Pochomil and our 5* treat

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So, like I said, we eventually did leave Leon. At the last minute we decided to head to a place called Pochomil on the coast further towards Costa Rica to get some more sea and that cooler sea breeze. Leon made us want to escape the town scene. Pochomil is a small seaside village on the pacific coast. The beach was like nothing I’ve seen before, it was immense, stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction. The sea itself was lovely and warm and the whole beach was more or less deserted. We seemed to loose several days in Pochomil. None of us could really sleep the first night as it was so hot and my bed was awful, so the next day we just lounged on hammocks all day, snoozed, read and generally vegged out and admired where we were and how lucky we are to be there! We then ate freshly caught prawns in a garlic sauce which was beautiful….
The next day we had the recurring issue of not enough cash so we had to go on another hunt for a cash machine after we finally managed to drag out of our hammocks! Now this is where I think God was looking down on us. We managed to grab a lift to this hotel everyone was saying was the only place to get cash without taking the 2 hour trip to Managua. Well, when we arrived there we were in shock. It was a 5 star hotel set in God knows how many acres of land, with about 4 or 5 swimming pools, Jacuzzis, casino, zoo, crazy golf and several kilometers of private beach. We immediately enquired about costs and though sod it, we deserve it, lets have 1 night there. Basically it was roughly 100 quid for the 3 of us to stay 1 night, but it was all inclusive so well worth it. However, on the bad side, cos it was All Souls day the bank was closed so we couldn’t get any cash. So, we had to walk all the way back, and survive with about a dollars worth of Cordobas till the next day when we were to check into our treat. We’d had no lunch, just breakfast and could only afford a gallon of water and some crisp sandwiches. We weren’t gonna be able to eat till we arrived at Hotel Bacelo the next day and the earliest we could check in was 11am. However, our excitement kept us going and to be honest I’m getting used to not eating for ages and having a real random eating pattern.
Anyway, that night we were chatting to this boy who works at the place where we were staying in Pochomil and agreed that he would give us boogie boarding lessons the next morning before we moved onto the hotel. So at 9am the next morning, without breakfast we were did our first boogie boarding. We were out there about an hour and loved it. We’ve all said we’ll never forget Hervier for introducing us to boogie boarding, we love it!!!
So, we then managed to ponce yet another free lift, this time from these guys who had just arrived in Pochomil from Managua. We’re getting good at working 3 girls on tour to our advantage! I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited sat there at the bar having our first free beer of the day after just been given the keys to our bungalow for the day. Check the photo!! Anyway, it was great, we ate so much for lunch, then swam in the pool, chilled in the Jacuzzi and then did some pool side sunbathing. Then at about 5 we decided that we should try some more boogie boarding as we could use their boards they had for free. So the 3 of us marched off to the sea with our boogie boards under our arms. I know I keep banging on about amazing experiences, but this was yet another. The waves were perfect, as far as I know anyway for boogie boarding. We kept catching wave after wave and when you caught a really good one you’d go well fast and all the way to the shore. However, to top it off after about 20 mins this amazing sunset on the horizon as you were looking out to sea started to take place. Then, as you looked the opposite way you could see a full moon. Looking left and right was also spectacular. It was so lush and green, palm trees were everywhere and lights from the restaurant and casino made it even more spectacular! I think we may turn into surf babes, we’re already looking at the sea in a total different way, eyeing up the waves!!!
So, we eventually left the resort at about 4 the next day after making sure we got as much of our moneys worth as possible. We played some crazy golf and did some more boarding the next morning. I will say though that the evening’s entertainment and casino was certainly not worth bothering with. Instead an early night in an air conditioned room was a welcome change….
We were originally hoping to get to Granada that same day but it became apparent that that wasn’t gonna be possible. We spent about half hour bartering with one of the staff over a lift to Jinotepe – a town half way between where we were and Granada and eventually settled on just over $15. However we had half hour to kill before he could leave so we headed back to the pool where we bumped into this woman that Gem had been chatting to the day before. She was saying it’s a shame we’re not leaving till the next day as she could have got us a ride with one of her “workers” all the way there for nothing. Anyway, our plans then totally changed again, she took our bags, put them in her room and we went off to the town Masachapa which is next to Pochomil. This woman was fantastic, she had sorted us out massively, all in the name of God!! Anyway our plan then was that we’d go to the Saturday night disco we’d heard about. However when we got there we found out that it was the day before their national elections and it was illegal to drink! Therefore the disco was shut and there was nothing to do there – gutted! Anyway, we soon got round that, found some guys that were more than happy to buy us booze on the quiet for us and we all went down the beach and got pissed on rum and coke. We’ve discovered that it’s much much cheaper to buy a bottle of rum and some coke that to drink beers. Anyway, I didn’t feel to hot the next day!
So, come 2 o’clock we picked up our ride to Jinotepe in this flash pick up truck and tried to get to Granada. We only made it as far as Masatepe though where the weirdest thing happened!!! Because it was Sunday and election day nothing really was open or working so we basically found ourselves stranded in Masatepe. However rather than get off the bus and start searching for a hotel and food like normal, the guy that works on the bus collecting the cash said to the bus driver hey you have a big house these girls could stay at yours, all in Spanish by the way. Anyway we got a bit confused with what was happening but got the general gist and decided to see what this guys place was like, besides we got driven to his door as he was the driver! His house was not big but he had 2 spare beds which he said we could stay at. Now we wouldn’t normally just crash at our bus drivers place but this guy was really sweet, spoke a bit of English and so many people had seen where we were going and what was happening so we thought why not, after all it’s a free nights accommodation! So then he took us to find food and on the way we bumped into his mum! She was well sweet too. We all had some traditional Nicaraguan food – fried chicken, plantain, rice and beans which was lovely and then got taken to his mums house to meet the family and then their daughter drove us back to this guy’s (Oscar) house cos it was raining. It was all very bizarre! But they just seemed to want to talk to us and help us!! So we then went back to his, watched Ghost Ship in English and then went to bed early.
We had to get up at 4 this morning cos that’s what time he has to start work driving his bus. We then got to Granada about half 7 this morning and I think I’ve been writing this damn blog ever since I got here and it’s half 1 now. I don’t think any of you have probably read it all but I’d just like to say that this is not just for all you lucky people but me also so that I can remember everything we’ve got up to and all the experiences we’ve had!!!! And I’m never gonna leave it quite so long before updating again as I feel like I’ve just done a full days work on the computer….
Anyway, need to go find food now and then have a well deserved shower. I’ve been in the same clothes for 4 or 5 days now, just because of the way things have worked out, plan changes, decanting clothing into other bags, no laundry places etc.
Signging off until next time, miss you all,
Jo xxx

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Photos

Sunset at Pochomil
Beautiful!!

Gem on her 1st ever horseride
And more of the beach...

Horseriding on the beach
Forgot to mention this bit!!

How excited are we!!!!
Just arrived at the resort

Dressed up for the evening
Just because we can and we're in a 5* resort, in case you'd forgotten!!

Comments

[Auntie Liz]

I'm Reading!!
I've just spent a pleasant hour catching up with you. It sounds as though you're having a ball. I wish I'd had this sort of experience at your age. I'm in the thows of a cold and the warmth of your photos has made me feel better. What great sunsets. Life plods on here. I' going to be a Granny next May!! Paul and Sheryl expecting and due on May 5th. Keep writing - I'm enjoying all your experiences.With love Lizxx

[Jo Giles]

Congratulations
Hi Auntie Liz! Glad that my entries have made you feel better. I'm actually still recovering from a cold i picked up nearly 2 weeks ago, can't beleive it's so hot yet i've got a cold! It's these hostels we're staying at, lots of people seem to pass round bugs at them. Congratulations on Paul and Sheryl, that's fantastic news! Please pass on my congrats to both of theml too. So will there be a wedding soon also? Me going away seems to be the green light for quite a few weddings, 3 of my mates in less than 2 months wrote to me saying that they were now engaged! I've told them all they're not allowed to get married until i'm back! We're off to the twin volcanic island today in Lage de Nicaragua. Gonna stay there roughly a week and take some more Spanish lessons, we definately need them!! Good to hear from you and take care, Jo xx