I have kept busy here with volunteering and doing some social media for Comamos Juntos (follow us on FB, twitter and insta plz) – but I have also been doing my fair share of exploring.
Only a few days after arriving in this country, I made my way to the north of Nicaragua for a trip to a National Forest Reserve called Bosawas. Thank goodness I was with a group of people! I was suffering from culture shock, heat shock, language confusion and basically just confusion in general. It was an amazing trip and my highlights from it were:
1) Staying at a remote cabin type place near a rainforest – the people were kind, the food was so so traditional and tasty and the views were stunning.
2) Hiking into the cloud forest. It was a bit challenging but every bit worth the climb. We swam in a waterfall, saw jaguar poop and were led the way by a 70 year old man with a machete. You can’t make this stuff up.
3) Riding the chicken buses. Not saying they were comfortable but wow what an introduction into Nica culture! Mostly what was new to me was people randomly jumping on the bus to sell their goods and the fact that a lot of people utilized them to buy snacks and drinks – myself included.
Laguna de Apoyo is a crater lake that was formed by a volcano and is now a popular spot for spending the weekend – kayaking, diving, swimming and general relaxing.
Highlights were:
1) Hitchhiking (sorry mom) – we were safe the whole time but we had to hitchhike to actually get to the lake. The bus doesn’t drive far enough!
2) The fresh air and water – Managua is dirty and the wind is pretty hot so feeling some relief from the hotness with a view was a double win.
3) Going diving! It is quite an experience to breathe underwater – there wasn’t much to see because its a lake but it was still a nice experience and I hope to do it again somewhere else before I leave Nicaragua.
Granada is a nearby city that is full of life and colors and fresh wind and backpackers. I met so many people from around the world and its truly amazing what kind of community you can build in just one weekend. Honestly my main highlights were meeting people, eating french fries, and drinking toñas in a treehouse in the middle of nowhere with monkeys hanging out in the trees above and stars so clear. I was a bad tourist, but sometimes planning activities is not what I want to spend my time doing. It was very unlike me to go somewhere alone without a plan, but I am glad I did!
Lastly, I went to Volcan Masaya – One of my friends here has a car and offered to drive me up the volcano at night to see the lava. It was truly an amazing experience to feel the breeze, see the lava and the stars and smell the sulfur.
Nicaragua has so much to offer and I am afraid I won’t have time to see it all – thoughts of a Central America backpacking trip may be on my mind.
I also spent Easter weekend on Isla de Ometepe and it 1000% deserves its own post.
Enjoying the total body sweat today at 92 degrees! Sending sun, mangos and good vibes to you all.
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Love this!!