We have now been in Nicaragua for over a week, so it is probably time for a bit of an update.
Our first destination after our disastrous border crossing was San Juan del Sur, a tiny surf and party town on the Pacific Ocean. It was a great feeling to discover that backpackers were the main types of tourists here. Without a doubt, Costa Rica was lovely but it was also full of older, richer tourists and it sometimes felt a bit too, well, manicured. Nicaragua is a much poorer country and the infrastructure is not as good, but much of the natural beauty found in Costa Rica is found in Nicaragua as well but for much cheaper.
At any rate, we were quite happy to meet other backpackers, most on extended trips, and all with interesting stories. This seemed to be the case even more so than when I was in Asia. Here, the age is more varied in the backpackers we meet, and the stories often more out there. It's funny, because at home I can be considered an adventurous person. Here, I feel rather straight-laced and definitely not amongst the most adventurous if such a scale even existed. In Central America I meet those who haven't really been home in years, or who are slowly travelling and working at hostels as they go, and some who have been quite happy to give up the usual societal conventions in exchange for a more carefree lifestyle. In San Juan del Sur, a lot of people get "stuck" due to the excellent surf and party atmosphere. It has made me reflect a bit on my own life as well. Even though I enjoy the atmosphere and being a free spirit for now without an itinerary on this trip, I am equally as excited to begin a new chapter in my life as a nurse. I also suppose that I'm ok with not being a hippie. Anyways, I digress...
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| Medeiros beach |
We spent an enjoyable three nights at Casa de Olas hostel where we enjoyed their beautiful infinity pool, free shuttles into town in the back of a pickup, and time spent on the beach. I was happy to get some time to surf again. I'm still not fantastic, but at least I'm standing up pretty consistently! We also were proud to complete the "Loose Moose Challenge". Of all places, San Juan del Sur had a Canadian bar. What do they sell, you may ask? That's easy. Poutine, sushi, and caesars of course. Totally Canadian. The Loose Moose Challenge involved doing 5 shots of extra EXTRA spicy caesars in 15 seconds, more of a spice challenge than a drinking one though, with only a bit of vodka in each one. All three of us girls completed the challenge, although we had to explain to Linda what a caesar was. Challenge completed, and we have the shirts to prove it :-)
After a bit of time to relax and enjoy San Juan del Sur, we left for Ometepe, an island in a large freshwater lake that was made up of two volcanos. At this point we continued to travel with Linda as well as James, an American that we had met during our border crossing into Nicaragua. This was the one place that I wasn't particularly thrilled with. We started with a much longer travel day than we were supposed to have, and once settled, decided to get up early to climb one of the volcanoes the next day. This was one of the main activities on Ometepe and the main reason people seem to visit. I won't go into all the exciting details of our climb, and maybe some people truly love trekking no matter the conditions.... but 10hrs in incredibly hot and humid conditions, often with a foot of mud, was not really a highlight for us. This was especially true when our guide announced, "Ok, this is the top!", upon reaching a random post in the ground surrounded by trees. No view at all to reward our efforts. Perhaps we should have taken it as a hint when we asked him what his favourite view was during our first break, only 45min into the hike. His response? "This one!" Next time we think we'll choose a slightly shorter hike....
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| The best views of volcanoes are from the ground. |
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