I'm so sorry that we haven't updated our blog in so long. I've had numerous complaints about the lack of updates so here we go......we have a lot to catch up on. They might be a little out of chronological order until we catch up.

When we arrived in Central America we were aware of the fact that our visas expire after 3 months of being here. Renewal involves a trip to a neighbouring country for a few days then back again with a fresh stamp in the passports. No problem. What we didn't realise was that things are a little different when you bring a foreign vehicle into the country. When we arrived at the border into Nicaragua we bought our vehicle insurance. It was easy - a guy walked up to us as we were about to cross "the bridge" (there's always a bridge at borders) "seguro?" yes please! that will be $12 thank you. why no problem, here you go. thst seems a reasonable price. how long is it valid for? 1 month. awesome. thank you. no thank you. have a nice trip. so off we set happy in the knowledge that at all the security checks we were all legal - all the documents were present and correct.
A few weeks after we got to San Juan del Sur, casual conversation with some other folks who had also driven here (yes there are a lot of other crazy cross continental drivers out there we've discovered) led us to the information that this insurance cannot simply be extended by a mere phonecall or trip to an embassy. Oh no. That would be too easy and make too much sense. Nothing about how anything works down here makes any logical sense. Once every 30 days we have to leave the country for a few days and renew all the vehicle papers at the border. But we were just getting so settled.
So a trip to Costa Rica loomed. I actually heard Matty utter the words.."I really don't want to have to go to Costa Rica today".....any one else out there who doesn't want to HAVE to go to Costa Rica? Land of the rainforests and cloud forests and volcanoes and beautiful beaches and.....should I go on? Hmm, I thought not.
Anyway, the biggest issue was that since we got here Dora our trusty VW steed had started to play up a little. Well a lot actually. But after 2 full days and lots of pleas for help on the internet, Matty the mechanic (and you thought he was just a musician) got her running sweet as you like.....we took her for a few test runs and i would almost go so far as to say Dora was purring.
So Jan 5th we set off for the border, having decided to head for Liberia, and treat ourselves to a night in a hotel with a hot shower. We miss hot showers - a lot.

The border is only about a half hour drive from SJDS, a pleasant jaunt along the shores of Lake Nicaragua, with the 2 volcanoes which form the island of Ometepe on the left, and a chance to see Nicaragua's new wind farm up close. Just as we were coming to the border we both looked at each other with that look of dread we have come to know. Dora was shuddering and starting to sputter again. Oh no.....will we make it to Liberia? So we get to the border and of course are bombarded by the usual onslaught of wannabe helpers. No necissitamos ayudar gracias. (Thanks but we don't need any help)but these guys don't take no for an answer. We get to the part where the official looking guys come up and start asking to see documents and handing out papers to fill in and asking for money...and so it goes on.....and its really hot....and we don't want to be here really......borders are a nightmare. So Matty switches off the engine while the guys are looking at our passports and when he's waved forwards to the next check....nothing....AH FUCK! (sorry mum) but that's exactly what was said at that moment. Followed by a what the fuck and a ......well...you can imagine. Not again! But after a few Please Dora's she started and we got moving, nursing her round the corner. What the hell are we going to do if things got worse and we are in Costa Rica and we're cutting it fine as it is to get to Liberia before dark.
Hmmm. Plan B. We had heard on the grapevine that there is a helper at the border who is a little more able than others. A helper who can make things seem not exactly as they are. A helper who can make it appear that you left the country for a period of time when in actual fact - you didn't. It didn't take us long to decide that we should seek out said helper. Well actually - he found us by some strange coincindence. So the plan was set in motion.
Basically what happens is corruption. Having managed to avoid it our entire journey down here, i'm afraid we indulged this time. There was a lot of wheeling and dealing and haggling and so on but eventually we all agreed on a price. He took our paperwork and off he went, round the endless offices and desks and photocopiers that are invloved in border crossing beauracracy. While all this was happening Matty was chatting to his amigos and dishing out copies of his CD. What started out as one gift turned into about 10 as word got out of the Canadian Musician and all of a sudden everyone wanted copies for aunties and uncles and fourth cousins twice removed.
Eventually our helper came back and told Matty to jump into the van. They were off to Costa Rica. Leaving me and the kids standing chatting with the local kids in the middle of no mans land. Eh? They came back about 10 mins later. Matty had basically driven around the Costa Rican immigration booth and straight back into Nicaragua as the helper slipped the customs guys some of our cash. We were now officially corrupt!
So another 1hr of renewing the Nicaraguan documents and we were back on the road. Home before sundown? It looked like it.
So after many thanks, and we'll see you next months for the same again, we headed back to SJDS. But all was still not well with Dora. In fact it was getting worse by the minute. Shuddering, backfiring, it was horrible. We were just praying to make it back to the town. We were about 10kms from home when things got really bad. Matty was struggling, even with all the nursing techniques he'd learned about driving a sick van recently. As we climbed the final hill before the descent into the town - the van cut out completely. We had no power. Nothing. Aargh. Thankfully though, we were at the top of the hill, so we could free wheel from here on. But it was pretty hairy. We made it to the outskirts of town and we started to meet other traffic on the road, we couldn't afford to brake or we'd lose our momentum. At one point we overtook a car while freewheeling with no power - i was laughing but i'm not sure if it was through fear or just at the sheer craziness of the entire afternoon. So we made it round the vehicle obstacles, took the turn off to the farmhouse while dodging a car parked in the middle of the road dropping off some passengers spilling onto the road too - all the while matty is still not wanting to break. We willed her on a few more meters then she was done. Well at least we were only a few hunderd meters from home. After a wee break we tried the engine again, and thankfully she was able to stutter and chug back into the yard at the farmhouse - and there she has sat ever since. Resting. Being bombarded by falling mangoes and a herd of cattle that have decided to graze our yard every night. We'll have to get her fixed properly now. Proffessional mechanics this time. Feb is looming. We've got it all to do again. Will we do things differently next time? We'll see....