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Last time we spoke our tour group was on Utila in the Carribean, due to leave at 6am the next morning. After posting that blog, I learnt that the ferry was damaged and repairs were needed on one of its two propellors. This meant the next days travel was up in the air, with equal possibility of leaving at 6am or not getting off the island at all (or a departure anywhere in between).
It meant we still had to get up early and be at the dock with our bags at 6am, and in the end we were fortunate it was only a 2.5 hour wait till the ferry showed up (and that all 16 of us squeezed on!) so that we didn´t end up losing a day from our itinerary. After taxis to a different bus station in La Ceiba from the one we saw on the way to Utila, we boarded a nice public coach and set off for Tegucigalpa (the capital of Honduras). Like most (all?) capital cities in Central America, it´s an unsightly place best avoided, but we needed something to break up what would otherwise be a 24+hours of travel. On the way to Tegucigalpa were stopped at a nice resort-y, restaurant-y thing in the middle of nowhere for a 2 hour lunch and swim in the pool. So in the end it was about a 14 hour travel day.
The next day´s travel was complicated when, on the way to the Nicaraguan border, a bridge needed repairs and we sat in a traffic jam for almost 2 hours. But again, it could have been a lot worse.
Our first stop in Nicaragua was Granada. It´s similar to Antigua (in Guatemala) in many ways: colonial architecture, shady town square, laid back vibe, proximity to capital city... But rather than a volcano looming over it, there´s Lake Nicaragua, which was just a few blocks from our hotel.
We made the walk down to the lake the next morning in Grenada and were not impressed. The lake was the colour of dirt with a metallic tinge, the shore was strewn with rubbish, and the wind was blowing a gale. It's a shame the lake is so polluted at that end, but we when we travelled to Ometepe (an island in the middle of the lake) a few days later we learnt how large the lake is and that it's not a complete cesspool.
Unlike in Antigua, where things felt at times too touristy, it was easy to find an authenitc side to Grenada. The market, for example, is a real local affair. It's dirty, noisy and, at times, smelly, but that's what makes it facinating.
After exploring Grenada on our first day, a group of five of us caught a taxi to Laguna de Apoyo to chill for our last day before resuming our travels. The 'lagoon' was a large lake surrounded by hills and volcanos. We went to the Monkey Hut, where for $6US we could use their beach, kayaks, inner tubes, pontoon, and whatever else we wanted. It was a great way to relax and catch some sun after some long travel days.
That evening we celebrated two birthdays among our tour group with a few drinks. Like the night before we wound up at a local disco, though this time the gringos cleared the dance floor. I have to say I'm a fan of any country that lets you boogie in jandels and shorts...
After Grenada we took our first proper chicken bus (former US school bus used as public bus in Central and South America) to get to Rivas, where we caught the ferry to Omotepe. The wind was up again (it's windy season in Honduras) so the hour-long crossing was bumpy, and every time we hit a big wave my feet got covered in water, but it was kinda fun.
Omotepe is specatular, with two large volcanoes at either end of the island and a saddle of green in between. Once on land it was still another hour on the bus over unsealed roads to get to our hotel. There was no internet or ATMs or supermarkets where we were staying, and it was kinda nice to get away from it all. A group of us did a free walk in the jungle near our hotel (most walks aren't free coz it's all private land), and it required going offroad a few times due to fallen trees. Didn't see any wild life beyond lizards and insects, but it was fun nonetheless.
We then walked to Ojo de Agua (eye of the water). Basically, some locals damned a spring, built a swimming pool and rerouted the stream through the pool to create a natural oasis. Unlike the laguna de Apoyo, there was no wind, so it was heavenly.
Two days ago we caught the ferry back from Omotepe, then a chicken bus to the Costa Rican border. The coolest part about this bus was that there were actually chickens on board!! Actually it was two roosters, who crowed every so often. At the border we learnt the computer systems were down and they were doing everything by hand and telephone. In all, it took three hours to get into Costa Rica, then another five hours by bus (about half that time on unsealed roads) to get to Monteverde.
The differences between Nicaragua and Costa Rica are almost instantly apparent and many in number. The first this is the geography. Costa Rica is much more hilly and green. We´ve heard from many tour groups heading in the opposite direction from us that it rained the whole time for them in Costa Rica, so that explains the greenness. It´s also a more affluent country, partly because it´s a much more popular tourist destination, which in turn means it´s much (MUCH) more expansive than Nicaragua (or Honduras or Guatemala). Like, US or Canadian prices. Bit of a shock to the system to pay four times more for a bottle of water after only travelling a few hundred kms.
The fact Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination is a double edged sword. On the one hand there´s a lot of activities to do everywhere you go (forest walks, horse riding, rafting, canyoning, zip-lining, tree top bridge walks, bungy jumping...), and a lot more people speak English so it´s easier to do everything... but that takes a lot of the fun out of things. I definately prefer to the challenge of being thrown in the deep end. And there´s too many Americans wearing expensive trekking outfits who get driven everywhere in minivans.
Anyway. Monteverde is up in the mountains, and the view from our hotel was spectacular, made all the more surprising by the fact the clouds cleared when we arrived and it was perfectly sunny for most of our two days there.
We limited ourselves to two activities, as everything costs in Costa Rica, which were zip-lining and a night walk in the jungle. There are lots of options for zip-lining, but we followed our tour leader Maria Sol´s advice and went with Extremo, and I´d recommend them to anyone. For $40US each, we got to do about 15 zip-lines (flying foxes where you´re harnessed up, and use one hand to break/control your speed) ranging in length from 20 metres to 750 metres, criss-crossing over a valley. The long lines were amazing. Such good views combined with an adrenaline rush. On of the ziplines I calculated we averaged speeds of about 60kmph (I think). About three lines from the end there was a tarzan swing (like the gorge swing we did in Victoria Falls but with less bruising [see photos/video]) which was the biggest rush of the day.
Our night walk began as the sun was setting (about 6pm). Our guide, Jesus, was great: really knowlegdable, but always entertaining. As soon as we stepped on the trail we saw agouti (rodents somewhere in size between guinea pigs and capibara) [excuse my spelling] and coatimundi (relatives of racoons with pointed noses). Furter on we saw a tartantula (Marisa´s favourite), several other spiders, a tiny frog, some sleeping birds, a sleeping porcupine, tons of fireflies and a higway of leafcutter ants heading back to their massive colony. It was also cool just to hear the noises of the cloud forest at night.
That was yesterday. Today we left Monteverde by private bus, then took a boat across Lake Arenal, then another bus to La Fortuna, right at the base of Arenal Volcano. Arenal is still active, and spews lava on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it´s so overcast we can only see the base of the volcano at the moment. Tonight a group of us are going to the hot springs, then tomorrow we will check out a waterfall, then go on a trek through the bush around the volcano before ending up at a view point after sunset to, hopefully, see some lava!!
So that´s about it for our all-too-brief foray into Central America. In hindsight, it would have been good to spend more time in Guatemala (according to a Swiss guy on our tour Lake Atitlan is the most beautiful lake in the world...). We´ve never felt particularly unsafe or unwelcome (though we have taken steps to minimise the risks), and if we ever come back to this part of the world I´d feel comfortable making our own way rather than going with a tour.
Only a few sleeps till Peru, the Amazon, Machu Picchu... Hard to comprehend right now. Hopefully we´re not as unfit as we fear when it comes to the Lares Trail!!
Craig
STOP PRESS: We saw a snake! Not just any snake, but a Fer-de-Lance, the most dangerous snake in Central America (danger = poison x aggression). It was on the hike around Arenal Volcano. As you can see from the photos (see Costa Rica album) it was only a foot off the path. The guide and two people actually walked past without noticing it. It stayed coiled the whole time we were there, but we were close enough to see it´s tongue flicking around. An absolute highlight of our Central American trip!!
(The volcano itself was shrouded in cloud, so no lava sightings).
We also went to the La Fortuna waterfall. The 6k walk there and back was really beautiful, but the temps were sweltering so it was really nice to swim in the refreshing (read: freezing) waters at the bottom of the falls. A stunning spot and worth the $9US entrance (paid grudgingly).
We´re in San Jose now. The city has more charm than expected, though post offices do not sell bubble wrap, tape or boxes, and no one seems to know where the supermarkets are.
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Lupita Sachin - Super Jealous bro rock it out!! beautiful locotian! All the bestSachin p.s. Merry Xmas for the new year to you and yours!Stay healthy,Sachinp.s. I had to google Guadalajara