One of the challenges of taking public transportation (chicken buses) is using the bathrooms. Most places charge a nominal fee to use the toilet. If you are lucky, they give you toilet paper too. Some have squatter toilets (no bowls, just a hole in the ground). Other toilets are behind someone’s house in a wooden box. This last weekend I had to take 3 buses to get to Costa Rica. At the first stop, I had to use the bathroom. We stopped in Rivas. There was a loud market type place at the bus terminal. Trying to find the bathroom was like walking through a maze. I had to ask 4 people to get to the right direction. I finally walked down this narrow, dimly lit hallway with butcher blocks on either side. One lady had tons of dead fish piled on a countertop. As I walked by, she took a butcher knife and chopped off a fish head with one swipe! On the other side, there was skinned lambs and misc other animal parts hanging by hooks. With my open toed flip flops, I stepped in some sort of liquid at this point. I almost vomited right there! I finally found the guy in front of the bathroom to give him my $4 cordobas to pay for the toilet. As I turned the corner to go in, it was completely blacked out. I couldn’t see a thing. I asked him for a light and he said no. I thought to myself, there’s no way I’m feeling my way around this nastiness! So I went into the men’s, as it was a bit lighter. The guy yelled at me telling me to use the women’s and I yelled back “No way, I can’t see!” He let me in the men’s. I quickly went, and as I came out, there were 2 men standing there, doing their business. It was disgusting! I had to walk back through the butcher shop to get to the bus. It was in the top 5 nasty bathroom breaks I’ve ever taken!
The next day, I went back to Nicaragua from Costa Rica. And like the day before, I had an interesting ride back. I stayed in bed pretty much all morning, watching tv and relaxing in the comfy bed with a/c. I haven't had that in a few weeks. It was sooo nice! I had lunch (refried beans with tomatoes) and instantly felt weird. I got on the bus towards the border and my stomach started growling. I knew I wasn't going to make it to the border like this. I had to ask the driver to stop the bus while I went in the field. Horrible!! Then I got back on the bus, clasping my stomach, still in pain. Everyone was watching. 2 min later, I had to go again. I grabbed my bag and told the driver to stop the bus and let me off. I was going to be a while...
He took off. At this time a storm was coming in, I'm on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in misery. It started lighting and thundering as I pulled my pants up and walked to the road to flag down a car. Finally someone stopped, a couple with a baby in the back seat. I tried out my poor Spanish with them and somehow communicated that I was sick and needed a ride to the border. They said a bus would be coming in 20 and they had no room (baby seats taking up the back seat). 2 min later they turned back around with the car seat moved and the baby up front, they picked me up. I hitched a ride to the border with them. They were sooo nice. I was about 40 km from the border at this point. I laid in the backseat like I was dying! haha! It was terrible. 2 more buses later, I made it back to Granada right at dusk. It was an adventure, for sure!
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