YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

Posted on 04/06/2016 | About Nicaragua

I know better than to buy a tour from a vendor on the beach, I really do. But this man was so nice, so sincere, and the price was right. The day trip to Nicaragua from Guanacaste province in Costa Rica was selling for US $190. The man offered it for $100, with the same itinerary. “And your friends can come too.”

When I spread the word around our condo, I had eight friends wanting to go.  This is one of the top tours offered in the area, but the price point is a problem for many people. Over the next couple of days the pickup time changed from 7:30 am. to 4:30 am. “Breakfast is included, as is lunch. “So, without coffee we climbed into the mini-van. 

Half an hour later, we climbed off and in to a larger bus where other tourists waited, and then another hour later we were transferred to another coach where even more tourists waited.  It probably took an hour to collect the money from all of us. People seemed to pay varying prices, which slowed the process down even more. The coach with a Mercedes engine was brand spanking new, probably in 1965. Need I say more? And don’t get me going on the air conditioning. Oh and the sound wasn’t working so only a few people could hear the guide.

The border crossing took two hours, and we individually showed our passports five times.

To put this into prospective though, it took an hour in Terminal 3 to clear American immigration on Monday morning this week, and I lost count of how often we had to show passports. The difference here was lots of military wearing full riot gear, lots of local police, and at least three hundred 18-wheelers waiting behind us. It seemed endless. Finally we were in Nicaragua.

Almost an hour later, we pulled up at the restaurant. It was 11 am. I had no idea I was so addicted to coffee … and it was cold. My bitter complaining got us all a fresh hot pot. People liked the fruit, and complained the eggs were cold. I only wanted coffee and more coffee.

Time marched on as we drove along seeing all the sites promised on every itinerary. Yes, we saw it all, just in a blur. We didn’t see the volcano, because of the eruptions, nor did any of the other tours. 

Shopping? You have 20 minutes. Horse and buggy ride, yes, but we are going to the cigar factory, the artisan shop, and the chocolate factory. 

No, you can’t do anything else. Our foursome in the buggy rioted and refused to go to these tourist traps, and that got us dirty looks from the driver but we got to watch a delightful local parade, complete with interesting costumes and a number of bands.

The highlight for most of us was the boat trip on Lake Nicaragua, the gorgeous villas some owned by Canadians, and the island where the white-faced monkeys hang out. Our boat lucked out and had a great guide, others on the tour complained their guides weren’t so great.

Then it was lunch, sharp at 5pm. It was done very well and was hot and good. While lunch was being served we were told that we’d have an hour-long break to shop at the craft market right beside the restaurant. We hurried through the meal and raced to the shopping, only to discover the market closed at 6pm, and many vendors packed up early. 

The dedicated shoppers did very well in the limited time; I even found the things I wanted. Good prices too.Then we got back on the coach, for our trip home. 

The border crossing only took an hour, this time, maybe because we were the last coach to go through the border at 9 pm. I had time to buy a hammock though from the vendors buzzing around the coach.

Yet again we climbed off one coach onto another, and then still another.

There was a lot of criticism over the next few days, and I set out to discover what the difference in service was between Swiss Tours and Nexus Tours and ours. The main difference was in the timing. We lost at least an hour while people paid for their tour on the coach, rather than at the tour desk in the resort.  T

he other two tours had breakfast while still in Costa Rica, at a decent hour rather than in Nicaragua where the cost was cheaper for the tour operator. Lunch for the more expensive tours was at a more civilized hour of 2pm., and they were back at their resort at 9pm. Otherwise, it is a lot to cover in one day and most of the time is spent on the coach. 

The other two tour operators got complaints about this too.None of my friends said, “Thank-you for the great price.”

You get what you pay for!