed and drove on into Nicaragua. No further stops or hassles.

An hour or so later, we reached the beach at Playa Maderos and took Oso for a foray on the beach. Tons of beginners were out having a go at the small waves breaking out front. We didn’t tarry long, as we were eager to find some lodgings before the sun went down. We tried a few of the places down on the beach with no luck then found a spot up the hill overlooking the sea that fit the bill.

Jorge got us checked into a room at Arte Sano with a great view. We unloaded our gear then ran down the mountain path to the beach below. We walked to the point before turning around to hoof it back up the steep jungle trail back to the hotel. A beautiful sunset awaited us as we floated in the infinity pool overlooking the bay. Tired from a long day of travel, we took it easy and rested up for tomorrow’s adventures.