Pacific Beach Paradise

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We hit the Pacific coast for the second time this trip, the last time being Puerto Escondido in Mexico.
After staying at the disappointing Finca Magdaleina we were really so excited to arrive at the Hostel Casa de Oro and have this fantastically friendly lady greet us with a huge smile and a warm 'Como estas?'
Another well run and organised hostel. Even the shared kitched was spotless....As you can imagine, being the fanatic cleaner I am....one of the first things I notice is 1) How clean is the bathrooms 2) How clean is the kitchen? Sad I know !!!!

We had met up with our old British buddy John on Ometepe and three Aussie mates and so all 6 of us decided to spend one day in San Juan (which by the way was a much prettier beach than everyone gave it credit for!) and then move down the coast to a more secluded spot called Manajachal.

We caught a ride with the truck organised through the hostel and drove the dusty roads to the coast. Reminded me lots of the north coast of Natal 10 or so years back. Not very developed yet, with very low keys homes and basic surfer accomodations scattered around. The one place the surfers affectionately called the 'Chicken Shack', where loads of the die hard surfers would camp out for days or weeks!
We opted for Matilda's, a basic hostel on the beach with 4 dorm rooms sleeping 3 each, camping and these low rise huts that slept two....they were really not much more than large dog kennels!
The beach was fantastic though!

Our first night there, we had yet another terrific sunset (I know it must get boring for you all). Even better was the fact that there were huge schools of fish forcing the smaller fish towards the beach where they would be trapped between the feeding frenzy behind them and the sand on the beach. Hundreds of small fish were then forced or rather beached onto the sand and would be flapping crazily....their fate: either dying out the water or being grabbed by one of the hundreds of crabs that were madly pulling their dinners down into their holes. We watched in fascination for ages!

Oh !! Another amazing thing we experienced was phosphoresence. (not sure if I have spelt that right!) The sea was a fantastic temperature and when you went swimming after sunset (but before the moon rose) you would see all these sparkles in the water. Weird to explain, but with your movements in the water you would create this light....kind of like you do with static electricity but so much more impressive. If someone was swimminmg next to you (even two meters away) you would see their whole body glowing under the water. It sounds bizarre, but was absolutely amazing to see!

It was a really 'rustig' (afrikaans word for relaxed or laid back) place ....bon fires on the beach etc. Their was one lady that cooked your meals on an open fire. She cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner and you ate what ever she cooked. At $2 a meal, it was a bargain.
The owners had a small room at the back of the property where you were able to buy cold water (lesson 1-never drink tap water in Central America), cooldrinks and for $8 you could buy 750mls rum and 1.5L coke. Bargain! The simple life...but what more do you need?

All in all we spent 4 nights (2 on San Juan and 2 at Matilda's) and then decided to hit Costa Rica. A seriously great place, for surfers WOW!

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Comments

[David Rouse]

Matilda's
Sounds like you had a nice trip, albeit brief, with little time to know the real beauty that lies nearby. I grew up in San Juan and my family has lived there for more than a hundred years. One tip you should let others know, Nicaraguan beaches are all public. No one "owning" land along the coast can tell you where you can or cannot "chill". Matilda's is cozy, nice, and cheap but keep in mind, why pay to sleep on the beach when you can sleep on ANY beach in Nicaragua for FREE. Walk 5 meters from Matilda's to the beach and, presto, you are no longer paying for your stay. Just a thought and you of all visitors should know that the beach offers the same amenities as Matilda's minus the dog kennel. This is not to say dont give Matilda's business, just some factual info for the next time you are looking for a place to stay in Nicaragua and are near a beach. Like any other place, don't leave valuables unattended.....the hills do have eyes, very patient eyes. Carry the NIcaraguan express card and never leave home without it....a machete...($2.00 USD) at the hardware store...truely disposable security and it makes a nice impromptu souvenir as well. Questions ?: e-mail me at: [e-mail]