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Published: December 6th 2017
Ola,
a short blog of my week between volunteering projects. Originally I was just going to have a couple nights in San Jorge which is where you catch the ferry to Ometepe, where my next project is (Bona Fide Permaculture farm).
However Javi at the Cabuyal camp had told me about San Juan del Sur (SJDS), a cool surf/backpacker town not far from the border, so thought I would give it a go.
So I left Liberia on the shuttle bus, lots of fun crossing the border into Nicaragua, glad I did with shuttle company as had to do lots of different things, over complicated!
Pay a leaving fee for Costa Rica which you receive a ticket for, back on bus to passport control, out of bus for customs and another passport check, walk through no mans land, pay entry fees to Nicaragua, passport control, then bags into x ray machine, another passport check and back onto another shuttle bus. It was hot hot hot!
This shuttle took approx. 45 minutes to drop us off at our respective hotels/hostels in San Juan del Sur, I was staying at The Barrio Café Hotel,
one block from the beach. Wifi (when it was working!) hot shower, Air Con, some luxury for four nights.
SJDS a fishing village, was set on a sandy bay with lots of cool beachfront restaurants and bars. More bars, hostels and hotels are set back a block from the beach, something for everyone.
There were a couple of boats buried in the sand, leftover from the tropical storm Nate back in October, looked pretty cool.
Hotel prices similar to Cost Rica but food and beer about half the price. Generally £1 for a bottle of Tona beer, main meal approx. £6, always happy hours going on I found a sports bar which had two for one Mojitos, 60 cordobra which is £1.50 for two lol.
One night in the sports bar ending up drinking with a guy from France who looked a bit like Gadaffi lol!!
So generally 2 meals a day and drinking cost about £25 per day, cheap as chips lol.
I mainly chilled in bars, walked the beach and one day hiked up to the near bye Cristo de la Misericordia
Sunset
Still in barstatue (Christ of Mercy).
It is one of the top ten tallest Jesus statues in the world and was built by a local business man in 2009, 26 metres tall at the top of a hill.
I did not realise that were that many Jesus statues around the world until I googled it! I have been to Christ The Redeemer in Rio and even though that is the oldest one and best known it is not actually the tallest! It is the 4th tallest, the tallest being in Poland!!
The hike took me along the beach then up a steep paved road passing some nice villas, then a really steep last climb of steps to the statue.
It was worth the climb with amazing views, luckily it was partly cloudy so I did not die from the heat!
One night when in town drinking I saw a scuffle, 2 policemen had stopped a taxi right by me, then the rather large chap got out and bundled into one of the policemen knocking him to the ground!
When 2 more police started hitting him with their truncheons he ran
off was chased caught and handcuffed! Other than that it was a peaceful few days.
After my four nights I caught a shuttle to San Jorge, about an hour, arrived at my hotel, no one else there! It seems most arrive later stay the one night and then catch the ferry to Ometepe, me on the other hand staying 2 nights.
The plan was to chill by their pool and use their many hammocks to read a book, but it has been windy and rainy so mainly been on internet and eating/drinking at near bye restaurant, watching movies on my laptop in the evening with a bottle of Flora de Cana.
This hotel I have no AC, cold shower and wifi, preparing myself lol
So catch a ferry tomorrow morning to Isla de Ometepe and a 45 min shuttle to Project Bona Fide where I will be staying until mid February. It has wifi and local bars and restaurants are walkable.
The project is a permaculture farm of approx. 26 acres, working with locals to grow sustainable food. So back to cold showers and rustic
Cristo de la Misericordia
Christ of the Mercy, it says Jesus I trust You on the pedestal conditions, main diet of Gallo pinto! but probably lots of fresh fruit and eggs from the farm, maybe some fish from the lake.
I will post another blog a few weeks in. You should google Ometepe and see how amazing it is, an island made of two volcanoes joined together, one active, one extinct with a lake in its caldera.
The active one Concepcion is one of the most perfect looking volcanoes in Central America, seems to be hidden by cloud though at the moment.
Pura Vida
Mark
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Jaroslaw Orlik
non-member comment
Hey ho Marko
i was getting worried you did not send nothing for a wile but as soon you send that update that you finish your first voluntary work calm me down. great pics of turtles last time, amassing trip. I'm glad you had few day of relax next to the swimming pool and in that sport bar. I'm must say the ladies looks hot:) lol Another beautiful place you stay Jesus statue looks impressive, and yes you right there is a massive Jesus statue in Poland. Crazy catholic country :) lol Its Friday 08/12 today i had my exam yesterday and i'm disappointed i didn't do well :(((( crap I need to wait until feb for results :( You be careful there and enjoy everything, beer, food woman :) Miss you bro. all the best and till next blog message. J.