After a highly enjoyable sojourn through the hills of Honduras it was time to descend to the coastal plains again and find entry into country #8, Nicaragua.
Warm Showers, the cyclists hospitality website, provides a fantastic service to cycle tourists but plans go astray when communication breaks down. Jaime pictured here wasn't really expecting me, he hadn't picked up my last message, but, nevertheless, I managed to track his house down. In true Latin style and in the spirit of Warm Showers, I was invited in without hesitation. This would be my final night in Honduras so I had kept back a little spare cash in case I had needed to pay for a hotel. Instead, that money invested in the Honduran beer industry and a night out in the barrio. Great fun, I'm very grateful for a good night out in Choluteca with Jaime and friends.
Last views of Honduran countryside, a few miles from the border.
Vehicles lined up at the border. As usual, the crossing was fairly smooth but these are always moments of a little stress. You've got to keep your eye on your belongings, keep your valuables well concealed and be ready to answer a string of inane questions regarding nationality and intentions. Border guards frequently think I am Irish as the UK passport reads "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."
Patience and polite, understanding smiles are the order of the day! I usually resist the temptation to sink to sarcasm and withering comments...
All smiles, through immigration and onto the next country. Any border crossing jokes were on me though. I rode on to Somotillo, the first town on the Nicaraguan side of the border to get a hotel and call it a day (slightly thick head from the night out in the barrio). Asking around town it quickly became clear that there were no banks and the nearest cashpoint was back at the border! To be honest, I could have got by, changing a few dollars but decided to dump my panniers at a hotel and ride back to the cashpoint. Only a few miles. Of course, back at the border there was a big fuss over checking my passport again, radioing through that I was coming back to withdraw cash, etc, etc. Cheery smiles and compliance on my part.
You couldn't see a more typical rural scene in Nicaragua; sugarcane field with a volcano looming large in the background.
Conversely, you couldn't see a less typical rural scene; country cycle lane. It petered out after quarter of a mile but a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, people travelling by bicycle are rather looked down on here. Owning a car is a clear symbol wealth, a bicycle pushes you down in social status.
The sheen of sweat tells a tale of temperatures here, it's super hot! I'm trying my best to get riding done before the midday heat and drinking as much water as I can get my hands on. Riding the coastal plains the terrain is largely flat but brutal headwinds means what would be a quick and easy transit between two towns can be a real battle. Drop down a gear and take it with good humour, cursing the winds does little to help!
I spent a couple of days in Leon, a colonial city in the north of Nicaragua. I'm afraid I left knowing little more about the city than when I arrived.
Staying in an empty hostel for a couple of nights I decided to get stuck into some serious reading and cracked on with the Barchester Chronicles....
...whilst drinking endless cups of Honduran coffee.
A joyful picture for me! The headwinds were coming in diagonally left, so. perched behind the rear right wheel of this tractor and cart, I was able to benefit from a massive hole being punched in the air. For three glorious miles I was able to cruise at 20 mph before the tractor turned off. Back to 10 mph for the rest of the ride.
Lake Managua. Look at the vegetation and waves and you'll get an idea of the winds I endured that day!
In Managua (capital city) I stayed with a Belgian couple of work for local NGOs. Lovely people who open up their home despite leading such busy lives. A Korean cyclist was also passing through. Look at the amount of gear on his bike! The crate on the wall goes on the bike too!
Speaking with him about his time in the Andes I just cannot wait to get there. I've enjoyed my time in Central America so far but I will be ready to move on. The cooler climes and big mountain landscapes will be closer to the kind of riding I crave on this trip. My flight from Panama to Bogota is on 3rd March, so just three more weeks before a whole new continent.
Just one night in Managua, not the most prepossessing place, before riding on to Granada, another colonial jewel. Mercifully it was a short ride because, tormented, no, terrorised by mosquitoes, I didn't sleep well in Managua. Another reason to get to the Andes, no mosquitoes on the higher slopes.
Granada, another wonderful place that I will leave not knowing too much about but, rest assured, I'm making my way through the Barchester Chronicles!
I've not just had my head stuck in books though, I've also managed to get quite a lot of forward planning done and have six Warm Showers stays lined up for the coming weeks. With the final two Central American countries, Costa Rica and Panama, being considerably more pricey than the preceding countries, this will help with the budget.
A few more photos from my volunteering stay in Guatemala with Proyecto 123.
Hugs all round!
Ruck.
And, finally, just in case you're not an avid reader of the Oxford Mail, I made the news this week. You can read the article here: Oxford Mail
It's great to get media coverage and a wider audience. Don't forget that, with just a few more clicks than a Facebook 'like', you can make a donation to OXFAM and help fight poverty. Just follow the links in the blog or Google 'Just Giving Moden'. Will you really miss that tenner at the end of the month?
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