Nicaragua
Allen and I had one more week of vacation to use in these last few months at NPH and decided to explore the neighboring country of Nicaragua. Some of the other volunteers had been to Nicaragua and were able to advise us on how to get there and what to see and do. Although the rainy season which starts in May is probably not the most ideal time to visit, it worked best with the other activities here and with our schedule.
Iconic Picture on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua
Like our trip to El Salvador, we were able to take a private
bus (Ticabus) to take us from Tegucigalpa across the border into Nicaragua.
Tegucigalpa to Leon would normally take about five and a half hours, but the
border crossing can take an extra two hours as you must go through customs twice
– Honduras customs to leave and Nicaraguan customs to enter. We were drawn
aside as we entered Nicaragua and asked to show that we had been vaccinated for
Yellow Fever. This was unexpected as the online requirements say that the
vaccine is only needed if you are traveling from a country at risk of yellow
fever which is primarily Africa. We indicated that we had only been in
Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and the US for the past year (as indicated by
our passport stamps), but the lady in charge said that our passport showed we
had been in Argentina (in 2017) and that meant that we needed the vaccine. After
numerous attempts to get her to understand that it was not needed since we had
not been there in the last three months, we were able to negotiate a ($50 each)
cash “waiver” with the help of another tour operator.
Our first stop was Leon since the most popular activity in
Nicaragua is Volcano Boarding at the Cerro Negro Volcano which is close to
Leon. Volcano boarding is just like it sounds, sliding down the side of a
volcano at speeds of up to 100 km/hr. We are not normally into extreme
activities but had been advised by people we trust that A) it was not as scary
as it seems, and B) we would enjoy it. Given the wet weather, I was uncertain
that the guided tours would take place, so we did not make reservations ahead
of time but instead chose to talk to the tour operators. They said that tours
take place even in the rain and are only canceled in cases of lightning/thunderstorms.
So, we signed up for the only tour with room still available - the Sunset Tour/Party
Bus.
The tour drove our group of about 20 (all but one of which
were under 30!) out to the Cerro Negro Volcano, provided suits, goggles, and
sleds, led us on the hike up to the volcano ridge, then gave us lessons on how
to control our descent. It rained steadily the whole way up and we were all
soaked at the top. You would think that rain would make things more slippery
for a faster descent, but the volcanic surface was like sand dunes and the wet
sand ended up slowing us down. I ended up having to use my feet most of the way
to keep the slide going, with frequent stops to dump the wet sand off my board.
In addition to the free T-shirts and snacks, the guide
service played music and provided free drinks on the way home. There were
disco-type lights and dancing in the party bus, and we stopped on the way down
for dinner provided by a local community. The volcano boarding itself ended up
being a very minor part of this fun experience.
After two nights in Leon, we took a shuttle and a ferry to
Ometepe Island which is in the largest lake in Nicaragua. We stayed within
walking distance of the ferry terminal and rented a motor scooter for a day to
explore the island which is shaped like a figure 8 with a volcano in the center
of each of the loops. We visited a sanctuary with a butterfly house, heard and
saw monkeys, and had lunch at Mango Point where you get a beautiful view of one
of the volcanoes.
After Ometepe, we got a taxi to the Pacific coastal town of
San Juan del Sur. I expected surfers like we had seen in El Salvador, but
instead was surprised by a bay full of boats with only a few swimmers and
surfers in the water. We stayed at a beachside hotel that dated back to 1902
and enjoyed the old-fashioned style. Apparently, Samuel Clemons was in
Nicaragua on his way from San Francisco to New York at a time (~1866) when the transit
route through Nicaragua was safer than going across the continental United
States. The town capitalized on this
with a statue of Samuel Clemons and a Mark Twain room at the hotel.
After San Juan del Sur, we took a taxi to Managua to the Tica
Bus Hotel as we had an early bus (5AM) the next morning and wanted to be close
at hand. Our return to Honduras was long and relatively uneventful. In
Tegucigalpa, the rainy season was in full force with rivers in the street. We
spent the night at our favorite Honduran Mayan Hotel before grocery shopping
and heading back to NPH on ranch transportation the next day.
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