I last left it at the bus ride from San Salvador to Leon, Nicaragua. I didn't sleep that night because i had to leave the hostel for the bus station at 1:30 am, the bus wasn't cheap, it cost me $50 for a 7 hour trip, even tho it was with Tica bus (Central Americas major bus line) and it was first class, we even got breakfast, coffee and all kinds of treats. Crossing the boarder from El Salvador to Honduras was a breeze, we didn't step one foot out of the bus, the crossing from Honduras into Nicaragua was a little more painful. Everyone on board got of the bus formed a line, paid $17 and had there bags checked. The bus continued on and within 3 hours i was told it was my stop to get off, for a first class bus this was really a bus stop. The never dropped me in the town of Leon or even told me where it was, there was a gas station so i struggled quickly over, because of course it was raining, happens every time i get off a bus. I asked at the station then later got a cab 20 minutes to the centre of Leon. This was my first experience of Nicaragua, the cab ride was only $1.20, taking me to the door of the hostel. I stayed at a hostel called Via Via close to the main square, it is opposite the main party hostel called Big Foot, which i had heard had bed bugs so i avoided that, Big Foot was actually raided last week by the police, they found cocaine in possession of the owner. Since, the hostel has been shut down and the owner is going to jail.
Leon was cool, such a pretty town, one of the main attractions there is volcano boarding but i didn't get time for that. The other Quetzal Trekkers is based in Leon, they organise all kinds of hiking tours up volcanos and camping etc. I went and seen them about one of there hikes, i signed up there and then to leave the next morning for a hike up Volcán Telica, we met there early the next morning at 6, we had breakfast there and everyone on the hike introduced themselves. From there we walked to the chicken bus terminal about 20 minutes away, where we caught the bus to the nearest stop to the volcano, we hiked for 6 hours that day carrying our big heavy bags with tents and food, the last hour of the hike was extremely challenging, climbing steep big rocks, arriving at about 2pm and set up camp, we walked up to the craters edge to have a look, Telica is one of the most active volcanos in Central America, you can see the lava at the bottom of the crater. Our plan was to chill at camp make some dinner and head back up to check out the glowing red lava in the dark, it was amazing watching it, and the sound of it bubbling and hissing was incredible. There wasn't much of a sunset but there an amazing storm with a great light show. Everyone sat there just watching it while we had a fire toasting marshmallows and telling stories, we had the best bunch of people on the hike, so many laughs and stories it was so much fun. The next day we woke early to watch the sun rise but again it was to cloudy. Back in camp we cooked some oats with peanut butter for breakfast then packed all the tents up and headed out, the hike back down was a different route, very steep and tough going down, with thick forest and vines. Everyone was so glad to get to the restaurant where we had some lunch, sitting there was the best feeling ever just relaxing after the long 2 days. The chicken bus we were waiting for, come flying around the corner on the horn as they always are, i stood up in the restaurant waving my arms for it to stop, it pulled up a few hundred meters ahead and began to back back. Everyone grabbed there things and ran towards it. We arrived back in Leon and got a few bike taxis back to the Quetzal office. Once getting back and unpacking we split our own ways and all arranged to go freshen up and meet for dinner and some drinks at a local bar. It was a fun night, again laughing and telling stories.
The following day Harvey and I were both wanting to go to Ometepe, it is an island on Lake Nicaragua with two big volcanos on it. We met at my hostel at 10am and went to the bus terminal, we needed to get a bus from Leon to Managua (the capital) then from Managua to Rivas then from Rivas catch the ferry across to Ometepe, everything went well with all the connections and it really didn't cost much at, i love it on the busses over here, you don't have to organise any food or drinks for the bus trip because the whole time there are people getting on and off offering all kinds of baked goods. once getting of the last bus in Rivas, walking to the ferry dock with Harvey i realised i didn't have my phone in my pocket i stopped and looked everywhere but it was gone for sure, it must have fallen out of my pocket on one of the busses or something. I was extremely annoyed, this was my 3rd Iphone gone. I'm not sure if i will get another, i might possibly get a Ipod touch in Panama City in a few weeks, they are a lot cheaper and can use any apps and wifi.
From the ferry dock at Ometepe we got a few people together to get a taxi to the other side of the island, where there was a hostel Harvey had been recommended to, called Little Morgans it was in a cool little spot by the water with little timber huts, it was a bit of a party hostel, but good fun. One night we were hanging with some French Canadians at the bar, they had a 4 wheel motorbike they had hired for the time they were there, Harvey went out riding on the beach with them at around 4am, they were the funniest girls. One of the days we went with a few people on a hike to a waterfall, it was super hot, but the best reward when getting there and swimming. The hike up there itself was actually really cool, seen some howler monkeys as well, they make the weirdest howl. Ometepe was fun, spent a lot of time swimming, drinking and hiking. Ometepe was also where i met back up with John, a guy from NZ who i had met a month or so before in Guatemala, John was travelling with a Coonie who was a big gay Dutch guy, the happiest friendliest guy ever. From Ometepe John, Coonie, Harvey and myself left to go to a great little surf town on the pacific coast, a place close by the San Juan Del Sur called Playa Madera. We shared a taxi there and it dropped us at the main beach, but where we wanted to stay was a 20 minute walk around the beach at a little hostel called Matilda's. It was an amazing little spot, very quite and just picturesque. The following day after arriving we all went surfing John was travelling with two boards so him and Harvey used them, Coonie and i hire a board and shared it, Madera was a fairly crowded little break, but it was fun staying to one side of the break where no one was and practicing. I spent a lot of time there with my camera just walking around the beaches in the early mornings listening to my iPod, i truly loved it there could have stayed for weeks, it was great to be back on the beach and laying relaxing in the sun. One of the days i was laying in the sun out front of the hostel, there was no one around and it was just a perfect morning, i was laying there and the most perfect thing happened, i had my hands stretched out above my face with the beams of sunlight shining through, listening to Porcelain by Moby, a jet then went straight between my live of vision of the sun light and the music and the moment was just perfect i will never for get it, i hadn't seen a jet in the sky for months and it was strange it happened at that moment. That place was my favourite beach spot so far.
From Madera we headed to San Juan Del Sur in time for the weekend for the big Sunday Funday Pool Crawl, we went in and stayed at Casa de Olas up on the hill about 10 minutes out of town, it was an amazing hostel ran by an Australian couple about 55 years old, they had free shuttles run into town every 2 hours so it was easy to get around. They had a rule there called Buffalo where you can only drink out of your left hand, if you got caught drinking from you right you had to finish the drink and get another. It went for anything coffee, water, beer just water ever you were drinking. Someone had to drink 2 litres of water. Sunday was great it all kicked of at around 10am the actual pool crawl didn't start till 2pm. It was a big day, it starts of at a place called Pelican Eyes which is a huge hotel that overlooks the bay of San Juan with an amazing view, it was like a huge american pool party, i have never seen anything like it. the crawl then went on to a few other places, at the last bar John had something strange happen to him, he was just sitting there and felt a little weird and fainted, he was out for about a minute. It was scary but later on he said it had happened before when he is dehydrated, i took him back in a taxi and we called it a night. It was so amazing, but i was very hungover the next day along with everyone else. Coonie didn't show up the next day and we started to worry but around midday he arrived, as happy as ever, haha he had passed out and missed the shuttle to the next bar so he stayed in town at another hostel. The next day we just spent chilling around the pool not doing alot at all. The next stop was crossing the boarder in to Costa Rica with a few other guys from the hostel, an Aussie named Harry and an Israeli named Tom. We left the hostel in a taxi to the boarder it was around 40 mins, getting through was a pain just so complicated when it really didn't have to be, the Nicaraguan side was so un organised, but getting into Costa Rica was a breeze, normally they make you pay $25 but we worked our way around that with our sweet talks. We continued on in a bus to a little town called Bagacess where we then got a taxi to Monteverde. It high up in the mountains here and not as hot as it was on the coast, we have a great hostel with hot showers good beds clean good kitchen, where we have already cooked some good meals, and also a really good free breakfast, all for $7 per night. This morning we woke up and went to this famous cloud forest where you do huge zip lines (flying fox) and a massive Bungee swing, the biggest zip line in all Latin America 1.6km long and 200M high over this huge jungle forest valley, it was the best feeling ever i actually felt like i was flying, there is nothing around you just a cable above your head and you fly like super man. I could see my shadow way down on the forest trees it was really awesome. The bungee swing was really scary, you stand out on a cable bridge around 60m high and strap in and just jump off, i had never done anything like this before so i was screaming (in joy) i went first to so that made it more scary, i think it was just the free fall. After that we came back to town and cooked some chicken salad sandwiches for lunch. We have been cooking here because Costa Rica is crazy expensive around $10 for a meal. Possibly going to stay here for another 2 days then head down to the coast again maybe to a place called Montezuma on the pacific coast for some more surf.
I will try and blog more often now i have just been extremely busy and low on internet...
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