NOTA #5: From a double-volcano island (NICARAGUA) and happily relaxing Pacific beach towns
Dearest reader,
muchas gracias for your attention and taking the time to be part of my life for the time being. I know you fancy written entertainment for your brain cells, so I will deliver. Keep on sending me private messages to encourage further information supply (I'm basically like a flesh-eating plant that is kinda scary, but still needs sun, water and, erm, love). I appreeeeeciate.
For a start: I really didn't plan to get online too often, but having free internet almost all the way is kinda tempting. As with most 21st century stuff, this obviously comes with a double-sided coin, but for the most part, it is still a relief (isn't it?). Everything will be different, once I am going to leave civilization behind in Northern Canada and the Yukon some remote time in the freezing future. And now returning from freezing travel day dreams to air-conditioned hostel reality. I just got back from quite a relaxing beach walk around gorgeous Playa Tamarindo on Península de Nicoya in Costa Rica. I crossed the boarder from Nicaragua yesterday and, after spending way too long at a Liberia bus station, I arrived here late at night, looking for a well-promoted hostel, advertised in my 2007 Lonely Planet, that ceased to exist more than three years ago. Never mind! The one I ended up in, is at least as good and I couldn't have it better (my dorm is clean, colourful, air-conditioned and I'm all alone in there). Now - originally, good old Carlos was due coming and meeting me here tonight, but work got in the way and we likely get together tomorrow in the afternoon. Not here, though, I'll be already gone in early morning, but in a town called Puntarenas - on the way to a place called Montezuma: in the peninsula's far south. I couldn't imagine any better news right now and am looking forward to team up with that guy for some serious buddy time.
But let's look at the past for now instead of dreaming of tomorrow (I might still miss my bus or suffer a heart-attack tonight). The last thing I mentioned last time had been an island called Ometepe. I just have to quote LP here: "Ometepe is the sort of place that belongs in fairy tales and fantasy novels; an island formed by twin volcanoes rising out of a lake." Well, that lake (Lago de Nicaragua) is also Central America's largest and even though it's really close to the Pacific Ocean (some 20km), it actually drains into the Caribbean.
However, I got there by taking a ferry directly from Granada at the lake's northern end (good timing, it departs only twice weekly) and right at the harbour I ran into two small parties that would accompany me for the following very pleasant part of my trip: the Dutch couple Rob and Jori as well as a very special French globetrotter named Camille. Camille had been living and working in Bluefields (on Nicaragua's more remote Caribbean side) for the last five months and was now continuing his trip south towards Colombia by bike. However, he essentially started in Europe with that one major aim to not use airplanes while traveling (hence he crossed the Atlantic on sailing boats). The four of us immediately teamed up and shared some unforgettable moments drinking, dining, talking and walking. Most memorable had been a 20km return hike to a waterfall on the island's Maderas side that was actually signed, but very badly though. "1 kilometre" could, in fact, be everything from 300m to 4,000m. We were pretty fucked up after eventually arriving at the falls. ¡Vale la pena, sin embargo!
Worth mentioning is the rather ridicilous condition of the island's "streets" (but buses were on time! Yes, it was actually worse than on Nueva Alianza at times, Rita, eeew!) plus something in the food we had turned our stomaches into ticking time bombs (e.g. the chicken, which I have been spared off, but still, I should have gone vegan again, but was yearning for some huevos revueltos con cebolla y tomate, instead. The three nights we spent there, however, had been pleasent, fun and super-cheap (see pictures below), e.g. for $2 in a hammock. I don't mind confessing to have lost a serious chess battle against Camille. (Tight, though!) A group of seven Spanish girls (and one guy) plus Camille (whose Spanish is, needless to say, superb) were one more incredible learning source. Before I forget: (Attention, serious question follows.) what had been the closest you ever got to a lightning? We (at least: I) experienced the most intense thunderstorm, ever on night 1. Waking up in the middle of the night, all of us were unable getting back to sleep while outside our wooden dormitory building nitric oxide and nitric acid were having a wild, electro party. And then the one big shoot. Loud, louder - and sudden, creepy silence. One could downright sense the tension not only in the surrounding air, but right between everyone in the dorm. Is there a tree burning outside now - some 10 meters away? Well, and then the show was over.
We all got back together again in the pretty touristic (some say gringofied), but otherwise very laid-back beach town San Juan del Sur close to the Costa Rican boarder (that is, still in Nicaragua - I guess, it's worth adding a small map again). We, however, is Camille, the Dutch couple and some Austrians I got to know earlier in León and who happened to also be in that thunderstorm dorm on Ometepe with me (we're talking small world here, and: backpacker trail). Nice, reuniting! I did all the essentials in SJDS (the town, no daily soap): laundry, internet, recharging batteries and getting healthy again.
On my last night in Nicaragua I also attended a ten-person tortuga (turtle) tour, that consists of being driven to a more or less protected, incredibly beautiful and far-away Pacific beach to closely observe sea turtles hatching; i.e. laying eggs into beach hollows, then covering them with sand and slowly re-disappearing into the ocean. A very stunning sight that might make you reconsider life, but at least will you re-appreciate nature and the way evolotion works. Wonderful!
After we returned to the hostel (after, again, one hour of bad roads. BAD roads), the night watchman looked at me and yelled: "GORRRDON!" - "¿Sí?" - "Nota para tí!". Not some secret and mysterious highly romantic girl, though, but: Camille! Pues, instead of catching some sleep I found myself getting drunk on Toña beer and having some pretty solid Spanish-language discussions about racism and social injustice with him, another French guy and a local.
Getting up way too early for catching two buses to the Costa Rican boarder. Another travel day and I don't like travel days including boarder crossings. It doesn't exactly make me smile and cry with joy when thinking about the one big return-trip up north to Guatemala. That first bus was so crowded, that I had a tough time crawling out, finding my backpack and repeatedly screaming "¡Espera!". That was when I met Alejandro (from Mexico) who is on the road since May this year, targeting Argentina. We teamed up for the boarder crossing to Costa Rica and mastered it with a big smile and playing the guitar for some boarder officials. The whole scene had been only marred by the most unfriendly bus driver I ever bumped in. Some eight hours later I arrived in where I am now (which is still Playa Tamarindo). Again, some 14 hours later I find myself wave-riding and tanning on a perfect beach. (Miss you, cK!) When updating next, I will hopefully be able to tell stories involving Carlos. Good night and out (pictures and videos follow if I somehow manage to outsmart this computer).
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Freshly laid turtle eggs.
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View from the fantasy-like wooden dormitory at "Little Morgan's" on vulcano Concepción (Ometepe, Nicaragua).
The notorious and rather beautiful 40m waterfall on Ometepe, Nicaragua (Maderas side).
Little Olive ridley baby turtles shortly before being released into the ocean (Nicaragua).
Explanations on Turtle hatchings (Olive ridley) at Nicaraguan coast.
Teaming up and playing the guitar while crossing the boarder between Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
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