Nicaragua

We left El Zonte in El Salvador after just a night, and went just down the road to El Sunzal, with the expectation of a really good longboard wave, and one that would be perfect for Erin and Lizzy to get their feet under them on their boards and get some serious time in the water. It turned out that the wave was a bit more challenging than we had first thought, so rather than providing a good place for Lizzy and Erin, is actually was a great spot for Sean and I to get our skills back after nearly a month off each.

The setup was pretty killer, with ShErin camped right across the way from us at a place just down the beach from the break called Roots. Later, we were joined by a couple that I had met in Nicaragua six months previously. Aaron and Amy were on their way north to Mexico on an extended return to the US after almost 2 years on the road.

Sean, Aaron and I had a few good nights of booxin' that eventually chased all of us down our respective roads due to the pain we suffered the next morning. After that little experience, we each individually signed off alcohol for periods, some longer than others.

With a week logged at Sunzal and an ever-growing confidence on the wave, the ShErin and Nizzy crews headed off down the road, further south in El Salvador in search of another place that would suit our surfing expectations for a few days. We found Las Flores, just outside of El Cuco.

The setup at Las Flores was pretty killer as well, as we were camped about 20 meters from one of the premier surf camps in the world. The land next to the surf camp is still owned by a Salvadoran, so we were able to park and camp there for just $5 a night each, rather than the minimum $100 a night that they are getting at Las Flores Surf Camp.

We only stayed 3 nights there at Las Flores before heading on down the road, as our timing was not the best to catch good surf. My first morning out was pretty good, but I was just getting to know the wave, and then the waves went to shit the rest of the time we were there. The Nizzy crew headed on down the road in search of Nicaragua sessions, while the ShErin crew remained at Las Flores trying to catch some good surf there and decide if the Honduran border is worth the pain.

Our pain at the northern Honduran border was plentiful. After 4 plus hours of waiting, we finally made it through the border just before dark. That left us with a dark drive to the other border, some two and a half hours down the road. Although tension was high in Desperado, we did make it to the Honduran/Nicaraguan border in time to get into the country and find a place to stay on the Nica side.

After over 6 months away, I am finally back in Nicaragua, and I couldn't be happier to be here. The feeling here is remarkably different than the other Latin countries that we have been through. Nicaraguans can easily be mistaken for trying to take advantage of you (like their other Lain counterparts), but in nearly every circumstance, in my experiences, they are simply trying to help out of the kindness of their hearts. The adjustment is a bit of a chore, but I am once again in the process of accepting generosity at face value, rather than assuming ill-intentions in everyone. What a breath of fresh air, indeed!

After staying near the border, Lizzy and I made it down to Leon, where I began my last Nicaraguan adventure. We sorted some things on the internet, and then made the decision to go our separate ways, as Lizzy has been plagued by ear infections and can't seem to stay out of the water when we are at the beach (who can blame her), so therefore must go inland, while I on the other hand am TOTALLY surf focused for the remainder of the trip.

With the winds of change a-blowin', I am here in Leon deciding my next course of action and catching up with some old friends from my last stay here. With any luck at all, I will find myself staying in a private residence somewhere on the coast of Nicaragua with a surf break just outside my front door, while I enjoy a bit of relaxation before I return to the US.