When I went down to have some breakfast this morning I was joined by a group of expats who all have been living in Nicaragua (one of them for over 20 years). Two were from Texas, one from Colorado and one from Bellingham, Washington. They didn't know each other but apparently they were all friends of the owner of this hotel. They all raved about Nicaragua's natural beauty. They also all thought that they has more "freedom" than they had in the US. When I asked them to expand on that they just said that they never have anyone messing with them. That's not exactly the same as freedom I thought but I let it go. Most of them were surfers and they remarked on the undiscovered places to surf and explore. I had to admit, of all of the Central American countries I had visited so far, Nicaragua appeared to be very pristine. Riding out of Managua this morning I again was really struck by its beauty. If a city can be embraced by a jungle, Managua is the most green city I have ever seen. It was hard for me to imagine that it is a city of 1.7 million people. Across Nicaragua the roads were so nicely paved and everything seemed very manicured. I admit, I really don't know that much about Nicaragua but it was apparent that the government really cares about its infrastructure. Except for their stupid borders! I decided that I was going to have a better border experience today but Nicaragua didn't make that easy. I made up my mind that I was going to figure it out myself even if to took me all day. I was firm with the commissioned "helpers" that I didn't want their help and that I wasn't going to pay. They eventually left me alone. I repeatedly pestered the guards for directions and slowly but surely collected the stamps and papers I needed to clear the border. I thought... don't you all get tired of lost gringos wandering around? Just put up some signs... Even if they're in Spanish! On to Costa Rica where I had to find four hidden buildings in a maze of parking lots and tangles of semi trucks. There was a complete lack of any guards or officials on the street so I just had to pester random strangers to help me find the appropriate facilities. Once I finally stumbled upon the first correct building, I discovered that the Costa Rican officials were efficient and friendly. They quickly processed my documents and directed me to the next building... which was still hard to find. When I arrived at my last stop, the guard told me that the agents were going to lunch and that I would have to wait for an hour. Dang! So close! The good news was that I was first in line when they got back. Ten minutes after they let me in I had my final stamps and I was on my way. It all took about 4 hours to clear both borders and it cost $53 for all of the fees. I did it without any "helpers" and with my own Spanish. Even though it took me considerably longer it was actually kinda fun.