American money
The man vomited on the bus floor. At once I felt angry at him and sorry that probably everyone on the bus now hated him. Oh well, we were at the Honduras/Nicaragua border anyways; time to get off the bus. A man came on the bus and took all of our passports, and wanted US$10. When youŽre on the Tika Bus, they take care of the border details for you. I heard that it should cost US$7, so I stalled, in hopes heŽd ask me after he came back from customs.
We all got off the bus and I went into the pressing crowd in customs, and managed to ask how much the crossing was. ItŽs US$7.
A little while later the man came back with my passport, and insisted I give him US$10. I said no, $7. He argued with me, and I told him I had asked customs myself. Then he pointed out it was Sunday, and that costs more.
I offered to go with him and pay personally, and he took me half way into the building and then started to argue with me again. I said IŽd pay directly, and he took me back outside, behind the bus, and preceeded to argue more about it being Sunday. I kept refusing.
Eventually, he gave me my passport back, and told me to do it myself.
Happily, I took my passport and went back into the pressing crowd around the single hole in the glass, and fought my was to the man again. He told me to go over to the bank and pay $2, and come back with a reciept.
I went to the bank, and waited in line. At this point I received word that the people on the bus were begining to forget about vomit boy and starting to turn their disfavour toward me.
When I got to the front of the line, the woman insisted that I actually pay the US$2, in US dollars. I told her I was Canadian, why would I have American money, and IŽd pay in Canadian, Honduran, or Nicaraguan, currency, but she continued insisting. I told her I had no US$. She reluctantly accepted payment in the local currency.
I went back and fought the mob. The man stamped my passport and than asked for US$5, which I expected, but he too wanted US$s. I told him I was Canadian, why would I have American money, and IŽd pay in Canadian, Honduran, or Nicaraguan, currency, but he insited, and insisted, and insisted, then told me to go back to the bank.
I was now told the bus was hating me.
I went back and was able to buy a US$5 bill, after waiting through the line-up again.
I took it back to the immigration crowd, and finnally got my passport back, then went back to the bus as inconspicously as I could.
In the end it would have been worth the $3 to let the guy rip me off, and not have the bus hate me, but, hey, they didnŽt linch me, and I made it to Managua in one piece.
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