When I finally touched down at Managua airport at around 4 am local time I began to see stars just from standing in line at immigration. Hours earlier I had already started asking myself if I shouldn't have just paid a little extra and gone on the direct flight from Madrid but then my friend Meg kept insisting it was "all part of the adventure". (So far it had been Amsterdam -> Zurich -> Miami -> Ft Lauderdale -> Managua) At this point in time (roughly 20 hours of pure traveling into the trip) I couldn't find the energy to argue with her so I just faintly nodded in agreement.
Coming to Nicaragua was initially more collateral damage of my travel planning instead of being the actual destination where I intended to spend 7 days of my time.
And so as we rose early the next morning to catch our bus to Costa Rica I convinced myself that this country in Central America couldn't possibly rival its Southern neighbour in terms of attractions and natural beauty. As our cab drove us to the Transnica bus station past a large array of shanty towns and open sewers I was getting to a point where I just wanted to get out of here no matter what.
But ... judging a book by its cover doesn't always pay off as I was soon to discover.
Being half Mexican and used to shabby buses, late (or canceled altogether) departures and so forth I was probably too biased to give this sleepy nation a chance to prove me wrong. We boarded the bus and were shown to our brand new (the plastic cover was still on the seatbelts - although this could stem from lack of use?) and plush seats and as soon as the clock hit 10am we were on our way. I was astonished. How could this be?
Then once we had left Managua behind and made our way towards the Southern boarder Nica finally began to show her real face. Rolling landscapes of towering volcanoes surrounded by Central America's largest fresh water lake were just the bit we could see. And then we passed a Dutch style wind park. My face was like: "?????".
Flash forward 2 days and we're back at the border this time walking across on foot taking us a total of 30 minutes to leave Costa Rica and re-enter Nicaragua (the bus version took 2 hours). My friends Marc and Meg had convinced me that Nicaragua wasn't all that bad and with a few promising destinations in sight we took on the challenge of traveling this rugged land. Before we knew it we were in a taxi to San Jorge on the shores of Lake Nicaragua and just as we arrived the ancient ferry was ready to depart to Isla Ometepe. This volcanic island in the middle of the lake is not only a breath taking natural wonder but also one of the few places in this part of the world that has been inhabited by humans for more than 4000 years.
Lake Nicaragua itself is quite a wonder in its own right because despite being a lake it has major waves that shook our little ferry through and through and made me wonder if this lake would soon become my grave.
Back on steady ground we stopped at the American Cafe, which is run by a lovely old couple serving American favourites to starving travelers who have had enough of rice and beans. We were actually just developing a love for this local dish but waffles were also acceptable in this light of day.
Based on some Belgian traveler's tips we took a car to Santo Domingo on the smaller part of the island that houses volcano "Maderas". The town ended up being a wind swept sleepy village with little to do except going for a walk along the main road and trying to catch a sunset.
The next morning we rented a quad and a dirt bike the latter becoming my nemesis on all uphill rides and leading me to curse loudly in German a great number of times. Luckily I was sure none of the locals understood. Or did they?
It took us a good 3 hours to get around the Northern side of Maderas following a series of terrible dirt tracks until we finally got to the lovely calm side of the island, which was facing the South. Surprisingly, the water of Lake Nicaragua here was flat as a mirror making us feel slightly disappointed about the fact that we chose to stay on the windy Northern side. Eventually we found the entrance to the famous waterfall, paid our entrance fee and took the bikes up as far as possible in order to do the remaining 2 km on foot.
Suddenly we were on our own surrounded by lush vegetation, delicate butterflies and a rather rocky path that was meant to lead us to a waterfall that had its source in the crater lake of Volcan Maderas. Eventually it came into sight and ok. It wasn't much of a waterfall. Merely a trickle but none the less it was a lush refreshment to jump in into its collection pool.
Later as we descended back on our motorised vehicles my bike decided to die on me for good and left me cursing and kicking as I rolled it down in neutral all the way to the gate by the street. All present locals gave it a go and effectively confirmed my fear: "Si senor, ya no sirve su moto. Mejor la deja aqui o algo." - noooo! What about my $50 deposit???? aarrrggghhh
Luckily one of the guys knew the owner and got him to come over to solve the issue, which he did at a breathtaking speed.
The benefit of this incident was that we got to enjoy a stunning sunset from a small settlement called "Merida" that was full of backpackers, hammocks and music and that we wished we had stayed at. No matter.
The next day we got back on the ferry and took a cab to San Juan del Sur to get a bit more beach time in. San Juan del Sur is dubbed the "Acapulco" of Nicaragua with plenty of new luxury resorts being built in the surrounding beaches and lots of gringos snapping up "cheap" property, which by local standards have already reached extortionate levels.
The little town center with its charmingly painted houses and easy going attitude immediately soothed our senses and after checking into a lovely guesthouse we made our way down to the beach and got our well deserved and literally ice cold beer. Bliss!
The town itself doesn't offer much except for main amenities since the surrounding beaches such as Maderas are the main attraction but the relaxed lifestyle and the friendly locals made this town a perfect place to stop and recharge. The next morning we had breakfast at one of the town's institutions called "Gato Negro" - a small bookshop cum cafe owned by an American couple who also own a coffee plantation near the border with Honduras and who offer unexpected treats such as bagels and "Superfood" smoothies to get you up and running.
Later we took another cab that took us to one of Nicaragua's most beautiful cities - Granada. A colonial pearl perched on the Western shore of Lake Nicaragua and studded with stunning Spanish heritage churches and lovely town villas that concealed backyards full of flowers and hammocks.
The main square "Parque central" forms the central meeting point for locals, the waiting point for "coches" (i.e. horse drawn carts) and tourists alike. From there you can wander down the main street with its beautifully coloured houses and abundance of bars and restaurants until you get to a rather ugly lake front that smells of gutter and looks both run down and dangerous at night. I thought it was a real shame that they did not extend the lovely part of town all the way to the lake like in other cities.
Eventually we took a seat in one of the bars and bumped into a couple that we had met in our hostel in Ometepe and in San Juan and who were also on the same flight as my friend Meg and I back to Ft Lauderdale that same night. Like in South East Asia it seems most people follow a similar route when in this part of the world.
In the end, despite the extremely persistent street vendors trying to sell you everything ranging from hammocks to their grandmothers, Granada was a perfect ending to a high adrenaline trip through this Central American nation that despite its close proximity to Costa Rica is talked about very little in general travel literature.
Yes. Costa Rica is doing the whole Eco-tourism thing quite effectively and is much more developed than other Central American nations (to some degree) but if you are looking for a real Latin American experience on the cheap, look no further. Nicaragua also has it all. Beaches, friendly people, beautiful colonial cities (none of those in CR), rain forests and truly ice cold beer. And if that's not a winner then I don't know what is.
