Failed attempt at a mad dash to Panama. Aka Nicaragua

While driving through San Miguel we passed the hotel we planned to stay at so we made a quick U-turn on a very busy road and this was the sight that greeted us.  To think we had been driving along with a sunset like this directly behind us...  Unfortunately there was no good picture to be had of the volcano and it's sunset eruption.

Ok so new plan.  Originally we wanted to wander down to Panama, seeing the sites as we go.  The problem is, there are a ton of sites.  In order to finish this trip anywhere near the time we planned, and to relieve the ticking clock that is stressing us out, we have booked it down to Panama.  We have seen a little bit of each country in Central America, and now we can take a little more time on the drive back North.  This way, we can see a bit of everything and adjust our pace as necessary.

With that in mind, we stopped for a night in San Miguel, El Salvador to prepare for what I have feared since we crossed our first border into Mexico - two borders in one day.  I’ve already chronicled my dislike for borders but the crossing from El Salvador to Honduras and then Honduras to Nicaragua have a bad reputation even in comparison to the other borders down here.  From what I had read, I was in for the dirtiest, most unorganized offices, the least helpful officials, and the most aggressive border “helpers” in all of Central America.  It was daunting to do my preborder research the night before.  I reasoned with myself, that there really wasn’t a bad outcome.  I could be stuck in lines or running from office to office all day long and we would still survive.  “You can do this” I reaffirmed to myself in the mirror over and over again.   Even if it took 4 hours at each border, we would still have time to make it Nicaragua before dark as long as we left around 7 in the morning.

The feared El Amatillo border crossing.

The next morning we checked out of our hotel around 10am.  Whoops.  I won’t go into all the details, but the reputation that proceeded these two border crossings was in some ways warranted (lot’s of unnecessary paperwork and a bit of running around) but for the most part, all the hype was just that, hype.  It seemed to me like the officials I worked with were incredibly helpful and wanted us to have a good first impression of their country.  I’m sure some of it was luck on our part, but I’ve noticed that a genuine smile and a little conversation goes a long way to warm folks up.  Even the border helpers were easier to brush off than I have been used to.  No one was chasing us down on motorcycles and when we did stop the crowds surrounding the car were in the tens instead of the twenties.  All in all, the big border day was an incredibly scenic drive with about 3 hours total of border business.  Not too shabby.

We made it to Nicaragua around 3pm and headed towards the Miraflor Natural Reserve.  We thought it would be a nice place to spend the night so we headed down a dirt road looking for a nice camping spot.  We arrived at a river that was a little deep to cross.  We probably could have made it but we didn’t really have any reason to so we camped out right there in the dry part of the river bed.  

Kaytie waded out to see how deep of a river we were working with.  Coolest wife ever.  

And while out in the river, she snapped an awesome shot of the Montero.  I repeat, Coolest. Wife. Ever.

The next day we did a little bit of research about the reserve and found that it is home to some incredible biodiversity.  It is home to more than 200 varieties of orchids, 236 different species of birds.  It interested us enough to stick around for another day and drive in a little deeper.  Along the way in the reserve we came across 4 young guys who were walking down the road.  I stopped to ask them if they knew of a nice place to camp.  Two of them argued for a minute about two different spots.  When I realized that one of them would send us back the way we came, I vetoed that one real quick.  (Remember, we don't backtrack.)  After all their help, we figured the least we could do would be to offer them a ride.  So the 4 of them hopped on the rock sliders and rear bumper and off we went.  One by one they hopped off at their homes until the one just behind the drivers window offered to take us to the camping place he knew about.  Along the way we talked about baseball, primarily how we both hate the Yankees.  It was nice to be in a country where I actually know a thing or two about the national sport.  (Futbol is fun to play and all, but I couldn’t name three professional soccer players.)  He was an excellent guide seeing as we were crossing through private property.  I’m not sure we would have had the guts to go open gates and drive through on our own.  We pulled up to a little house where he introduced us to a nice couple.  They ran a little homestay-type place where you can live with them and learn about the culture.  We arranged to come back for breakfast and then set off down the hill to a big open field for the night. 

That night was one of the most peaceful we have had.  After dinner I climbed up on the roof to sit and look at the stars.  Kaytie joined me after a few minutes.  Stargazing turned into firefly spotting.  It was at that moment that I admitted to my lovely wife that I have never caught a firefly.  (In my defense, I was 19 years old the first time I saw a firefly.)  Kaytie went on to enrich my knowledge of firefly hunting, going so far as to explain many of the intricacies involved, such as the age old jar versus a net debate. 

Sitting on the roof rack of the Montero in the middle of a field in Nicaragua, listening to Kaytie school me on all things Firefly, has to be one of my favorite moments from this trip. 

After an early breakfast we arranged with the father, Orlando, to go for a little horseback riding.   He took us up to some amazing lookouts and then on a long ride down to 3 waterfalls.  Along the way he taught us about the local flora and fauna, we spotted some truly brilliant birds and of course, talked about baseball.  (He is a Yankee’s fan…)  It was a great morning and we easily could have spent another week exploring the area but not another minute on the horses. 

Our sage guide, Orlando.

Kaytie and Chelly

Me and Moro.

The Guardabarranco, or Guardian of the Stream, Nicaragua's national bird.

That afternoon we started west and discovered the very best thing about Nicaragua.  Smooth roads with long straight stretches!  We were in heaven.  It was such a nice change.  Even the main highways are typically potholes upon poorly repaired potholes.  But the road from Esteli to Leon was so smooth, Kaytie suggested we stop and get out just to roll around on it.  I would have been all for that except for the fact that we were making such great time! 

We pulled into Leon, not really knowing what to expect.  The thing we definitely did not expect was to find a town FULL of backpackers from all over the world.  There were a couple popular hostels that were recommended by our guidebook.  We stopped in and realized it was not our scene so we drove on looking for something not full of drunk Europeans and more importantly, with room for the Montero.  We found it 4 blocks from Quetzaltrekkers, the reason for our stopover in Leon. 

Quetzaltrekkers are the people to see if you have a desire to slide down the side of a volcano on a wood plank.  Yes my friends, I am talking about CNN's Thrill seaker's #2 thing to do before you die.  (Volcano Boarding)  Basically, in about an hour you hike to the top of a volcano, and then slide down on specially designed planks in about 30 seconds.  The fastest recorded time down the volcano was 55 mph.  And yes, it is as awesome as it sounds. 

At 8am the next morning, we piled into the back of a pick up with some Germans, Swedes, Fenchies, an Oregonian and an Australian to get a ride to the base.  The hike up wasn’t terribly difficult but it did take some effort just due to all the loose volcanic rock.  That effort was rewarded with the views from the top.  After spending a while taking it all in, our guide pointed something important out.  We were standing on top of an active volcano.  To illustrate the fact, we all dug down into the ground beneath our feet.  The further you dug, the warmer the rocks became… Exciting!  Before anything started erupting, we decided to get down. So we dawned our special yellow volcano boarding suits, goggles and gloves and shot down the side.  It actually took a fair amount of skill.  You had to balance yourself while leaning back as far as you can to reduce drag from your board.  Turns out, Kaytie and I are both naturals.  After the first run, we had a quick lunch and made the climb again.  There were fewer of us in the group this time and we paired off to race down.  Kaytie volunteered to go up against some German kid.  Actually, to call it a race would be an insult to racing.  Kaytie smoked him so bad that she had time to get to the bottom, remove all her volcano boarding gear, take out the camera, and snap some shots of her competitor cross the finish line.  It can’t be verified because there was no radar gun but I’m pretty sure she broke the record…

Look at all those Volcanoes

Evidence of the volcano's activity.

Kaytie and her board, Slayer, getting ready to slay it.

Definitely feeling a sense of accomplishment.

That dust cloud is me, the little white speck to the left of me is a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Kaytie breaking the speed of sound.

After volcano boarding all day, we returned to the hotel where our car was parked and decided to stay another night.  We were tired and dirty so we did two nights in a row in a real bed.  It was a nice treat but our plan to book it down to Panama was really not coming together very well.  With renewed determination to make it to Panama asap we got up early and drove all the way to San Jaun del Sur where we found a nice little beach camp ground on Playa Majagual.  After setting up and eating dinner, we decided to go on a nighttime stroll on the beach.  We were walking down the water when we noticed our footprints light up Avatar-style.  The little bay was filled with bioluminescent phytoplankton. Unfortunately there was no way to capture it, so you’ll just have to come see it for yourself.  

After just one night, we hard a hard time sticking to the plan.  It was definitely a place I could have stayed for a few days.  But in the morning we woke up and crossed into Costa Rica.  I swear, this time we will actually do the mad dash south we have been talking about for a month. 

And we're off!