After three month of ’sitting on top of each other‘ (guess that doen’t work as direct translation from german?) Tati and I decided having some time off of each other – or having some more time to one self – seems like a good idea.
So after six days of freezing (about ten degrees at night without heating!) in Cerro Punta we headed back down the mountain. It was intense hugging and kissing goodbye for what felt like very abrupt – even though we planned that step already for some time – when I stepped of the bus in Vulcano.
Now it was actually the first time I could not rely on Tati and her spanish and also the first time I travelled alone since leaving Switzerland in October 2016. Tatis plan was travelling back to Panama City and then take a plane to Bogota and hang out with some friends for a while. After that we decided to see if we want to meet up again in Nicaragua or maybe Honduras and travel further north towards Mexico.
My plan was to enter Costa Rica. I read in advance that you need some kind of onward ticket out of the country (like usual). This country seems to be the most sought-after in all of latin america, so I believed that they really actually ask you about onward tickets. I decided to try anyways without – which poses also the problem that you first have to stamp out of Panama and I didn’t really know what happens if the other side of the boarder doesn’t allow you in, does Panama stamp you back in? And if so, what would I do then?
I took the bus from Volcano to Rio Sereno, which I heard is a nice alternative boardercrossing compared to the big one further south and also much closer. Hilly mountains all the way – the engine of the bus almost fainted.
Once arrived my bad spanish confused me already for the first time: I asked for the border and someone told me that this is really far away from where we are now. Next person then told me to take a taxi and pay a dollar. At the boarder I waited for an hour (it’s coffee harvesting season, so all the panamanians indigenes cross to work there), When it was my turn I had to make some fotocopias first, after that it was straight forward, but that was only stamping out. Now I went inside the next building where I was directly served: I was ready to do my best not beeing pushy, beeing sympathetic, even ready to try and beeing charming on a natural level. ‚Where you going?‘ ‚To Costa Rica‘ ‚And then?‘ ‚To Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico‘ (followed by my most innocent and humble smile I could possibly put on). ‚How long in Costa Rica?‘ ‚Maybe two weeks‘ ‚Please show me your onward ticket‘ ‚I don’t have one‘ His face looked worried now. I went on with my best spanish, which I already set up in my mind on the whole busride: ‚You know I travel for a long time, I can’t have an onward ticket all the time, but I have a credit card, and I have 1000 dollars in cash‘ ‚ok, fill out the card, 30 or 60 days?‘ As I just stated I want to stay for two weeks I thought it’s on the safe side to go for 30. Residence adress? He said something. I tried writing the name down, he looked at it, laughed, signed it and I was officially welcome to Costa Rica…
When bargainig with the taxi driver I realised I have no idea where to, I only concentrated my energy of getting into to country with no though where to go when suceeding the task. Anyways – I got him down to 15 and off we went to the next bigger bus station. I decided to go to Uvita which is at the pacific coast, and I go as far as I can get today. Minus one hour to Panama, always good to win an hour when on the road… Made it the same day, found an expensive beer and a cheap room.