San Jose

We flew from Bocas del Torro to San Jose because of the difficulties we had flying into Panama without a proof of onward journey. It seems to be somewhat of a catch 22, for we had the same problem trying to fly into Costa Rica – therefore we bought another flight from San Jose to Nicaragua right there at the airport so we could land in Costa Rica. These sorts of things don't seem to be as problematic at bus border crossings, that's for sure.

So we arrived safe and sound in San Jose. Not much to say about San Jose – we stayed two nights a week apart in a darling hostel owned by this adorable Nicaraguan gay guy called Frederico. The hostel was just wonderful – art deco interior and full of great people. A whole bunch of people (including Bernard) watched the final NBA match of the playoffs – thankfully Miami lost. We soaked up lots of hints from travellers who had already been further north. We didn't really do anything in San Jose but it was a convenient place to visit as part of your onward travelling.