Jaunt to Rivas aka Google goes crazy...

 On Friday we headed to Rivas to do some shopping. We were relying on Google Maps to get us there - about an hours drive away. That was a mistake!

While there is a good paved road between San Juan del Sur and Rivas, Google decided we should take the scenic route, along the Chocolata, which added a good 30 minutes to our trip. But the trip was beautiful, we were glad to have taken that route even if it was a dirt road full of potholes.

Before we got to Rivas something happened to my phone, and Google Maps switched to a Cyrillic language which I believe was from Azerbaijan. There was nothing I could do to get it to go back to English. In any case English wasn't the best choice because Google was mangling the Spanish pronunciation so badly it was hard to understand. For example Tercera Calle would be Tra Calle.

In Rivas we were able to purchase a fridge, stove and mattresses for the casita, although the store would not take credit cards, and the local atm would only dispense a maximum of US$25. We finally agreed to paying in cash upon delivery. From there we went to a local grocery store which was unbelievably crowded with stuff and people making it challenging to navigate the aisles. Plus very long line-ups to leave.

This was our last day with our beautiful truck, as on Saturday we checked out of Vista Buena Surf Club, and exchanged our truck for the cheapest little tin can the rental company had and headed off to our next destination, Rancho Chilamate.


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