Our First Boarder Run - Nicaragua

 Last weekend we made our first boarder run. We need to do this every 90 days till we are able to put in for residency (which is another blog post in and of itself)

We heard about a great tour to Rio Indo Lodge (http://www.therioindiolodge.com) 

It was an incredible adventure and one we will not forget, if ever. Yea, that memorable.

I want to share what Tracye wrote about our trip, she does a great job of nailing it. 

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I am posting pictures of the beautiful very remote jungle lodge we flew to today, had lunch, returned home and are good to go for another 90.

Let's just say it was an adventure! I have never ridden in a plane that small, a lot of praying there and back was going on. 

We landed deep in the jungles of Nicaragua on a remote air strip about a mile off the Caribbean coast.

This is the lobby of the Rio Indio Lodge. This place is nice!

There are raised walkways all over because the lodge is in the middle of a rain forest.

 

 The Rio Indio Lodge

When we arrived we were greeted by military with armed machine guns; the guys were nice though, (thankfully). Once we were stamped in, we walked a nice trail to our waiting boat to be taken to the lodge up river. The only way in our out was by plane or boat. I am not kidding when I say reeeemote.

We arrived at the lodge after the short boat ride and it truly was an oasis in the midst of some of the wildest habitat I have ever been in. Beautiful just does not quite describe it. We were served coffee and a light snack then walked around the property...amazing. We saw poison dart frogs sitting on stumps; walk on the water lizards, a howler monkey sleeping way up in the canopy, and gorgeous birds.

A poison arrow frog, there were a lot of them on the forest floor.

This is a lizard that when it is scared, it can run across the water. 

We did not get to see the 19 foot gator that hangs out at the dock waiting for fish to be thrown to him...maybe next time.

After our tour of the lodge we were served an amazing lunch of fish, rice, veggies and salads. We had to hurry a tad as the weather was becoming questionable, so after lunch we loaded up on the boat and headed back to the airport.

We get back to the airport (a strip of pavement in the middle of dense jungle and a small building). We go into to get our passports stamped and pay our fees) uh ..oops somebody changed the rules and it is going to cost everyone an extra $20.00 US to leave (NO ONE had it) … It was a tad unnerving as we stood there watching the armed guys shaking their head no, they will not take CR money…only dollars and no one has any. At this point I am wondering…how deep the doo doo is gonna get … I was a tad nervous.

Fortunately the owner of the lodge had ridden back with us to see us off and was able to convince the guards after about 20 minutes if discussion to accept our CR money as payment since no one was informed about this “increase” in fees….oh and FYI Saturday and Sunday’s will cost you a dollar to get into Nicaragua and 70 to get out.

We were finally done and began boarding the tiny plane. I was relieved to be on the plane and not standing in a remote airstrip wondering how I was going get out. The ride home was a tad bumpy (storm clouds) but all in all it was a fun trip…quite the adventure and we now have this 90 days done!

Pura Vida