Panama Visa Run

A tourist visa for Costa Rica is usually 90 days. We had planned on doing a trip to Panama for a few days when our visa was going to expire, and then getting a new stamp in our passports when we got back. But all the perpetual tourist expats we've talked to - some that have been here for 5+ years - said that they only do a day trip to Panama and still get a new 90 day visa. 

Basically they drive 2 hours to the border, cross into Panama, do some shopping, and come back. Most of the time they don't have any trouble with the immigration folks, and everything is peachy.  So we decided to give it a try.

Our first attempt two weeks ago was very discouraging. First of all, even though we had gotten a tutorial from an acquaintance, we still didn't know where we were going. It was busy, crowded, dirty, and hot. We ended up walking all over the place and waiting in long lines just to find out we were in the wrong line and having to walk back where we came from. Then we didn't have all our paperwork in order so when we checked back in to Costa Rica the lady looked at our onward travel bus tickets and noticed the departure date was only one week away. When we tried to explain that we were in the process of rescheduling our tickets she just smiled and stamped our passports for a 30 day visa. Thanks.

Lesson 1: Get your onward passage tickets scheduled for 3 months out, and have a paper copy with you at the border.  We have bus tickets to Nicaragua, but you could show them a plane ticket instead. They basically want to make sure that you are planning to leave the country eventually.

Refreshments on the way home from Panama - coconut water

Lesson 2: Be prepared for long lines, and hot weather, and border town rip-offs. The first trip was our learning experience. We parked our rental car on the street and paid a guy to "guard it" while we shopped. When we came back we paid him, but another guy thought he could get money out of us and tried to convince us he was guarding our car, etc, etc. It was kind of pitiful, and after our long day and short tempers we were in no mood to get ripped off. Sorry guy, you don't get our money. Our second trip wasn't actually that bad. We got there early (9:00 am) and the lines were short. We parked in a legit parking area, with a sign that said "Parqueo" even. And the guy running the place gave us a ticket to present back to him when we were done. When we came back we paid him and got a receipt. Oh and it was cheaper than the $4 we paid dude on the street. A much better experience. We had enough time to shop, so we took advantage of the cheap prices and bought some delicacies we've not had in a while: cheese, peanut butter, and chocolate. 

For the past few days we have been eating peanut butter by the spoonful.  Gorgeous, wonderful peanut butter, how I've missed you. It's been great. The smoked Gouda, colby jack, and Snickers were gone in three days, max. We were pacing ourselves. 

We did indeed get our 90 day visa this time. So we are legal tourists again until July. Now we just have to find work to support ourselves!

Our next move will be up to Monteverde. Still working out the transportation to get up there, but it should be this week, and we're planning to stay for a month or more. Goodbye jungle house, hello coffee country!