I´m in Nicaragua...

Yes its true we are here in Nicaragua.

Our visas are up next week so we had to leave the country for 72 hours to renew them. Nicaragua was closer, cheaper, and easier to plan out at the last minute (although I dont know why its last minute cause we knew for the last 90 days or so wed have to be leaving).

Anyway so we got up this morning at 3:08, because I hit snooze and Amber fell asleep before setting her alarm and the taxi arrived somewhere around 3:20, 3:30. And our bust left at 4:30. At the bus station we were informed that we´d have to pay an exit fee at the border, but this was news to us. At work on Wednesday our friend Sergio said the fee was only if you were flying and we wouldnt have to pay anything. Because of this neither of us had cash, only enough Colones to pay for the taxis in Costa Rica.

(can you believe how white we are???):

We were nervous the whole bus ride about getting off in the right city because the bus was going to Managua and we wanted off in Granada. So we told everyone who was working with TransNica, or seemed to be helping with the luggage, at every stop that we needed off at Granada. Well we made one stop before the border at a little restaurant but they only accepted cash, of course, so we couldnt eat. Amber asked for a cup of hot water because shes been feeling sick and wanted to drink some TheraFlu, but they gave her a glass of cold water instead and told her thats what they had.

Shortly after, a man came down the asiles to collect our $8 for the exit fee. Amber and I felt like we were in school again and the teacher was coming around to check off homework assignments and we knew we hadn´t completed ours. When he got to us we told him we had no cash and asked if thered be an ATM at the border. He looked very disappointed in us and told us there was one in Nicaragua but not before and hed allow us to pay him when we arrived.

After that conversation we fell asleep until the border, about 10am. We got off and were mobbed by people trying to convert money for us. It was a 3-man tag-team. The first guy put a calculator in your face from the right, the second pushed a huge handful of money in your face from the left and the third guy just walked around you really fast and they all were really excited about helping us exchange it, but sadly we had none to exchange.
(the man behind amber sold every 'brand' of watch you could imagine):
We were the last ones in line to get our passports stamped so of course everyone had to wait on us, which I´m sure made that man really happy- not only had we not paid but now we´re holding up the whole bus. After we were stamped we were rushed onto the bus and driven a short distance to another stop where they were going to check our suitcases. He made us go into the bank there and get money to pay him. However the ATM only gave us money in Cordobas and we had NO idea how much to take out. So each of us took out 100 just to see how that would go over. When the money was exchanged it came out to approximately $15 =) we were expecting a little bit more haha Well from there we had our bags checked and then walked over to the immigration building. We paid the man and he gave us some insructions about the bus that we didnt understand so we just kinda smiled and nodded and laughed a little bit and as we left he told me he loved me in english. I´m just glad that he was looking out for us and let us enter the country without paying.

We got off the bus in Granada on a little street and were directed to the ´bus station´to get our return tickets stamped and dated. It was like a living room of someones house where all the bus records were done in a notebook...I just hope we can make it back on Sunday. We took a taxi to the hotel/hostel and arrived just as they began fumigation so we were told we could leave our bags and come back in a 1/2 or so. What were we supposed to do? Well we found somewhere to eat and a bank (the first banks ATM was broken of course) so we should be set for the weekend.
(this is where the bus leftus, in the middle of no where):

So we are alive, we made it across the border, and we´re safe in the hotel. Its an interesting little place, we´re splitting a room $8.50 each/night. If you want to call it a room. Its a set of bunk beds about 2 ft from the wall and thats it, nothing else.

our room:the pool: the 'hang out area':
PS Matty´s moving out of the complex soon- Hes moving to Nicaragua for like 2 months. Amber and the owner of the complex had a fight over the laundry room, that lady is crazy (the owner, not amber) The whole time she was yelling at Amber it sounded like she was going to break into tears. It was really awkward.