Costa Rica

The following morning we were off, without a hitch. We were slated to drive from San Jose, Costa Rica to the Northern Nicaraguan town of Estelí, where we would meet with a friend of a friend who had a place to stay set up for us. This is often the case when traveling abroad on small budgets—we look for friends and connections, and are not shy on asking for a place to lay our heads. We have learned that it is better to make friends along the way than pay money to stay in a hotel. So wherever possible, we try to plan ahead and look for somebody who knows somebody who has an extra sofa or extra hammock. It remains thoroughly surprising to me how willing people are to let total strangers sleep on their sofa, especially strangers as hairy and shady-looking as we are.