So after disembarking from my maiden voyage across the sea to Panama, I was in need of a bit of rest and relaxation, not that the last 8 months have been anything else, but you know what I mean. From the brief blurb I’d read in the lonely planet about Central America I knew I was in store for some beautiful places, colonial towns and cities and perhaps a more authentic Latin American experience than some areas of South America provided.
After spending a few days in the heavily American influenced Panama City (I counted at least 30 fast food restaurants in a food court in the city centre) I moved on to the Atlantic Coast towards the town of Bocas Del Torro (the Bulls Mouths). A relaxing if not spectacular few days were spent there with my Danish friend Simon where we reminisced on the past few months in South America while downing a few Rums.
Going our separate ways, I took the bus onto Nicaragua passing through San Jose in Costa Rica where I spent a few hours sleeping in the terminal waiting for my connecting bus to Isla de Ometepe.
Around 24 hours after I left Panama I found myself in the visually stunning Island of Ometepe where two volcanoes (one active) dominate the landscape. After doing a bit of much needed exercise where I climbed one of the mountains and went on some long-ish bike rides, I moved onto Nicaragua and the old colonial town of Granada.
Granada, along with Antigua in Guatemala, is the epicenter of Spanish learning and so at $4 an hour I decided to get a few hours of one-on-one tuition. Feeling infinitely more confident in my linguistic abilities (and perhaps because I’d not had a party for a while) I went out to a local Salsa bar and tried my hand with the locals (dancing that is). Whilst not an overwhelming success with the various forms of Latin American dance (Salsa, Rumba, Merengua, Cumbia etc etc) I felt I had enough in my locker to perhaps invest in some lessons in Antigua, Guatemala.
And so I booked a bus to the capital of Nicaragua, Managua with the intention of finding, what I hoped would be, a relatively easy connection through Honduras and onto Guatemala.
Now I’ve heard a few stories about Managua and the reputation it has for being less than safe. Fucking dangerous to be precise. So what I had hoped would happen is I’d arrive in Managua and then be able to get an immediate overnight connection to Granada, Nicaragua. The first part of the journey was straightforward enough and I arrived in Managua around 7ish by bus. From the terminal I then asked to be taken to the bus companies office where I could by my ticket. Now for some reason unbeknown to me, all the bus companies have decided to base themselves in, according to my taxi driver, “no go zones for tourists”. Brilliant!
Anyway, arriving at the bus company I got out and was met by a guard who said the office was closed and that I had to come back at 2am to buy a ticket and get on the bus. 2 bloody am. He kindly said he’d look after me for 6 hours while I wait on the street waiting to be mugged but I politely declined and got back in the taxi. So the taxi driver drove me round the corner to some guesthouse where I managed to bargain a discounted rate for a few hours in a room until it was time for me to go. Feeling a little safer I but my bags down and decided to go out for some dinner. As I stepped out of the door the mother of the house ran after me and stood in the doorway advising me that I was stupid to go out on my own. So a few minutes later I was being chaperoned by the man of the house to go and get some food. Now I felt I was in the shit slightly.
So it got to around 11pm and my minder said he was going to get a few hours sleep but to wake him at 2am and he’ll take me to the bus office. 2am came and my de facto bodyguard decided he was too tired and told me to get a taxi or walk. Shit! Not wanting to walk the 8 blocks on my own with my bags and a huge sign on my back saying “rob me!” I waited for a taxi. With only tumbleweed passing the streets I was in danger of missing my bus. However, just as I was about to go back to the hotel and demand that my bodyguard take me, a police car cruised the street. I hailed it down, told them the story and fortunately for me they said of course I could have a lift. I also mentioned I was slightly late and so that was the queue for them to stick on the lights and race the 8 blocks to my destination. So I arrived at the bus office, lights and siren on full in the back of a police car. To the other passengers waiting outside it must have looked pretty funny. However, the guard didn’t find it funny and thought I was a criminal and refused me entry to buy my ticket. A few minutes of passed before some gentle persuasion allowed me to get in.
And so I booked a bus and from there the journey was smooth to Guatemala City and then directly on to Antiugua. However, those few hours in Managua were a little hairy to say the least!
Arriving in Antigua I was immediately struck by the colonial influence of the town. Old cobbled streets mixed with huge imposing churches provides ample photo opportunities. After a day of lessons…both Spanish and Salsa I was feeling immersed into the city. Though whether it was something I ate or the drop in temperature, from around 25oC to 14oC, (yes I know that’s positively scorching compared to home) I was bed ridden for a couple of days. Feeling loads better a few days later I got on the bus and reached one of the most amazing places I’ve seen on my whole journey so far, Lago de Atitlan! Mountains, lakes and volcanoes all in one area provide one of the most stunning sceneries I’ve encountered. A real paradise where I spent yesterday visiting the local market and swimming in the lake.
An so that’s where I am now with just over a week of the journey to go. 7 days, 22 hours, 34minutes and 4 seconds to be exact…not that I’m conscious of how long I have left of my traveling existence before I begin life in the real world.
Tomorrow I’ll take a bus into Mexico and start the final leg of the trip. I’ve been reading up on the country and there’s some really cool places left to see. The plan is to start off in San Cristobal de Las Casas before taking a night bus into Mexico City and making friends with the 20 odd million other people who will be there.
I’ll try and get some thoughts up on the blog about the journey as a whole before I fly home but we’ll see…with so little time left I’m determined to make use of every minute I have left.
31 weeks passed…one more left…speak soon!!
