(www.ticabus.com) we arrived in Nicaragua. Nicaragua's recent history has seen its fair share of economic woes and political scandals (with corruption still rife in the government), resulting in civil war, not helped by US antagonism and manipulation. As a result of all its hardships, Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the hemisphere with 70% of the population living beneath the poverty line. Despite this, Nicaragua is a pleasure to visit with the kind and welcoming nature of the people and the natural beauty of the surroundings a treasure to behold.We took a 2-week tour with GAP Adventures (www.gapadventures.com), in hindsight not the best idea when travelling around the world on a budget but recommended all the same!!! Our starting point was Managua (La Posada de Maria La Gorda), an uninspiring city declared capital in 1857 as a compromise due to the ongoing feud between Léon and Granada for capital status.
From here we took the chicken bus to Léon, a historical colonial town full of cobbled streets, picturesque churches and fantastic murals depicting the revolution - graffiti is certainly art in this town! Steve and I were both still extremely ill so were unable to appreciate Léon, however, Kaley and June, two LA chicks on our tour, can vouch for the nightlife!
And perhaps Léon's best attraction...volcano boarding (www.bigfootadventure.com/volcano_boarding.html : watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swq9hBdvkKU)!! An up-and-coming adrenalin sport, volcano boarding takes place on Cerro Negro. Equipped with goggles, glove and death-row style jump suits, the aim is to get from top to bottom in one piece...or in my case break...break...BREEAAAK!!! Proceed to fly off several times and tumble down the slope not dissimilar to the fast spin on a washing machine. Never has dust tasted so good! Guaranteed injuries but guaranteed fun!
From Léon we headed back to Managua to catch our flights to Big Corn Island and, after a vomit-inducing boat ride, reached Little Corn. Situated in the Caribbean, Little Corn is perhaps the closest experience to being stranded on a desert island; remote and untouched, palm trees fringe the white (and slightly narrow) sand beaches and it is possible to while away the hours lazing in a hammock without seeing another soul. We stayed at Casa Iguana (www.casaiguana.net/), a cluster of very rustic, quirky looking cabañas with fantastic outdoor showers - we were truly at one with nature!
To say that it rained is an understatement, but the strong, gusty breeze blasting through the cabaña and the sound of the downpour on the tin roof was music to my ears! You can take the Pommies out of England...
After 3 nights here we flew back to the mainland and spent 3 nights on the Pacific Coast in San Juan del Sur, the perfect opportunity to be a beach bum and my chance to fulfill a life-long ambition in becoming a surf chick! Now, I've always thought that there's something really cool about surfers but believe me...there's nothing cool about me surfing! One hour and several gallons of ingested salt water later, I finally admitted defeat and decided that surfing, afterall, is not for me (along with volcano boarding...volcano hiking...volcanoes full stop...etc etc...). I didn't think it was possible to take such a beating from an inanimate object! As usual, Steve remained relatively unscathed.
The following day we spent a well invested $5 each to use the infinity pool at the Pelican Eyes Hotel and lounged all day, supping frozen margaritas and appreciating the stunning sea views from what is possibly the best viewpoint in San Juan...pure bliss!
Our next destination was Ometepe, an island formed by two looming and
prominent volcanoes in Lago de Nicaragua. This turned out to be a rather rustic experience...power cuts...no showers...and as for the infestation of flies... (probably attracted furthermore by our stench!). It was all rather amusing and the perfect excuse to drink. The crashing waves on the shore and the volcano backdrop was the perfect setting for horseback riding. Steve has always fancied himself as Clint Eastwood so really enjoyed playing cowboy...and his horse went like sh*t off a shovel! Mine was stubborn as a mule, just like his rider! This was definitely the highlight of Ometepe.
Our final Nicaraguan destination was Granada, another colonial town overlooking Lago de Nicaragua. I hate to be disloyal to Antigua but Granada is possibly the cleanest, prettiest and most vibrant of all colonial towns in Central America (although Antigua is quintessentially charming). As well as visiting the lakes, markets and Masaya volcano, we sat back and relaxed on a boat ride, the lazy Brits way of exploring Las Isletas around the lake (as oppose to kayaking, which I'm told is the much more fun method).
Our last night in Granada was spent trying unsuccesfully (and rather hilariously)
to dance the Salsa (not sexy with a white girls butt like mine!) and getting more than acquainted with the local rum, Flor de Caña. Forget Havana Club or Caribbean Rum, Flor de Caña really is the best...and we had the memory loss and hangover from hell to prove it!Nicaragua is a great country to visit with lots of variety on offer. Its easy to forget that it is the second poorest country in the hemisphere as many places appear, asthetically, wealthy. However, the disparity between the rich and poor is extreme and nothing appears to exist in between. With tourism steadily on the increase and the government seemingly stabilised, I hope this situation improves. Although it is adviseable not to go too far off the beaten track, as much of the country remains unexplored wilderness, Nicaragua is not the dangerous country that many people would have you believe. On the contrary, travellers are welcomed with open arms...
[Photos: 1 - Gap Group L to R: Me, Steve, Kaley, Leah, June and Ken; 2 - June and her volcano boarding injuries; 3 - The Princess and her Principé; 4 - Flor de Caña]
