Nicaragua

As soon as we crossed the border we knew we were going to like Nicaragua. The taxi driver and his old, jovial companion were cracking jokes and giggling hysterically all the way to the ferry terminal. We were off to the magical lake island of Ometepe, the kind of place that should only exist in fairy tales. Millions of years ago, two volcanoes emerged from Lago Nicaragua and joined at the waist by lava flows. The larger of the two is still active and eerily continues to rumble on a daily basis. At the heart of the verdant jungle that now covers the slopes are the natural pools known as the 'Ojos Del Agua'. We spent the best part of a day wallowing in the crystal clear mineral waters while green parrots squawked overhead and Capuchin monkeys played in the trees. The surrounding lake waters were also a treat as we practised our jumping fish impressions in a hope to engage the curiosity of the approaching Pelicans. But we daren't venture too far from shore as Lago Nicaragua is unique in the world as being the only place where you will find fresh water Bull Sharks! Unfortunately, they are rarely seen today as they were slaughtered at the rate of 20,000 a year for ten years solely for their fins. On a more cheery note, it was here that I celebrated my 30th Birthday in fine fashion. Coincidentally, the locals were having a wild Rodeo festival on very same day so we joined in with tequila and silly dancing!

Deprived of the Caribbean in Costa Rica and Panamá, we were determined to make amends in Nicaragua. Neither of us had ever heard of the Corn Islands before, but we had heard rumours that an unspoilt tiny paradise of 700 people fringed with white sand beaches awaited on Little Corn Island. We were not disappointed. The english speaking descendants of Garifuna and pirates welcomed us to the island, where there are no cars, no roads and only occasional electricity. The rambling sandy paths were covered in free, ready to eat mangos! Rather than laze around, we decided to undertake our Advanced Open Water PADI course. The water was clear and warm and the reefs were filled with nurse sharks, turtles, colourful corals and schools of Blue Tangs. The night dive was exhilarating as we plunged into the dark depths and switched on our torches. Our instructor accidentally woke up a sleeping green 'ninja' turtle, who bolted straight at him (almost taking him out) and causing him to need a change of underwear!




Accommodations on the island fell into two categories- colourful beach shacks and hobbit houses straight from The Shire. For $15 a night we got the full Bilbo Baggins experience! We fell in love with the quirky 'Ensuenos', a rustic eco hideaway that happened to have resident French and Italian chefs hiding from the outside world. They masterfully introduced us to the 'Rundown', a delicious local speciality consisting of smoked fish, shark and spiny lobster slowly cooked on an open fire on the beach in a rich coconut sauce. It was memorable cracking open a lobster claws while watching the sun go down, but in Leon´s edible excitement he ate the shark skin too!!!




The city of León was a fascinating Latin American version of Belfast. At the heart of the Sandinista uprising, the city is decorated with murals glorifying the revolutionary struggle against the former (U.S. backed) Somoza regime. The mural depicted above shows the feeling against Uncle Sam amongst some of the local community! León also has the largest Cathedral in Central America, but this was nowhere near as exciting as the discovery of the 'Panaderia El Leoncito'. The delicious chocloate donuts did full justice to a most excellent name! To escape the heat we stayed in an appropriately named colonial hostel called 'Lazybones', complete with pool, hammocks and ice cold beer.

Wow! Nicaragua turned out to be one of our favourite countries! Warm friendly people, oozing culture, gorgeous scenery and totally off the radar. We had finally found the 'REAL' Central America! And as you can see from the picture below it was a fantastic place to spend my 30th Birthday too...



Next stop, Honduras and the Bay Islands...

Panama and Costa Rica

Touchdown Central America! We were greeted by friendly immigration officers in Panamá City after flying over the Darién Gap and were instantly impressed with how clean and modern everything looked. Panamá has been described as the 'Dubai of the Americas' and we could soon see why when we weaved though massive sky scrapers and countless cranes on our way to the hotel. By the end of the first day we were suffering from culture shock. Malls, casinos and North American fast food chains were everywhere. We contemplated our central american travel plans over a McDonalds and a Cinabon and then hit the casinos at night to try our luck. Fortune smiled kindly upon us and we came out winners, doubling our money!

No trip to Panamá is complete without a visit to the Panamá canal, so we got burnt waiting three hours in the hot sun for a large Japanese car carrier to pass through. The fee the ship paid for passing through the canal was USD 180,000, but that's 10 times cheaper than it costs in fuel to go all the way down and around Patagonia!




We had planned to go to Bocas del Toro, a relaxing hippie retreat on the Caribbean coast of Panamá. Unfortunately, the Banana plantation workers were going bananas over their pay and conditions, wielding machetes, blocking roads and throwing anything they could get their hands on at the police. We were compelled to continue north to Costa Rica and stick to the Pacific coast. Dominical was our first port of call and here we found a great little surfer town with a hilarious bar called 'Thrusters'! We watched the world cup final here and a free shot was offered for every goal. Obviously we were disappointed with the single goal Spanish victory!

Embracing the main purpose for Domincal's existence, we grabbed a surfboard and paddled out to the breaks. A surge of adrenaline and joy overwhelmed me when I caught my first wave, from that point on I was hooked. Unfortunately, Lydia's enjoyment was cut short by a bad fall which caused her foot to resemble an eggplant and kept her bedbound for the next couple of days.




16 years ago Lydia visited Costa Rica with her Mum and Sister. Keen to see how things had changed we stayed in the exact same hotel they had stayed in all those years ago, 'El Plinio' on the road to Manuel Antonio (Costa Rica's most popular nature park). The hotel was as lovely as she remembered it but the surrounding villages had changed dramatically. It can be summed up by saying that there is now a gentleman´s club five minutes from the park gates amidst a slew of condos, fancy homes and restaraunts.

The Park itself was rich in wildlife despite the plague of tourists, strippers and the sound of unstoppable construction. During our visit we saw Capuchin, Howler and Squirrel monkeys, sloths, iguanas, coatis, agoutis and extremely entertaining hermit crabs. After working up an appetite we dined at perhaps one of the most unusual restaurants of our trip. 'El Avion' was created from the carcass of and old American military transport plane, which was used by the U.S. in Costa Rica to aid in the Contra affair with Nicaragua. However, when the Iran-Contra affair broke the plane was left unused and remained in Costa Rica's capital, San Jose, until finally being purchased for USD 2,000 by an enterprising restauranteur. It makes a very atmospheric backdrop for a sunset dinner!





Our final stop in Costa Rica was in the commercial town of Jaco. It left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth as the town represented everything that is wrong with Western influence. Prostitutes preyed on the fat wallets of desperate old and young North Americans on vacation, while drug dealers fuelled the fire with their menu of narcotics. We did enjoy a very tasty Mahi Mahi burrito, however, which filled our bellies for the onwards march to Nicaragua....

In summary, Panamá and Costa Rica made us realise that we were getting closer to North America all the time. We hoped that the droves of retirees and expats had not afflicted the entire Isthmus and that we would more authentic countries further north.

The search for the 'REAL' Central America continues...

Colombia`s Caribbean Coast - Diving, Trekking and Beaches

Our time in the Colombian Caribbean ended up being an action packed two weeks of scuba diving, jungle trekking and beach appreciation in the beautiful Tayrona National Park. We whetted our appetites for diving by spending five days in the quirky fishing village turned 'diving ghetto' of Taganga near Santa Marta, Colombia. This small dusty village was solely the haunt of Colombian fishermen a mere five or so years ago before the tourism and diving boom. We embarked on our Open Water certification with the lovely Ximena from Octopus Dive Centre who put us at ease and had us qualified in no time at all. We were particularly enamoured with the pufferfish and moray eels on offer as well as the myriad of tropical fish!





After four days of deep sea dips we decided to embark on the sweaty, bug infested jungle trek to Ciudad Perdida in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. The trek is only 44 kms return but winds through campesino plantations of coffee, cacao, corn and sugar cane, before crossing the ancestral grounds and villages of the fascinating Kogui indigenous people. The Kogui´s unusual lifestyle includes segregated living for men and women and a complex spiritual belief system led by shamen that venerates Mother Earth. They are reputed to be one of the last remaining pre-Colombian peoples in South America and still live in isolated villages in the mountains. We were fortunate to encounter many Kogui´s in their cream coloured smocks and wellie boots (their one modern concession) along the trail.

After three days of bug bites, waterfalls and nine river crossings we climbed the final 1,200 (!!!) stone steps to the first series of rounded green terraces that make up The Lost City. The 1,100 year old ruins were drenched in unruly vines, tropical flowers and moss, which combined to make this archaeological site the most magical we have visited on our trip. Not one 'do not do X, Y or Z' sign impeded our exploration or cluttered our photographs. We spent the morning exploring and were bemused by the ever present Colombian military perched with large machine guns all around the site. The day was beautiful and the trek was worth every last buggy, muddy step!

In an effort to sooth our bites and aching muscles we deemed it prudent to visit the renowned Tayrona National Park for a spot of hammock camping. The park and beaches were stunning and the monkeys were in attendance as we meandered through the park. The only thing we hadn´t banked on was the small detail of it being a long weekend, and as such the normally placid campground was a tent ghetto of televisons, spaced out backpackers and Colombian families on holiday from Cartagena. We still managed to find a slice or two or paradise, some excellent snorkelling and a cerveza or three. After two blissful days of sun and sand we packed up and headed for the colonial gem that is Cartagena.

Cartagena was a bouganvillea bonanza, fortified colonial gem with vivacious Caribbean flair. We loved the food, the Cubanesque music, the street performers, the architecture and the gold leafed chocolate treats. It was the perfect fuel to walk the perimeter of the fortified wall and take in the Tall Ships in the harbour that we imagined to be captained by pirates! It was one of our favourite cities on the continent and we were sad to be waving goodbye to South America after 10 magical months, as we boarded the twin-prop plane to Panama city.