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Hello all!!!
Well well well, an eventful last two weeks. From Leon caught a bus all the way to the other side of Nicaragua, which I must say was a bum buster, (I got off walking like John Wayne). After the bus we then had to sit around (which I must say was not nice after a long bus journey) for a boat to take us down the Rio Rama to Bluefields. Just before we were scheduled to get on the boat the heavens decided to open in true Nicaraguan style and the whole Caribbean sea fell on our heads!! The boat was very funny, as were all huddled under a tarp which was flapping around like a crazy chicken in the wind as we sped for 2 hours down river. Upon reaching Bluefields, we wished we had never arrived. Bluefields should not have such an inviting name, as it is actually a dump. It felt like a true pirate town, where people roam around swashbuckling (absolutely lawless)!! We had people following us around, sitting at our dinner table whilst we ate and generally being dodgy. To top things off not only did we have to stay there 2 days but we were also staying in a hotel which apparently was primarily used like a brothel!! Charming (but cheap)!!
Anyways, after two dodgy days with the pirates we eventually got a boat (5 hours) over to Big Corn Island which was a pleasant ride as the sea was very calm (a different story however on the way back). On arrival at Big Corn we met a few people (who we ended up staying with for the whole 12 days and turned out to be an amazing group of people), two Canadians Jason and Leanna, two Germans Danny and Schirine and an English guy called Simon!!! We all caught the lancha over to Little Corn which took another 20 mins. Upon arrival at Little Corn we roamed around looking for a Hostel called Cool Spot, which eventually we found, and it was a Cool spot with a capital C!!!! Set right on the most idyllic beach I had ever laid eyes on, with perfectly calm crystal water it couldn't have been better. We immediately dumped our bags and got straight into the water and it was a perfectly cooling temperature.
Whilst on Little Corn we spent most of our time on the beach playing frisbee, or volleyball at a hotel called Casa Iguana further up the beach. We also went spear fishing in a boat with a couple of locals, and managed to shoot enough fish to feed a group of 8 of us for 2 days. The food on the island was pretty expensive which is understandable seeing its remoteness, so instead of eating in restaurants we cooked ourselves, and by jove we had some good cooking talent. We made stews, currys, pasta dishes and all manner of amazing food for a fraction of the price. was also an awesome way to get to know people, when you're sharing such a cool experience.
We did a few dives on the Islands and they were a little disappointing, (seeing as we saw more sharks and cool animals whilst we were snorkling!!) as we saw very little in the way of wildlife, and all the coral was looking very much the worse for wear. But that was made up for by our games of volley ball and coconut boules (something European with a Caribbean twist) .
Our time to leave came round very quickly, however having enjoyed it so much we all decided to stay another 4 days, in which time we topped up tans, swam and did more of the same!! Eventually Sunday came around and we were to catch the midnight ferry (which turned out to be a rickety old fishing boat with a tarp as protection against the rain and the exhaust outlet in our sleeping area) which turned out to be a difficult affair seeing as the crew all seemed drunk, we were sailing through a storm, and the waves were huge meaning sleeping in a hammock was almost impossible (as you were swinging around like a crazy orang utan).
Eventually we made it to El Rama (not feeling rested at all) from where we caught another bum busting bus to Managua and then yet another to Granada (where we will be for a few days).
Howard and Simon
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