A volcanic land - Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

We caught a ferry across the enormous Lago de Ometepe to an island consisting of two volcanoes, one of which is still active. This is a lake in denial, behaving more like the open sea. For the hour or so trip, the waves were lashing the boat and people around us were looking a little green by the time we arrived to shore.


We jumped on the local bus and proceeded to bounce around in our seats along with the locals, listening to the Latino American tunes that we have grown so accustomed to. We spent a night in probably the nicest accommodation that we have stayed in, but with no kitchen on-site and in our impoverished backpacker way, pulled out the gas stove and self catered.

For the second and third day we moved to a hippy farm in an underdeveloped area of the island. This was the 'real' Ometepe, complete with pigs, chickens, donkeys, dogs, you name it, all living free range and strolling from house to house. Some of our time was spent in a small bar/restaurant/home to a family, where we drank a few beers whilst observing the comings and goings along the dirt road. A particular highlight was watching a local on a bike being pulled by a rope attached to a horse! Between beers, Tom also turned the establishment into a hairdressers, after spotting one of the owners with some clippers.





Reclining in the sofa-hamoc in the living room after a hard day's work. Check out the reflection!
On one of the days we hired bikes to take in the views of the volcanoes and lake and go for a dip in the springs - water renowned for its purity and ability to soften the skin and hair. It was like jumping in a fresh pool of moisturiser!




Time in the hippy farm was interesting. It was located in a beautiful spot with fabulous views of both volcanoes, and surrounded by coffee and banana plantations. The finca/farm was owned by an Italian, passionate about his organic bread and pizza nights prepared in the wood fire oven. Amusingly, pizza night brought out the rather freakish community living foreign hippies, who when asked 'where they were from', replied with quizzical expressions and replied 'from planet earth' and proceeded to discuss the environment whilst puffing on their cigarettes!

Our accommodation was a shabby little cabaña, and in true Latin American style there were lots of gaps in the walls. An attempt to cover up the gaps with bug screens was fruitless as at night the bugs were out in force. Upon trying to kill one small spider with a broom stick this resulted in uncovering a massive tarantula. We spent the next 10 minutes freaking out trying to work out how to remove this 8 legged creature as he proceeded to stare at us from the sink while simultaneously wiggling his furry legs. Finally our Italian neighbour came to our aid scaring the fella to the next floor. When finally our pulses were returning to normal, we spotted another spider, this time it was a hybrid spider-scorpion and was aggressively clenching his pincers together. After spotting 3 potentially deadly spiders in a matter of minutes, this one had to go and he was immediately squashed. Trying to then sleep in a bug infested room was hard to say the least, each time I closed by eyes I had spider visions. With only 8 foot each of wedding veil material as make-shift mosquito nets, we didn't feel particularly protected from these biting insects. Hence we were incredibly relieved when morning broke so that we could pack our bags and head back to the mainland, away from crawly bitey things!

Nicaragua by the sea

We were so relieved when we arrived into Nicaragua after our 5 day whiz through Costa Rica. The people were more genuine, they spoke Spanish(!) and after only half an hour upon entering the country we were greeted by a massive lake containing two volcanoes.


This guy was staying in our hostel, before heading out for the day he picked up his parrot, put it on his bike, lit a cigar and off he went
We headed straight to San Juan Del Sur, a cute bay close to some great surf beaches. Along the way we met a guy from Texas who reminded us that the following day was Australia Day, so we made a pledge that we'd celebrate together, in true Aussie style, on the beach with a beer in hand. We hired bikes the next morning, and rode off slightly shakily as the wheels were a little wonky and the brakes had very slow reaction speeds. Nonetheless we rode along bumpy dirt roads for an hour before hitting the beautiful beach - Playa Madera. We spent the day thrashing about in the waves and drinking far too many beers before riding back to town with probably a bit more confidence than sense.





We'd been recommended a surf retreat hostel 30 miles up the coast, so the following day (with slightly sore heads) the three of us headed to Playa Popoya, renowned for its great breaks. It was a bit of a mission to get to along dirt roads, however it was worth it for the sweeping views across the sea as the hostel was perched on a cliff looking out on the ocean. Unfortunately though it was frightfully expensive for us backpackers, so we could only afford a one night stay. In the evening we took some bevvies down to the beach to watch the stars and we came across literally thousands of hermit crabs knocking their shells together as they scuttled across the beach. It was an amazing sight as the sand was alive with a sea of colour.




Leaving Popoyo was quite an adventure, after waiting for a local bus for half an hour, we decided to try our luck at hitching a ride. The first truck that came our way stopped upon reaching us and we all jumped in nestled between giant eskys filled with fish. Clinging onto our bags and also to the eskys due to lack of secure railings (!) we bumped and jumped along dirt roads at crazy speeds for an hour whist consuming copious amounts of dust. At one point, our driver stopped to reveal a huge bright green lizard, 'a friend of his' he told us, though what he proceeded to do was not something that you would normally do to your amigo - hit him and then place him in a bag. But then this is Latin America.

Reasonably fresh before the ride

Caked in an inch of dust after the ride

A quick whiz through Costa Rica

Costa Rica which translates as 'Rich Coast' was named by Christopher Columbus in the early 1500's. This country is by far the most tourist ready in Central America and has been effectively publicised throughout the world as a tropical paradise. While we enjoyed our 5 days there, we spent far too much money, and felt like we did not see the 'real' Costa Rica as it has been completely over-run by tourists, expats and foreign-run businesses. If you want to have a true and authentic Latino experience, head to Nicaragua.......

We saw a total of 3 places in Costa Rica as we sped through the country. First up was Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean, it's only an hour from the border with Panama and has a cool Caribbean vibe. We hired cruiser bikes and spent a day beach hopping - definitely the transport mode of choice. The beaches were stunning along the coast, but are competely over-run with tourists.



Second up was a night stop in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica and then a few days in Monteverde in the mountains. In Monteverde we did a zip-line canopy through the jungle, we flew through 14 zip lines, some of which were 150ft above the ground, which was an amazing tarzan-like experience.






However, after being treated like a rich gringo,(but actually having very few dollars for all the expensive activities), we jumped on a bus and headed to cheap and authentic Nicaragua.

Palm trees and piñas in Panama

We recovered from our Darien Gap ordeal in Panama City, thanking our lucky stars that we had managed to escape from the region unscathed. When we arrived, the city was buzzing with people and all the hostels were full, which resulted in us finding one of the only available affordable accommodations - a prostitute hotel. It was only $15 a night with bathroom, so an absolute bargain and ok for 2 nights (but just had to try hard to forget what normally goes on there!)




We had no expectations of Panama, thinking that it would be overly American-ised and expensive with not a great deal to see and do. We were even deliberating flying straight to Nicaragua. However in retrospect, we are so glad to have seen this completely understated country.


Panama City itself is quite fascinating, the Casco Viejo area or the old town was beautiful in a run-down sort of way, with sweeping sea views. We had the best fish and ceviche looking right across the harbour which came as a welcome relief after months of rice and beans.

A stay in Panama City would not be complete without a visit to the canal. So we caught local transport, which included a walk though a crocodile inhabited area, to spot the enormous cargo ships and cruise-liners passing through. The canal connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean, cutting the travel time between the two oceans by half. Previously owned by the Americans, the Panama Canal was passed over to Panama in 1999 and now generates much money for the country. We could see the impact of the trading routes in the shops - there are international consumer goods and food everywhere!

As you watch the ships passing through the locks you get a real appreciation for how the vessels have been built exactly for size to pass through the canal - there are only inches to spare as the ships glide past. In fact, the level of traffic through the docks has completely exceeded expectations and in 2014, 100 years after the original docks were built, an extension will be completed, widening the channel and enabling ships double the size to travel through the passage.

After Panama City we made a bee-line to the beaches. We first headed to the Pacific Coast and spent a few nights sleeping in our hammocs for $7 each a night in an awesome 4 star resort. Swimming and kayaking by day and eating fresh lobster and fish by night.



Putting our hamoc beds to good use - surprisingly comfortable and a great place to watch the monkeys as you wake in the morning




Awesome turkey vultures!
We then spent our last 6 days in the amazing Bocas Del Toro area. Prior to heading there, we were deliberating skipping it, as we'd heard how touristy it is. However, what we discovered was that although the main town itself has a touch of the 'Khao San Road' in Bangkok, the other areas on the main island and the surrounding islands are simply magical. Serene, palm strewn beaches with crystal clear water, starfish, endangered frogs, sloths and monkeys kept us entertained for days. Not to mention the great people that we met, becoming ordained as priests?!? and taking a midnight boat trip though the islands whilst we gazed at shooting stars after a night spent in a bar above a ship wreck. Good times, thanks to the Danes and the San Franciscans!