Las Peñitas

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Due to a new road (finished two years ago, apparently) and driving at excessive speeds, it only takes 30 minutes to get from Leon to Las Penitas. Las Penitas is a stretch of rich family homes, small hotels, and seasonal restaurants just south of Poneloya. The bus stops at Poneloya first and then does a 180-degree turn and moves on to Las Penitas. Just south of there is Juan Venado Island, a nature reserve / estuary / mangrove swamp. I stayed along the beach for two and a half rainy days, and the poor weather may have affected my overall opinion of the area.

HOTEL OASIS REVIEW
When I arrived, rain was approaching, so after a quick walk up and down the beach with my pack, I settled on Hotel Oasis, one of the last places before the estuary and island. I decided to stay in one of their three-bed dorms for 7 USD. There is a wonderful porch about ten feet off the ground on the edge of the beach -- it gives a great view of the sea, the beach, and the island, and it is possible to be served drinks and food there as well. The family that runs the place is extremely friendly and helpful and it was nice to support a local business. They have some boogie boards and surfboards to rent and the food there is pretty good. Unfortunately, the roof in my dorm was leaking badly and the bathroom was dingy (and had only a curtain rather than a door). There was an Italian guy staying in my room who is fond of the family and visits often, but otherwise the place was empty, though I am sure it is more popular during the dry season. I decided to stay there only one night and camp out the second one at Quetzal Playa.

THE BEACH
There are a few surf camps and schools along the beach, so the surf must be better at other times of the year. While I was there, the waves were huge but broke all at once, and much of the area is very rocky. Swimming is possible, but according to my guidebook, people die every year there, as there is a wicked undertow. A couple of times, while walking along the beach on wet sand, I was nearly knocked over by water that was being pulled diagonally back out to sea. These currents are so strong that the beach was actually relatively hilly, even near the water.

Still, I had a few terrific jogs along the water. From the island to the rocks that divide Penitas from Poneloya is just under two miles of unobstructed beach, making for some nice runs back and forth.

The beach here is average at best, but its location makes it a nice day or weekend trip from Leon.

LA BARCA DE ORO
A French couple runs this hotel / restaurant that is located along the estuary next to Juan Venado Island. It looks like a clean and comfortable place to stay, though it is somewhat detached from the rest of Las Penitas. This isn't much of a problem, though, as an enormous porch, lovely garden, and fabulous restaurant give little reason to leave, particularly during the evenings. I had two long dinners here, alone. The food is affordable, delicious and the portions are excellent. Make sure you like dogs if you stay here -- several goofy ones run around here wrestling each other and begging for food. They're harmless and entertaining, really.

There is an Internet cafe across the street from here, run by some indifferent jerks. Unfortunately, it is the only one around.

QUETZAL PLAYA
http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/beach
This new hostel (located at the other end of the beach from Oasis and La Barca de Oro) is run by a non-profit, volunteer organization. They are called Quetzal Trekkers in Leon and all of their proceeds go to helping Nica kids. After an okay night at Oasis, I packed up and moved here. I set up my tent in the grassy area near the beach, which is one of the best places I've seen to camp in Nicaragua. Plenty of palms block the rain (or sun on another day), and a night watchman makes it safe.

The organization bought the place from a family and said they didn't need to change much. They keep the place very clean, though there is a lack of bathrooms. Dorms are 6 USD / night and it cost me 4 to camp. They have a couple of private rooms as well. Meals are cooked on-site, all with local food, and they can arrange trips to Juan Venado Island (though they are a bit expensive, as they are everywhere in the area -- 60 dollars per boat, which is divided among the 2-5 people). The volunteers there are also trying to organize a tour involving a local type of shellfish that ends with a meal.

TSUNAMI TACO
This place is just begging for an appropriate (some would erroneously call it ironic) photo of its destruction if an earthquake ever occurs off the coast. It is about halfway down the beach on the other side of the road and has an impressive, hand-crafted, wooden porch / bar in the front. It is owned by a Canadian guy but is managed by a young Nicaraguan who is learning how to run the business. Most importantly, the tacos are tasty and cheap.

WALKING BACK TO LEON
When I woke up Thursday morning and broke camp at Quetzal, I was regretting showing some interest in going to the island to look at crocs and birds and whatnot. I had told them I would let them know in the morning, but ended up leaving the $60 fee to a Canadian woman and her son. I felt bad about it, but the sky was still cloudy and I wasn't in the mood for mosquitos and muck and no guarantee of sighting any animals. Instead, I decided that it was a good day for road-trekking, so I opted to walk the 23 KM back to Leon. If I got tired of it, I figured I'd hop on a bus or hitchhike.

Building American-style roads without enacting American-style rules of the road creates an absolute clusterfuck of dangers. Anyone who appreciates Chaos Theory at all will understand the inevitable end to this complicated system: pickup trucks darting 70 miles an hour with people standing behind the cab or sitting with their legs dangling off the side, 8 year old kids galloping horses down the berm, angry dogs barking in the middle of the road, horse carriages carrying firewood and dropping it off in lanes of traffic, motorcycles with three people on them speeding by, horse shit everywhere, women with bowls of things on their heads crossing without looking, all punctuated with visibly drunk drivers. Every mile or so has evidence of the results -- chalk outlines of horses and people, spray-painted re-enactments of accidents (complete with measurements of distances between vehicles and bodies) guardrails ripped in half, etc. Luckily, there was hardly any traffic on the road, and any time a car or truck or horse or dog came along, I just walked off to the side of the road. I will also travel in nothing but a bus the rest of the way.

I kept up a 6 km/hr pace and arrived back in Leon around lunchtime.

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Photos

Juan Venado Island
I was going to go for a boat trip through this mangrove swamp / island, but it didn't work out.

Impact
Some travellers in Nica are impressed that despite the way they drive, they make it work. When you slow down and walk the road, you see one of these drawings every couple of miles.

Woman
In the background is a woman carrying something on her head. In the foreground is the chalk outline of a body.

Gringo Trap
It is definitely a good idea to look down as you walk here.

Foam
The sea was angry that day, my friends.

Comments

[Laurent]

Thanks!
Hi Michael, I am an ex-volunteer for Quetzaltrekkers, thank you for your review about the hostel! Would it be possible to add a link to our hostel website? http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/beach It would help us with referencing in google ;) Thanks!! Laurent

[Bellini]

Sure, Lauren! I also wrote a review of my El Hoyo trip on my site as well. Mike Bellini [e-mail]

[Laurent]

I just read your other review, I'm glad you enjoyed it despite the weather! When I was guiding I was lucky and almost never got rained on... I miss it now... On an other note, if you still want to get the link, it would have to be in the review (not in my comment), and as a clickable link, because google doesn't index the comments. I was originally asking because the beach hostel website is all new, and it is not ranking high in google for now; links between websites will help to built its "google credibility".