Border Crossing Woes into Nicaragua and a Great Time in Granada

Another long travel day to cross into Nicaragua. As we neared the border at Las Manos, this local on board our bus whipped out his calculator and offered his services in changing our lempiras into cordobas. Pretty crafty move, as he got a jump on the other money changers waiting at the border and who were left wondering why no one had further need for currency exchange. 

Somewhat extortionist fees at this border - $7 to exit Honduras and another $7 to enter Nicaragua. Of course this being Latin America (read: a hotbed of graft and corruption), the official rates were not visibly posted anywhere, and we just relied on the figures quoted by the officials manning the border offices. The tout who insisted on leading the way to the immigration office (like we couldn’t find it ourselves) apparently got $2 from each transaction, with the connivance of the authorities of course. What a pathetic state of affairs. Nick got held up for 160 lempiras ($10) based on his idiocy, in contrast  Marjan forcefully insisted on paying only $5 – the “official” rate net of the tout's cut.