Leaving to be able to stay...

(This article is dedicated to all of us who came to CR and fell in love with the “pura vida” lifestyle and chose to stay indefinitely.)

So your 90 days are about to be over and you need to leave the country (for at least 3 days.) ! Based on our experiences (good and not so good, leaving the country every 90 days during the last two years) we humbly offer you some time tested advice that we wish we had been given our first time around, when our adventure of border crossing began. This time we are going to focus on our recent trip to the beautiful, neighboring country of Nicaragua, for it’s closer and cheaper than your other options.

Information you’ll need before leaving:

• Exchange rate: in April this year, the exchange rate was 21 Cordobas (the national currency of Nicaragua) per US dollar. At the border, next to the Migration Office there is one office of BCR (Banco de Costa Rica). There you can easily exchange your colones or your dollars. If you arrive at night or when the bank office is closed, you can always exchange money with the black market money changers, but be sure to know the exchange rate so you don’t get ripped off.
  
  
• Taxes: when you leave the country (Costa Rica) you have to pay $ 8.00 U.S. and $ 3.00 upon exiting (Nicaragua). Our recommendation here is to have the exact amount in dollars before you even live Costa Rica.
  
  
• where and what to eat? In Nicaragua, the only place where you can drink the water directly from the faucet (without getting ill) is Ometepe, as the water comes from natural springs. In the rest of the country we recommend you to drink bottled water and other drinks capped and sealed. About the food, it is convenient to eat in restaurants and not on the streets from food vendors. The typical bacteria in Nicaragua is different from CR and if your body is not used to that, you can get sick for a few days, even Ticos have reported symptoms of food poisoning connected with the tap water.
  
  
• finally, where to go? The best places to go in Nicaragua...to be continued!

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