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South & Central America
  • Ruth Snow
May – Nov 2015

South & Central America

A 198-day adventure by Ruth Read more
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  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    A pirate's town - historic centre

    August 26, 2015 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We had a lazy morning and went to the Getsemani area to look into boats to Panama. Hostal Mamallena had an English girl who was really helpful and booked us onto the  S/Y Quest, one of the larger boats with the fewest passengers. We're not sure if we get a cabin or are dossing in the salon but it has good reviews compared to the other one available which purportedly has a captain who is constantly drunk / stoned! Fingers crossed...

    In the afternoon we headed to the historic centre. First stop was a posh coffee shop where they were very scientific about their coffee making...weighing, measuring and swirling everything. Anna was suitably impressed with the result. Next it was my turn to get my fix at the Gelateria Paradiso, a very quaint ice cream parlour where we both had 2 scoops of the most amazing Italian style ice cream (17,000P).

    Then we walked around the outside fortress wall complete with cannons (to protect against numerous pirate attacks) before wandering around the multitude of inner streets - gorgeous, colourful, colonial houses, churches, parks etc with horse drawn carriages trotting along and outdoor dining areas around every corner.

    Anna was overheating so we stopped in a bar and she had a virgin mojito to cool her down. It tasted so good I had a proper one which was the best mojito I've had in a long time, only 7,000P and they aren't stingy with the rum! We shared a passion fruit one too then wandered some more coming across a dance group where the boys shook their bodies amazingly fast.

    For dinner I had an amazing falafel and aubergine wrap at La Sandwicheria, a tiny little place which was candlelit (possibly a power cut?). Anna ordered the Mustafa (!) wrap by mistake thinking it was falafel when it was kofta, but still enjoyed it (40,000P). We sat outside and some kids came round rapping for money, slightly spoiling the ambience but quite entertaining nonetheless.

    On the way back home we stopped at a supermarket in the search for Colombian chocolate. There was, surprisingly, very little available and we have learnt from our experience in Mexico this might be because it's not worth it. We bought a box of the only brand: Chocobox and gobbled them down - they were discoloured from the heat, tasted okay but not really like chocolate! Nothing worth repeating unlike Ecuadorian chocolate which was very yummy.

    Cartagena is one of the first places I remember Anna mentioning when we first started planning this trip since it is a pirate town in the Caribbean and we'd both been really looking forward to it. Yesterday we were a bit disappointed by the beach, today the old town more than made up for it...we are completely in love with it! The old town is absolutely beautiful, has a great vibe and we both agree it's one of our favourite places in the world - Anna says it probably beats Rome as far as being a visual feast and I'm inclined to agree. Captain Jack wouldn't look out of place here in the slightest and we wander why they haven't filmed any of the series here - they should!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Feeling hot, hot, hot

    August 27, 2015 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Our first day of total, utter, melting heat!

    After breakfast we went to confirm our booking for the Panama boat and book a boat tour for tomorrow. We found out that Panama only issues a 72 hour transit visa for those arriving by boat or else you have to pay $105!! It's not enforced everywhere but you are recommended to have proof of onward travel. Not sure why they are trying to scare tourists away, but we'll hurry through and spend our money elsewhere! Bit of a shame as we had fancied a few days at Bocas del Toro but the booking lady said it's not all that.

    Anna was melting from the heat...the sun was out today in full force...so we took her back to the aircon'd hotel room. I went and paid the deposit and got some more money out - you have to pay the Panama captain in cash dollars so we need to stock up.

    After a quick freeze under the room's aircon we walked the 15 mins to the Castillo de San Felipe, which we can see from our hotel room (17,000P). We were dripping by the time we got there and had a rip-off ice lolly and ice tea by the entrance - we refused to pay their quoted price, even though we were only arguing over 20p!

    We wandered around the castle in the muggy, blazing heat. It is not on the sea shore but by a river, slightly inland, as pirate ships could sail up to this area. It's quite different from English castles - not very fancy, no inner courtyard and not much space for living. It seems to be solely for defensive purposes and looks mighty sturdy. There are also a vast network of tunnels through the castle with what appear to be dungeons - we walked through quite a few of them, but I didn't fancy venturing too far into the ones where the lights had broken!

    After about an hour we couldn't take much more of the heat. We found a nice, breezy location at the top and then found a  much-needed aircon room showing a video on the history of the castle. It was in Spanish but had some great cheap graphics and English accents on Spanish words like 'Fuego!!' (Fire!). We got the jist of it - the mean English kept sailing over and attacking.

    On our way back we picked up a bag of fresh mango slices for 60p which were amazing. We hopped into the shower - can see why they don't bother with hot water!

    After cooling off we headed to the old town and wandered around looking for a couple of restaurants I'd marked down, failing to find either. We just caught the end of a beautiful sunset over the sea from the barricade wall. It was still hot out and we were still melting slightly.

    We ended up at the same restaurant as last night as there are very few veggie options for me, especially now we've given up pizza for the Hondur Games (an effort to lose weight before Hannah, our photographer, joins us in Honduras!). We both had a falafel wrap and shared a lovely lime & coconut slush drink. Then we headed back to the room for another cool shower!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca

    August 28, 2015 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Time for our first Colombian tour...a bit of a shambles but a great day (50,000P).

    We got to the port for 9am, stood in the melting sun a while until our names were called and were then crammed into a boat - I'm very glad to have short legs...nobody much taller had room for their knees. We sat sweltering and breathing in petrol fumes for a while before we set off and the welcome breeze made it all better.

    We motored around some of the 27 Rosario Islands, which are all fairly small, some barely bigger than the one house which is built on it!

    There was a choice between snorkelling and an oceanarium with a dolphin show. We opted for snorkelling but were told it was 35,000P extra and it didn't look that great. Despite Anna having her own snorkelling gear they wouldn't let us stay on the island without paying and took us to the oceanarium where we went in the water to cool off but there wasn't much else to do but wait. I was aware of this but Anna didn't and an American girl obviously didn't either and had a good argument with the driver.

    Then we went to Playa Blanca - the picture perfect white sand and turquoise sea - where we had our included lunch of a fish, coconut rice, fried plantain and salad. I swapped my fish for Anna's rice and half her plantain. Our American 'friend', Vanessa, was furious that they'd run out of chicken as she didn't eat seafood and kicked up a huge fuss, culminating in someone having to cook extra chicken just for her.

    We meanwhile sneaked off and got a couple of chairs with shade for 15,000P and leapt into the beautiful, crystal clear, warm sea. Anna had beer, I had a coconut and all was well with the world...until Vanessa invited herself into our shade and started whining how she didn't like the beach either! True, there were a lot of hawkers but most were nice and fun to chat to. How can someone be so whiney in such paradise?!

    We played in the sea some more, lay on the beach and Anna went on a 2 min donut ride for £1. Just as our boat was pulling up to take us home, Vanessa decided then was a good time to hop on a jet-ski...and told us to guard her stuff! She got back just in time before the boat pulled out - I wouldn't have waited if she hadn't! After what must have been her sixth beer she seemed happy for the first time all day on the bumpy ride home. She gave us her Facebook but I don't think I'll be staying in touch. Strangely she has travelled lots and has been living in Ecuador for a few months so she should be a bit more used to local ways.

    We had dinner at Kokoa, a Japanese / Thai restaurant in Getsemani. We both had Kung Pao noodles and ginger ale and it was delicious (39,000)! So nice to have some spice in our food! And hopefully the chillies and ginger might cure my cold - yes another one, it seems I am not destined to feel well on this trip :( Best part about the meal was that the bill was served in a treasure chest!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Sick days

    August 30, 2015 in Colombia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We both felt a bit rough for our last 2 days in Cartagena. The first day I was snuffly and Anna had a sore throat so we spent the morning resting. In the afternoon we went for the good ice cream in the historic centre then we took a cab to Bocagrande beach, rented some shade, had coconuts and popped in the sea frequently to cool off. We watched the sunset then walked the 40 mins back to the hotel room. Anna was very excited about dinner - our first Indian of the trip at the Maharaja in Getsemani. We didn't have too high hopes but it was actually very good and spicy - onion bhajis to share, tarka dal and naan for me and tikka masala, rice and naan for Anna (42,000).

    The next day Anna had an upset tummy but refused to blame it on the Indian food! We stayed in the room; I went to the supermarket for nibbles and water and bumped into Kolya (from Galapagos cruise). The power was out for most of the day - luckily our room stayed cool but as we are on the 9th floor it was a bit of a workout going to breakfast and out to the shops with the lift out of action.

    Anna managed to get up and out (lift working again) for our 7pm meeting for our boat trip tomorrow with the captain Goeran, first mate Rose and the rest of us motley crew! Anna - being typically British - has been monitoring the weather forecast which says we are due storms. Goeran said it looked calm and flat with not much wind and thus not much sailing :(

    He also said his passengers are usually given free visas for Panama (rather than $105 for tourist visa charged to those arriving by sea, or 72 hour transit visa) - possibly due to the bottles of rum he gives them! Hopefully this will hold true as it'll save us a fair bit / not have to rush through to the next country.

    We didn't bother with dinner and crawled back to the cool room. Goeran said it had been unusually warm the last few days so it's not just us being wimpy westerners.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Boat trip to Panama

    August 31, 2015 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    To get to our next country, Panama, by land is too dangerous - through guerilla territory! That leaves travellers with 2 options: fly or take a boat trip via the San Blas islands. The boat trip is not much more expensive than flying and includes stopping at tropical islands - not a hard choice!

    The San Blas are a group of approx 378 idyllic Caribbean islands off northern Panama, which are governed by the Kuna people (so they are almost considered a separate country).

    We chose a 5 night trip aboard the 64 ft Quest, a boat built by the Swedish captain Goeran. Cost = $50 to hostel as agent fee, $500 cash to captain and $20 entry fee to islands.

    Rose, a fellow Brit, is the first mate / cook. There are 7 other passengers apart from us: 2 Dutch (Amy & Cor), 2 Austrians (Susanna & Michael) and 3 Germans (Sebastian, Nessie & Chris). Everyone was lovely however we grew to dislike N & C a little as they didn't stop pawing each other the whole trip and ignored their poor friend Sebastian.

    We weren't meeting until the evening so spent the morning changing money (cute dog, free coffee), got a late check-out for the room (40,000P) and then lazed at the beach and had a short massage before stopping at the supermarket to stock up on snacks, iced tea and beer for the voyage.

    We met at the docks at 6pm, were taken to the boat by dinghy, and clambered aboard. We had a cabin with bunks in the front of the boat (no ensuite this time). It's a beautiful boat with every gadget you could want times three! It took Goeran 15 years to build and it's usually a dive boat for the Caribbean but has also been to the Arctic and Antarctic - the cabins have heaters. Definitely a great choice of boat - the biggest one doing the trip with the fewest people.

    We sat around in the huge marina looking at the Bocagrande beach skyline which is a mass of lit-up fancy high-rise hotels. We ate fajitas, had a safety briefing, and then set sail just after 10pm. We stayed up, accompanied by a lightning show, until we had left the channel out and then we headed to bed about midnight. There was a soothing rocking motion but it was really hot, despite the individual fans on each bed. We did manage to get a fair bit of sleep though.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    We are sailing

    September 2, 2015, Caribbean Sea ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We woke up just before 8am, had a shower to cool down and went up on deck to be greeted with a view of sea, and more sea. No land, boats or life in sight (apart from a tiny bird which had come to rest).

    We had breakfast of fruit, granola and yoghurt and then lazed about with little to do but watch the horizon. We read and listened to music until a lunch of pasta filled our surprisingly hungry bellies considering the lack of movement. Thankfully nobody was badly seasick - Michael threw up after breakfast but Rose gave him some magic pills and he was instantly fine.

    The afternoon was spent doing not much more...gazing out to sea, reading and chatting. A pod of a dozen or so dolphins joined us for a while bowriding. I lay out on deck to catch a few rays in the late afternoon sun (too hot earlier)...Anna came and joined me and it started to rain! Not for long though and when we went back to sit at the bow we saw some flying fish.

    We had a lovely bean chilli for dinner - Rose is a veggie which is suiting me well so far. Goeran's menu used to be heavily meat based until she joined the ship a few weeks ago. All our meals are served in plastic bowls with handles to try and avoid spillages.

    They decided there was enough wind for the jib to be raised and we sailed motor-less for a while at 4 knots. The motor was put back on and there were more far off lightning storms (no thunder). We all had an early night...tired from doing nothing!!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    San Blas Islands

    September 2, 2015 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    I had a restless night kept awake by my cough. At 5am I gave up and went up on deck to watch the lightning storm followed by sunrise. I managed to get back to sleep for a short while before pancakes with maple syrup and fruit were served for breakfast.

    Shortly after, we anchored at our first stop - just off 2 islands (Acuakargana & Waisaladup) which were about 200m long and 50m wide. We assumed they were uninhabited but later found out that they weren't. We all jumped in the water to cool off and stretch our unused limbs. We grabbed some snorkel gear and swam to the beach. I didn't see much on the way, it was mostly seagrass. Others saw a huge ray and some squid.

    Once at the shore, we wandered around the tropical island paradise. The boys then tried to knock down some coconuts and we swam back to the boat. This time I saw lots more nice corals but not much else.

    Back on the boat we were told we're not allowed to take the coconuts as they are harvested by the local people but the boys continued to hack into them (a long process with a swiss army knife) and will give some money for them later.

    We had a lunch of a ginormous veggie burger with yucca chips which left us completely stuffed. I fell asleep and we missed the boat to shore to see the tiny Kuna village so swam instead. Once there, flies were biting me and my cough was hurting so I swam back and 'found' the huge reef we'd missed earlier, which had loads of beautiful corals. Just as everyone got back via the dinghy the heavens opened and it poured down. Anna brought me back a coconut which was small but delicious.

    Dinner was spag bol, but tomato pasta for me, despite me saying I didn't want anything special - very sweet! Followed by a 4 litre tub of ice cream with papaya cake. We sat and watched a huge thunder and lightning storm and swapped travellers tales before heading to bed just after 10pm.

    I slept really well with not a cough in sight until 3:30am when I woke up roasting - the hatches to our rooms had been closed due to the rain. I went up on deck and lay on one of the benches under the canvas cover. Goeran warned me it was wet but it was blissfully cool in comparison to down below. I lay there with my sarong for a blanket and listened to the amazing pouring rain and loud thunder whilst watching lightning light up the skies every few seconds. Goeran was up pacing all night despite being shattered from the crossing - it was one of the worst storms in a while and he was worried about the anchor coming loose and us ending up on the nearby reefs. After an hour, I was a bit too wet for comfort and went back down to bed. We opened the door to the sweat box and it was more bearable and I slept through until 9am which felt blissful.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    More snorkelling

    September 3, 2015 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We had an amazing breakfast of bacon butties, fruit and toast with peanut butter. Feeling stuffed, we went snorkelling on the reef I'd found yesterday afternoon. The visibility was a bit better and there were more fishes. The coral was some of the best and most varied I've seen. I imagine it would probably have been even more colourful and impressive if it had been sunny. It's surprising there aren't more fishes or turtles considering the habitat. Anna said it was one of the best reef snorkelling she's done. It was an overcast day, which was good as most of us had slightly pink backs from yesterday.

    We lay on deck to dry off and then lunch was ready. Despite not being hungry we wolfed down mozzarella and tomato breads with salad.

    Goeran decided he wanted to move on to avoid another rough night so we jumped in for our last snorkel and headed to the other island and saw a conch and some little lobsters. Amy picked up a conch and Anna told her to put it back 'before it drowns'!

    Once back, it was time to set sail and we headed to the capital of San Blas, Nalunega. I went to lie at the front of the boat and had a nice 5 minutes before a huge wave crashed over soaking me and a couple of others.

    For the first time on the boat it was chilly due to a cold wind, so after a shower I stayed in my bunk to keep warm. Dinner was roast chicken and mango crumble with ice cream.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Breakfast storm and visa drama

    September 4, 2015 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We had another amazing breakfast of coconut porridge, fruit and freshly baked banana bread - Hondur Games have officially been suspended! As we ate we watched a crazy storm - torrential rain, mighty thunder claps and the clearest lightning strikes I've ever seen - we could clearly see the strikes hitting the sea, then the islands and then our boat!! About 5 times! You could hear an almighty crackle right before it struck us each time. There was a lot of screaming. Apparently, Goeran had seen his boat being struck by lightning from the dock before and it had wiped out the electrics and broken a few instruments. This time however, the electrics were fine and the broken instruments came back to life!

    Once the storm had let up, Goeran went ashore with our passports, only to return saying they were being funny and he needed proof of flights out of Panama within 72 hours to avoid us paying the $105 visa fee. Nobody had this, despite all the others actually having flights out...we of course don't have a flight out. Cue panic and trying to get online and print things off. Goeran had a flight confirmation template which he used to create 'proof' for himself, Rose and us - he 'flies' to Miami every time! Crazy system! So off he went for the second time and came back with free visas for all :) Hopefully will hold when we leave the country.

    We went ashore to the capital island for a quick visit. It is very small, though does have an airstrip. The Kuna people live in tiny wooden huts but have solar panels, satellite dishes and iPads! Anna bought a bracelet and turtle oven glove for $5 each.

    Then we had more amazing food - humus, couscous, roasted veg and nachos. As we ate we sailed about half an hour to Chichime island and were taken ashore. We went snorkelling but didn't find much to see so lay on the beach but it was overcast so it was a bit chilly. We went for a wander around the small island and then bought the hugest coconuts I've seen for $2 each.

    BOB, we discovered that the boat is broken...something to do with transmission fluid leaking :( Goeran decided not to sail to Portobelo as planned that night and instead we will get a boat to the mainland and then a jeep to Panama City ($45, of which Goeran refunded us $40 as the trip from Portobelo is cheap, though not as easy so it sort of works in our favour).

    Our last supper was steak, couscous and ratatouille; then ice cream and Rose's lindt chocolate. The chef outdid herself again - her first time cooking steak!

    Overall impression of San Blas trip: we picked the best boat by a mile by the sounds of it - most don't have showers / fresh water (ours had a filter system so was unlimited even if it tasted funny) and are much smaller and more cramped. We also couldn't have wished for a better captain and first mate. However, the murky weather ruined it a bit and there was less snorkelling / time on the islands than we'd expected. It was great fun but I'm not sure it'll make the top 5!

    Amy's most memorable quotes:
    Picture perfect postcard photo (say it fast)
    Dinner's ready...I'm just going to go and make room
    Saint-Lindt
    It makes more sense in Dutch    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Panama City

    September 5, 2015 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We were up early for a 7am breakfast of granola and melon, took a group photo (sadly not a jumping off boat one as weather was lousy...again!) and then boarded our speed boat to the Panama mainland. After a half hour boat ride - slightly damp from the rain - we were put into Jeeps and driven 2 hours of crazy winding up & down roads through the jungle to Panama City. PC's traffic lived up to expectations - really busy and slow!

    We checked into Hotel Avila ($55), a bit more expensive and fancier than planned but nice luxury after the salty, sweatbox of the boat. We ate our peanut butter sandwiches that Rose had made us - aww! After a short rest we got the metro to the bus terminal (35c per journey, uses oyster card type system but can share one card). We bought our bus ticket for tomorrow, then got the metro one stop and walked to Casco Viejo, the old town. It started to rain, heavily with thunder and lightning, then eased up but continued to drizzle - my umbrella got it's first outing and Anna looked fetching in her yellow poncho.

    The old town looked beautiful despite the rain, all colourful, colonial buildings in various states of repair, churches, unused tram lines and narrow streets. After wandering around a while, we headed back and stopped for dinner at the fisherman's market, a huge area of plastic chair seating with pumping music and locals kicking back - I think we were the only gringos. They were seafood eateries so I ordered stuffed plantains and coconut rice. The rice wasn't all that though did come with beans. I failed to ask what the plantains were stuffed with stupidly - turns out it was all sorts of seafood so I couldn't eat them! D'oh. Anna ate most of them plus her calamari, which she says was the best she's ever had by a mile.

    Finally it stopped raining. We wandered back to our hotel along the boulevard of the Pacific coast (we've done both the Caribbean and Pacific coastlines in one day!) which was full of lit-up high-rises. Then we indulged in our first hot showers for 2 weeks and made full use of the free toiletries - we often get free shampoo but never before have we had conditioner as well.

    Our first impressions of Panama are good and exceeding expectations! Shame about the weather...but at least it's not stiflingly hot.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Panama Canal

    September 6, 2015 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After a beautiful night's sleep we went down for breakfast. We both chose pancakes and were each delivered with one giant pancake the size of a dinner plate and about 4cm thick! Anna couldn't even finish hers...I just about managed.

    We caught up on wifi things, checked out at midday and waited for Amy & Cor (from San Blas trip) to pick us up in a taxi ($15) to go to the Miraflores Centre ($15) which overlooks the main lock for the Pacific side of the Panama Canal.

    There is a very short 3D video, informative exhibition centre over 4 floors and an observation deck. We were told there would be a ship at 3pm so we waited, and waited... One eventually came at 4pm with another right behind it. Possibly the canal closes for lunch?! An overly enthusiastic, crazy man gave non-stop commentary / shouted a lot over a loud speaker. The centre closed at 5pm so we were kicked out before the 2 ships had completed their transit but we saw most of it. The locks are much narrower than I expected and barely fit a big ship in. Pelicans and other birds dive into the water as the locks fill searching for fish in the newly disturbed water. I wasn't overly excited about visiting the canal but it was interesting and clearly an amazing feat of engineering - seeing some of the equipment they first used made us think we were completely bonkers!

    Amy also pointed out a slim lady with a huge bum which was clad in tight leggings - our first experience of butt implants. Apparently Amy's seen loads in Columbia and a lady told her you can have boobs, bum and nose done for $5,000!

    We haggled a taxi back for the same price (down from $30), picked up our bags and headed to the bus terminal with plenty of time. There were only junk food options available so we had Burger King and 2 Dunkin Donuts each ($12). Despite having tons of time we only just made the 7:30pm bus as it took a while to find the platform and then we had to buy a $2 card to pay the 50c exit tax! Stupidly you can't use the metro card we had but needed a multi-use card which could have been used on the metro but can't be bought at the metro!

    The bus took us to Almirante ($28), arriving at 6:30am. Despite it only being a normal bus and having a screaming child onboard, we both managed to get some sleep.

    Interesting facts about the Panama Canal:
    - Started by the French in the late 19th century but abandoned due to financial woes and workers dying from malaria / yellow fever.
    - Completed by the Americans in 1913 who ran it until Panama took over in 1999.
    - Currently being expanded to include another bigger lock to allow more and bigger boats through.
    - The canal is 26m above sea level and the locks act as elevators using gravity, not pumps.
    - Boats pay by weight, the heaviest pay $400,000! Boats take 8-10 hours to traverse the 80km. Special canal captains take over the boats to navigate the canal
    - A swimmer paid 36c to swim the canal taking 10 days in ~1930s.
    - A few tugs push the ships into position and then up to 8 little trains run along rails with ropes tied to the ship to keep it straight.
    - 14,000 ships pass through annually which is about 38 per day (operates 24/7). We're not sure how this is achieved since in the 4 hours we were there we saw 3 pass!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow
    1

    Bocas del Toro

    September 7, 2015 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    The overnight bus from Panama City dropped us at Almirante at 6:30am. A quick taxi ride for $1 each took us to the docks, where we took a half hour speed boat ride to Isla Colon, the capital of Bocas del Toro ($6). BDT is made up of 9 main islands and numerous smaller islets. Isla Colon is fairly developed with roads, a fire station, hospital, bank etc.

    We wandered around looking for a place to stay... most were pretty pricey but we found Posada Isla Chica for $40. The room is huge and has a balcony with a partial view of the water. We went to get Anna her coffee fix from a German bakery (which sadly lacked any appealing baked goods) and so picked up a pancake mix in the supermarket and Anna made us pancakes for breakfast at a fraction of the price the bakery was charging.

    It started to rain so we had a lie down and next thing we knew it was 2:30pm! A bit too late to go to the beach on the north of the island so the tourist info lady recommended a visit to Isla Carenero (the local beach on Isla Colon is called Sand Fly beach so not very appealing!!). Isla Carenero is a small island, 200m from Island Colon, with no roads, just some sandy paths that join the various huts along the shore.

    We got a water taxi to the main beach for $2, which was nice but small and the trees put it in shade and it wasn't warm enough to tempt us to swim. So we wandered along the coast - seeing tons of tiny crabs with one huge claw - and had Pina Coladas ($3 each) on the deck of Bibi's, a lovely restaurant. We then walked along the coast for another 5 minutes or so and got the boat back for $1. Carenero had a lot of beautiful accommodation options but no great beach and seeing as the weather is a bit iffy we aren't tempted to stay a night there as I thought we might be.

    We went for dinner at Bocas Bambu ($20) where beer was the same price as water! Anna had creole fish which was lovely and I had pizza which I could only manage half of so tomorrow's lunch is sorted. We just about managed to stay awake long enough to watch the 8:30pm fire show at the restaurant which was pretty good though not as crazy as the one in Montanita.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Bastimentos: chocolate up in the hill

    September 8, 2015 in Panama ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    More pancakes for breakfast (plus apples to make it a tad healthier). We checked out and went over to the docks to get a 10 min boat ride for $5 each to Isla Bastimentos. As soon as we stepped foot onto the dock it started pouring and despite having raincoats and ponchos we were drenched by the time we checked into our next hostel: Bubba's House ($40). BH is a lovely big wooden house built on stilts over the water. There are hammocks on the balconies and the back opens out onto it's own dock.

    We waited a while for the rain to die down...ate my left-over pizza...then got ready... then waited some more as it started to rain some more. The lady in our last hostel said September was usually nice but maybe El Nino was messing with the usual weather patterns.

    Finally it looked safe and we set off up the hill for a supposed 15 min walk through the rainforest - it took us a bit longer as the whole path was a muddy mess! Anna whinged the whole way as she was wearing flip flops (despite me telling her it'd be slippery) - from the girl who does mud runs! She agreed our destination was worth the effort though.

    We arrived covered in mud at 'Up in the hill' and were hit by the most wonderful smell of cacao. It is a small house surrounded by a jungle garden that makes and sells 100% organic cocoa, organic beauty products and various other hippy things. Anna had her coffee fix (sadly burnt) and we shared some vegan truffles and a brownie, which had a lovely, rich taste ($9). We bought some coconut oil, natural bug repellent and cocoa face cream ($19). We also saw a teeny red poison-dart frog in the garden which is only found on this island.

    On the slippery walk back down the hill we saw some more red frogs, dragonflies, and a hummingbird. We walked along the concrete path that goes through the town, Old Bank, to either end (no roads but many houses).

    We went back to Bubba's and sat at the back overlooking the water and played some chess (from the many boardgames here). As we walked to a small place, Marco's, that we'd found earlier, we could hear really loud animal calls - unsure if they are the frogs?? along with some cicadas. We sat out on the deck over the water and were the only customers, likely because the hostels seem to try and monopolise dinners - BH offers a set meal each night, which nearly everyone seemed to have, but we thought it was overpriced. We shared some good, spicy nachos and enchiladas ($15), watched some lightning and got a little damp on the walk back. We lay in the hammocks, watching the lightning, and I wrote my blog as Anna serenaded me with her guitar.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Red Frog Beach

    September 9, 2015 in Panama ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    After a lazy morning waiting for the rain to stop we got ready and walked to the docks...only for it to pour down again so we waited in the tiny shelter for it to stop.

    The boats were charging $10 each return to Red Frog Beach however a guy we'd chatted to yesterday offered to throw in some snorkelling on the way which made Anna very happy. We stopped via his house to pick up a snorkel for me (he turned down $3 million from developers for his 35 hectares of land). Then he dropped us off on the other side to the beach and we paid our $3 entry fee. It was a 10 minute walk through the jungle to the beach but took us longer as we scanned every tree for sloths and monkeys - alas, they were all hiding...we need you Alejandro (Amazon tour guide). We had a fruitless search looking in the trees along the beach too.

    For the first time in Bocas, the sun actually came out and transformed the rugged, wavy beach into a thing of beauty. Our joy was short lived as it soon started to rain and we took shelter under a huge tree. It dried up enough to lie on the beach for half an hour but it was hardly sunbathing weather :( The water is notorious for riptides so we couldn't go swimming.

    We headed back, still unsuccessfully searching for the elusive sloths and met Roberto who took us to a tiny clump of mangroves in the sea for snorkelling. It had started to rain again and I had seen all the starfish from the surface earlier so I couldn't be bothered to get wet. Anna went in though and enjoyed the numerous starfish, sea fans and urchins. Meanwhile I chatted to Roberto about life on the island and he saw a manta ray flying out the water - to shed parasites, a very common sight apparently.

    We headed back and read for a while on the deck then headed nearby to Tom Tio's, another guesthouse, and shared a huge pizza for $10. Not the best in the world, but a lot cheaper than our hostel. Again, we could only manage half, leaving us the rest for lunch tomorrow.

    Back at Bubba's, we sat on the sofas on the deck to play chess but got distracted talking to Jenni and Heidi (Aussie), some lovely girls living in LA. It turned into one of the nicest evenings we've had. There was a HUGE storm - absolutely torrential rain, the roof was leaking everywhere onto the deck, and the sky lit up with lightning constantly for hours - some of the best fork lightning I've ever seen (even better than on the boat). The lights in the hostel went out for an hour or so making the lightning viewing even better. We sang happy birthday to Heidi for tomorrow. Some drunk English girls took a group photo and we got chatting to everyone else - a proper backpackers hub. We didn't get to bed until gone 1am.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Costa Rica: Puerto Viejo

    September 10, 2015 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    800C = £1; 500C = $1. Dollars widely accepted as well as Colones.
    Tap water in CR is drinkable.

    We left Bubba's with sad faces. It's been one of our favourite hostels due to the back deck on the water and friendly atmosphere. We got a boat to Bocas Town and then switched to another boat to take us back to the mainland. There we were accosted by a ton of touts and got a ride for the 40 mins to the border for $20. Two easy stamps and a walk across a bridge (back in time an hour) and we were in our eighth country: Costa Rica!

    We took a chicken bus to Puerto Viejo ($3.50) which stopped a lot and took about an hour and a half. Overall the journey took 4 hours which is the same as that quoted by private transfers but cost us $10 less each.

    We checked out a few places and ended up in the Lionfish Hostel, a very basic place in the process of being redone with a nice communal area but quite skanky rooms - Princess Anna isn't impressed but she's learning to slum it. For $20 you can't complain too much.

    It was almost sunny (hasn't rained all day!!) so we went to lie on the beach however the clouds came over almost immediately so we went for a wander around the small town. PV is a really lovely place; very touristy but tons of cute bars and restaurants and a nice, chilled vibe - we got offered plenty of space cookies! We considered staying another day but we really need to get a wiggle on. It's definitely a place you could stay a while. As in Bocas they speak Caribbean 'English' or Spanish.

    We got some boat tickets for tomorrow - again they tried to get us to buy the $70 transfer but we opted for the public bus which is far cheaper. However there are few boats to our next destination so we wanted to ensure a space.

    We went to Outback Jack's for dinner, a funky Aussie place crazily decorated, with tons of glasses everywhere (the owner said he likes to steal them from blind people?!). Anna had calamari (good but not to Panama standards), I had a veggie wrap which was stuffed full of salad and fruit and was amazing - just what I'd been craving after a couple of days of meh food. Both came with chunky chips and a fruit smoothie (11,000C).    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Tortuguero

    September 11, 2015 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    After a poor night's sleep in our dingy room, and a close encounter with a cockroach, we were shattered when the alarms went off before 7am. We headed to the bank to get more money out - no cash points in the jungle.

    We got the 7:30am bus to Limon (1,990C) which took 1.5 hours then shared a taxi with another couple for the 15 min drive to Moin (our half = 2,500C). We waited a while and then set off on the boat at 10am. The other couple hadn't booked ahead so we would have been ok after all.

    The boat trip took 4.5 hours including a half hour stop for loos / snacks ($40). The boat took us along a series of rivers, meeting the ocean at several points, but mainly a jungle scene full of vivid green colours. About an hour away, the rain started lightly so the ponchos came out but the roof of the boat kept us pretty dry.

    The first hour was more of a guided tour as we stopped to see crocodiles (big ones and baby ones), Jesus Christ lizards (bright green...very hard to spot on leaves!), howler monkeys, herons and egrets and my favourites, sloths! About 5 of them. One of them was hanging out just over the river so we got to see it close up - my sloth hunting dreams have been answered :)

    Our destination was Tortuguero, named after the numerous turtles who come ashore to lay their eggs - our main reason for coming to this hard to reach place is to hopefully see them nesting. Tortuguero is a national park made up of jungly wetlands with the rough Caribbean sea on the other side (the sea is too dangerous to swim).

    We checked into Cabinas Icaco ($30), about 20m from the beach, into a nice room with 3 beds, a balcony and a view of the ocean. And hot water! And hopefully no roaches.

    The light rain turned heavy so we relaxed inside for a few hours until it stopped. Then we wandered around the tiny town - no roads / cars; there is a single concrete strip as the main walkway and the rest are dirt paths. We had dinner at Fresh Food (8,000C) - Anna had a plantain basket filled with meat and salad; I had a crepe which looked nothing like a crepe as it was drowned in an amazing rich tomato sauce and cheese. Both delicious and we shared a huge, lovely smoothie. We walked back in the dark with our torches trying to light the way - Anna jumped when she nearly stepped on a tiny crab only to jump even more when she noticed a big crab with it's pincers pointed at her! She tried to shoo it away but ended up chasing it along the path we were trying to walk up.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Turtle nesting

    September 12, 2015 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We awoke to a beautiful day!! At last the sunshine is back :)

    Breakfast isn't included but can be ordered the night before...we had pancakes, juice & coffee (2,400C).

    Making the most of the sunshine, we went to wander around town, however soon retreated back to the shade as it was so hot! Really muggy and no breeze. No pleasing us Brits. We relaxed in the hammocks which are a stone's throw away from the beach.

    Lunch was the tastiest coconut ever (500C / $1 - can pay in either currency in CR) plus 2 scoops of ice cream (1,200C). A breeze had picked up so we could actually sit in the sun and we walked back along the beach. Upon our return, the hammocks were full so we sat on our balcony and were shortly joined by mum and baby moggy (daddy moggy came by later briefly). Anna had bought tuna for the skinny mum who devoured it happily and the kitten played with us for most of the afternoon. We later found her sleeping just outside our door on my bag which was out to dry.

    We went for dinner at the same place, both having plantain baskets full of beans and salad (and beef for Anna). Then it was time for the main attraction: turtle spotting! ($25).

    We were in a group of 10 with our guide Alfonso, who looks like a Caribbean version of Hurley from Lost. The beaches are strictly guarded and managed, nobody can go on without a guide after 6pm. Each group is assigned a time slot, 8-10pm or 10-12pm. Luckily we had the earlier one. So we set off at 7:20pm and walked to section 3 of 5 and waited in the jungle and learnt about turtle nesting. Then we waited some more. It was dripping hot and everyone was melting.

    Spotters find the turtles and tourists can only come once the turtle has dug her hole and started laying her eggs when she goes into a sort of trance; before this she might be spooked and return to the sea.

    Finally we got the call and walked in a line holding hands in the dark to our turtle. Alfonso had an infra red light but no other lights are allowed. Our green turtle (so called because they have green fat) was half buried under some palm leaves. She was huge! Bigger than they seem underwater. We came up behind her and sat watching as she lay her eggs (up to 150 at a time, up to 6 times in a season). She didn't seem to notice us, we didn't even have to be quiet. We then switched with another group so they could see. She then started to cover her eggs with sand using her back flippers so both groups huddled around. They then take up to an hour to cover and camouflage their spot to confuse birds etc from eating the eggs. She used her front flippers to flick sand behind her - she wasn't a great aim as a lot hit us! It was obviously hard work as she stopped to rest every minute. We left her after a while to finish up so she wouldn't think we were predators.

    We sat on the beach watching a storm get closer and closer. It started to rain and we were soon drenched through (we hadn't bought our ponchos as we were told no bright colours; however many people had ignored this). The storm came really close and crazy lightning strikes were hitting the sea right in front of us, burning images into our retinas.

    The other group left but we hung around and the turtle soon started shifting and turned around to face us so we could see her head - she looked even bigger! Then she hauled herself slowly back down to the sea leaving huge tire track marks.

    She entered the sea and was gone. On our way back off the beach we saw another smaller turtle who had just come up. We walked back through the jungle along the sand paths which had now turned into huge puddles. On our way we saw 2 big bull frogs, a tiny glass frog and then on the concrete path through town I saw a tiny snake - turned out it was a baby boa constrictor!! Sadly cameras aren't allowed on the beach so we don't have any pics, just amazing memories of a very special night!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Second wedding anniversary

    September 13, 2015 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Another sunny day to celebrate our second anniversary. We were treated to turtle-shaped pancakes this morning.

    We had a lovely lazy day of reading in the hammocks, ice cream for lunch (coconut man was sadly absent), and some route planning. A tiny gecko jumped onto my leg at one point and gave me a fright. I slapped the poor thing off me but it seemed to be ok. Anna found it highly amusing. Anna washed a mangy dog and was then it's new best friend.

    We had dinner at the same place - there are other options but they are more pricey and the food there is very good. I had a crepe again and Anna had the plantain basket for the third night in a row. We had an early night due to our early start the next morning.

    Torrential rain in the night woke us up - tin roofs are loud!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Arenal volcano

    September 14, 2015 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Costa Rica is a small country so travel should be easy compared to S America but it's not! There doesn't seem to be any main roads; just windy, hilly single lanes. Us gringos are left with two options: exorbitant 'shuttle transfers' in minivans or taking numerous public buses. Since we are rapidly running out of money we are trying the buses. There is little concrete info on the web about bus times but so far I'm glad to say it's worked out ok. For today's journey from Tortuguero to La Fortuna the shuttle was $55+ each. We spent $20 and although a long day, it didn't seem so. Plus it's far more of an adventure not quite knowing where you might end up.

    We got the 5:30am boat to La Pavona (1.25 hrs; 1,600C + 1,000C for big bags - mine is small so free). We didn't see any animals apart from a few birds...possibly all hiding from the lightning storm. From there we took a bus to Cariari (1,100C; 1.5 hrs) then another bus to San Jose (1,735C; 2 hrs). Then we took a taxi to a different bus terminal (3,000C; 5 mins; complete rip-off! I'm not sure if there was swindling or genuine confusion over bus times / terminals; taxis are definitely overpriced in CR). Then we boarded our final bus to La Fortuna (2,575C; 4 hrs). We had initially planned a route avoiding SJ as recommended by the taxi driver in Moin involving 5 buses but the man at Cariari said the SJ route was easier. Halfway through our final bus a few gringos from the boat joined us who must have gone a different route, so seems it doesn't make any difference timewise.

    The journey took us through some beautiful cloud forests, which I missed most of as I was busy whiplashing my neck while sleeping. From what little we saw, San Jose (the capital) was an ugly concrete jungle and not worth a visit. Then we passed through never-ending bright green fields and banana fields.

    On arrival we got a taxi for $3 to Villas Vilma ($45), possibly our nicest accommodation to date. A row of individual bungalows painted different colours set in beautiful gardens with a view of the volcano. The gardens come complete with a swimming pool and jacuzzi (only lukewarm unfortunately). Our room could sleep 4, has a massive fridge / freezer and most importantly for Anna: a coffee maker!!

    Our destination, La Fortuna, is the main town for visiting the Arenal volcano, which erupted in 1968 and continued to spew lava for tourists to gawp at. Sadly it dried up in 2010 but is still a beautiful sight and is sort of on our route to the West coast. There are many different tours you can do but they are all quite pricey so we shall likely just admire it from afar.

    When we arrived (about 5pm) the top of the volcano was shrouded in cloud. Soon after that the clouds formed a dome shape around the top and then they cleared. We sat on our terrace watching a beautiful sunset and then headed out for dinner. We are 2km out from the town but there are several restaurants nearby. We chose El Coloso which turned out to be a popular locals joint and had veggie burritos with possibly the best chips ever (with vinegar!) (8,000C).    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Independence Day

    September 15, 2015 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We had a blissfully lazy day. Anna was over the moon with the room's coffee maker and used it to full advantage...4 cups later and she was almost awake! She bought me breakfast in bed of some sort of hybrid Honey Monster lucky charms which were no doubt full of sugar and E numbers and tasted delicious.

    By midday we decided we should really do something with the day. Since the tours are really expensive, I had planned on us going to a free place with a Tarzan swing into a river. We decided we should really use the hotel pool so thought we'd spend an hour or so there first. It was so lovely that we ended up staying all day. The weather was perfect: cloudy with spells of sunshine that made you need to jump in the pool (pure sun would be too much for us and would frazzle Anna). We were the only ones there and the jacuzzi had warmed up nicely since yesterday. The volcano remained hidden behind clouds all day, which is apparently very common so we were very lucky yesterday to see it.

    As dusk came, we walked the 2km into town and had a wander around. It's a tiny place so it didn't take long, however everyone was gathering on the sides of the roads. I remembered that it was Independence Day and therefore there must be a parade! Latin America loves a parade - everywhere we've been we've seen them or heard bands practising. This was one of my favourites though...great music, tons of people (who knew this many people lived here?!) and a great atmosphere. We got a snickers ice cream cone and waited for it to start. It went on for an hour and was still going strong when we headed back. We had dinner at the same place as last night. There was again a bit of confusion over the bill and we noticed a group of Americans were questioning their bill too. I'm not sure if they're trying to swindle tourists or are just a bit incompetent - seeing as everything is just scribbles on scraps of paper in most places I suspect / hope it's the latter.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Boil in a bus - Tamarindo

    September 16, 2015 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Another long day on the buses - this time made far worse by the stifling heat! We got a taxi to the bus terminal and got the 8am bus to Tilaran (2,795C; 2 hrs) - beautiful scenery through the jungle around the huge Lake Arenal. The bus was slightly late so we missed the 10am bus to Canas. The next one was an hour an a half wait. A taxi said it was $25 so we settled down to wait. After half an hour another taxi driver said he'd take us for $2 each, which seemed far too good to be true so we assumed it was a scam. However he said he was from there and was returning back, hence the low price, and 2 other women were going so we went along. Once at Canas he tried to convince us to pay him $20 more to take us to a close by place where he said we could get a direct, quicker bus. We weren't convinced and declined. He then tried to drop us off under a bypass saying the bus would stop there. There was a woman there who confirmed this but again we insisted on going to the bus stop which he did. I think he was just trying to be helpful (the bus did actually stop there) but it was a bit weird - I'm not convinced half of CR isn't out to scam tourists, which is a shame as we haven't come across it much before.

    We got on the midday bus to Liberia (1,525C; 1 hr) which was packed and stiflingly hot. We then had a bit of a wait and a pricey ice cream before getting the 2:10pm bus to Tamarindo (1,500C; 2 hrs). The Tamarindo bus was absolutely roasting!! The wall next to me was boiling to the touch and hot air blew in through the windows. Luckily after an hour or so the sky became overcast and it called off somewhat.

    On getting off the bus, an American guy and his son (Kurt & Tytan!) asked if we had a room...we didn't, so he drove us in his battered car up a hill to his house where he has four studio apartments (Soles & Margaritas; $30). The studio was big, complete with kitchen, hot water and most excitingly you open the sliding doors and can not only see the sea but there is a pool - bliss! We were expecting to slum it here as prices online were high for anything half decent so we happily accepted. We promptly dumped out bags and jumped in the pool - bliss :)

    Kurt confirmed the stories we'd heard that while half the country is having storms, the West coast is having a drought. He recommended we don't drink the tap water due to this.

    After our dip, we wandered down the hill to look at the beach- beautiful, long, surfy beach - and the town - very modern and Americanised.

    Most restaurants looked pricey so we looked for the falafel bar but it was sadly closed in the low season. We considered cooking for ourselves but weren't sure how to light the cooker and couldn't find Kurt. We found a tiny BYOB Mexican place called El Chilito so headed to the supermarket and bought a can of Bamboo mojito and some iced tea to share. We both had a veggie taco which were only $2.50 each and fresh and delicious. I think we'll be back! The mojito in a can was surprisingly good! We headed back up the hill, it was still really warm, so we jumped in the pool again to cool off!

    Tamarindo is the most developed of the hundreds of beaches up the West coast. It seems to invoke a love-hate response from different people. We were expecting it to be very expensive but so far are pleasantly surprised to have great but cheap food and lodgings. The beach looks stunning and I think we could happily stay a week if we had the time.    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Stormy sunset surfing

    September 17, 2015 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    We woke early and had a lazy morning reading. Anna cooked pancakes and then we read some more. About midday we went down to the beach however the tide was out and there were no waves. It was hot, very hot! Anna's tummy wasn't happy so we came back up the hill which was hard work in the heat. I jumped straight in the pool and stayed there for several hours. It is a long, narrow pool which has 2 shallow ledges / steps which are perfect for lying on and reading (kindle in waterproof pouch!) whilst staying cool.

    When Anna was feeling a bit better we went back down the hill and saw two howler monkeys in the trees near the pool. One was lazing on his back stretching out, the other was hanging from his stomach with his legs dangling - very cute. After stopping for coffee (Anna suddenly perked up!) and an ice cream, we hired a surfboard for $8 and I went out first. There were a lot of guys and it was a bit busy for my liking but I eventually found an emptier spot and caught a few waves. Anna then had a go and almost immediately got whacked on the head by a guy's flying board. As she carried on, huge dark clouds were approaching and lightning flashed in the distance. We kept an eye on it and suddenly it got a lot closer. Anna got out and less than a minute later the entire beach was abandoned, save for a couple of crazies who stayed in the water.

    The heavens opened and we took shelter under a shop front. The storms seem to be following us! Apparently they haven't had rain for ages...we turn up...it chucks it down!! The lightning was high up and lit up the entire sky with masses of forks. Each time we see a new storm it seems to be more impressive.

    After half an hour, the rain eased and we made it to the Mexican place. We had hardly any money as we don't like to take much to the beach but had just enough to get some tacos and then headed up the hill hoping not to get struck by the continuing flashes. We changed into dry clothes, waited for the storm to pass a bit more and headed back down to the supermarket for supplies. It was noticeably cooler but we were still sweating by the time we got back. It's been a good day for exercise! To reward ourselves we had some choccy ice cream garnished with peanut m&m's - yum!!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Another day in paradise

    September 18, 2015 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    More sleeping in, more pancakes - this time with fresh pineapple and mango; more lazing by the pool; more sunset surfing and more tacos. It's a hard life!

    We could easily stay here for a week or two but sadly need to move on tomorrow. We have loved Tamarindo and would love to have explored some of the other beaches nearby. Despite it being low season, we expected more tourists but once again we haven't seen many.

    Anna finally solved the mystery maker of a loud noise which has been bugging her each night since Panama. She thought it was a bird, then a monkey, but has found out it is a house gecko! Who knew they made noises?!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    Nicaragua: crazy border

    September 19, 2015 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    50C = £1. $ also widely accepted.

    Kurt was lovely enough to give us a lift down the hill and we got the 10am bus to Liberia (1,500C; 2 hrs). We met an Argentinian couple (Tati & Sabina) who we agreed to share a cab with the other side of the border and became our travel buddies.

    The landscape was mainly fields with some trees and a few cattle. All was going well until the bus came to an unscheduled stop just as we were nearing our destination. Most people got off, the driver propped open the engine with a broom handle but failed to fix the problem and the rest of us were told it was the end of the line. Luckily we were only a 10 min walk from the bus stop.

    We had a short wait and then boarded a bus to the border (~1,800C; 1.5 hrs) to Penas Blanca. The place was full of lorries, tons of them. Some ladies tried to grab us but we ignored them and went into the migration office and were told we had to pay a $7 departure tax first. They pointed to a machine but nobody could get it to work. So we had to go with the ladies who led us behind some lorries where they fought over us for their $1 commission. Very strange system!

    We got our exit stamp, walked along the road a bit (no river to cross for once) and then paid $1 for something and $12 for something else before we could get our entry stamp - the most expensive border crossing yet! (The Argentinian couple had paid the small fees in Panama which we had somehow escaped!) Then our luggage was scanned and we had to show our passports to at least another 3 people. Crazy border.

    We got a taxi for $5 each to San Juan Del Sur. On the half hour ride we caught our first glimpse of Lake Nicaragua and the twin volcanoes on Ometepe. The roads were really good and there were tons of wind turbines - quite unexpected for what we thought was a less developed country.

    We checked into the same hostel as T&S who said it was the cheapest they'd found for an ensuite - Hostel Suenos del Mar; $16. The staff were uber friendly and the room was basic but clean, with free coffee, drinkable water and wifi good enough to play netflix. Anna managed to scam a welcome coffee.

    We went for a wander to the beach and caught the last of a beautiful sunset, then we checked out the restaurants. SJDS is a small, surfy town (though the surf beaches are a shuttle ride away). The beach is lined with Western, expensive restaurants (though cheaper than CR) while the cheaper eateries are a couple of streets inland. There is a street full of bars - the town has a party reputation - and far more gringos than we've seen in most places.

    We ended up at the Taco Stop, a cheap street-food type place and both had burritos (225C). I was then very excited to find cheap ice cream again (55C, yummy chocolate gelato to rival any Italian one). We watched an amazing Mariachi band play on the streets for a while and then went to the Cevicheria for Anna to have a craft beer which is brewed onsite. A Saturday night and we stayed out beyond 9pm - just!    Read more

  • Ruth SnowSouth & Central AmericaRuth Snow

    San Juan Del Sur

    September 20, 2015 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We picked up some granola and yoghurt for breakfast from the big supermarket down the road (along with 40p beer and fizzy grape drink which is Anna's new obsession). We passed a strange tree with fruit growing directly off the fat branches.

    The beach doesn't have any shade, either natural or umbrellas, so we couldn't survive a whole day there. We hid in the room which was pretty hot with just a fan until about 2pm and then spent the rest of the daylight on the beach. The beach isn't the nicest with brownish non-fluffy sand, but it's still pretty good and there were plenty of people cooling off in the water as it was the weekend. There are lots of boats moored in the water and pelicans dive bomb for fish right next to you.

    We walked to the end of the beach at sunset and skipped dinner, full of snacks of lemon & salt plantain chips and lychees.    Read more

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