Blogs from San Juan del Sur, Southern Pacific Coast, Nicaragua, Central America Caribbean

GRANADA, NICARAGUA: After we got dumped off the bus to Managua in the middle of nowhere and swindled into a $10 cab we arrived at our hostel in the colonial city of Granada. The whole thing seemed a little shady; literally we're climbing over seven people with our bags over our heads and before I can even step off the bus our belongings are being transferred to the cab, like we had arranged for him to be there waiting for us. I knew $10 was way above the going rate, but at that moment I just wanted to get there with least amount of effort possible. After the experience at the border and being squished into a cramped chicken bus my wits were already shot! Our hostel was very basic but in a good location. We ... read more

Our hostel in Tamarindo recomended a resort in San Juan Del Sur which had recently turned into a backpackers. It was run by an older couple Carla and Fred from Australia whose son had brought the land and was planning on building a hostel yet fell in love, got married and moved to New York to have a baby so his parents Carla and Fred took on this adventure them selves as they just planned to retire. We caught a bus to the boarder checked out of Costa Rica and walked over to find a taxi to drive us to Casa Del Sol located on a hill overlooking the town and bay of San Juan Del Sur. Taxi cost 25 USD together and you should not pay more than this as drivers do try to rip ... read more

Our faux SAR made us about 90 minutes late getting into port, so we had a mad-dash for the gangways once the ship tied up. It was another “tender day,” and the wind and seas were both very high, with 90-degree heat and 100% humidity thrown in for good measure. The tenders chopped so much that water came up over the bow and doused everyone on the top deck. We are getting our sea legs back, A week ago and we would have both been queasy, but no problems today. We headed out to Mombacho Crater Volcanic National Park. Great guide today, who very thoroughly explained the history of Nicaragua during the 90-minute trek. We stopped at Lake Nicaragua for photos of this huge lake and the volcanoes that surround it. Again, we are quite taken ... read more

It’s Dragon Fly hour now- just before dusk. A bird that remains to be seen makes a drawn out whistle that sounds like a long, high train whistle- just one single note. After the sun goes down it will be the fireflies’ turn. Then come the toads hopping into the house and protecting us from mosquitoes, along with Cherepos- local lizards- as best they can. Stick bugs have been out all day as with their veiny counterparts- the leaf bugs and once it is good and dark, land crabs click, beetles meander, and itsy bitsy insects, far too small to distinguish, scatter across our orange tile floor. It’s a flood of night life that only Kingsolver could do justice to describe (Prodigal Summer anyone?) The night sky is draped across the ocean, changing into deeper colors ... read more

22.8. San Juan del Sur Die Fähre „Che Guevarra“ legte um 11 Uhr ab und brachte uns wieder an das Ufer nach San Jorge. Von dort brachte uns ein Taxi nach San Juan del Sur, DEM Stützpunkt fürs Baden und Surfen an der Pazifikküste Nicaraguas. Die Fahrt war kurz und binnen einer knappen Stunde sind wir bereits in der Küstenstadt. Da der Strand hier allerdings nicht schön ist, haben wir uns eine „Ecolodge“ 9 km nördlich von San Juan del Sur gebucht. Die Fahrzeit hierher war allerdings mit einer halben Stunde relativ lang, aber die asphaltierten Straßen hören hier kurz hinter der Stadt auf. Unsere Unterkunft ist wirklich sehr schön(mit Pool) und liegt genau zwischen zwei wunderschönen Stränden. Playa „Madera“ –das Surferparadies (wir denken oft an Fabsi) und Playa „Marsella“, eine ruhige Bucht zum Schwimmen. Traumhaft! ... read more

We are delighted to report we survived "Becky 38". As I write this Becky is curled up in bed licking her wounds from a big birthday evening, but more on that later. The days have begun to melt together after seven weeks on the road. Although I may not be in the clearest mental state as I write this, I will do my best to accurately bring you all up to date on our adventures over the past three weeks. In departing Nueva Arenal we discovered we had made a slight error in trying to get to our next destination, Los Chiles, on the Costa Rican/Nicaraguan frontier. We ended up having to back track South to La Fortuna to get on a road that heads North. This ended up being a 4 different bus event that ... read more