Nicaragua...or BUST!!!

We arrived in Leon after staying on the border for a night, and I have to say that I was completely STOKED to be back in the city where I lived for a couple of months in 2006. Of course, I headed right over to the Tortuga Booluda, the hostel that my friends Olin and Wendy have turned into a bustling little business enterprise. How good it was to catch up with all of my former "Nica" friends like Wendy, Josue, Olin, Ofelia and Rufus. I couldn't resist staying a few nights, although my plan was to skip town pronto and head off to find my little heaven at the beach.

Instead, I hung around for a few nights, visited Las Peñitas with Josue and his buddy Jordan a couple of times for surf sessions, and reminisced with old friends about fun times, and then I was finally off to find my Nicaragua beach with the break of my dreams...all to myself. Yeah right!!!

While in Leon, Lizzy and I decided to go our separate ways. She had been plagued by chronic ear infections, and thus was advised by her doctor (her dad) to not swim anymore, which is essentially impossible for her as a devote water baby, so she decided that it would be best to head inland. Therefore, she was off for Granada and I off to the sea.

I ran across Hotel Chancletas, via a recommendation by my buddy Chip, who I met my last time here in Nica when I was traveling with Blaine and Tacy. Chancletas was rumored to have some of the fastest breaks here in Nica, and a good point break to boot. I was pretty keen to check it out.

Although the place was packed to the gills when I arrived, I really never felt the pressure on the waves, as there were countless peaks up and down this beach for people to spread out on. Although I stayed for a couple of days, the beach breaks weren't working that well, and the point was a 100 cordoba ride from the hotel, so I decided to keep on movin' to find a cheaper and less crowded spot.

Back in Leon for the night after having decided that it was a good idea to extend my adventure until December. After having decided that it was probably best that I return home in September to continue my masters program, I changed my mind and think that it is a better idea if I take a good hard look at my options, at which I realized that having made it this far down, I would be a fool to rush home after only spending a short time here.

Therefore, I was off again to find a good beach with a point break to my liking and hopefully no crowds. I was off to Puerto Sandino and Miramar to hopefully find both of these.

Although the surfing at Miramar left something to be desired, I was hopeful that I might be able to rent a killer house on the ocean for a month of rest and relaxation and a break from the grinding beat of traveling in Desperado. Unfortunately, after four days of looking, I came up empty handed, but I had some fun surf sessions in the area, and really enjoyed getting to know this beautiful little fishing village for a while.

I still think that a visit to Miramar again when there is a bit more swell might be worth my effort, as the left point there called La Jamaicana really could work well with a decent sized swell and might produce some barreling lefts for LONG rides.

Alas, having struck out, I was off again down the road to a place that I had been in the past with a surf camp by the name of Los Cardones, where Blaine and I stayed when he was visiting.

I flew down the coast and made it to Los Cardones in no time flat. When I arrived, I realized that management of the place had changed, and they had little interest in my budget shenanigans, so I made haste down the beach to Comunidad San Diego, where I was hoping to find a house to rent and get a look at the famous Punta San Diego that sits right out front of the largest single development in NIcaragua, Gran Pacifica. Although this monstrosity proves to be a nuisance to surfing the point in the future, for now it is barely off the ground, so there are few people around providing pressure on the wave.

The swell when I was there was pretty bleak, but I was able to catch a few rides in the morning after I stayed on a vacant lot in San Diego, and was luckily able to find a house that I am considering renting for the next month or so. Due to a terrible forecast for swell, I decided to get on the road again and to some more exploring.

I drove from the Montelimar/Pochomil/Masachapa area down the coast on probably one of the worst roads in the country to Casares. Although I was able to find some beautiful beaches along the way, and stumbled across what proves to be another imposing development along the way, I found very little in the way of waves, so I didn't stay in Casares more than a few minutes to have a beer to wet my whistle.

Due to my drive down the beach (literally on the beach for about 5 km or so), I was now significantly south of where I had planned to be, so I ended up having to go through Managua to return to my northern route back to Leon for festivities for La Dia de la Revolucion.

I got a call that my buddy Josue was in Miramar, so I made haste back there to find that he had already left, but I was lucky enough to find my friend Yili there who was interested in a little beach time. I was looking for waves, but was disappointed to find a lake-like ocean when I arrived back at La Jamaicana. No worries, though, as the swell outlook next week looks decent, and the end of this week is filled with fiestas with friends in Leon.

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.

Our luck changed pretty drastically after we left the lake, which is good, as things were getting pretty bad. We left the lake and went for the cool of the mountains again, staying just outside a little town called Zunil that has a plethora of volcanic activity that creates enough hot water for a multitude of different sauna and hot spring options. We picked one that had three relaxing pools and plenty of views to keep us relaxed and happy.

After much persuasion and a relaxing day at the hot springs in Zunil, I was able to convince Christina to head to the beach for a bit of a surf. We found a place where we could drive right to the beach and stay just off the surf break (Los Pinos) outside of Sipacate.

We had a surf the evening we arrived, but it wasn't until the next morning that it shaped up enough to catch a few waves. Although I was frustrated with the quality of the beach break, I had a blast catching waves and riding right up onto the sand. After a couple of sessions, we decided that we were pooped enough, and motivated to get closer to the airport for Christina's departure in the morning.

Although we tried to stay away from Antigua, we ended up back there after getting a little lost trying to find a village in the hills above the city. We were disappointed to return to the city, but ended up enjoying it much more than our previous stay, considering that McKenzie was well, we stayed in a nicer hotel, enjoyed a nice dinner outside of the tourist area, and even had a bit of time to pick up some souvenirs on our way out of town.

I got Christina to the airport in time for her flight and promptly returned to Antigua (7th time in/out of the city) to collect Lizzy to head to El Salvador (8th and final time in/out of Antigua). We didn't quite make it to the border, but instead decided to stay the night back at Los Pinos before making the charge for the border...

After a fast border crossing, we headed down to El Zonte to meet up with Sean and Erin to continue the surf journey.

Sean and I had a sunset session at El Zonte, but decided that it was not worth sticking around for unless it got much better in the morning. When it failed to get better, we got on the road to head down to La Libertad to outfit, and then try El Sunzal to see if it is handling the surf any better than El Zonte.

Wow...can you say BAD LUCK? We left Antigua after feeling as though our luck was going to change with Kenzie feeling better, but little did we know that her illness was just the tip of the iceberg. After getting stuck in construction for hours on our way to Lago Atitlan, we finally arrived in San Pedro la Laguna with just enough time to find a place to camp for the night. Little did we know that the streets in this lakeside community are BARELY big enough for Desperado to fit down.

When we found ourselves stuck behind a large truck making a delivery, we decided that we would have to back up the hill that we had gone down and wait for him to move before we could pass. Easy, right? Well, it turned out that it was easy until the very end, when I backed the side of Desperado into probably the most expensive car in Guatemala (actually, without a doubt), that belonged to one of the local politicians running for mayor, who apparently could afford the Volvo truck because he is running drugs with it (we found that out later, but it makes good sense).

The damage was actually pretty severe, with one of Desperado's legs having left a 18 inch scratch/dent down the bed of his truck. Of course, it was parked outside of his political office, so he and all of his cronies were there to witness the event and ensure that we didn't try to get away. This is where it really gets interesting...

No insurance is available to people traveling through Guatemala. They must figure that all the cars (excepting this one) are so shitty that there is really no need to repair them in the case of an accident anyway. Just my luck that I found a nice car, eh? So, with no insurance, it became my responsibility to take care of the damages through monetary reimbursement. After much arbitration, we finally arrived at the following agreement:

1. 2250 Quetzalis (equivalent of $300US)
2. my Ipod and all attachments (equivalent of $200US)
3. my favorite hat (right off my head)
4. a promise to return to San Pedro and enjoy the place more the next time (yeah, fucking right!)

With that behind us, we finally did have some time to enjoy the town, although Christina had not been feeling herself. A quick check with the internet and she isolated that the lack of sensation and ability to move the muscles on the right side of her face are indicative of Bells Palsy...a VERY serious condition caused by stress. She has begun a regiment of drugs that will hopefully clear the symptoms up here shortly...we hope!

Ok...our luck has to change, right? After a couple of days enjoying the lake with little in the way of drama, we are out of here and heading further into Guatemala in search of tranquility and a illness, accident-free lifestyle!!! Wish us luck!

We left Placencia hoping to make it near the Guatemalan border before dark, and did just that. We actually made it across the border and stayed in the middle of the jungle at a little known archaeological site just across the border along the road to Tical. Although we hit the sack SUPER early, it made no difference to our nights rest once the Howler Monkeys realized that we were around and spent the entire night making us pay for our intrusion with their satanic war cries.

On a positive note, the Howlers did get us up and on the road early, with out earliest start yet at a quarter after six. Lizzy and I made it to Antigua after our longest day of driving yet. We had planned to stop at Tical, but with an estimated 10 hours of driving ahead of us, we decided that the prudent route would be to leg it directly to Antigua to secure decent accommodations for the night. Due to widespread road construction here in Guatemala, the trip took much longer than expected, especially getting through Guatemala City.

We arrived just in time to meet up with Sean and Erin at a little place called Cafe No Se. Our patron there, Steve, took us under his wing that night and was nice enough to educate us about Agave and its "medicinal" benefits, much to our chagrin the next morning when we woke up on the street outside of Sean and Erin's pimpin' pad.

The night was a blast, with many large first stories having been told and a basic education on agave having been gleaned. The biggest lesson that I took away was that Agave is equally as dangerous as its older and "more cultured" brother Tequila!

I collected Christina from the airport the day following the agave night and was lucky enough that she was as bushed as me after nearly 24 hours of traveling to get here. We returned to Antigua after collecting lost luggage from the airport and found a decent little spot to stay for the night.

Our plan was to get out of Antigua straight away, but McKenzie fell under the weather with what turned out to be a pretty serious condition, so we have been in Antigua for a bit longer than planned, which is definitely not all bad, as this city is absolutely incredible. Definitely the gem of Central America!

With McKenzie on the upswing after a heavy dose of antibiotics, we are on our way to the peace and tranquility of Lago Itatlan.