Volcáns, Lagos, Islas, Cascada, Monos, Murciélagos y Hängematten

So I finally have the disk with the photos from my White Water Kayaking, but I am waiting to borrow a laptop with a disk drive so that I can get them for myself and then onto my blog.

So, onwards from my last post, we left Monteverde fairly early the morning after my last post, and set way to the Costa Rica - Nicaragua boarder, which I slept through most of the ride. I'm such a bad traveller now, if I'm not in the front of a vehicle all I do is sleep, not because I'm tired, but because there's nothing else to do or see!

The people that buy your Costa Rican Colon in exchange for Nicaraguan Cordoba at the boarder

Leaving Costa Rica....

....And into Nicaragua

It's amazing as soon as you cross the boarder you can see the massive difference between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It's obvious straight away that Costa Rica is a more developed country.

First views of Nicaragua.....and it's WARM!!!!

Heading over to Moyogalpa on Isla de Ometepe on Lago (Lake) Nicaragua with Volcano Concepción on the left and Volcano Maderas on the right

 

Arriving in Moyogalpa

Chill out area

After we arrrived in Moyogalpa, we chilled out for an hour or so, before heading off to our Nicaragua Host Families. I've gotta admit, my Spanish is terrible, I could not keep up with the conversation at all in a group, but once a few people had gone to bed I talked a bit of Spanish with a few people with the hand of my dictionary and "Despacio, por favor"...I could sort of say what I wanted but I did struggle to understand some things that were being said to me, I know what I know (and it isn't much) so if something slightly different was said I was a bit off track!

My room for two nights with my more than friendly family.

I woke up at about 5:45 the next morning to climb up Concepción Volcano. It was great for me on two parts, as one I got to climb an active volcano, and two, our tour guide, Antonio, spoke very broken English, so combined with my broken Spanish it gave me my first real chance to test out my Spanish without someone stepping in for me to clear it all up. I was fine until he went into depth about some of the nature: "¿comprender?" Me- "más o menos" "In Nicaragua, when people say 'más o menos' they really mean 'No'"

Home

Getting near the top with our tour guide Antonio.

At the top of an active volcano...not really much of a view 1610m up!

The skies did clear on route down

Where we stopped for lunch.

Monkeys fighting. They dropped down in the path in front of us at one point. If Antonio was excited by all this.

A Mum holding her baby, born that day (I struggled to get a good picture of the baby)

Moyogalpa

That night I had a delayed birthday surprise...two in fact...the first was my first Central American surprise..my first ever Piñata, and then two birthday cakes. Thanks for organising that Mel. The following morning we headed back to the mainland and headed on up to Granada.

On the Chick Bus to Granada

Turtles in the hotel....that's way cooler than fish!

A market in Granada

Swimming in a Lake that I can't remember the name of, that is about 200m below sea level

Another volcano that I can't remember the name of!

Sun set over that volcano

Just after standing outside a Bat Cave with loads and loads of bats coming out - Inside another Stollen, but not whilst eating Stollen and my shoes definitely had no Stollen on them...I don't think they had any grip at all.

After two nights in Granada we headed to León for a few hours before heading onto Poneloya.

The view from the top of a cathedral in León, and I didn't burn up upon entering!?!

A very sad moment!!!!

The sun rise after the first night on Poneloya.

Poneloya is just a remote Island, there was only about 30 of us on there, a bar, and a huge beach. Perfect! After a first night of drinking, I decided that I didn't wanna sleep in my hostel room with 17 other people so I decided to sleep on the beach in a hammock! Smart aint I!

Not much to do but surf...I somehow started giving lessons

This is what happens when Italians steal your camera!

And the sun set

One last swim

That night we had a beach party, face paint (some how I ended up as a cat...bloody smart ass Germans!) Then another night sleeping in the beach hammocks! Before getting woken up early to head onto El Salvador.

And this is what happens when you teach an Italian 'ampshire English! Best English accent "You know what I'm talking about mate innit" a better English accent then most of these fools that speak English as a first language, and trust me, I've been mimiced a lot over the last 2-3 years).

After a long long tie at the Nicaragua departure

So long Nicaragua

Saves me typing up the route!

Honduras on the right

And El Salvador ahead

I really really really loved Nicaragua, for a country I really didn't know anything about before I arrived, and admittedly I only really saw the east coast, but from what I saw I preferred it to Costa Rica (which was still amazing), it's just so much more chilled out, and the scenery was amazing.....it's why you travel! Would love to go back there and see more, and even spend more time in the places I went! And so so warm, and it's January!

At the official boarder of El Salvador

Honduras again....

...and again!

After a long day travelling through the boarders by the time we arrived at Suchitoto, El Salvador there wasn't really too much to do (especially on a Sunday night), just eat and check out the one star that was in the sky! Exciting stuff, but the following day (yesterday) got up and checked out the calm peaceful town and headed to the Lake (again, I don't know what the name of it was, but I know I wouldn't swim in it...ever!, neither would Colin)

Suchitoto...so chilled out.

Yesterday afternoon travelled up from Suchitoto to Concepción de Ataco (where I am at the moment), another peaceful town, full of colour. I wish Southampton would be allowed to be this arty!

  

The view from the hotel balcony last night

An example of the buildings around here

A painting of Concepción de Ataco

The town from above

A local band practising last night! We broke in to cheer them on!

Earlier this morning on route to a waterfall....again, I don't know the name...I don't even know if it had one!?!

\

Of coarse I gave it a go, I just can't put my video on here...gotta keep this "PG"

A random house in the middle of nowhere

El Salvador....just a short stay, again only seeing a small section (I am aware that there is still trouble here and I've seen some of the 'not-so-nice areas' very briefly  but the areas I have stayed have been very chilled out and laid back, very colourful places, full of extremely friendly people, it really makes me wanna improve my Spanish as I feel I come across as very rude when the truth is that I just can't hold a conversation in Spanish. It is funny though that the people that mock me for trying my Spanish are the same people that can't speak a word of it and just talk in a load slower English...yeah how stupid do I look for trying!

Tomorrow is another travel day, and boarder cross...two in fact! Leaving at 6 in the morning (less then 5 hours from now) and heading to the Guatamala boarder before crossing into Honduras, where I will be staying for a night before heading onto Guatamala for a period of time.

I feel like there's more I should write, but I suppose this is just a catch up really, I have a late night free! So gotta get this in whilst I can really I suppose!

Speak soon peeps!