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  • ReisenderLa Vida Colorida
    Tag 438

    Ometepe

    13. Januar 2020 in Nicaragua ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Day 438.

    Today we begun the journey south to Ometepe, an island formed of two volcanos sat within Nicaraguas largest lake at 8,264 km² & 19th biggest lake in the world. But before making it to the ferry we were forced to pass through the now notorious (for scams) town of Rivas. Even before arriving we faced off in a heated exchange with the bus driver and his two helpers for a solid 10 minutes over the latest scam - eventually backing down although we made sure we had the last word as always “Ridiculoso!”

    It was a 1.5 hour ferry ride to reach the island first, we would be sleeping not only in the jungle and beside the lake but at a chocolate factory - where the cocoa is both grown and turned into chocolate bars right there in a tiny thatched shack.

    Our open air 10 bed lodge which sat amongst banana trees and big groups of howler monkeys was an experience all in itself - our alarms quickly became redundant and were replaced with the calls of the echoing monkey howls at 6am on the dot! Limbster particularly was fascinated by the epic shouts and to my surprise even took the risk of perching under no less than a thousand of birds just to watch the monkeys go about there day (ultimately we paid the obvious price for this mistake).

    Although the chocolate did in fact look incredible the now frugal travellers we have become meant we couldn’t face even buying 1 bar (at an extortionate $6, the same price as one nights sleep) this plus the fact we didn’t really want to line an Expats pockets led us to one of our favourite local comedors to date. Not only did this Nicaraguan family whip us up 3.5 great dinners in a row the entertainment of their Parrot each evening was priceless. In fact I’ve never seen a male (albeit a bird) make Limbster laugh so much, I think we might be allowed a pet upon our return after all, its a start!

    The highlight of Ometepe however was renting out a scooter and exploring this island, freedom on the road once again! One road circled both volcanoes and quickly turned into a dirt track, making riding a seriously old moped more and more difficult by the second. Passing young wannabe cowboys, herds of bulls and thousands upon thousands of banana fields with a constant volcano backdrop however made it more than worthwhile!

    Sleeping on the edge of the lake meant for a very relaxing last day in Nicaragua, spending our time divided between swimming in the lake and becoming lost in the fascination of the local wildlife (the blue birds in particular). Could have gone big (or more likely blind) on our final night when offered some promising sounding moonshine from the local drunks, but sensibly, and after some strong advice from Limbster we politely declined - Cerveza would have to do it this time, albeit with a hint of talcum powder and Nicaraguan Grandmother feet...

    Was it a rock, a stick, or a gigantic Nicaraguan bee - unfortunately we will never know the answer but what we do know is something collided with Limbsters forehead at speed mid scooter ride that caused considerable shock and pain for somebody who has so far evaded incurring a bee sting for her entire life. This unfamiliar pain certainly caught her off guard, fortunately hospitals don't exist on this island otherwise I feared we may have ended up at one...

    It turned out three nights would be enough as this particular hostel bordered just a little on the try hard hippy side for us - the cocoa ceremony with some unharmonious chanting was our cue to get right outta there. It would be a sad goodbye to Nicaragua which has certainly been one of our highlights to date, 5am ferry and 14 hours ahead to Costa Rica and the Caribbean coast!    Weiterlesen

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  • ReisenderLa Vida Colorida
    Tag 434

    Mira Flores - The Highlands

    9. Januar 2020 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Day 434.

    Now we had made it all this way it was time to venture into the Miraflores area itself. Endless green valleys of farmland and cloud forest - and we would be heading right for the top. Amazingly the chicken bus chugged along for 2 hours up near impossible gravel hills, slowly but surely conquering each and everyone. The bus views were spectacular - all but the last 5 minutes when we climbed into the clouds and arrived at our accomodation for the next two nights.

    We would be staying at a self sustainable farm at the highest point in Miraflores. Admittedly the clouds (and the cold) took us by surprise, and we were anything but appropriately dressed for such climates. Nonetheless we didn't take long to settle in, we were to be the only guests and were well looked after by the Nicaraguan family that lived on and ran the farm.

    When I say farm this really had it all, growing rice, beans, vegetables, bananas, making cheese, coffee & butter just to start with, that's not forgeting the countless ducks and chickens endlessly patrolling the grounds, not wanting to reduce the number of the latter however we opted for sin carne for this particular stay.

    Fortunate enough to luck out with a cabana right amongst the flowers and banana trees - we would come to appreciate this even more when the stormy clouds hit the following day. That being said we enjoyed plenty of home grown coffee and hot chocalote to keep us warm whilst tucked under our blankets - the rocking chair on the terrace being a favourite spot of mine.

    It didn't take long for us to tire of the local children, who seemed to have endless energy (I must say I lasted longer than limbster) on this occasion at least. However it was certainly a contrast in lifestlye watching a 6 year old boy hack away at the tree with a 2 foot machete in hand before finishing off helping with the coffee harvest, not quite the average day of a child in England.

    After 2 nights we took a local guide to trek down hill, and most importantly back into the heat. Great practise again for our Spanish - not that we had a choice, with only English here we would really be screwed, think its time to admit that limbster might well have surpassed my initial advantage in Spanish , finding myself asking for help more and more often, something needs to be done...

    Arrived to San Jose to be hosted by a younger local family. Much more basic (squat toilet 30m away amongst the banana trees kinda stlye). This of course was irrelevant to some of us who only heard the words ''i'll go outside my door thanks''. Although basic we had the most incredible views of Miraflores and really zoned out of everything here. Thankfully this new home meant a new variety of food - and although the core rice and beans 3x per day remained constant a small bit of creativeness made all the difference here.

    Favourite pastime here was reading and listening for the passion fruits (yes them again) to fall from the tree beside us - this was surpsingly regular with the wind and we were quick to scoop them up and tuck in!

    After this visit we will definitely be detoxing of the rice and beans - feel like we've eaten enough for a lifetime, and would prefer to avoid the awkward looks in the bus that without a doubt follow. Not a tourist in site on this 4 day adventure, only countryside, cowboys and plenty of farms - the Nicaragua we had been hoping to find!

    We headed back to Esteli in time to knock on the door of local cigar manufacturer in town. This certainly wasn't an official tour kind of place but the supervisor let us in on the assumption he would pocket a nice little earner from us.

    This meant for a great experience, watching the workers put together cigars from scratch in minutes and to the perfect specified size was a sight to behold (400 per person per day being the target!). Of course for the workers cigars come free and plenty took up this offer which meant for a lot of smoke indeed (we were even offered some freshly rolled ones to smoke during the tour but politely declined out of fear from coughing our way around the factory) . That doesn't mean however we didn't leave with slightly heavier pockets - how could we have refused!

    Back to Granada tomorrow and ready to head South - but certainly a Nicaragua highlight to date.    Weiterlesen

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  • ReisenderLa Vida Colorida
    Tag 429

    Somoto Canyon

    4. Januar 2020 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Day 429.

    Fully refreshed and well and truly near to being socialized out we headed into the Northern Nicaraguan highlands to hopefully experience the real cowboy lifestyle - it was just a bonus most backpackers didn't venture here either.

    After a 5 hour journey consisting of 3 buses into the mountains we reached Esteli, the gateway to the north. Re-energising at a great comedor, plenty of bbq'd chicken, rice, beans and plantain - aka the standard now!

    Feeling ready for an adventure we got to work with our research, it was at this point limbster might say it all went wrong, however I would beg to differ - and strongly so. Only a few hours away was Somoto canyon, a winding 7km, 500ft canyon. Now a visit here is typically done with an official guide of course. But I decided we would be doing this one solo (for the adventure) the fact we'd save 50 dollars doing so was just a bonus.

    We set out first thing, dry bag and picnic ready - we were prepared for whatever this unknown canyon had in store. The bus dropped us off in a local village and we headed straight for the water, it wasn't long before any sign of life had long disapeared and we were surronded only by water and steep cliffs on either side of us. The plan was to make it 4km down stream, scrambling, swimming and jumping our way though.

    It's fair to say this isn't Limbsters activity of choice on a good day, throw in a lot of steep edges, a near ''fall'', an unjumpable jump and well - you get the idea, I won't use the word breakdown in so many words but..

    Two hours in and we still hadn't come across another person - however there were plenty of looming canyons, bat's & unnervingly large spiders. It was about this point we realized we had only managed about a 3rd of our required distance, spooked with the thought of being stranded here come dark we upped our swimming pace slightly.

    Enjoyed a cracking lunch bang in the middle of this impressive canyon, practised our echo skills and recharged our batteries. We nearly topped it off with some fresh honey from a half fallen hive - quickly decided against it given the thousands of bees still swirling around the sweet goodness!

    Things only got more impressive it turned out, swimming down the winding canyon which we had all to ourself felt pretty special indeed. That was until we reached a rather steep drop - one we certainly couldn't scramble down. It was jump in or turn back the retrace the agonizing 3.5 hours we just completed there and then. Limbster took a lot of persuading out of the latter - but it was okay, it wasn't like I was fighting an uphill current and mini waterfall while she thought it all over...

    Both down and injury free we hit the final non-stop swim, totally exhausted this felt like a life time and although only 300m or so it was tough (given the tour does this section in a rubber ring we felt particularly satisfied swimming ourselves)

    To our delight for the final 1km stretch of canyon (which we now certainly didn't fancy swimming) a local boatsman was ready and waiting. We certainly won't be forgetting this adventure for a while albeit for significantly different reasons.    Weiterlesen

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  • ReisenderLa Vida Colorida
    Tag 425

    Granada

    31. Dezember 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Day 425.

    We headed back up the country for NYE, to the colonial town of Granada. Quickly deciding we'd be opting out of the numerous Gringo only raves at the beach! Fortunate to have been reunited with Max and Paula amongst other friends from Leon here also, for many reasons but particularly for facilitating our dodgy fireworks purchase - which limbster would simply not have condoned otherwise..

    Granada, filled with churches, horse pulled carts and relatively hectic markets had instant appeal. It certainly was hard to claw the gopro from my hands even on a quick trip to the ATM - and for good reason. Our favorite past time here more than any was just watching locals go about their daily life - with one particular highlight. The tradition that is families bringing out their rocking chair furniture into the street and enjoying dusk time together, as a result take any back lane off the main Granada strip at sunset and the streets are teeming with life!

    Not one's to miss out on a local cuisine, we didn't waste a minute before tucking into Vigoron (think raw root vegetable, topped with pork scratchings and wrapped in banana leaf- and boy what a mistake this was. Limbster has a very clearly defined decision making process - and eating food she doesn't enjoy always trumps awkward embaressment in front of the waitress, thus she was quick to leave this god awful dish all to me to do with what I could. It wasn't long before we had made a quick dash and returned to our long lost El Salvador Ian favourite - Puspusas, and boy they didn't dissapoint.

    I'm sure it's been mentioned more than enough of late but I really cannot get over abundancy of passion fruits here - I'm now picking up 3 a day, each easily exceeding the size of my hand and for a grand total of £0.22. Its becoming a problem.

    Just 30 minutes out of town was something that you can only see in 4 or 5 places around the world - an active volcano with bubbling lava that you can get within 150 meters of for about half an hour (dependent on which way the wind is blowing the deadly gases). As expected we couldn't resist, arriving at the volcano for sunset was pretty perfect and we couldn't quite take our eyes of the splashing and crashing of waves of lava down below.

    Masaya volcano was certainly a good warm up to NYE but we had a feeling we would see plenty more explosions come the 31st. It was a fairly educated guess given 4 of us had visited the local firework market that same day. A very legit, particularly safe establishment consisting of 15 shacks, made of wood and yes, stuffed full of fireworks. No chance of an accident mind because they all had a 100 litre barrels of water ready and waiting outside, problem solved I'm sure. It was like being a kid in a candy shop - although this candy shop sold exclusively fireworks for much cheaper than candy would cost you back in the UK. After picking up a few flammable men, bombas and the odd rocket or two we headed back for a Flor de Cana and a game of Perudo.

    As expected at midnight the streets came alive. Children and families all congregated street by street, letting off fireworks and welcoming in the new year together. Shared a particularly happy midnight kiss with Limbster before getting down to business - our own fireworks, plus a Cuban cigar or two. Safe to say apart from a lost chest hair or two they all went off pretty smoothly.. a strong start to 2020.

    It was at this point our night took an interesting and very unexpected turn, and before we knew it we had a table at the deaf and gay community centre of Nicaragua and were welcomed with beers and open arms - it was certainly one we won't be forgetting in any hurry.

    Breifly mugged tonight also around 3am. But due to my tiny shorts combined with my brick of a phone it would have been impossible not to notice the weight change and I was quick on my heels albeit a little worse for wear. After an awkward confrontation and some support from a local or two it was back in my possession - and just like that my first (and hopefully last) pickpocket experience was over.

    January 1st, as expected was spent well and truly in bed. Venturing no more than 5 minutes from the door for takeaway Pupusas (and maybe a subway..)    Weiterlesen

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  • ReisenderLa Vida Colorida
    Tag 417

    San Juan Del Sur

    23. Dezember 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Day 417.

    It was the run up to Xmas which meant we were on our way to the beach - wisely deciding to opt out of hostel life for a few days we found ourselves our own little slice of luxury up in the hills of San Juan Bay.

    To my great disappointment we were unable to source our annual xmas hats, literally not one store. Short of robbing the local Santa outside San Juan Church we were going to have to make do this year.

    Xmas isn't xmas without food after all, and so after a quick check in we headed out to raid the local stores for bread cheese and wine - which we have been looking forward too for oh so long. Sadly to our great disappointment (this is putting it gently - Ellie nearly had a breakdown instore) there was none of the fancy cheese we had been banking on, it was burger slices or nada. However we weren't to be defeated so easily and managed to leave with a new plan and plenty of rum, wine and giant passion fruits in hand.

    The one advantage of being by the sea was the abundance of fresh fish, so we headed straight to the local fish port. A couple of back and forths later, which was us mainly trying to avoid buying a full size mahi mahi to feed 100 people and we had a lovely red snapper hand picked for our bbq the next day. Limbster had to rein me in I must admit, if I had been left to my own devices I think I would have returned with at least one lobster and two dozen jumbo prawns, absolute minimum.

    Decided to treat ourselves to a real night out come Christmas eve, first time a shirt has come out for many a week and Limbster looked incredible. Headed straight to the beach for one of the most gorgeous sunsets to date on this trip - great company, plenty of cocktails, a fair few chicken wings (serious understatement), topped off with fresh lobster to finish - it certainly made for a night to remember.

    Come xmas morning we opened the curtains to total peace and quiet with amazing views of the coast - it was perfect, and we stayed exactly where we were for family Skype calls home. Strolled into town for a traditional xmas morning swim with all the local families before getting back up to our terrace to crack open that white wine - it was xmas after all!

    You can't beat xmas at home that's for sure - but today certainly wasn't far off. We fully managed to out-do our own expectations with the Red snapper, and it didn't take us long to forget about that fancy cheese entirely - we had put on a bbq feast. Fried Platanos certainly left room for improvement, a little bbq fire never hurt anybody after all...

    Once we watched the sun come down again we retired to bed, ice cream and pizza in hand for the obligatory love actually showing - the perfect way to end the day. This was post a rather large bug extermination spree to ensure a comfortable showing - I must have just missed the scorpion we woke to find crawling inside our bathroom towel...

    We came here with good intentions, spear fishing activities, booze cruises, surfing etc etc but actually we did little more than eat, drink and swim together all day long and it really couldn't have been better. Another xmas has been and gone just like that - plenty of reflecting on the year we've had this xmas and it's hard to beleive a whole 12 months has passed since Sri Lanka- both praying time starts to slow down now!    Weiterlesen

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  • ReisenderLa Vida Colorida
    Tag 414

    Leon, Nicaragua

    20. Dezember 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Day 414.

    New day new country, in fact our shuttle to Nicaragua would be taking us through our 3rd country in the space of 14 hours - Honduras. We would not be stopping however and so we were limited to views out of the car window as we traversed the country, plus a fleeting moment or two to sample the local food at the border crossing. Passports stamped we crossed into Nicaragua around 2am, tired and all travelled out we were quick to pass out into our hostel bed.

    We woke to some serious heat. By 8am I was dripping with sweat, and I wasn't alone - although granted Limbster was 'just right' . The temperature had jumped a notch as we went south and was now a solid 35 degrees. Strictly vests only from now on - if anything at all.

    It didn't take long to settle into hostel life here, a more travelled route than El Salvador meant for nice hostels and good crowds, and we quickly met some great people to share our time in Leon with. After a fairly shambolic revolution museum tour in which none of us left any wiser than we started we decided to dedicate our evening to a local favourite - Flor de Cana rum plus a little live music. You might need to shower 5+ times per day but drinks are cheap here and more than make up for it - two pints of the local beer in a nice bar @ £1.50. Its easy to see how things spiralled that evening...

    The following day Limbster was quick to come to mine and everyone else's rescue (once she had sobered up at 11am that was), quickly hunting us down a pool where we could relax and recover. Come Saturday night we opted out of socialising at salsa and went to sample the local cuisine together. This is predominantly great bbq meat accompanied with rice and beans - which is the staple of all diets here. After finding a local whole in the wall, and eating too much as usual we headed to the town square to soak up the atmosphere on the Saturday before Xmas, vibrant markets, children signing and lots of course fried chicken and fries!

    A trip to Leon wasn't complete without visiting one of the many surrounding volcanoes. And it wasn't long until we were stood on the top of the most active one in all of Nicaragua, jumpsuits and googles on, ready to slide all the way back down on our tabogan like board. A rather unusual activity granted but certainly a first and much more efficient than our usual method of descent. Views were incredible also.

    Heading down second out of our group meant the pressure was on for me and there was plenty of adrenaline on the way down, surviving a quick scare at the halfway point but all in all making good time down the 728m volcano. What Limbster might have lacked in speed she certainly made up for in style, cruising into that end zone bum still on board, and hey she also saved me having to add the slow mo effects on the video in a months time too.

    Leon really did have a lot to offer and with the Pacific Coast just a 30 minute drive we couldn't miss a visit to the beach. Black sand and sunset swims never get old and today was no exception, we might not have spotted the green ray today but there would be many more like this.

    It appears that traveling might well be having a positive impact on our general knowledge also, with us leading our quiz team to a triumphant victory come our last nights stay in Leon. That or the oppositions understanding of simple math was lower than average on this occasion.    Weiterlesen

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  • ReisenderLa Vida Colorida
    Tag 411

    Lake Coatepeque

    17. Dezember 2019 in El Salvador ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Day 411.

    Two hours down the road by chicken bus was Lake coatapeque, the home of the rich and famous of El salvador plus one, and only one budget backpacker hostel - so we were off!

    The lake was indeed a paradise, a crystal clear lake, towering volcanoes and plenty of jumping platforms - we quickly decided to extend our stay here. Plenty of swimming, jumping (or not jumping in some cases) and sunrise kayaking.

    There were indeed a couple of screams, from me slightly overstepping my jump to the sheer fear of limbster thinking she is about to be forcebly rolled off the 5ft platform..

    Well away from the closest supermarkets we made sure we were well stocked on arrival, two sacks of lychees, instant mix horchata and a cerveza or two - all we would need for 3 days in paradise. That being said we were never far away from the local Pupuseria and didn't hold back from indulging.

    For the first time in a while there were some real characters at this hostel, safe to say we're not fond of bikers - and can add this category of person to the long and quickly growing list of people we are quickly running out of patience with. It was a also a pleasent surprise that the turkish backpacker would be the one to deliver us the most laughs we've had for a long while.

    A trip to anywhere recently wouldn't be complete without a climb up a Volcano, and this would be no different. The nearby santa ana volcano, famous for its crater sulphur lake was an easy climb but certainly a first for us. The smell at the top was strong and the edges were steep - just ask limbster, I think she got close enough to just about taste the fumes.

    Life at the lake was bliss and it was hard to tear ourself away, but Nicaragua was calling and it was time to make our way south. A nice few goodbyes and a great sloppy wet handshake from an American later and we were packed back onto another bumpy chicken bus ride.    Weiterlesen

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  • ReisenderLa Vida Colorida
    Tag 408

    Rutas de flores

    14. Dezember 2019 in El Salvador ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Day 408.

    Back in Central America meant the return of brightly coloured chicken buses, and boy were we pleased to see them. Contrary to Mexican buses these are super organised, all cost less than a dollar, and are much more fun albeit a little tight on the legroom..

    This also meant the return of the onboard sellers, hopping on the bus while it's still moving and all hoping to make a quick buck. From bible bashers to medicine sellers, mini fruit and veg stalls to all your local carb favourites plus chille - you can get anything on a bus ride here. Our ride to Juayua was therefore no different, this time we grabbed ourselves a $1 bag of lychees, and wasted no time munching through all 30 of them.

    Its rare we're caught without cash but El Salvadorian atms are certainly not plentiful, nor often functioning. As a result we were travelling half the country with a mere 3 dollars in hand (less the $1 impulsive lychee buy). On the plus side we were bad targets for a robbery, on the downside we might not have been able to afford the next bus. Fortune was on our side however and we rolled into the picturesque mountain village of Juayua in tact and with a grand total of 50 cent to our name.

    Juayua is one of the villages known as Rutas de flores, a series of mountainous villages surronded by volcanoes on all sides and covered in blossoming colorful flowers. Few tourists make it here and therefore it was a great chance to see and experience local life. Upon our arrival the town was building up to the coming weekend - the weekly gastronomical festival that brings local villagers and salvadorian tourists together to feast, drink, feast a little more and dance! It has to be said this was also a significant part of the reason we were here - and we couldn't wait.

    After a cosy night in, getting to know the hostel owner as well as a lively Canadian couple we headed out of town to explore the nearby village of Ataco. Here we couldn't resit a local coffee plantation tour (this was our first private tour in spanish and we understood it all - pat on the back for us). It wasn't the only thing we couldn't resist however, one thing led to another and my backpack is now one large coffee sack heavier...

    The coffee was great, and the factory ships out to lots of big names, Starbucks, illy etc - and seeing the process although interesting really makes you start to doubt if that £3.95 is really worth it! Back in town the gastronomy festival was in full gear - we dined on langostines, fresh bbq steak and chicken with all the trimmings. Its a real wonder where all this food disappears to in the week when it's strictly only Pupusas and chips available!

    The atmosphere didn't die down when the food stopped either, the Xmas songs in the square went on until late and the children didn't stop dancing around the tree. Not offput by the sheer quantity of food we ate for dinner we made sure we headed to the best Pupuseria in town that night, enjoyed the local ensalada bebida and downed a couple of tubs of tomato salsa, at least limbster did anyway - couldn't believe my eyes.

    It's easy to see after a few days here why everyone is so chubby, significantly more than anywhere we've been to date. Carbs feature highly on the menu, as does anything that can be fried - which is most things. That plus washing everything down with $0.35 cent coca cola and you quickly get the picture. That diet post mexico hasn't started strongly and I worry soon we'll be jumping over the bus turnstiles like the others who can't quite fit through..

    Come our final day here we decided to stay put in town, a quick stroll to the local waterfall was certainly rewarding, we also happened to be the only swimmers - it seems El Salvadorians don't take to water it so we had quite the audience as well. Later that afternoon we decided to get involved with another national passion - football, grabbing tickets to the local teams semi final, which was certainly an eventful choice for limbsters first ever game of football. Not a bad view from the stand either - just 4 volcanoes as a backdrop! The only white people in a 1000 strong crowd also meant we stood out like a sore thumb, but even at a rowdy football game we were walmy welcomed by everyone we met.

    Exhausted, and feeling slightly glutenous we retired to our hammocks for the afternoon, reflecting on what a surprise these villages had been, let alone the country itself. After a rather exciting visit to a normal supermarket (I don't exaggerate, something as simple as this truly is exciting when you haven't seen anything resembling a tesco in 13 months, and Limbster could barely contain her excitement) we stocked up on meals and got ready to head to the lake.

    Our stay wasn't quite complete however without limbster chasing the local lychee pick up truck down the street for a block or two. This might sound unusual but a pick up truck, with a few megaphones attached driving around town with a boot full of something to is fairly commonplace this side of the world - and this time it happened to be Lychees and we weren't missing out. Run Limbster run!    Weiterlesen

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    Tag 406

    El Salvador - El Tunco

    12. Dezember 2019 in El Salvador ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Day 406.

    After 2 incredible months in Mexico it was time to head South and see a little more of what central America has to offer. First stop being the much overlooked El Salvador. But first we had a night in the airport ahead of us, suffering a long and cold night attempting to sleep on the airport floor. This might not sound worth the combined £8 we saved on 2 hostel beds but it felt oh so good when we proceeded to spend said saving in its entirety on two huge cinnabons come 5am. Food > sleep, always.

    Still only half awake, but fully satisfied from our airport breaky we clambered onto the plane and met Ben - a bit of a nomad on the go for 28 years. He was kind to quickly offer us a place in his already paid for shuttle. This was a great start to El Salvador and although limbster had to put up with some unbelievable PDA in the backseat between him and his new lover it was worth it for the speedy ride to the beach in the sweltering midday heat.

    From our driver to the coconut street sellers and our first host of El Salvador - everybody here could not have be freindlier so far and our impression is nothing like the reputation El Salvador has gained around the world. I think it helps they live on the doorstep of kilometers of palm tree lined beach, and after checking in that's straight where we headed too.

    Note to self always check a door limbster says is ''locked'' it'll save some sweat and tears.

    El Tunco wasn't your normal beach either, a surfers paradise and full of only black volcanic sand it certainly was a first for us. It wasn't long before tragedy struck however, within minutes of jumping in limbster was struck by a big wave and out of part clumbsyneess and part trauma from the last wave that got her she managed to loose her brand new sunglasses. It was deja vu, and not the best start..

    But it was nothing a few Puspusas (the local delicacy) and a couple of cervazas couldn't fix and we where quick to put this horrible nightmare behind us. Deciding to try a little harder with the budget than we bothered to do in Mexico we hit the local grocery store and decided to cook in our first night, thanks to a generous helping of premium olive oil (gracious spanish girl) we whipped up the first of limbsters new recipes. Our new herb and spice collection coming in particularly useful. Note now we're on the bandwagon of carrying all our own herbs and spices we stooped as low as stealing the pepper from the shaker of a local resturant today, you would think times are hard but finding good Pepper is no easy feat.

    Up and out the next day first thing, much to limbsters dismay. First surf lesson for me with Wayo, a salvadorian tank of a man. Putting me to shame on all fronts, hair, body, surfing ability - but you have to start somewhere I guess. El Tunco is a surf hot-spot and the waves are perfect, after admiring some actual surfers in the big waves I set out to find some much more manageable ones with Wayo. After some valaube teaching we hit the water, as expected I came crashing down hard early on. But it didn't take long to catch a few waves and it was an awesome morning (although if you ask limbster she can't confirm this was the case).

    Post surfing we went to get the beers in, feeling the country was imminently about to make a horrific decision we decided we would need them to drown our sorrows, or on the remote chance of a labour victory we could get the nights celebrations going early. Fortunately the Internet here is limited and we were spared the misery of watching first hand the election results roll in. Truly devsasted, and confused as to how so much of the country could be fooled into voting against their own interests we sunk our beers and headed out to watch the sunset - pondering the idea of staying here for 5 more years until it just all blows over...

    But we were quick to forget, and rolling around in the sea as the sun came down on the horizon was a perfect way to end our time here. Limbster had clearly forgotten about the election and found some energy and I could hardly stop her bouncing around in the waves and sending a little too much black sand in my direction. It was a short stay in this paradise and after only 3 days it was time to head back into Volcano territory in search of treks and gastronomic delights...    Weiterlesen

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