Nicaragua & Honduras

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December 25 – Christmas Day: Opening of gifts and eating excessive amounts of food.
December 26 – Boxing Day: Opening of gifts and eating excessive amounts of food.
December 27: Last minute packing. Searching for bikini and sunblock that were put away months ago.
December 28: Arrival in Nicaragua! Winter leggings off. Flip flops on.
December 29: Standing on the rim of Masaya volcano, peering into the depths of the crater, hoping the wind will blow in just the right direction for us to get a glimpse of the lava down below.

Nicaragua

We spent two glorious weeks summiting volcanoes, splashing in the Pacific Ocean, sipping tropical fruit shakes in quaint parque centrals and eating one too many meals of gallo pinto. You know you’re in Central America when:

1. Toilet paper has to be thrown in the waste baskets else it will clog the toilet.
2. The roosters start crowing at 3 am.
3. You never wait more than 30 seconds for a taxi to pass by and offer you a ride.
4. Vendors are selling their goods through the bus windows, or pushing their way through the isle to get your 10 cents.

It’s chaotic but somehow it all works out.

First item on our agenda was how to visit all the most interesting volcanoes in Nicaragua. With
25 volcanoes to choose from we prepared a spreadsheet to prioritize. Volcano Masaya to stand at the edge of an active crater, Volcano Mombacho to walk around a crater shrouded in mist, Cerro Negro to toboggan down a volcano, and El Hoyo to see the giant sink hole at the top of the range.

Next item was to check out some beaches. San Juan del Sur for New Year’s Eve then Pena Blanca to relax our feet after the tiring but totally amazing trek with
Quetzaltrekkers .
We then ventured to the northwest to go swim in Somoto canyon. In 2006, 2 Czech students made this canyon internationally known. Tourism is still relatively new here, official canyon guides have been designated but no hostels/hotels exist (except in the nearby town of Somoto). We ended up staying at our guide’s house, where we had to walk past the chickens, dog, pigs, and ducks to get to the outhouse. The next morning we saw 2 family members sleeping on mats in the living room, that’s when we realised that they had rented us THEIR OWN bed!

Honduras

After spending two nights in Tegucigalpa , we noticed a few differences between this capital city and the rest of the country: bakeries! women carrying purses, being able to use a visa to pay, and almost every store and church was guarded by an armed security guard .

After the city we explored the natural beauty and wildlife of Honduras. We were hoping to see jaguars, pumas, quetzal and whale sharks. We had to settle for hummingbirds, leaf cutter ants, and emaciated stray dogs. This was not entirely disappointing because we were busy hiking to waterfalls, hiking past waterfalls to see El Bejuco falls, pushing through the force of Pulhapanzak falls to crawl into a cave behind it, rafting on the Rio Cangrejal, getting our SCUBA diving certifications on Utila island, and swimming with dolphins on Roatan. I think by the end of all these water adventures we were starting to grow gills!

Diving is something everyone should experience. Getting your brain to understand that you can inhale while your face is underwater is the most difficult part. But after a few breaths underwater it becomes natural, and then you are free to float effortlessly with the fishies in the sea!

In Summary

Number of volcanoes visited = 4
Number of sunny days = 28
Number of days woken up to roosters crowing = 18
Number of cameras at the start of the trip = 3
Number of cameras at the end of the trip = 1
Kissed by a dolphin = awww yah!

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