wanderingwelshie2 travels

29 in Morocco!

25/02/24

My birthday!

After spending my 27th and 28th birthdays abroad in Jordan and Ecuador, I decided I should be away for my 29th, too! I booked an early flight and headed over to Gibraltar 🇬🇮 where I would cross into Spain and meet Aisling before catching a ferry over to Morocco. We had always talked about getting a boat to Morocco from Spain, so we figured we may as well just do it. ☑️ The Spanish were only a little iffy about me entering Spain from a British territory, but after some discussion in my shit Spanish, they wished me ‘happy birthday’ and waved me through.

The next ferry was leaving soon when we scoped out the port so we bought tickets and the vender hurried us along when I enquired about a good coffee shop. No time for that! We boarded the ferry after a quick ticket check and settled in to what was a luxurious boat, featuring a cafe with a large, shiny coffee machine and a young barista keen to crack out his English.

We ordered coffee and chose nice window seats before Aisling showered me with cake, a large variety and quantity. Glorious. We chatted and ate and watched the small waves as we inched over the sea to the African continent. We landed in Ceuta, the Spanish equivalent of Gibraltar and mooched about the gorgeous colonial town (Colombian vibes), before settling into a busy tapas bar. We sat on the street with two cups of tinto de verano and our food. How divine!

After lunch, we got a bus to the border and walked through. It was pretty straightforward. Then we got a taxi to Tetouan, where we were staying. The driver dropped us at one of the seven gates of the old medina, and we weaved our way through the maze of bustling alleys to our riad. It went surprisingly well, and we arrived easily to receive a warm welcome and some Moroccan tea on the rooftop as the sun was setting over the town and behind the mountains. Unfortunately, the view was a little too good, and various Z list celebrities came to make music videos. One pale Moroccan guy with a very bushy ginger beard pretended to sing the same ballad in Arabic at least 3 times while we sipped our tea. After each one, a girl went to pat his face and touch up his makeup, and then they would go again. They kindly gave is a moment to snap the view before they carried on with the filming. At the time, we assumed it was some kind of uni project and not someone actually famous!! Oops!

We headed out into the medina for dinner and went to a restaurant called La Union for a cheap but delicious tagine dinner, recommended to us by Mohammed, the manager of our riad. We ordered a lamb tagine and a chicken tagine – it was glorious. On returning to the hostel, Mohammed wished me a happy birthday and gave us cake.

26/02/24

Welcome to Morocco! 🌧🌧🌧

We were shocked to wake up to pouring rain. Some may even say torrential!!

After a nippy rooftop breakfast, I decided to venture out to get my nails done, a rare treat for a nurse! I was soaked in the first 5 minutes of walking, but after someone offered me an umbrella for €30, I decided I’d rather be wet! I had pinned a place on Google called Sarah’s Salon with good reviews, but when I ‘arrived’, there was no sign of the salon. I walked up the hill past it and was coming back down again when an old man came to meet me. He asked if I was okay, and I asked if Spanish or English was better. We switched to Spanish. I told him I was looking for a salon to do my nails. He took me to a closed door and called inside. The door opened a fraction, and he spoke to two women in Arabic. The salon was closed for renovation, but since I only wanted my nails doing and not my hair, they could do it anyway. I thanked Mohammed, and declined his offer of waiting for me outside – he would’ve been waiting ages!!

Sarah’s salon had been and gone, but now Haja was setting up her own salon with the help of her mother. I got gel nails (oops) for $5, a bargain I’d say! We communicated through minimal English and Google translate. Once the nails were done, she even offered to dry my rain soaked hair, but I declined. What was the point?! 🤣🤣 I headed back to the riad to meet Aisling.

By the time I returned, the rain had stopped, so we headed out into the riad. We were keen to go to the hammam to wash, as we thought the hostel didn’t have hot water. We weaved through the medina, stopping to be led up a series of stairs to a rooftop view, before finding the traditional hammam we were looking for. A man sat in a kiosk piled high with toiletries and sweets called for the hammam woman to come and tend to us, and she explained how it worked. Luckily, we had caught the hammam at the correct time for women – women had the daytime, and men had it early and late. We stocked up on toiletries before going inside to pay two ladies to give us a good scrub each. We paid $8 each for the experience, and while the scrubbing was a little painful at the time, my skin was very soft afterwards! I think it would be excruciating with sunburn, so I guess it’s lucky there’s no sun in North Morocco in February!! 🤣🤣 While there was no nail clipping in this hammam (like in Georgia), there was lots of scrubbing while laying entirely naked on the floor. Everyone was chilling, minding their own business, sharing the odd smile. I tried to imagine how it would work at home with everyone blushing, avoiding all eye contact, and trying to cover their bits!!

After the hammam, we wandered about. I got a Moroccan pancake with honey, and then we wandered up a hill to find an excellent coffee vender and a nice viewpoint. We sat out on a bench in the sun with the rest of the birthday cake and a coffee watching some teens play football, with a backdrop of the city, the mountains, and the sea. How lovely. Afterwards, we went back into the medina, passing a shepherd with his sheep, probably taking them to market. We found the traditional goods market, and we’re welcomed first by an older man, a teacher, and then by Ali, who first showed us round the shops and then just chatted with us in Spanish. He gave us earrings and gave us some liver baguette to try while we chatted. He told us he would take us for tagine with his brother Ahmed, and he would show us the discotheque of Tetouan. The thought of a disco in Tetouan seemed very surprising to us and we wanted to ask the manager of our riad, Mohammed, about it. Apparently, Ali and him knew each other. Eventually, we headed home.

We hung out downstairs and chatted to Mohammed and then Anas, ‘like Ananas’, a businessman from Seville. Anas left, and we headed out, back to La Union for dinner. I got a spicy prawn tagine this time, and it was glorious again. We returned to the riad to find Mohammed waiting for a large Frnech group to finish eating dinner. Once they were finished, he would be free to hang out. We went to the terrace and chatted before, the three of us went to a sister riad, Anas’ riad, to drink wine. We chatted and drank a delicious bottle of Syrah before we said bye to Anas, and Mohammed walked us home.

27/02/24

Today was leaving day, but the weather was OH SO GLORIOUS!! We had a final rooftop breakfast before we said bye to Mohammed and headed to the bus station via a wee detour through the main square to snap some pretty pics. It was so pretty! We were aiming to find a collectivo taxi to the infamous, blue Chefchouen, but failed and got a bus.

We arrived in Chefchouen about two hours later after a stunning journey through the mountains. The landscape looked a bit Spanish, French, and Welsh at different times. We passed a few lakes and dams along the way, too. By the time we arrived, I was dying for a wee (classic bus struggles)! We thought we hadn’t saved our riad on the map, so we wandered about stopping to ask random people where our riad was. No-one really knew in the main town. We found our way to the old medina and asked again inside. A few people offered to guide us there but we declined them, until it seemed like we would never arrive. We asked a teen in a pale green tracksuit and when he offered to guide is there, we accepted. I needed to wee! We weaved through the bustling alleys filled with locals and motorbikes, scooters and donkeys, as well as tourists until we arrived. We paid a $2 propina, and the boy left. I weed, we ditched the stuff, and then we headed out, up the alley, to find a beautiful square. Weirdly, it reminded me of Albufeira, so full of tourists and tourist tat! It was cute though. We chose a rooftop cafe and sat there looking out at the square and castle behind it. I got a tea, Ais a tagine and we chilled.

Later, we left and wandered the medina. We ended up by the river and walked out of the town. We stopped for a coffee and cake with a view before heading out of the town once more to watch the sunset from a Spanish mosque. A lot of the town’s tourists were there. We chatted to a Dutch couple who had been travelling Morocco for three months already, starting in the south – they were tanned!!

Afterwards, we stopped by a restaurant with traditional live music and I had a tagine, Ais a tea. The musicians didn’t have a full set of teeth between them, but that didn’t affect their sound. They were fab and very friendly too. Somehow, we ended up sat on the table right in front of the band, and when the song was catchy and Ais sang along, they loved it!! We headed back to our icy riad afterwards! It would’ve been nice and cool on the heat!

Santa Ana and home

1/7/23

Ai ai ai, solo cinco dias mas hasta voy a estar en Gales uno vece mas! Que peña!

After taking a long bus back to El Salvador, stopping for border crossings and for a flat tyre, I arrived in the evening and went in search of food. I wondered to the main square where many locals were chilling out. This is apparently a new thing since the government declared a state of emergency and locked up anyone they thought may be dodgy (dangerous and involved in gangs). Before this, the square was a potentially dangerous place that the general public could not enjoy. I ended up in a generic restaurant overlooking the square and ate a pizza with a cardboard base. Then I headed back to my hostel to chill and sleep. On my way to the hostel, I asked a guy hanging about on the street how much a taxi to the airport would be, some two hours away. He quoted me $50, which was actually cheaper than a supposed shuttle!! (Tourist transport isn’t really a thing yet in El Salvador!) We exchanged WhatsApps, and the plan was in place for heading home!

2/7/23

Today, I had arranged to do the famous ‘seven waterfalls’ walk in a nearby town, Juayua. I planned to get the bus there and headed to the bus station early. When I asked for the stop for the place I was going, I found I couldn’t say the name of the town! A kind, old man in the nearby market read it from my phone, and told me how to say it and directed me onwards. When I arrived at the correct stop on the bus station, the bus had already left, early! The other bus drivers pointed me in the direction of the route, and after I looked confused (and probably mildly stressed), one of them started walking me in the right direction. They seemed to think I could still catch the bus. After their direction, I continued down the road, only to see the bus number that I needed! I hailed the bus and off we went! I would make my waterfall walk tour after all!

In Juayjua, I met my guide, Yemenis, and then went to grab a coffee while we waited on one other person. It was a Canadian girl, and once I returned and she arrived, we set off into the forest. It was pretty, although there was a large pack of dogs at the house we passed on the way, two of which liked to start fighting at any given moment. We were given helmets and then set off down to the river.

We arrived at the first waterfall after maybe twenty minutes to find we were the only ones there. The waterfall was huge! We wondered, swam, and stood under the full force fi the water. We went by six more waterfalls, scrambling up some with ropes that Yemenis had secured first, tying to a sturdy branch. Then, we did a natural mud mask before continuing onto some pools built at the bottom of some other waterfalls. We swam through a partially submerged tunnel through the rock, connecting two waterfalls and their plunge pools together. It was glorious. No tourists seemed to make it to these pools, and we floated about with a couple of local families.

Afterwards, we walked back via the farm, thanked 6emeis, leaving leaving her with her family, before heading for a lunch of enchiladas in a local cafe. Then I said bye to the Canadian girl, who was staying in Juayua and went to catch the bus back to Santa Ana, via a local market. The rain poured on the drive back. The roads became rivers, and peoples clothes became saturated. It was nuts!

On arrival in Santa Ana, I was in dire need of a cute coffee shop! I walked back from the bus station, stopping at various supposed cafes along the way to find they were either permanently closed or closed because it was the late afternoon. Eventually, I found one that did the job. The security guard kindly got me on the WiFi, and I sat in the AC with an iced coffee and a cake. Afterwards, I wandered back to the hostel after listening to a Christian kids acoustic band play in the square.

Back at the hostel, I found a comfy armchair and read my book, while a couple of others played pool. I joined in the conversation eventually, and when I did, the guys understood why I was quiet. I only had one travel day left, and I didn’t feel ready to leave.

3/7/23

My final day in six months, six months exactly!

I had booked a morning walking tour to see what sights Santa Ana boasted. Before I went out, two sisters, who were cleaners at the hostel, offered me a coffee, which I accepted, and then we got chatting in Spanish. They were massive hype girls and were bigging me up – it was very cute, and I left feeling good!

When I arrived at the tour meeting point, there was just one young guy there. He introduced himself as Alex, the guide, and said there were a couple more coming. An Aussie couple (though the girl was from ‘London’) rocked up, and then we were off. We heard about the history of El Salvador, how wealthy the aristocrats were, making their money from selling coffee to ‘the West’ and spending their money on building exclusive theatres for only themselves. In more recent times, gang crime was out of control. Locals couldn’t walk in certain areas, nor could they walk through their local park or town square for fear of being caught up in something, or worse, attacked. It took 87 people being killed in a short space of time at the beginning of 2022 for the government to take action and extreme action at that. The government declared a stare of emergency, which meant that the army/police could stop and search anyone they wished to,and if they seemed suspicious, they could lock them up until their case was discussed in court. Since they’ve locked up so many people, it’s a long wait for court dates. While this is crazy and inhumane for these people, the cititzens that remain in their hometowns can finally live without fear and enjoy their public spaces and not have to worry about their sons who go and play football with some older boys a couple of times and then end up in a gang! It is only now that tourism has started back up in El Salvador, which makes it an interesting time to go before it becomes filled with resorts!

We learnt various other things on the tour and swung by the markets to try some local food, which were scrummy. We went on the roof of a gothic church, which I found very cyclical as I did the same on my very first day of travelling in Quito way back in January! After the tour, the Aussies had to catch a flight, but I wanted a good coffee, so Alex offered to walk me to a recommended cafe.

When we got there, he figured he wanted coffee, too, so we went in and ordered. The coffee was glorious – they even had a flat white! We chatted, and then the owner, Will, got talking to us, too. Alex and Will talked about how to market things to tourists and give tourists a better experience by providing tours to places that they wouldn’t necessarily find alone. It was interesting to hear their thoughts and ambitions. I made a coffee, and we ate some chocolate before I had to head off back to the hostel to collect my stuff and wait for my taxi.

I said bye to the sisters and then headed out where my ‘side of the road’ taxi man was waiting (Uber doesn’t exist here!). Because of the national state of emergency, I was told that everywhere was very safe and therefore taking a taxi as a solo woman wouldn’t be an issue. It was not! The taxi driver was lovely! We had some tunes on, and we chatted a little before I took a nap. He shared his bright pink sugary rice paper with me, and we stopped for my final hit of pupusas before he dropped me to the airport. The only downside was that we arrived at the airport very early due to lack of traffic!! And just like that, my six month trip was done!!

Ace Antigua

28/7/23

Today, I had another bougie hostel breakfast before heading out to do a walking tour, only the fifth one I’d done in the six months! On the tour, there was an English guy with an Irish gal, a solo Egyptian girl, and me. The tour guide knew about Wales having many castles, and I told him it was to keep the English out. The Irish girl looked bemused, the English boyf not so much!! We walked around the beautiful colonial town fora couple of hours before the tour ended in a park. I asked the Egyptian girl Salma if she had plans, and since she didn’t particularly, we went for lunch together. We went to a bustling local cafe and had yummy food before we headed up the hill to a viewpoint overlooking the town and the hills beyond. We talked about many different things including culture, religion and travel, before going out separate ways. Salma, it was a pleasure!

I had a few bits to do before my volcano hike the next day. I wanted to book my bus to leave Guatemala to go back to El Salvador (where my flight was going from) and find a tour to Lake Atitlan, the Lake Garda of Guatemala. I found a small office, no more than three people wide, and booked both! I was to be picked up at the crack of dawn for the tour! I headed back to the hostel and chilled with coffee and cake, and my book. I headed back out later in the search of salsa but arrived too early for dancing. Instead, I sat with a cocktails and watched a guitarist for awhile before heading home to get an early ish night.

29/7/23

Today was Volcano Day! I had got a packed breakfast from the hostel and waited for my lift to come. There were three other people from the hostel waiting, two Dutchies and one Swiss guy, all of whom had been travelling together before. We chatted a bit before the bus came, and then we were off. One of the Dutch girls was very hungover! We arrived at the office an hour or so later and got our backpacks and warm coats. Then we were off, starting the climb immediately. There were probably around 16 people in the group with of course, the Dutch and Germans (always a staple), the Swiss guy, me (the Brit), two people from the USA (one quiet guy and one loudest hilarious chica), a Colombian couple, a Australian couple, two friends from Montenegro and Croatia and two girls from Honduras. Off we went. Up, up and away.

We made a few stops along the way for the group to re-group and to eat. We had a lunch stop, where most of us had chicken, and the stray dogs were ready and waiting for us when we arrived. One nearly had my hand off jumping for chicken skin scraps, and another tried to lick the chicken that was still on my plate!! We arrived at the camp around 15.00, were assigned tents, and then rested and chatted. I was trying to decide whether to do the extra volcano with the hope of seeing the lava cascade UP CLOSE. So far, I wasn’t exhausted, so I figured I’d do it as I’d be more gutted if I didn’t go and then missed an eruption than if I went and nothing happened. So that’s what I did.

We set off at around 4pm. First, we had to go halfway down the volcano we’d climbed up and then climb up another one. In the group that was going, there were four guys (US, Swiss, German and Dutch) and one other chica who was also Dutch. Somehow, before I’d even got out of the camp, they were already going at pace! This pace turned into a jog, and then they were gone, always at least a hundred metres further down the volcano than I was. A kind soul gave me his hiking pole (not particularly useful when running) and so I was able to use two to prevent me from sliding down a steep, slippery surface with a permanent drop on one side. Whenever I reached the group, they were itching to be off again. No-one had told me that the second volcano hike wasn’t, in fact, a hike but a sprint (or at least a hilly trail run)! It was too late now! We carried on up the next volcano, stopping at the top just as the rain came pouring down. A guy we passed as we were going up gave me his jungle bucket hat with a string under the chin for the rain (gracias chico). It was a most fetching look!!

At the top, we quickly gave up on the idea of seeing lava as the visibility was so poor, we couldn’t even see that we were right next to a volcano at all, never mind an active one! We headed down, muted and wet. It was getting dark, and I completely lost everyone many times. Due to this, I had to spend some time with my head torch, scanning the ground and looking for the path! When I caught up, the squad was off like a shot. It wasn’t personal, everyone just wanted their dinner! We had been hiking for most of the day since 8am and now it was around 8pm!

I was in need of sustenance. While I tried to power on, I was lacking energy, and my balance was becoming more questionable, which was concerning to me given the drop and the high winds. At some point in the final twenty minutes, I demanded that the guide who had come to check on me, ask for another guide to go with the fast folk so I could ear and drink something and breathe before finishing the last little bit. Surprisingly, he agreed. I got my sugar levels up and arrived back to the camp to find the squad tucking into dinner. The people who hadn’t hiked the second volcano had long gone to bed. It was close to 9pm.

Bizarrely, I tried to eat dinner but couldn’t. Possibly a first for me! Instead, I drank three hot chocolates with marshmallows and called it a night. I hadn’t weed since leaving the office that morning (I’m sure my kidneys were thriving)! I went for a wee and then layered up joggers over leggings with two thermal tops on for bed. Sleeeeeep.

30/7/23

It was fairly important to have got some rest early yesterday since today we were up before dawn. We had some more hiking to do before the sun came up. Within forty minutes, we were up. Up on the ridge looking at a 360′ of volcanoes with a couple of lakes thrown in among the pink clouds. Glorious. I was enjoying the views and chatting to the Aussie couple when a hubbub stirred. The volcano was erupting! Grey smoke rose up into the pink clouded sky. It was beautiful!

Anyone who’s hiked with me will know I’m crap at going down steep things! It was the same with this. I had lost my group before I’d even started down due to taking a final volcano pic – I couldn’t resist. A few people passed me and asked why I was hiking alone.. Oops! Eventually, one of the guides came to find me and showed me the way to the camp, which was just as well as I was a little worried about finding it alone since I didn’t think I’d need to pin it on a map or anything. When I arrived, I packed, and then I was off. I had been selected to go in the ‘slow’ group along with the two Honduran gals and the American girl who had hurt her ankle in the morning. I was pretty happy with this for some respite but was rather unhappy about leaving without breakfast! We set off.

At some point along the way, we passed a running man with a large backpack. He stopped to speak to our guide. It turned out he was the breakfast supplier. Shortly after we had passed him, we stopped for a breakfast of pancakes and jam. Then we continued on and were soon overtaken by the fast group, who had all taken to running down the mountain. Why were so many people so nuts?!

The slow contingent (me and the Hondurans, as the American had decided to run) continued onwards chatting. The sore knees were slowing increasing in the group, but we carried on. We finished together as a four, with our guide. We had a Corona and a snack waiting for us at the office before we all bundled into the van to go back to Antigua.

Despite the grimeiness, when I got back, I felt the most urgent thing was to eat. I washed my face and then went for food. I sat on a rooftop terrace on the shade and rested and ate. Then I went back to shower and nap. The rest of the day was gone before I knew it. I chilled in the hostel, on my fave sofa with a book before heading out in search of pizza and wine. On route to the pizzeria, I walked by the central park, where a bustling market was going on. I got various street food, including tamales, a corn based snack (with veggies and meat inside), which I hadn’t eaten since Ecuador in January! They were bloody delicious tamales, served with a delicious sauce. I ate various goodies after including a sweet corn and chocolate based drink. It was surprisingly good. I sat on a park bench for a bit amidst the market and read my book. After six months in mildy unsafe places, it felt very rogue to be sat in a park, alone, as a solo female after dark, but it also felt glorious. Antigua is beautiful and safe. What bliss!

31/7/23

Another early start today! The minibus was coming to pick me up around 6am to get to Lake Atitlan. Most people went to stay there for a few days, but since I was quickly running out of time, I could only do a day trip. It was better than nothing!

We arrived in a town on the edge of the lake in time for breakfast (my second breakfast of the day). It seemed some people knew what was included in the tour’s itinerary, but I hadn’t a clue! I spoke in my basic Spanish to the guide. The other people at breakfast were some chicas from Antigua and a US family with a Peruvian mother. They could all speak Spanish well. After breakfast, we walked into town and met some more people that were joining the tour. Most of the group was from the US – five teachers from New York, a mother-daughter combo, and a solo gal from New Orleans, Pamela. Then there was the US/Peruvian family, the Guatamalans, and a solo girl from South Korea.

We were apparently going to take a boat around a variety of towns around the lake. We set off in glorious sunshine to the first town, which was adorable. We walked through stalls on the streets, past vibrant street art, through cute church squares, and decorated narrow streets until we reached a honey farm. We had a tour there and the tourists bought many things (the backpackers not so much)! Afterwards, we went to a weaving cooperative, which was set up by a group of women that wanted to have their own income and increase the opportunities that their daughters would have. It was a good story and a successful business.

Afterwards, we moved towns for a coffee pitstop and then again for lunch and to see a particularly interesting church. While most of the grpuo went to a very toursity and expensive looking restaurant recommended by the guide, Pamela and I heade doff in search of something more genuine. We found a place with a solid menu, less pretty but cheaper and went for it. We ordered and shortly afterwards, a large local damily came in for lunch – we had nailed our choice! Our fresh fish lunch was delicious. Then we went via the market back to meet the others before headi g to the church. When the colonisers had brought Catholicism to Guatamala, they realised that they would have more success and less resistance in an indigenous community if the Catholic statues of Jesus, Mary and other significant people looked indigenous, and if the Shaman, a traditional medicine man was welcomed into the church. This was displayed in the church and still functioned across these two belief systems today!

When we came out of the church, the weather turned, and the rain bounced back up from the pavement. Within seconds, we were soaked. We made it back to the boats and buttoned down the hatches. Off we went, headed for the opposite shore. The boat set off at pace and stopped cutting through the water and was instead bouncing high off the waves. Water was coming in at the front of the boat. One of the other passengers screamed. The boat slowed, and the guide came forward to ‘crisis’ manage! We eventually were moving at a reasonable speed where the boat remained in the water more or less! After returning to land, I said bye to Pamela and then began the minibus journey back with the US/Peruvian family and some newbies.

I got back to Antigua when it was dark. I headed in search of a nice restaurant and again got waylaid by market food and a huge market style warehouse. I got some food and then wandered back to Central Park to sit and listen to a phenomenal improvising saxophonist with three saxophones with him! After an hour or so of listening, I headed home to sleep.

R & R

25/6/23

Today, Paolo and I went for breakfast at a traditional chain restaurant before I got a taxi to the bus station and got a bus to San Salvador. There, I had to get a cab to another bus depot where I got a minibus to the coast. At the coast, I had to wait for another bus to go further up the coast to Largaza Hostel, a very bougie place with an infinity pool with a view out to sea and lots of palm trees.

I checked in, ditched my bags, and went to read by the pool. I got a happy hour margarita in and sat overlooking the pool, the palms, and the ocean. I got chatting to a South African guy, James, who was a British level of sarcastic and pretty funny! I ordered food and chatted until it was bedtime.

26/6/23

Today, my plan was to head out to El Tunco after breakfast. I sat with a Belgian surfer guy who was very smiley! My breakfast was glorious, especially as a free hostel breakfast – I had breakfast burritos with coffee. After breakfast, I lazed by the pool with my book and chatted with James before getting the bus into El Tunco. I wandered around the whole of El Tunco (underwhelmed- El Cuco is definitely a nicer beach), and then got a coffee and a glorious chocolate brownie in a cute cafe and read my book. Afterwards, I got pupusas before heading back. I wasn’t entirely sure when the bus went by El Tunco, but as I was waiting on the roadside, a minibus pulled up and asked if I wanted a lift! Turned out it was the same driver that had dropped me at the side of the road in El Cuco about a week before! Very kindly, he gave me a ftee lift the whole way, a solid forty minutes, and dropped me outside my hostel since it was on his route to Guatamala anyway. For some reason, I had really bad stomach cramps alongside a cold, so I headed to bed when I got back.

27/7/23

After another scrummy breakfast of waffles, I convinced James to play Uno with me, and we played on and off for a while, mixed in with me reading my book and James playing ukulele. I packed, ran down to see the beach, and then got a shake and chilled until it was time for my bus. Then, I walked up to the road and waited for my minibus to Antigua, Guatamala, to come.

The bus stopped by me, and I got on. We crossed the border a couple of hours later and then carried on to Antigua. Six hours later, we arrived. I got a drink and went to bed.

El Salvador sin extranjeros

21/6/23

So I got up before 2am for the bus to be late. Thankfully, though, I was the final pickup, so as soon as I was on the bus, we headed off. Sadly, everyone else had claimed the good (multiple) seats, and so I was left with one while everyone else had two or three each for spreading out on. You win some, you lose some, I suppose! We crossed into Honduras uneventfully and drove through also uneventfully. I had heard some bad stories about Honduras, so I was pleased to be in and out again without drama. I got a breakfast muffin and coffee at some point, realising to late that they had an actual breakfast menu… we entered El Salvador (no stamps required) very efficiently, and then, at around 1pm, I was unceremoniously dumped at the side of the road, and the shuttle carried on to a popular beach town, and then Guatemala.

There were a few stalls where I had been left, so I asked them about a bus. They told me that there would be one in a few minutes. Sadly, the bus didn’t stop when I hailed it. I was trying to ask about the next bus to El Cuco when a family offered me a lift. The guy, who was driving, had come to pick up his wife and child from the stop and offered a lift to me, too. They had a van with a small cabin front and an open back. When I was putting my rucksack in the back, they waved me to sit with them in the cabin and waved their son to sit in the back! We chatted in Spanish along the way, and they offered to drive me all the way to my hotel before waving and driving on their way.

I chilled for a bit and finished my Netflix episode from the bus and then headed to the beach for sunset and got a shake. Afterwards, I walked down the road for dinner, dodging three barking dogs on the way back, and then I got an early night and enjoyed my private double room to myself with more Netflix!

22/6/23

Today, I got a beach front pancake breakfast before lazing by the pool with my book. Around lunchtime, I walked along the beach 5km or so to the town. There wasn’t much of a town, but there were some beachfront restaurants, so I picked one and ordered some fresh fish. It was scrummy, and I ate leisurely along with reading my book. Some stray dogs came and sat by me, so I fed them some fish bits and tortilla. I started walking hack after lunch watching the ride creep higher up the beach, but stopped in a nice resort for a fruit shake. Why not?! When I returned, two pelicans were sat in the bar area, pride of place!!

23/6/23

After my breakfast at the same place down the road as before (I had to dare myself to go back past the section with the mob of dogs, but thankfully they were calm today), I got my things and headed on my way. I was meant to be meeting Paolo, my travel bud, from Italy, who I met in Nepal just over a year ago, in a nearby city. Sadly, the bus from where I was staying to San Miguel wasn’t coming until gone 12 noon, so I decided I’d start walking in to El Cuco, 5km away to get a more frequent bus. I got about halfway before I was positively hot and fairly bothered!! A few tricks and motorbikes went passed and eventually, I found the courage to try and hitchhike. As it seems to be lately, the next van that I held my thumb up to slowed to a stop and signalled for me to put my bag in the back. Then I hopped in the front and sat next to the driver’s young son. They lived in La Union, another beach town, towards Nicaragua and were just here visiting family. We chatted the whole way until El Cuco, at which point, try as I might, I could not lift my backpack past the high rails round the back of the van. The driver kindly hauled my backpack out of the van, and off I went to wait for the bus. It wasn’t going to go for another 30 minutes, but I was glad to have saved on that time walking in the sun!!

The bus arrived in San Miguel a little after an hour later, after crawling up the hilly rural roads! I waved for the driver to let me off, and he looked confused when the one tourist didn’t want to get off in the bus station! I walked a few blocks and found Paolo’s aunt’s house. Inside, we caught up, and I met his cousin Elisa too. Then Paolo cooked pasta for us, and Elisa made fresh mango juice. After lunch, Paolo and I wandered through town seeing the sights, while Elisa went back to work. We walked through the market, saw the square, a big church, fancy theatre, and nice government building, which we were allowed special permission to go on the roof of! Of course, after our touristing, we went for coffee and cake.

The evening plan was to go to the country house, to see the one Paolo has designed for his mum as well as his aunt’s. It was pretty rural out there, with lots of fruit trees and great views of the volcano. We drank coffee and chilled after walking through the fruit trees. Then we went back (after asking a local to call a taxi for us) and had some sweet tamales at home since the local pupuseria had closed early.

24/6/23

Today was to be a day of wandering! After breakfast, we got a local bus to Berlin, named due to a German immigrant who built and founded it in 1885. To our surprise, it didn’t look much like Berlin Germany, but it had a cute town square and a nice colonial building, now a cute coffee shop. We bought some treats – ground coffee and what we thought were chocolate cookies, and then we made the most of the coffee shop. I drank a glorious coffee, and then we got the bus to Alegria, another cute hill town.

Alegria was bustling, with a big market in the square for the weekend. There were loads of stalls of nick-nacks as well as loads of food stalls. I was starving by this point, so we stopped for lunch, and I ordered a hearty plate of food. Afterwards, we wandered through the market stalls before going to a viewpoint from the town, overlooking the countryside below. We walked back up to the town and then went to a cafe where we were meeting Paolo’s ex colleague and now friend and his partner. The meeting was rather a challenge for me since everyone was speaking Spanish, and only Paolo spoke slow enough that I could try to follow relatively easily. We chatted a while before walking to a place recommended by Paolo’s friend. It was picture perfect there with views of a river, volcanoes and many a green field. We had drinks, I had a margarita and chatted as the sun setted. Then we left and got pupusas in a pupuseria before we were kindly dropped home by Paolo’s friends.

Lava in Granada 🌋 (but not a single dressing!) 🩹

16/6/23

After a chilled morning of watching Spanish nature documentaries, we headed out for a bougie brunch with Aisling. After an exrended brunch, Gi and I moved to our new place before hitting the local market. It was very typical only selling fruit, veg, meat, rice, and dog food along with various bits and bobs, but no artesanal stuff. We got a sweet tamales with honey and cream, which was fairly strange and not to be recommended! The bustling market also felt like a risky place to be with so many open wounds to be knocked! Afterwards, we headed back to chill in our hostel. I had tomatoes on honey bread, and then we played a game of Ticket To Ride – what a game to find in a hostel! Later, we got some cocktails and played cards. We went our for some pupusas around the corner before returning to chill. Gi played some guitar in the room, which sounded super nice, and then I played a bit, too. A chilled day.

17/6/23

Today, it was time for Gi to head home. After a hostel breakfast, we said our goodbyes and Gi headed to the airport. Aisling was still in town, so I had booked to stay in her hostel for a few nights. Aisling came to assist me with my big backpack (what an angel) to move hostel, and then we tried to find the walking tour. We never found it, but we did find a women’s art collective and walked to the edge of the lake. Afterwards, we went to our brunch cafe for coffee frappes and then to Pita Pita, an Israeli place for lunch. We got a falafel pita and a lamb pita, and they were both glorious. We went back to the hostel in time for our three free drinks and socialised, mainly with our Scottish roomie, Sam. Afterwards, we cooked pasta and ate.

18/6/23

Today, Aisling and I had decided to do an art class, and Sam, our Scottish pal, decided to come along too. After a pancake breakfast, we went to our 9am till 12 noon class, which it ended up being just us. We each packed out a photo to paint and then got started. We sat out on a shaded patio with music in the background and with art covering all the walls. Our teacher was from the US but had been living in Nicaragua for more than ten years. It was super relaxing, and we ordered coffee halfway through. As always for me, I struggled to finish my master piece in the time. The teacher said if she painted the way I did with so much attention to detail, she’d go nuts!! I more or less finished by 12 and was pretty pleased with the outcome! Sam’s and Aisling’s were cool, too! After our class, we shamelessly went back to Pita Pita for round two of the lunch deal. I had a chicken schwarma pita this time, and it was yummy!

After lunch, we headed back to the hostel and played some pool before it was time to head out for our sunset volcano tour to Masaya. Lots of hostel folk were going, and Aisling knew a fair few of them already! We climbed up a volcano and watched the sunset over another, watching the plumes of smoke appear from its crater. Then we went back down and stared into the depths of hell. (Not quite, but we did look into the crater and see the bubbling orange lava!!) After all the volcano fun, we went home and made another pasta dinner and then had an early night. Travelling is tiring!!

19/6/23

Today was mine and Aisling’s last day together, and we were going to a nearby lake to chill. After a traditional hostel breakfast, we got the bus to El Paraiso and hung out in a double hammock reading. After a few hours, we went kayaking before returning to the hammock for mango daiquiris, followed by a coffee. I had half an hour of sunbathing before we got the bus back again. A nice chilled day. We played some pool when we returned before claiming our free drinks. Then we got ready for dinner. In the evening, we went to a restaurant that Gi and I had been meaning to check out when we got distracted by a pupusa stand in the street. The restaurant was set in a beautiful courtyard but was rather quiet. We played Uno and then ate tasty but simple traditional food.

20/6/23

Moving day! I was off to El Salvador via Leon. I arrived there in the afternoon and was taken to my ‘in-transit’ hostel. I could sleep here a bit before my 2am pick-up. I had nearly 12 hours. I chilled, took a nap, and then got up for food. Apparently, there was good food on the corner of the street, which, of course, I explored, and it was good! Then I headed towards Mañana Mañana cafe, where Gi and I had been before. I was hoping to see if I could go on the church’s roof. I could, so up I went! I had timed it well for golden hour as the sun was setting. Sadly, I had also timed it well for the rain! After waltzing around the almost empty rooftop, suddenly the few people left and I were soaked in less than 20 seconds! Soaked to the skin!! I headed for Mañana Mañana coffee shop to warm up. I ordered a cappuccino, which came with free biscuits, and I was offered a roll of kitchen paper to dry off with too! What a win!! While I was sitting, sipping, I heard a few loud bangs outside. Strange..

Afterwards, I wandered back past the church to find a large event being held in the park with a big stage set up, bunting, lots of food stalls, and plenty of flags! Apparently, it was a celebration for a revolution that had started in Leon more than twenty years before. The songs sounded quite like they could be in Les Miserables, so when an older man told me they were revolution songs, it all made sense! I enjoyed some revolution snacks of popcorn and a choco-banano, a strangely cold, cooked banana dipped in chocolate and dipped in nuts or sprinkles. After a few more songs, I said goodbye to the guy I had been chatting with and headed home. I needed to sleep early since I was getting up so early!

Oh, Ometepe! Porque necesitabas mis dientes?!

13/6/23

Thirteenth, unlucky for some!!

After a double breakfast, first an oaty one, and secondly, a bougie one in a cute cafe, with a passionate singing waiter, we caught tge local bus to Rivas, and then got a collectivo to the ferry port. Then we got ourselves on the ferry and headed to the island of Ometepe, a small but popular backpacker destination in Nicaragua. We arrived in the port town in the afternoon and decided to treat ourselves to a tuktuk to pur hotel instead of waiting for the bus. The views on the way were glorious, so much greenery and volcanoes peeked through the trees, touching the sky.

We were dropped at our hostel Bullshark and left to it. We tried to check in, but no one was there. We waited awhile and walked around the whole place, calling out. I asked at the bar next door if they knew where the Bullshark people were or if they had a number. They were unhelpful. Gi found an open room, which looked ready for use, so we settled in there and waited. Gi tried to guess the WiFi password so we could contact the hostel since neither of us had sim cards, and I cute my nails! There was a crazy dog outside who ran at us barking at random points, so we tried to stay inside.

Miraculously, Gi guessed the WiFi password and spoke to someone on the phone who said they’d be back in five minutes. We waited thirty minutes and then an hour and then I decided to ring them back. I used a number saved for them on Google and a different guy picked up. He told me that the hostel was closed and that he was on the mainland, but that his brother would be back in ten minutes. I explained that we had already waited an hour for the brother and that we just wanted our booking cancelled and our money back and for them to know that we were unhappy. I explained in my best Spanish that ‘there is an angry dog here and he’s dangerous and wanted to eat us’! He apologised a few times, and then we left. We walked to a nearby guest house, navigating past three barking dogs, after I rang the guest house to make sure they had space. When we got there, the lady who I spoke to on the phone was not there, only an older man. We selected our room and chilled a bit. Then I went with the owner on her bike to pick up our dinner. We had barbequed meat onto of plantain chips with some pickled spicy salad. Apparently, it’s a traditional Nicaraguan dish. It was tasty either way! After dinner, I read my book in a gorgeous double hammock for a bit before going to sleep.

14/6/23

Today was a biking day. We wanted to see a few different places on the island of Ometepe, and hiring a moped was the best way to do so. After a traditional breakfast, we hired our bike from the owner and set off on our way. It had been more than a year since I drove a bike in November 2021 in Thailand (shoutout to Dal)! Anyway, after navigating it down the steep drive directly onto the main road, off we went. The first stop was Ojos de Agua, a natural spring pool with gorgeous turquoise waters surrounded by trees. We were pretty much the first people to arrive, apart from one family, so we were treated like royalty.

We chilled, swam, drank iced coffee, and enjoyed the peace before the tour groups started to arrive. I found my 3rd Welshie of my whole six month trip at this lake (from up the Rhondda), and we chatted a bit before I did the rope swing, and then Gi and I left.

Leaving was the problem. We headed out back onto the road, up a hill and down a hill, and passed the turn for El Pital hostel before hitting some roadworks. The road was closed, but of course, there was a way round, a small path cut out of the undergrowth. I navigated through and back to the new road and just had to get back onto the old road from the new road via some thick sand. There was only one way, so I kept going and quickly lost balance of the bike. I tried to drive straight with the gas on, to regain balance because in my head (and since I’m a wimp), I know from experience that often I make things harder for myself by going to slowly – ie. walking down hills! In this instance, my theory was, of course, wildly wrong! We lost even more balance and careered towards a wall/pile of bricks and fell in the gravel. Oh, what a joy. After we were assisted (manhandled) off the floor (middle of the road), we assessed our injuries and the condition of the bike. Thankfully, the bike was working and had only significant scratches to the whole of its right side. Gi had a lot of wounds to nearly all limbs, but they were fairly superficial, which was good, I suppose.

After checking the bike and Gi (I had gone into nurse mode), I realised that along with my right sided elbow, abdo, and shin wounds, I had also lost the majority of my two front teeth. At this point, I realised I was in shock and sat at the side of the road, drank some water, put my head between my legs, told Gi to also drink and tried to press my big elbow and shin wounds together to stops the flies getting in them. Big thanks to Gi, who leapt into action, found our guest house’s phone number, and asked a guy to ring the owner to come and get us. While I was fairly distraught about my two front teeth, I was also very relieved that Gi was not badly injured, especially since I had been driving! Ai ai ai!

Our backup arrived on another motorbike, meaning we would have to go back through the roadworks again on two bikes. Gi went with the owner, and I went on the back of her father’s bike. After a while, he took his hand off the accelerator and started flexing it. I was worried he had arthritis or maybe just bad cramp. We drove a fair while after this and headed to local hospital, although it seemed more like a walk-in centre. No observations were done, but we did get all our wounds cleaned up, and lucky me got my lip stitched up too! The doctor wasn’t sure where to stitch after the first stitch, because there was a random flap of healthy skin in the middle, so I had a look and suggested and he thought it was worth a try! Basically, if I have a bad scar now, it’s my own fault!! Gi went home after her wounds were cleaned up, and I headed with the boss lady to the dentist. I desperately needed something doing with my teeth!

I was waved into the clinic room where I explained what had happened. The dentist examined my teeth and explained my options. I chose to have everything done, both the removal of the nerves in my broken teeth and the more aesthetic (and more important to me) part of having my teeth recreated. There’s a special word for having your tooth’s nerves removed in Spanish, and when I translated it to English, I still didn’t have a clue! We went to get money from the guest house and then I was dropped off at the dentist.

I decided that it was possible I was living many peoples’ nightmares since most people are scared of the dentists in their own country and language, never mind in foreign one! Basically, I had a man holding a tiny circular saw in my mouth, giving me commands in Spanish. Boy, I wish I’d made more of an effort with duolingo!! I had many x-rays in the process to ensure all of the nerves were removed and the spaces fully filled. Some of these x-rays were done woth the help of the assistant, but other times the dentist had to juggle many things as the assistant was busy putting their pet budgie to bed!

Once the dentist was happy with the xrays and the nerves were out, many wires were pushed into the holes and then melted into the roots of my broken teeth with a hot metal rod. When they were finished, they didn’t look bad, but they were pretty long and also quite wide at the back. Out came some instrument to shave of the backs and make me slightly less long toothed. I was probably done around 9pm when I popped to the loo, only to hear a plop on the floor next to me. I looked up to see a green macaw (big ol’ parrot) sitting on the shower rail wondering what on earth I was doing in there! I weed quickly and got out! No more drama. Please!

Our guest house owner picked me up, and Gi and dinner were waiting for me at home. What a day. Sleeping was difficult because we both had so many areas to try to keep pain free and not get them stuck to the sheets! All in all, Ometepe had not been kind, it had broken us!

15/6/23

Today was leaving day, and we were excited! We were leaving the closed down hostels, crappy sand roads, and ‘the accident’ behind us. After a traditional breakfast of scrambled eggs with plantains, cream cheese, and chunks of cheese much like halloumi, we caught the local bus to the port before catching the ferry to San Jorge. Here, we caved and got a taxi to Granada because we were wounded soldiers, and for £12.50 each, it was worth it for the hour and a half driver with AC and in relative comfort!! Great life decision!!! Our driver carefully assisted us both to take off our big rucksacks without knocking any of our wounds!

In Granada, Gi had treated us to a bougieeee hotel, and we checked in to a fancy place with a dual spiral staircase with oozing wounds (it was the antibacterial cream but it looked very dramatic)! We went straight out to get pharmacy supplies as we needed plasters. The hospital had put HORRIBLE gauze on our wounds, gauze with such big holes in it that it would embed in your wound, and the skin would try to granulate over the top of it. I was not a fan. We bought saline and gauze for cleaning and I already had some surgical tape, but when I asked what dressings they had, they looked confused. When I asked for waterproof plasters, they also looked confused. Eventually, they shower me some fabric finger plasters. That was all they had. After visiting another pharmacy where we were received just the same, I had the horrid realisation that gauze with massive holes was the extent of dressings here. Healthcare was different here, with less access to resources such as fancy dressings. I was being a privileged princess expecting some form of dressing that would benefit the wound as supposed to make it worse!

We went home and made do with what we had. Thankfully, Gi also had antibacterial cream so we made do. We left as many wounds open to granulated as we could and then sat in the hotel with lunch (Gi) and coffee and cake for me (why not) while watching a photoshoot/commercial being filmed about the hotel.

In the evening, I had a pot noodle that I’d been carrying around since Managua, we ordered chamomile tea to the room, and we watched Despicable Me 3 in Spanish on the telly without subtitles. I managed to understand some of the language along with the acting/dancing etc.

Boozing and beaches 🏖🍻🙃

10/6/23

Today, we were a touch hungover and crawled out of bed in the last ten minutes of free breakfast along with the rest of the hostel!! After pancakes and a strong coffee, we headed to the bus stop to catch bus #1 of two. We stopped in Rivas bus station, just long enough to grab lunch, which we scoffed, checking every thirty seconds that our bus was not leaving without us! All in all, a relaxing lunch! We got on bus #2 to San Juan del Sur and surfed for much of the way, having surrendered our chance of seats in favour of lunch!

When we arrived in San Juan, we walked to our hostel and chilled out. We headed to the beach for sunset via some bikini shops, and then went to a poké bowl place for dinner. Afterwards, we sacked off beer pong and instead watched Attenborough on Netflix. Another day gone!

11/6/23

SUNDAY FUNDAY ROUND TWO!

And today was the day I was getting the tee!

We had an oaty breakfast before getting ready, getting our tickets (and tees) and heading out to a bougie cafe for lunch. It was hippies galore in there! Food was slow but good and we took our time before heading back to the party. We got one free drink and then headed into the pool and met Jess, my pal from the.Space hostel the week before. The three of us escaped to the supermarket with AC for some tinnies for a bit before heading to the second place, beach front. I absolutely love the fact that you can chill in the supermarket with snacks and tinnies – what a world! We left the second place pre sunset and headed up into the hills to watch the sunset. It was glorious! The tunes and dance continued, the chat diminished. Jess cut her foot, and so a local guy ushered the three of us to the front of the queue for the bus back to town! Oops! We made it back to town and got food and sat beach front for a bit before braving Arribas Bar. We sat out the front chatting before heading back in for a wee dance. By 23.30, we were done and headed homewards bound.

12/6/23

Today, we chilled by the pool and had breakfast before heading to Playa Hermosa on Jess’ recommendation. We had to get a taxi there, but it was well worth it! It was a huge beach, which was more or less empty, and which had not been overly developed yet! We chilled, drank juice, read our books, jumped in the waves, and walked to the far end of the beach chatting. It was a glorious day. After watching sunset, we got a lift with the same taxi as before back to town where we met up with Jess for pizza. It was hot work sitting near the pizza oven, but we moved after a bit, and the pizza was delicious! One of my favourite things about this trip has been getting my home friends and travel buds to become pals – it’s the best, shoutout to Aisling, Greta, Laura, Holly, Luna, Georgia and Jess!! 💛 After dinner, we said our goodbyes to Jess, and Georgia and I strolled home.

Leon & Granada

6/6/23

Today was the day I was meeting Gi! I had a glorious breakfast before I went out to see the sights of Managua. Gi was coming around 1pm, so I had a few hours to play with. I walked to the old part of town, which was apparently safe to walk to. It took over an hour to walk there in the hot sun and I stopped by a shop to buy lip salve with SPF on route. I walked under a tower for two armed guards to appear from the wings. Then I walked through a huge old square with a beautiful looking building, perhaps a town hall, and a once beautiful but now forgotten church. After these, I headed to the water’s edge to walk along the lake. I wanted a lakeside cafe to enjoy the view from with a cold drink, but after enquiring in a deserted museum as to where I could find a cafe, and following their directions, I was disappointed. All the cafes were closed and the restaurants did not do iced fresh drinks, only pop. I gave up and walked back, eventually settling for an iced milky drink of some sort, a traditional one. I forget the name of it, but it was tasty! Afterwards, I got a taxi back to the hostel.

And there she was. Gi! We caught up for a bit in the hostel, and I chilled and sorted my laundry in the AC while Gi showered, and then we headed out for lunch via an ATM. We went to a local place and ordered some kind of quesilla spin off, which ended up being a taco with two kinds of cheese on top with a fresh tomato salsa. It was pretty tasty and surprisingly filling! Afterwards, we got supermarket snacks and continued to catch up in the hostel’s garden alongside some Uno. We slept early as Gi had had a long day and a half of travelling.

7/6/23

Time to get out of Managua – after a day and a half there, I’d already spent much more time in the capital than any other backpacker! We had a traditional breakfast and walked to the bus station where the bus to Leon was about to leave. We set off and stopped after an hour or so for batidos, banos y quesillas. The man tried to tell us something about our rucksacks on the roof and water, and eventually, it clicked that he was warning us that it was going to rain. Like a trooper, Gi got on the roof and wrapped our bags in their waterproof covers, the first outing of mine ever! Shortly after our stop, it poured down!

When we got to Leon, it was still raining hard and the roads had become rivers in places. We got a cycle rickshaw to our hostel to ditch the bags before heading out for lunch in a bougie backpacker cafe. Afterwards, we wandered through the local market and then stopped for drinks at a rooftop bar overlooking a basketball court and the church, which was being repainted white by a man with one foot on scaffolding, one foot on a narrow ledge of the church, one hand holding onto the roof and the other painting! It was quite a sight!

We spent the rest of the afternoon planning the following day and then got cocktails and ordered pesto pasta to the hostel. It was nice.

8/6/23

Today was volcano boarding day! After much discussion, Gi and I had decided we would do different morning activities and then meet back up to go to the beach together after lunch. Gi did a sunrise hike, and I went volcano boarding. My group was pretty small, but it was a nice mix of people: one Frenchie, another Brit, two guys from Panama, and three gals from Honduras. As we got closer to the volcano, everyone began to get nervous!!

First, we were given our kit, and then we had to hike up the volcano. It was hot work, but the views were glorious from the top! We peered into a crater where you could see the gases emanating from it. Then it was time to dress up and go for it. In the group in front 9f us, was both a man in his seventies and a girl in her teens. There was no chickening out now!!

Somehow, I ended up being the last person to go, and after two nervy people as well! I starred flying down and nearly lost control! I pulled it back and managed to overtake one of the other girls. The views going down were quite something!! Afterwards, we all had rum and bananas (that classic combination!), and two of the girls danced bachata. We drove back to Leon for lunch together as a group. After lunch, I headed back to my hostel to prepare for the beach.

The bus to the beach had tunes and rum, so everyone was fairly merry when we arrived at the beach. Las Penitas was a pretty place, and we chilled in a shady cafe on the beach, chatting to other backpackers and breaking off to swim in the sea. We had glorious tacos and then went for a final sunset swim where we bumped into James, a guy Gi and I had met in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, a mere seven years ago!! Wildddd! We caught up for a bit before going to meet his wife, who was lovely and was hanging out with a girl I’d met in Cali. The world is a small one!

Once back at the hostel, we chilled for a bit, and then Gi had an early night after getting up at 02.30 to hike! I headed out around 10pm to a local salsa bar and met all of my volcano boarding group, bar the other Brit. It was a cute bar, though the dance floor was very small and the group of decent dancers smaller. I plucked up the courage to ask two guys to dance salsa, and danced a bachata song with Isabel, one of the girls from Honduras, who also knew how to lead. It finished around midnight, and then it was home to shower and bed.

9/6/23

Today was a moving day. We had to get a bus back to Managua and then change buses to get to Granada. We were heading to a jungle rave in a treehouse. While I wouldn’t say I like electronic music, I wanted to see what the hype was about, and the setting seemed cool, so that was that.

On arriving to Granada, we walked to our guest house and checked in before heading out for a late lunch. Lining the stomachs was key! We had a traditional lunch of grilled chicken, with rice and beans, plantains, and salad, sat on the square, with a big yellow church behind us. After lunch, we went to buy tinnies from the supermarket, where many other gringos were buying goods too!

We got ready with Snobs songs and tinnies and then headed over to get the shuttle to the party. While we were waiting, we were glittered up by a guy in pink kiwi shorts. Now we were party ready! We all piled into an old school bus, and once the aisle was jammed, off we went. The bus was packed full of glitter, sequins, leathers braces, sheers tops and bare, sweaty backs. It was pride week and people looked the part!

Once we got close, we had to change from one bus into the back of a cattle truck. Everyone just about fit in. You had to engage your core so as not to fall over or onto anyone and be sure to dodge flying branches as we went! Once we got off, there was a climb up steep, muddy, rocky ‘steps’ to the treehouse. Sunset had begun, but we made it into the treehouse to look out over the jungle for the end of sunset, and boy, was it beautiful!

It was a fun night. We bumped into James and Pheobe again as well as Tyler from Sunday Funday and chatted to various other people, too. We danced right in front of the DJ, bounced over a very long, high wire bridge to the second stage, and chatted. The electronic music was good in the setting, and because of Pride, there were two drag queens who did dances too. The crowd went wild for these, obviously.

By 1am, we were ready for off though, having danced since 6pm! We navigated the steps down again with Tyler’s assistance and then headed home in a tuktuk, the three of us, plus another girl we met in the car park. What a night.

Vamos a la playa 😎

31/5/23

Today, I was hoping to reach the beach in Nicaragua. Sadly, despite getting up at 05.30 and catching at 06.00 bus, I didn’t complete the supposed five hour journey to the border in time! Here’s why!

I got the 6am bus from La Fortuna to Quesada and for some reason checked with the driver near El Tanque, where I thought I was meant to get off, where I should get off for the border. He told me Quesada, which was the big bus station I had been at before and for some reason, I assumed he would know best. I spent over an hour heading to Quesada, by which time I’d definitely missed the once daily bus from El Tanque. I presumed there was a better way from Quesada and that was why he suggested it.

When I arrived there, it was not the case. The bus driver had given me directions for a different border, which was of no use to me. Apparently, my best bet was to get a bus back to La Fortuna, but I knew there were no direct onward buses from there. I wondered whether I should just return to La Fortuna and wait for the next day, but I’d already booked my hostel in Nicaragua and also couldn’t face the humiliation in the hostel!! I would battle on. The next and only bus to the border Peñas Blancas was at 2pm, only a 7 hour wait, mas o menos. A university tried to help me and eventually took me to a tienda where the kind vender looked up information on her phone before calling a bus man for his advice. The ticket man who was with the bus driver who I had asked about the border felt guilty because the driver had told him Los Chiles and not Peñas Blancas. He told me a very long-winded route, and I decided I would start it since it was early, hoping that I’d still make it before dark.

I got an 08.30 bus via La Fortuna to another town but then had to wait from 12pm until 17.00 for the next bus to the border, though this meant I skipped two other bus changes. I thought it was worth it. I got my ticket, had lunch and waited. And waited. And waited. An old man was playing with an accordian app on his phone next to me. He was loving life. He played for at least an hour before showing me it and asking if I wanted to play. I told him that I didn’t play accordion, but piano was okay. He got up a regular piano and I played ‘Merrily we roll along and ‘Ode to Joy’. He wanted me to play more, but I don’t know much from memory. He went away to get some supplies before the bus and then came back and offered me a drink. I declined at first, but he seemed keen, so eventually, I accepted it, and he went off and came back with two frozen icy drinks with syrups, topped with ice cream and whipped cream. It was pretty bloody good to be fair! We finished them just in time before the bus came.

I got the infamous bus another three or so hours, by which time it was dark. The bus driver was concerned for my safety at the border, but after some consideration, I decided I’d just stay in a hotel at the border, so I didn’t need to battle with the bus again in the morning. The bus driver dropped me to the hotel, more of a concrete dive, after the final passenger got off at the border. It was $30 for the night, of which I had $27, having spent a couple on Uno at the bus station. I was glad since the room was a rip-off for $30! Thankfully, the owner let me off the $3 I was short. I got on the WiFi, ate my snacks, showered, watched Netflix, and slept. What a day!

1/6/23

I crossed the border at around 06.30 after waiting for a short while for the bus driver, which said he would come back for me in the morning. Since he drove past, I walked the 600 metres or so to the Costa Rican side and first paid taxes and got my passport stamped before heading onto the Nicaraguan side. There was about ten Israelis in front of me in immigration and an agitated Tica bus driver, who was trying to get them to listen to what they needed to have ready for immigration and what money they needed. It took a very long time for them to go through, but eventually, I made it through and walked passed the tourist buses to find a local bus to Rivas and then San Juan. I was delighted to find a clown sat in front of me with a fully blue painted face in a strong 30 degree heat!

I arrived at my hostel the.Space in time to claim my free breakfast for the night before. It was a very nice place to chill, which was much needed after the day before! I got chatting to Jess, a girl from the US who was on a digital nomad trip for a couple of weeks. There was a French volunteer who sat with us two and later, an Israeli guy, Rom joined us too. Jess had to go and work, so Rom and I played some shocking rounds of pool before I lazed by the pool for the afternoon.

Jess, Rom and I walked into town for sunset and watched it on the beach. Rom and I played a little guitar, and we watched the fishermen sort through their catch. A stingray was caught in the net and was carefully thrown back out to sea. The unsellable fish were thrown in the sky, and groups of vultures dived down to try and catch a treat. After the sun had gone down, we went for burritos at a street stall. They were very tasty!

2/6/23

Friday was another chill day, spent in a hammock, reading, playing guitar, and chatting. In the evening, it was drinking games and then family taco dinner, which somehow ended up in going out. Jess, Rom and I, along with some others, went over to a different hostel for beer pong. Rom and I entered last minute, and I was a complete disaster, not potting a single ball. Utter humiliation… Afterwards, Jess and I ended up at a club (bar) at the beach. We danced a lot and ended up making a 2am plan to take a boat trip the following day with a guy we’d met there…

3/6/23

Today was the calm before the storm of Sunday Funday. We chilled in the hostel in the morning, reading in the sun, lounging round the pool, before Jess and I walked into town. We wanted to go bikini shopping in time for the party the following day, but by the time we’d walked into town along the beach, met up with Rom and gone for a coffee, it was time for the boat trip.

We met Orlando in the Bay and then got a taxi boat to the big boat. Dustin, a fun, goofy dancer from the night before, also showed up. It was a nice squad, though the boat was very bouncy because of the big waves. We watched the sunset from the boat while drinking seltzers, listening to music, and watching the waves. Once it began to get dark, we headed back to the bay and waited some time for the taxi boat back. I tried to doze in this time, opening my eyes to see the full moon in all her glory.

Back on land, we thanked Orlando and then all headed to La Reina del Sur, a cheap and very tasty local cafe where you point at everything you want to eat and pay at the end. It’s a good time there! We said or goodbyes and headed back in the hope that we’d be there for beer pong. We were not, but arrived in time to watch a guy from California win pretty much single handedly.

4/6/23

SUNDAY FUNDAAAAY!

After breakfast, where I chatted to a new girl, Stella, along with others, I hung out in the pool with some of the volunteers, beer pong man, Tyler, and Jess. Then, slowly, people started heading into town. Jess, Rom, Stella and I headed in together. We sacked off the first place and instead sat in the air-conditioned supermarket with some tinnies and chatted (a completely normal thing to do here!).

The second place had a pool right on the beach front with a couple of bars and a decent DJ. It felt like I was in a movie. We watched the sun set over the bay. Then we got the bus back to our hostel, the next bar on the crawl. Our chilled hostel had completely changed its vibe into a club one with a big stage and DJ playing electronic music. I spent plenty of time in the pool bouncing around and sometime at the bar doing tequila shots with Stella and Tyler.

We didn’t make the shuttle we wanted, so we crammed five of us in a taxi to get back to town. Arribas Bar was waiting for us, with its Popworld style playsuit, sticky floors, and child thieves lurking on the beach. Jess, Rom, Stella, Tyler, Orlando danced about mingling with various random people. At some point Jess and I looked around to find we were the only gringos left and so we called it at 3am, a solid 12 hours after we’d started. We got a taxi home to sleep.

5/6/23

The bar staff all knew my name this morning, they’d also been out the night before Jess said. Fab. I spent the morning being quite hungover in the pool, followed by spending the afternoon eating barbequed chicken wings in the pool next to Jess and Tyler, who were definitely in the ‘hardly working’ category of digital nomads today!!

At around 14.30, I hauled myself into action and left. The male receptionist tried to tell me that it was not safe to travel to Managua at this time and that I should wait tik the morning, but I’d packed and worked up to leaving all day. I was ruddy well going!

I got a shuttle into town and then got the chicken bus to Rivas, where they waved me out at the side of the road with the shout ‘Managua’ and then left. A few minutes later, another bus came for Managua, and a man grabbed my bag and packed it into the bus. I was off again.

Luckily for me, I made it to Managua before the sun had set. I was dropped at the side of a six lane road and had to hail a taxi. An American woman in my morning shuttle had warned me about shared taxis and the other passengers robbing you, so I was on high alert. A couple wouldn’t take me as they weren’t going that way, but the third one would and only had one other lady inside. My huge backpack filled the remaining seat so no men could come and ruin things! Ha.

I chilled a little in what seemed to be a deserted hostel before venturing out in search of food. The recommended local restaurant paid no attention to me, so I wandered out again and ate pupusas in the supermarket. Then I headed home and chatted to an 18 year old British boy from Winchester for a bit before going to bed.