Pics @ D164-166_PLAYA UVITA, COSTA RICA_25-27AUG2012

Pics @ D162-164_MANUEL ANTONIO, COSTA RICA_23-25AUG2012

D163: Backpackers Costa Linda @ Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

After a 12 hours overnight boat trip to San Carlos and a 199km cruising on the Rio San Juan, finally I reached the isolated San Juan Del Norte aka Greytown. As the Rio San Juan is the actual border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica the Nicaraguan army has at least five check points on Rio San Juan. Most of the checkpoints are just routine protocols. At one of the points I had my camera visible but in its case and turned off. One of the officers was staring at me for 2 minutes and then he started to preach me that at security points nobody can take pictures. I was aware of this. But the funny thing is that he knew I was not taking pictures. But he tried to scare me or maybe he wanted a bribe. That would not been a surprise on this side of the world.

San Juan del Norte is a place where there is no Internet, electricity is scarce but people are nice and funny. All these make you feel great at this end of the world place. I was lucky to have met Ivan a Spanish volunteer on the boat to San Juan del Sur so he could recommend me a place to stay. Hospedaje Anderson was a Caribbean style wooden house built a meter or so above the ground. Below the house it was a swamp so during the night I was mortified that some crocodiles might be having a siesta under my room J. 

Here I spent two days (D156 & D157) chilling with the manageress and her 4 year old son Carlos Javier, going on a boat trip to the old abandoned Greytown, observing dolphins where the river flows into the Caribbean Sea.

San Juan del Norte was my last stop in Nicaragua so I wanted to get to Costa Rica. From San Juan Del Norte Costa Rica was only a kilometre away but due to lack of Costa Rican checkpoint I needed to go back all the way to San Carlos just to officially cross. Five in the morning on D158, I boarded the express panga back to San Carlos. Once I got there, cleared customs and got on the boat on Rio Suerte to Costa Rica.

The one hour trip was like being in the zoo filled with monkeys, birds and iguanas except the fauna was not caged. On the boat I was sitting beside Ana, a Nicaraguan (Nica) woman who was living in Costa Rica for 15 years. In the past Costa Rica did not have enough work force so because of this a lot of hardworking Nicas immigrated to Costa Rica to work and build a new life. I was lucky with Ana as she knew exactly what needed to be done on the Costa Rican side: from where the bus to San Jose would leave and most importantly where an ATM is located to withdraw some local money. We got on the San Jose bus and half an hour later the bus broke down on the main road. Another bus driver offered to bring us to our destination but we would need to stand for five hours. Again Ana told me to get my bags and she was running to the other bus to find some seats. When I got on the other bus it was a chaos. Everybody was pushing and trying to go forward. And I, the only gringa (tourist) on the bus had a seat as Ana was quick enough to get us some seats. I offered to hold children or sit beside me but all rudely refused my offer.

Once in San Jose I was ripped off by a taxi driver who was driving me around just for the meter to generate a skyrocketed bill. At the hostel where I picked they offered me a shithole room so my first impression of Costa Rica was pretty bad. At this stage after so much travelling I did not have the energy to pack and go again so I decided to stay another night in San Jose in a different room.

D 159 was about exploring the city mainly on foot. At first glance San Jose looked horrible but as the day was going by I started to get fond of it. It was interesting to see that men and women in suits were having their lunch breaks in the huge green parks which felt like an oasis away from the stress and busyness of the city. I was walking happily on the pedestrian path when suddenly my right leg disappeared in a hole full of mucky water. Luckily only my shoes got wet and I did not break my leg. All the time you have to pay attention where you step as there are holes without warnings everywhere. I finished my day with a Woody Allen movie at a proper cinema! What a treat!

Next morning (D160) I was ready again to continue my journey to Tortuguero another place in the middle of nowhere. After two bus trips and an eventful crocodile filled boat trip I landed in another marvelous gem of the Caribbean, Tortuguero. As its name suggests, “the turtle place” is the place where different kinds of sea turtles come to lay their eggs at different time of the year. 

I was very lucky to observe one green turtle laying her 115 eggs, then covering up with the sand and camouflaging it with litter and branches. While we were waiting for her to finish up with the camouflage another two turtles came out of the water to lay their eggs. And then she was ready to walk back very slowly to the water. Her energy level hit rock bottom. Suddenly one of the turtles who came out of the water went back again. It has been said that sometimes the male turtle comes to check the area if there any predators and then goes back to the water to inform the female. There are cases when there is a predator like a crazy jaguar and the male sacrifices himself for the female and his potential children. This was the first time I saw something like this and I have to say it was quite impressive but in the same time emotional.

In the Parque Nacional Tortuguero there are a lot of jaguars, poisonous snakes. A few tourist and researchers have witnessed jaguars attacking and killing green turtles on the beach. Sometimes a jaguar kills 10 green turtles a night and only eats one of them. Nature can be a crazy and a dangerous place sometimes.

The following morning starting at 6 o’clock the adventure continued with a canoe trip on the river in the Parque Nacional Tortuguero. I hate waking up early in the morning but unfortunately it does not apply the same to the fauna and the local people. The main river was full of canoes and motorboats packed with curious tourists like me and some loud guides. I do not know how these guides want to spot wildlife if they are scaring all of them away with their voice. 

During this tour we spotted different types of birds, Jesus Christ lizard, brown iguana. As we were getting deeper into the Cano Chiquero (Chiquero Creek) a lot of agile spider monkeys and a few white faced monkeys could be seen. On our way back we saw a crocodile from 20cm having a siesta.

On D162 I headed from Tortuguero to Manuel Antonio via San Jose. The village of Manuel Antonio is full of tourists but I understand why because the scenery is just breath-taking. The white sand beach is huge and clean.

D163 was all about exploring and admiring the beautiful Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio just 350m from the hostel that I am staying. This park has four beaches (Playa Gemela, Playa Escondida, Playa Manuel Antonio, Playa Espadilla Sur), several trails to viewpoints to the surrounding islands. Not to forget to mention the rich wildlife consisting of the cheeky white faced monkey, the lazy two-toed sloth, huge iguanas and the crab-eater raccoon.

Also this place (Playa Manuel Antonio) was where I had the courage to swim for the first time in Pacific Ocean. The power of the waves and currents are just impressive but scary. Definitely you should take seriously the warnings regarding this ocean.

Tomorrow again will be packing / travelling further east to Uvita. But at least I can sleep in a bit as I am taking a short break from waking up at silly early hours J.

D154: Hospedaje Buena Vista @ Santo Domingo, Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua

I cannot believe it has been already five months since I hit the road. As one of my friends would say time flies when you are having fun.

The last three days I have spent on the peaceful and tranquil Ometepe Island. The word ometepe in the indigenous Nahuatl language means two (ome) mountains (tepe). Like its name already suggest, this island was formed by two volcanoes Volcano Concepcion and Volcano Maderas. Everywhere you look you can see either or both depending where you are. Most tourists come here mainly to hike up either or both of these difficult to climb volcanoes. I decided to skip this and I try to relax and explore the rest of the island’s sights of interest.

On D152 I arrived at Hospedaje Buena Vista (my planned base) in Santo Domingo at around lunch time, after taking the boat from the mainland San Jorge to Moyogalpa, Ometepe and sharing a minibus with other tourists from Moyogalpa to Santo Domingo. This guesthouse is situated just beside the beach of the Lake Nicaragua. To my surprise I managed to negotiate a room with a private bathroom (FINALLY after 8 days) just beside the beach for a fair price. My negotiation skills are getting better and better! The only thing I craved for was to read my book in a hammock and lie on the beach then have some local food. That is exactly what I did.

The next day (D153) I was ready to explore the surrounding sight so I walked to the nearby Ojo de Agua, a natural spring swimming hole with cool, crystal clear green water. The path that leads to this oasis takes you through banana and rice plantation with various birds chirping in the background. Later in the afternoon some small and naughty ants come out and they do their best to bite you everywhere. So after a while you just cannot take it anymore and you give up the fight against them and leave.

This morning I woke up bright and early and rented a bicycle to discover some of the  pre-Columbian petroglyphs (rock engravings) on the west of the island. The island is famous for these rocks which are spread all over the island especially on the more remote western part.

My first stop was Finca Magdalena around 8km from Santo Domingo. This is a coffee farm, guesthouse and a starting point to visit the nearby petroglyphs, the hike the Volcan Maderas and visit coffee plantations. The rock engravings are spread around the path in a forest rich of fauna and flora. Walking alone through this peaceful but in the same time very active forest was fascinating and some point a bit scary. The birds were chirping, the howler monkeys were howling in the distance, the ants were busy as always.

I have been wanting for a while to see howler monkeys as to put a face to these horrible sounds that I have been hearing for the last two days. So I was walking and looking up the trees when I spotted a family of four relaxing on a branch just above some petroglyphs. I was so happy to see them that I had not noticed that a farmer with a machete and a dog was passing behind me and when I turned I just freaked out. The howler monkeys did not freak me out but the two legged monkey did scared the sh*t out of me. But luckily he was just a friendly local who was passing by. Further down the path I spotted more monkeys but they were too far to be photographed. These creatures seem so peaceful and cute but when they get angry or provoked they can howl like crazy.

After this expedition I was hoping to see more petroglyphs further up the main road but I was told that they are difficult to reach so I returned as the ride was no longer enjoyable on the rocky dirt roads.

Before I reached Santo Domingo I stopped at the Finca EL Porvenir where Ivan a local guide showed me more petroglyphs. I was hoping that he would be able to tell me the meaning of these engravings but he could only interpret them. A bit disappointing but at least he had a good knowledge of the benefits of the local plants for example the organic bitter coffee helps if one is bitten by some poisonous snakes. Good to know as they are a few snakes around.

Once I arrived back to the room I needed a swim in the lake. The temperature of the lake was warmer than the cold shower in my room. Swimming in the lake it felt like having a lukewarm bath.

Tomorrow I am ready to move on to Altagracia from where I will be getting the overnight boat trip to the isolated San Carlos.

Pics @ D151-152_SAN JUAN DEL SUR, NICARAGUA_12-13AUG2012

Pics @ D150_CANOPY TOUR MOMBACHO, NICARAGUA_11AUG2012

Pics @ D149_CATARINA, NICARAGUA_10AUG2012

Pics @ D148_NIGHT TRIP @ PARQUE NACIONAL VOLCAN MASAYA, NICARAGUA

Pics @ D148-151_GRANADA, NICARAGUA_9-12AUG2012

D151: Surfing Donkey Hostel @ San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

I spent three nights at the Tortuga Booluda aka Lazy Turtle in Leon. The city is a typical Nicaraguan one not overly touristy. It was the perfect spot for me to rewind after the El Salvador marathon. On the day (D144) when I arrived just explored the city, ate street food and watched my first chick flick at the local cinema since I left Ireland.

The following day (D145) was about visiting museums: Museum of Revolution guided by a Nicaraguan ex-guerrilla and the Museum of Legends and Traditions housed in a former jail used under the Somoza regime. In the evening I met up for a drink and laugh with my new friend Ade whose objective was to visit six Central American countries in two weeks. Basically a marathon but he did it! Fair play to him!

One of the reasons why tourists come to Leon is to try out the volcano boarding on the dramatic and active Volcan Cerro Negro. I signed up for it too even though I was freaking out as I did not know what to expect. I woke up on the morning of D146 and it was raining. One side of me was hoping that they cancel the tour because of the rain but I was informed that this was not the case. I was picked from the hostel and driven with nine other people to the foot of the volcano. There a rucksack with the protection gear and a wooden board was handed to each of us. It was not enough that the hike was pretty difficult but you also had to carry the damn heavy board for 45 minutes. At some point the water was dripping off my face. Unbelievable!! Once at the top we were shown where we would slide down. It was a long and pretty steep slope! Funny enough I was pretty calm (what a surprise) whereas the two girlies that I met from Scotland and England (Team GB) were a bit freaking out!

But you have to finish what you have started so we geared up and queued to slide down. I was the last one which really helped me to see what it is good to do and what is not! I had a pretty amazing slide and a huge adrenaline rush!! I have to say I would have wanted to do it again!! Team GB and Team IRL had a lot of fun!

After this amazing experience I was ready to leave Leon to Masaya, the capital of hammocks. I need a hammock for South America so I was on a mission to get one from the recommended Mercado Viejo (Old Market) of Masaya. At the market people were very helpful so it was pretty easy to pick one.

My only problem was that I did not like the colours on offer (how silly) but eventually I picked a yellow / black combo one (busy as a bee colour)! My job was done in this city.

The next morning (D148) after a nice coffee and ‘quesillo’ (toasted cheese on tortilla with fried onions) I got the bus to Granada to meet up with my friend Jennifer, who I have known since Santa Ana, El Salvador.

Granada is the touristy colonial city of Nicaragua as it is Antigua in Guatemala or Arequipa in Peru. In these cities it is quite difficult to pick a place to stay before you arrive as there are so many options but in the same time shitty and expensive. So I walked from the bus terminal towards the Parque Central and a colonial house with an amazing courtyard caught my eyes. I inquired about the price but instead the lady showed me around. The dormitories at Backpacker’s Inn have high ceilings with 3 beds respectively 6 beds and simply but tastefully decorated. I liked the atmosphere and the staff so I decided to stay here. I was the only person in the room for three nights so it practically felt like a private room!! Later I met up with Jennifer at the Casa del Agua whose owner Gerry is an Irish man from Gorey, Wexford. We were trying to plan our days in Granada so we spontaneously decided to make a night tour to the active Volcan Masaya which also consisted visiting a lava tube (cave) and a bat cave.

The Volcan Masaya is also called the “Mouth of death” as in the past indigenous people were throwing young virgins and children into the active crater as a sacrifice to the Gods! How creepy!!!

The lava tube or a cave that is formed from hardened lava was very interesting to see.

All this area was surrounded by bats and Felipe our guide brought us to this cave where were hundreds and hundreds of flying bats. It was not only us who were scared they were freaking out as well when our flashlights were turned on.

After the nocturnal nature tour we were brought to the Mercado Viejo in Masaya where every Thursday night they have a traditional folklore night with dancing and singing.

The plan for the following day (D149) was to visit Catarina a local village with a mirador (view point) to the Laguna Apoyo, Volcan Mombacho, Lake Nicaragua and Granada city.

The first time I heard about zip-lining was here in Central America. Basically this consists of playing the modern version of Tarzan and Jane in the jungle. You climb up to a certain height wearing a helmet and a harness which can be attached to strong cable through a rolling wheel and you slide from one platform (tree) to another. The sliding can be up to 300m or maybe more. On the morning of D150 this adventure really brought up my fear of heights. I was scared and sweating like a pig for the first part but then I started to relax and enjoy the view from the above. It was an amazing feeling!

During this trip I have realized that I have a few moderate phobias that I was not aware of it before. I am scared of heights, of jumping into the water, being squeezed in the bus for a long period of time etc etc. But fortunately all these cannot stop me to try out adventurous stuff!!!

For a couple of days I was very tempted to have a Britney Spears moment: have my hair shaved off. The only difference would be that I am totally high on happy adrenaline and feeling fearless whereas she was supposedly depressed and lulu. When we got back to the city we passed by the barber shop just beside my hotel and I went in to ask how much would cost to shave off my hair.

The next moment I was sitting in the barber ladies chair and she started cutting off my extremely dry blonde hair while Jennifer was documenting (taking pictures + making short movies) this once in a lifetime moment. Ten minutes later I was bald and happy!!

Later on we went for dinner to O’Shea’s the only Irish restaurant in town where they served amazing Irish and not only food! It almost felt like home! This morning (D151) Jennifer and I had breakfast at O’Shea’s and an hour later we said our goodbyes after three adventurous and amazing days.

It was about time for me to move on to my next destination: a beach /surfing resort called San Juan del Sur. Here I am staying at the quiet & cool Surfing Donkey Hostel. What a funny name! Earlier I asked for directions from locals and they were laughing when I said the name of this hostel J! But because of this catchy name people know about it!

Tomorrow is another day and another destination: Isla Ometepe!