Nicaragua

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When we headed to Nicaragua from Honduras we did not have much of a plan.  We only knew that we had about a week and a half to spend there before we had to get on our airplane to fly to Quito.  When we crossed the border into Nicaragua it was getting a little bit late in the day.  We had heard about a place called Somoto near the border that has a beautiful canyon.  Taking a couple of buses we made iot there around dinner time.  We found a hotel to stay at, got some dinner.  Then we went to the only atm machine in town to get some cash.  The atm told us the transaction could not be processed???  We tried it a few times but it did not work.  That evening I got on the internet and checked our accounts and every time we tried to get cash it took it out of our account!  We checked with the bank the next day.  They of course said we had to talk to our bank.  We tried to get cash again and the same thing happened.  After getting a lot of run around we decided we had to leave this town with the tiny bit of cash we had and try to get cash from another town.  So we caught the next bus out of there.  We never got to see the canyon.  Bummer!

Trucks lined up at the border

Luckily we were able to get cash in the next big town.  It was not a place we wanted to stay so we took a bus to Leon.  This is a pretty popular colonial town.  We did not do a whole lot here.  We stayed a couple of nights.  Walked around the town a bit and bought a few things we needed.  Then we headed to the coast.  Micah was hoping to get surf.  We stayed the night in Peneloya at a really nice spot right on the beach.  There was no surf but we met another traveler there who joined us for dinner and drinks.  The next morning Nev and I played on the beach and in the tide pools.  Then we packed up our things and headed out. 

We thought we would travel down the coast but we obviously had not studied the map very well.  We had to go back through Leon then to Managua and ultimately to San Juan Del Sur.  This is another popular tourist town and popular for surfing.  We only stayed one night there and then caught a shuttle to Playa Maderas.  It was a bumpy ride out there and pretty rustic accommodations but the beach was absolutely gorgeous.  The only problem is there was no surf.  We stayed one night there and Nev and I played on the beach the next day then we headed out again.  We went to Rivas and had a taxi driver take us out to Playa Popoyo, another surf spot.  There was some good surf there but Micah was not feeling well.  Back in Leon his elbow started hurting him and by now it has gotten pretty swollen.  We took it easy our first day there and the next morning the swelling had gone down into his forearm.  He was pretty worried about it so we decided to leave so that he could see a doctor.  Unfortunately this was his last chance to surf and he was not able to.  He sold his board to another surfer there and he got a good price for it so at least that worked out.  The same taxi driver took us back to Rivas and to a doctor that he knew of.  The doctor said it was arthritis and gave him some meds.

So up to this point we have bounced all over Nicaragua, staying only one night in most places.  We took the ferry from Rivas across Lake Nicaragua to the island of Ometepe.  We stayed one night in Myogalpa where we were able to get a room with hot water!  This was a must for me.  Up to this point we had not had a hot shower in Nicaragua.  The room was a bit more expensive than we cared but it was so worth it.  After that we headed to an area of the island called Chaco Verde.  We stayed at a place called Tesoro del Pirata (The Pirates Treasure).   It was a bit of a hike in down a dirt road and when we got there with a sleeping child we were warmly welcomed and given a hammock for Nev to sleep in.  We were the only guests there and the place was completely tranquil.  We stayed for a few nights.  We played in the lake and swam in the pool.  The food was great too!  We took a side trip one day and went to Ojo de Agua.  It is a beautiful swimming hole with the clearest cool water.  We were able to spend the whole day there getting food and drinks served to us by the water.  Nev even took a nap in the hammock while we were there. 

The next day we had to leave the island and make our way towards Managua where we had to catch our flight to Ecuador.  We stayed our last night in Masaya to avoid having to stay in Managua.  We hired a cab to take us to the airport early in the morning.

All in all our time in Nicaragua was hectic and not to eventful.  However the time we spent in Ometepe was great and just what I think we needed.  Some time to just chill out.  I can tell from going through my pictures that I must have been feeling a little burnt-out because I have very few pictures of the places we went to.  We were definitely looking forward to getting to Ecuador so we could settle into one place for awhile.

Honduras

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From El Salvador we headed to Honduras.  Alex the guy that owns the place we stayed at in El Salvador drove us to San Salvador early in the morning so we did not have to stay in San Salvador the night before we left which was a good thing.  We were hopeful for another awesome international bus ride but we were all sadly disappointed.  This bus ride was probably the worst we have had yet.  It was supposed to be a “1^st Class” bus which means the windows don’t open because there is supposed to be AC.  However, this buses AC was broken so it was a very long hot and stuffy ride.  On top of that the bus kept over heating so it pulled over about every 15 minutes while driving through the mountains to cool down.  This made the supposedly 7 hour bus trip a 9 hour bus trip.

When we got to San Pedro Sula in Honduras the bus station was very convenient.  There was food to eat and we were starving after 9 hours on the bus with little food and the next bus we needed was at the same station.  We hopped on the next bus that would take us to Lake Yoja and the D&D Brewery, a place Micah and I had been looking forward to.  We have always loved visiting micro-breweries and since leaving Oregon we have not had much good beer.

The bus dropped us off near the D&D Brewery along with a couple who were also going there.  The guy offered to help carry some of our stuff which was very nice of him!  They were pretty full at the brewery but they found rooms for us anyway.  The beer was not the best but it was a nice change from the Latin American beer we had been drinking.  There was also a restaurant there with some pretty good food.  The place is a little out of the way from “civilization” but it was a good staging point for some “naturalist” sites.  After a few days there I was starting to feel a bit isolated.  There were a couple of places to eat nearby but other than that there was not much of a town.  There was a larger town a short bus ride away also but after a few days at D&D I had yet to really see anything outside of the brewery.  Micah and Carissa often went out to get us food or go shopping while I stayed behind with Nev.  I was getting pretty antsy to see life outside the brewery.

A crazy Catepillar that looks like it was created by Dr. Seuss

Coffee

 

We did get to go and see a few of the natural sites.  There was a coffee plantation right next door where we went our first day there.  It was really beautiful with rivers running through it.  We went there to go to a swimming hole but when we got to the spot it said “no swimming”.  We were pretty disappointed but we found a nice spot in the river to hang out.  I also got to go out birding with the resident bird expert on the lake.  It was pretty awesome!  I love being out on the water and we got to see a lot of birds and other wildlife.  Unfortunately my camera battery was dead so no pictures. 

Collecting Sticks

Cool Lizard

Mating butterflies

Micah, Nev and I also took a little (somewhat forced) family excursion to see the waterfall nearby.  Unfortunately it had rained quite a bit the day before so the water was pretty muddy.  It was not the most beautiful looking water fall but the amount of water going over the cascades was pretty impressive!

 

At the brewery another family showed up with a 3 year old and the mom was also a biologist so we had a lot in common.  He and Nev played together and for the most part had fun together.  Nev and I hung out with this family quite a bit our last few days there.  We joined them on a trip to the Archeological and Ecological Park nearby.   It is mostly an ecological park for viewing birds and insects but there are also some unexcavated ruins there.  Unexcavated ruins are pretty much suspicious looking hills in the forest.  The boys had fun running the trails and boardwalks together.   

 

 

After a week at the brewery I was pretty much ready to get out of there.  It is a pretty cool place with a lot to offer in the area but I was ready to move on.  We also said good-bye to Carissa from here.  She was off to Utila and we were off to make our way to Nicaragua.

El Salvador

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We left Lanquin pretty early in the morning which is no big deal for us as Nev is usually up at around 6 am.  Our plan was to head to Guatemala City so we could catch an international bus to El Salvador.  I found a place in a residential part of Guatemala City that was near a big park and zoo.  It ended up being a bit of a pain since we were pretty isolated from any resources we needed such as banks and laundry.  Plus it turned out that it was a holiday so many things were closed.  In the evening we did head over to the zoo.  Being that we were in Guatemala City and we were planning to head into town to try to find an atm I left my camera behind.  We went to the zoo first and found an atm so we didn’t need to go further into town which was good as the taxis were a bit expensive.  We walked around the zoo until it closed ( a few hours).  This zoo has got to be one of the best zoos I have ever been too (if not the best).  They had so many different animals; lions, tigers and other cats, camels, giraffes, monkeys, lots of birds, many other tropical species.  The thing is that you were able to see all of the animals and they looked really alert and happy.  It was not like a lot of zoos I have been to where you could hardly see the animals because they were hiding out in some dark corner of their “cage”.  These animals were sitting out in the open, walking around, the monkeys were swinging around like crazy.  I don’t know what they are doing but the animals looked comfortable and ”happy”.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera.  I was pretty bummed by that.  I know they would have just been zoo pictures but I think I could have gotten some good shots of the animals. 

We left Guatemala City on the best bus I have ever been on.  Their regular class seats were like first class seats in an airplane.  They also had first class seats on the bus which had even more room!  There was wifi on most of the trip plus when we crossed the border to El Salvador we did not even have to get off the bus for immigration, they got on the bus to check our paperwork.  Of course it was more expensive than the other options but the convenience was well worth the cost, especially because Nev slept right through the border crossing. No need to wake him up and walk across the border with all our stuff.

We arrived fairly late in San Salvador and had a taxi driver take us to a hotel near the bus stop we needed to get to the coast.  The hotel was interesting to say the least, geared not so much for the traveler but maybe for the guest who prefer an hourly rate.  However, it was convenient for what we needed and it felt safe considering the guy at the front desk was packing a pretty large hand gun (many people are armed in this country).  The next day we headed to the bus stop and started to get our first real experience of El Salvador.  The people here are very friendly and helpful!  Many people who saw us wanted to tell us where to bus stop was.  Although many were wrong in where we needed to be standing their intentions were all good.  We finally got on the bus and it was extremely crowded to say the least.  We did not make matters any better with our massive backpacks and a surf board but the people did not seem to be bothered.  All the seats were full.  Carissa got a seat with Nev on her lap and Micah and I made seats in the aisle with our backpacks.  After an hour we had to switch buses to a less crowded bus.   This took us to Playa El Zonte were we found the great little surf camp/hostal recommended by Allison and David from Panajachel, Estancia Nativa.  We stayed here for a few nights.  Micah got to surf and Nev and I spent a lot of time in the pool.  The beach was not super friendly for kids since it was really rocky but there were lots of kids for Nev to play with.

 

Our last night there Nev got to participate in a birthday party.  They had a piñata and they let Nev swing first without a blind-fold.  All the kids started chanting his name when he started to hit the piñata.  This kind of embarrassed him or something because he put down the stick and walked off.  He warmed back up when he watched all the other kids swing at the piñata while the others chanted their names.  In the end he got some candy and some cake.  A night full of sugar! 

El Salvador blew all the stereotypes we had about it.  We had the impression that it was a pretty dangerous place and probably one of the rougher places in Central America.  This did not seem to be the case from what little we saw of it.  The people seemed very happy, friendly and helpful.  The city seemed like one of the most Americanized cities we have seen so far (not that this is a good thing).  However another thing that gave an indication they were not so primitive was the roads.  The roads were in pretty good condition.  They seemed even better than in Mexico.  Another misconception we had was the cost.  We thought it would be cheaper than other countries but at least from our experience this was not the case.  It was a bit on the expensive side.  Maybe this is because they use the U.S. dollar there.

In the end we wished we had stayed longer.  I would love to see more of this country so hopefully I will have the chance to return.

 

Lanquin, Guatemala

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Lanquin, Guatemala

We took a shuttle bus from Panajachel to Lanquin with a stop over in Antigua.  We had a 2 hour lay over in Antigua so we spent that time exploring the city.  Micah spent a week here a few years ago and doesn’t care much for the colonial cities such as Antigua.  The buildings and streets all look very similar and he gets lost easily.  However, it was helpful that he had been here before so we did have an idea on where to go.  We headed to the Mercardo and walked around.  I got to steal a little bit of time to myself and explore around the ruins of an old school built in the 1700’s.  I didn’t have a lot of time but it was fun taking pictures in there.

When our shuttle arrived to pick us up we learned that there was not a seat for all of us.  Even though we paid for a ticket for Nev we were told he would have to sit on my lap because the bus was full.  It was extremely full and it was a very long ride.  One thing that has been frustrating for us is when something like this happens people just shrug us off and tell us this is the way it is take it or leave it.  The idea of getting a refund for something is pretty much out of the question.  Needless to say we were pretty tired and frustrated when we reached Lanquin.

Since Micah had been here before he also knew where we could stay.  That made things easier when we arrived.  The place was quieter than the other places in town but it lacked some amenities we prefer such as internet and hot water.  But the place was cheap!! And  people who run it are super nice and helpful.

The highlight to Lanquin is the Semuc Champey.  This is a drive down a pretty rough dirt road for about a half an hour.  We hired someone to take us there and guide us too.  The Semuc is a river that flows underneath a land bridge that was formed by a prehistoric land slide.  The river now flows under the massive limestone slab and the streams from the adjacent hillsides flows down and collects on top of the slab creating the most magnificent clear blue pools that you can swim in. 

We spent most of the day here swimming and we hiked up the mountainside to the mirador where we could see the stretch of the Semuc.  Pretty amazing!  We also saw howler monkeys on the hike.  They were transplanted here  but seem to be doing good as there was a baby.  Not sure if they were here originally.   Per our guide they were not but they do live north and south of here so who knows. 

Howler Monkeys

There is also a cave nearby where a guide will take you into the cave by candlelight.  Micah had already done this before so he stayed behind with Nev and Carissa and I went in.  There is a river flowing through the cave so we had to climb over and down rocks using ladders and ropes, swim through the water and climb up water falls with a rope, all while holding a candle in our hand.  It was pretty cool and a bit of a rush at times.  Things like this would never go over in the states. 

In Lanquin there is also a Grutas (Cave) that you can hike back into.  We did this one day thinking it would be a great way to escape the heat but it turned out to be sauna like in the cave.  It is a pretty amazing cave.  It is very big and full of bats.  At sunset we sat at the opening of the cave and watched the bats fly out.  The amount of bats flying out of the cave is awesome!  There have to be hundreds of thousands of bats in that cave.  They say the bats fly out for about two hours.

 

I was glad we stayed at a hotel in town and not one of the hostels that are more secluded.  We spent time sitting on the curb in front of our hotel  people watching and it did not take long to attract a crowd, usually of kids, who were attracted to the little gringo boy.  This is one benefit to travelling with a child.  It denfinately opens up doors to the people that would not be so easily accessible.  The women too were attracted to Nev and would often times just pick him up and walk off with him.  This was a little unnerving for me but i quickly realized they were just showing him to someone else, like a little doll.  Nev usually doesn't seem to mind the attention.  One afternoon we attracted quite the crowd of kids.  Eventually we pulled out the camera (I am still hesitant to photograph people because in some places it can be a big no-no).  The lids loved it and some of the girls just loved having their pictures taken.  The girls I learned were alos very interested in taking pictures.  I, somewhat hesitantly, handed over the camera after showing them how to use it.  They had a lot of fun and took some really nice pictures.  They really enjoyed looking at the pictures they took too.  Who knows maybe a seed was planted?  Maybe someday they can afford a camera of their own?

We left Lanquin by shuttle early in the morning and went to Guatemala city where we would catch a international bus to take us to El Salvador.

Panajachel, Guatemala

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We left Mexico and headed to Guatemala.  From San Cristobal we took a shuttle to the border of Guatemala and then on to Panajachel (Pana), a smallish town on a lake surrounded by volcanoes.  Up till now we had been travelling in the buses but when we looked into busing from San Cristobal it was not going to work out.  The bus left so late in the day that it put us at the border at night.  This is something we really want to avoid.  We heard about the shuttle services that take you across the border and it seemed like a great option for us.  Definitely more expensive but when you are travelling with a young child convenience and safety are worth a lot!!!  It was a long trip and a long day but I think we are getting used to the long bus rides.  Thankfully, Nev has slept on most of the bus rides we have been on. 

Two of the volcanoes across the lake

We got to Pana after dark so we had someone help us arrange a hotel to stay at.  In Pana the roads are so small and crowded that they use tuk-tuks as taxis.  These are 3-wheeled motorcycles with a cab and back seat.  However, we are travelling with so much stuff that we had to hire 2 tuk-tuks to get us around.  The hotel was an OK place but we thought we could do much better for the money so the next day we moved to different hotel.  We also ran met up with a friend of ours, Carissa.  She is going to be living in Honduras for a while but met up with us to join us on our travels for a bit.

Tuk-Tuk

The next day we took a boat over to San Pedro, a small village across the lake.  Nev loved riding on the boat!  We walked around San Pedro for a while.  Got some lunch and checked out the crafts for sell.  Nev fell asleep in the Ergo.  We headed back to Pana on the boat and I met Alison, a woman who is living in Pana with her husband and two children.  She is half Guatemalan but is from the states.  Her husband, David, works at a local bar and runs a café in the mornings.  She told us about the BBQ the bar does every certain night (whatever night it was, maybe Sunday, who knows) so we headed over there for dinner.  It was really good!!! Some of the best food we have had to that point and it was a nice break from Latin American cuisine.  She also told us about their favorite place to visit in Central America, El Zonte in El Salvador.  We were not planning to go to El Salvador at all but I think we will add it in to the trip.

On the boat to San Pedro

San Pedro

Cool child size masks.  I wish I had bought this for Nev but I thought I would get else where and didn't.

Nev buying cachauates (peanuts) from a street vendor

They invited us over that evening so the kids could play together.  They live in a house that belonged to her grandfather who owned a lot of land and Fincas (coffee plantations) in Guatemala.  The house in Pana was a vacation home of his and was sitting empty.  When they were thinking of moving to Guatemala the house was offered to them to live in.  It is an awesome house!  We really enjoyed hanging out and talking with them and drinking wine.  The kids had a good time playing together too! 

Heading back to the boat.  Nev getting sleepy

Cool Guatemalan street sceen

Sleeping like a baby

We headed out the next day but we stopped in to David’s café for breakfast before we left.  The food was good.  The coffee was good but really strong!  So far on our trip it has been really hard to get good coffee.  A lot of people drink Nescafe down here.  So getting good coffee is a pretty special thing.

We left Panajachel on another shuttle.  We are headed to Lanquin where the Semuc Champey is.  This is another place Micah has been before and a place I have been hearing a lot about for the last few years.  It is one of Micah’s favorite places so I am looking forward to seeing it.

Nev looking handsome in his Guatemalan shirt