We were supposed to leave at 5.30am. Alejandro wasn't sure but he believed that there is a bus at 7am from San Lucas to Charcas. In that case we wouldn't have to walk for another 4 hours ... We should walk 1.5 hours for the same way we needed 2 hours last Friday. But we only left at 5.50am. Will we make it?
As it was still early in the morning and it hadn't rained a lot during last night it wasn't as muddy and slippery and we were quite good in walking. In fact, we managed the hike in only 70 minutes. And there even was the truck. Great - weren't we lucky?
2 hours later we were back in Coban, and we were looking forward to a hot shower. But in the new hotel - the other one was fully booked - they spoke about hot water ... but not in the shower. :(
We had once again a nice breakfast and were quite lazy for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we have another day in the bus and need to be fit!
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Friday, June 25, 2004
Coban - Chicacnab
At 9.45am we were at the "Ecoquetzal" office. As since South Korea we don't have our sleeping bags with us anymore, we rented a blanket each which we will certainly need during the next two days. Then we had to wait. Our Guide Alejandro was already there but ...
About an hour later we were on our way. We had to take the bus to Charca (approx. 15 minutes), and again 1.5 hours in a kind of cattle carrier. With that though they don't carry cattle but people.
At 1.30pm we started our hike from San Lucas to Chicacnab. It was supposed to take 2 - 3 hours. But it immediately started steep uphill. On top of that it was ever so muddy and soon we had big dirt blobs on our shoes. But it didn't make sense to clean them as soon we would have new ones. Although it was quite stickily, greasily and slippery and we had to be careful not to fall into the mud we enjoyed the hike.
In fact after only 2 hours we were at an altitude of 2.500m and thus in Chicacnab, where Alejandro lives. We immediately were greeted by his three boys (the youngest cannot walk yet otherwise he would have been there as well). Alejandro showed us his house, a wooden house. The floor was dirt. Ramona and I got a separate room with two beds. It was only obvious that it will be freezing cold the two next nights.
In Chicacnab, a small village of about 100 people, there is a church in which they pray every Sunday for four hours and a soccer field which is as camel-bucked and humpy that our kids would definitely not play soccer on it. Alejandro, however, was so proud to talk about it.
For lunch we got egg with beans and of course tortillas, which Angelina made on the open fire in the middle of the kitchen. We got also served coffee. And even I (Nicole) drank it as it was really good - it smelt like coffee but tasted like tea. Mmmmh!
The kids in their torn clothes and runny noses reminded us of the kids in Lhasa. They went to play soccer at 5pm and we helped Angelina doing the dishes - outside in the freezing cold with freezing cold water. As washing-up liquid she uses washing powder. Ramona and I in our fleece jackets were ever so cold but Angelina only wore a t-shirt. Brrrrr!
Back in the warm kitchen we sat around the fire. As there is no electricity we had candles. I had the little baby on my lap which didn't wear anything but a T-Shirt. It was obvious that sooner or later he would pee on me. But no-one reacted. Alejandro and Angelina only laughed about it and said "mucho agua" (lots of water)! Well, that's also a way of seeing it. :)
About an hour later we were on our way. We had to take the bus to Charca (approx. 15 minutes), and again 1.5 hours in a kind of cattle carrier. With that though they don't carry cattle but people.
At 1.30pm we started our hike from San Lucas to Chicacnab. It was supposed to take 2 - 3 hours. But it immediately started steep uphill. On top of that it was ever so muddy and soon we had big dirt blobs on our shoes. But it didn't make sense to clean them as soon we would have new ones. Although it was quite stickily, greasily and slippery and we had to be careful not to fall into the mud we enjoyed the hike.
In fact after only 2 hours we were at an altitude of 2.500m and thus in Chicacnab, where Alejandro lives. We immediately were greeted by his three boys (the youngest cannot walk yet otherwise he would have been there as well). Alejandro showed us his house, a wooden house. The floor was dirt. Ramona and I got a separate room with two beds. It was only obvious that it will be freezing cold the two next nights.
In Chicacnab, a small village of about 100 people, there is a church in which they pray every Sunday for four hours and a soccer field which is as camel-bucked and humpy that our kids would definitely not play soccer on it. Alejandro, however, was so proud to talk about it.
For lunch we got egg with beans and of course tortillas, which Angelina made on the open fire in the middle of the kitchen. We got also served coffee. And even I (Nicole) drank it as it was really good - it smelt like coffee but tasted like tea. Mmmmh!
The kids in their torn clothes and runny noses reminded us of the kids in Lhasa. They went to play soccer at 5pm and we helped Angelina doing the dishes - outside in the freezing cold with freezing cold water. As washing-up liquid she uses washing powder. Ramona and I in our fleece jackets were ever so cold but Angelina only wore a t-shirt. Brrrrr!
Back in the warm kitchen we sat around the fire. As there is no electricity we had candles. I had the little baby on my lap which didn't wear anything but a T-Shirt. It was obvious that sooner or later he would pee on me. But no-one reacted. Alejandro and Angelina only laughed about it and said "mucho agua" (lots of water)! Well, that's also a way of seeing it. :)
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Cobán - Lanquín
This morning we were a bit lazy. We hadn't planned much for the morning anyway and only wanted to get some information on a possible hiking tour. Our bus to Lanquín only leaves at noon. Thus we stayed a bit longer in bed today. But at 8.15am we got ants in our pants. A hot shower was waiting for us - it was really hot we almost burned ourselves. But it was great anyway!
After a long and delicious breakfast we went to the office of "Ecoquetzal". We were given a folder of information on the offered tours. But unfortunately all are only for 3 days and 2 nights. Hmmm, we don't have that much time left anymore.
As time was running to get our bus we wanted to think about it and call them again tomorrow. We had five minutes to get to the bus station. It was obvious that this couldn't work. It was just obvious that this wouldn't work for us. Also because we didn't find the bus terminal immediately. When we eventually got there it was of course too late! Actually, there should be buses all the time. There were some but not to the place we wanted to go. Thus we just walked a bit further ... and even found a minibus which took us to Lanquín. On the radio we listened to the match of the Germans against the Czechs. But we would have better avoided that. :(
We arrived in Lanquín about 3.20pm - just in time to go to the cave. We quickly checked in at Posada Ilobal and were on tour again. The cave leads several kilometers into the earth but still there is not everything explored yet. The first hundred meters are signed and lighted, but still most of the underground remains untouched. The soil was very muddy and slippery. It was also unusual that in this cave it was quite hot. And we of course were still carrying our jumpers! But we were ever so happy that the cave for us was only a few hundred meters long. So many stalagmites and stalagtites. They were breathtaking. We didn't even know where to look first. The cave was very big and high and we partly felt like being lost. Yes, until all these tour groups arrived who were so loud. Gone was the calm. Still we lingered around the formations which almost all look like animals (elephant, tiger, lion, owl ...). It was almost 6pm when we left the cave.
We sat down in front of the cave's entrance and waited for the sunset. This is the time when hundreds if not thousands of bats fly out of the cave. Almost 45 minutes we sat there, listened to the rushing of the river, looked at the forest opposite of us - we thought to have seen monkeys there - and observed the many fireflies surrounding us. Then, about 6.45pm the spectacle started. In fact, lots of bats came out of the cave which on the sky flew around like crazy. It was amazing to watch how close they fly next, over or under each other not bumping into each other. Also the leaves of the trees didn't move at all although the bats were flying into the trees. We followed the game for about half an hour and then walked back in the light of our torches.
We had just sat down in Café Semuc and oredered when there was a power cut and it started to pour down with rain. Weren't we lucky? We had a delicious burger and had an early night.
After a long and delicious breakfast we went to the office of "Ecoquetzal". We were given a folder of information on the offered tours. But unfortunately all are only for 3 days and 2 nights. Hmmm, we don't have that much time left anymore.
As time was running to get our bus we wanted to think about it and call them again tomorrow. We had five minutes to get to the bus station. It was obvious that this couldn't work. It was just obvious that this wouldn't work for us. Also because we didn't find the bus terminal immediately. When we eventually got there it was of course too late! Actually, there should be buses all the time. There were some but not to the place we wanted to go. Thus we just walked a bit further ... and even found a minibus which took us to Lanquín. On the radio we listened to the match of the Germans against the Czechs. But we would have better avoided that. :(
We arrived in Lanquín about 3.20pm - just in time to go to the cave. We quickly checked in at Posada Ilobal and were on tour again. The cave leads several kilometers into the earth but still there is not everything explored yet. The first hundred meters are signed and lighted, but still most of the underground remains untouched. The soil was very muddy and slippery. It was also unusual that in this cave it was quite hot. And we of course were still carrying our jumpers! But we were ever so happy that the cave for us was only a few hundred meters long. So many stalagmites and stalagtites. They were breathtaking. We didn't even know where to look first. The cave was very big and high and we partly felt like being lost. Yes, until all these tour groups arrived who were so loud. Gone was the calm. Still we lingered around the formations which almost all look like animals (elephant, tiger, lion, owl ...). It was almost 6pm when we left the cave.
We sat down in front of the cave's entrance and waited for the sunset. This is the time when hundreds if not thousands of bats fly out of the cave. Almost 45 minutes we sat there, listened to the rushing of the river, looked at the forest opposite of us - we thought to have seen monkeys there - and observed the many fireflies surrounding us. Then, about 6.45pm the spectacle started. In fact, lots of bats came out of the cave which on the sky flew around like crazy. It was amazing to watch how close they fly next, over or under each other not bumping into each other. Also the leaves of the trees didn't move at all although the bats were flying into the trees. We followed the game for about half an hour and then walked back in the light of our torches.
We had just sat down in Café Semuc and oredered when there was a power cut and it started to pour down with rain. Weren't we lucky? We had a delicious burger and had an early night.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Santa Cruz La Laguna - Nebaj
I (Nicole) woke up already at 4.15am - diarrhoea! Great, haven't had that for ages. Why only today when we were supposed to be on a bus all day long? I still wanted to risk it - after a few more times on the toilet we left the hotel at 7.15am and took the ferry to Panajachel.
From here we wanted to take the bus to Chichicastenango (Chichi) but the young guy of the passing bus waved to us. Jump on here, that's faster. He was right. About half an hour later we got to the new village from where we could take the bus to Chichi. We were in fact surprised that this ride was cheaper than the first one but didn't think about it more. We were dropped off and asked for directions to Nebaj. It was really cold up here and it was raining. We stood under a shelter and let a few buses pass as there was none saying Nebaj on it. We were wondering and asked - well, we are still not in Chichi. But get on here. You'll have to change one more time though. Gee, was that complicated.
After 7 hours in total we arrived in Nebaj where we went for a nice room including hot shower and TV. Nebaj itself is nothing special and we went further to explore the surrounding areas. We walked 3 hours but we didn't see the breathtaking landscape as described in our travel guide. Maybe it was because of the rain pouring down or because of all the rubbish in the river and along the road.
For dinner we had a really good pizza and went to bed early.
From here we wanted to take the bus to Chichicastenango (Chichi) but the young guy of the passing bus waved to us. Jump on here, that's faster. He was right. About half an hour later we got to the new village from where we could take the bus to Chichi. We were in fact surprised that this ride was cheaper than the first one but didn't think about it more. We were dropped off and asked for directions to Nebaj. It was really cold up here and it was raining. We stood under a shelter and let a few buses pass as there was none saying Nebaj on it. We were wondering and asked - well, we are still not in Chichi. But get on here. You'll have to change one more time though. Gee, was that complicated.
After 7 hours in total we arrived in Nebaj where we went for a nice room including hot shower and TV. Nebaj itself is nothing special and we went further to explore the surrounding areas. We walked 3 hours but we didn't see the breathtaking landscape as described in our travel guide. Maybe it was because of the rain pouring down or because of all the rubbish in the river and along the road.
For dinner we had a really good pizza and went to bed early.
Saturday, June 19, 2004
Antigua - Santa Cruz La Laguna
Already at 6.30am we were on our way to the bus. We wanted to take the local bus instead of the more expensive shuttle which is offered especially for tourists. But when we walked around the corner ... What's that? Why are here so many tourists? Unbelievable - the whole bus full of tourists. Where will this end?
We got to Panajachel and headed straight for the dive shop. It was closed though and we were told to go to Santa Cruz La Laguna. As there is also accomodation and Panajachel - we had already realized that on our way to the dive shop - a real tourist centre is, our decision was quickly made.
With a lancha (small boat) we rode over Lake Atitlan to Santa Cruz La Laguna. This lake is supposed to be one of the most beautiful in the world. It is a collapsed caldera (On top of volcanoes craters are often built in consequence of sinking lava in the chimney after the volcano has calmed down. Sometimes this crater gets so deep that the walls get instable and collapse. This leads to a wide dip which is called Caldera. Its diameter can be up to several km).
The boat ride over the up to 320m deep lake to Santa Cruz took only 10 minutes. Shortly after that we had checked in a hostel. All great but no electricity! Generally no problem at all but where do we watch the football match now?? We had no choice - it had to be without our support.
Instead of watching football we went for a walk. Santa Cruz is a really small village, spread over the hills. Quite exhausting if one wants to get to the last house. On our way we met a local who was listening to the radio. Football? Yes ... but still no goal. Great! Only 10 more minutes. Knowing the German team it's already obvious that nothing will happen anymore.
We booked our high altitude course in the hotel and spent the rest of the day doing nothing. For dinner we had a barbeque with all the guests of the hotel.
We got to Panajachel and headed straight for the dive shop. It was closed though and we were told to go to Santa Cruz La Laguna. As there is also accomodation and Panajachel - we had already realized that on our way to the dive shop - a real tourist centre is, our decision was quickly made.
With a lancha (small boat) we rode over Lake Atitlan to Santa Cruz La Laguna. This lake is supposed to be one of the most beautiful in the world. It is a collapsed caldera (On top of volcanoes craters are often built in consequence of sinking lava in the chimney after the volcano has calmed down. Sometimes this crater gets so deep that the walls get instable and collapse. This leads to a wide dip which is called Caldera. Its diameter can be up to several km).
The boat ride over the up to 320m deep lake to Santa Cruz took only 10 minutes. Shortly after that we had checked in a hostel. All great but no electricity! Generally no problem at all but where do we watch the football match now?? We had no choice - it had to be without our support.
Instead of watching football we went for a walk. Santa Cruz is a really small village, spread over the hills. Quite exhausting if one wants to get to the last house. On our way we met a local who was listening to the radio. Football? Yes ... but still no goal. Great! Only 10 more minutes. Knowing the German team it's already obvious that nothing will happen anymore.
We booked our high altitude course in the hotel and spent the rest of the day doing nothing. For dinner we had a barbeque with all the guests of the hotel.
Thursday, June 17, 2004
San Salvador - Antigua (Guatemala)
Armando was already waiting for us. For the last time we wanted to drive with him. To the bus terminal in order to get to Guatemala City. The ride was short and already at 7.45am we had our tickets. We took our bags out of the car and said good-bye to Armando. But stop - didn't we forget something? Right, we hadn't paid him yet! Of course, he should get his money. But why hadn't he said anything?
The ride in the fridge bus took 5 hours. Again the air conditioning worked too well. Cold as ice we arrived in Guatemala at 1.45pm. We took a taxi to another bus terminal in order to get to Antigua.
Antigua is a small colonial town, surrounded by 3 volcanos. The town reminds us of Granada (Nicaragua) with its many colourful buildings and the cobblestone streets.
After checking in at the hotel "Place to stay" we went to explore the town. We also booked the tickets for tomorrow's tour to Monterrico.
The evening we spent on the Internet. We haven't been online for quite a while and there were so many emails waiting for us.
The ride in the fridge bus took 5 hours. Again the air conditioning worked too well. Cold as ice we arrived in Guatemala at 1.45pm. We took a taxi to another bus terminal in order to get to Antigua.
Antigua is a small colonial town, surrounded by 3 volcanos. The town reminds us of Granada (Nicaragua) with its many colourful buildings and the cobblestone streets.
After checking in at the hotel "Place to stay" we went to explore the town. We also booked the tickets for tomorrow's tour to Monterrico.
The evening we spent on the Internet. We haven't been online for quite a while and there were so many emails waiting for us.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
San Salvador
As agreed we got picked up at 7.30am by Armando. We wanted to go to Cerro Verde. This mountain is a National Park on an old volcano. From here one has good views on the Lago de Coatepeque as well as on the still smoking volcano Izalco. Until 1770 Izalco only was a hole in the earth and only gradually the volcano was built and grew to its actual height of 1,910 m. Because of its activities - ejection of smoke, boulders and flames - the Izalco is also called light house of the pacific. In 1957 the volcano stopped its activities, after 187 years of continuous eruptions. Still the volcano is an active one.
At the entrance to the National Park we had to pay $1 per person entrance fee plus $0.69 parking fee. On the parking however we learned that it is to dangerous to climb the Izalco on our own. We should wait until 11am then we could go with a guide and a police man. Only at 11am? This is still 1.5 hours. Why is it dangerous? Because of bandits hanging around, it only is for your own security. Hmmm... And why is the park open at 8am already when the tour guides only appear at 11am? This is only during the week. Grrrrrrr! What shall we do? We used the opportunity to at least walk the 1,300 m long circle trail and got thus to the look-out for the lake and the volcano Santa Ana (2,365 m).
We were back about 10am. Armando who had walked with us and who hasn't been here before enjoyed it as well. As we didn't want to wait another hour for a guide we decided to drive to Suchitoto. Like that we could do two things which we originally had planned for two different days.
Armando agreed to drive us there. Unfortunately though he didn't take the route we wanted. It was much further via Santa Ana he said. A gaze on our map showed that this was not true but he wasn't interested. He just drove the way back to San Salvador. Well, it's us who pay so we should also decide on the route ...
We made it to Suchitoto which is 47 km north of San Salvador, at an altitude of 380 m. Some of the earliest fighting in the civil war began in Suchitoto and went on for 13 years. Since 1993, the city's colonial legacy has been impressively restored. We wanted to have a look at the colonial buildings, the cobblestone streets as well as the Lake Suchitlan.
Around the lake it just looked as back home: lush green grassland, on which the cows were grazing, on one side the lake, in the background the mountains. Nice and idyllic. Just perfect to hang around. We had a cold coke in a "cafe" and enjoyed the calmness.
Back in San Salvador we did our chores and Armando took us back to our hotel. We gave him the agreed amount of money but he wanted more. We didn't mention Suchitoto to him yesterday? This is indeed correct but we had booked him for the whole day, had asked him for his daily price. I (Nicole) stayed ever so calm and was so happy that I knew the correct Spanish words in the right moment. In the end Armando agreed - whether it was because I mentioned that we wanted his service tomorrow as well?
This evening we had football on the program. Germany - Netherlands, a big hit! The match was long over but as we didn't know the result we watched the match. For us it was just as if it had been live. A shame though that they didn't make it, the Germans. However, we were quite surprised by the German team in general.
At the entrance to the National Park we had to pay $1 per person entrance fee plus $0.69 parking fee. On the parking however we learned that it is to dangerous to climb the Izalco on our own. We should wait until 11am then we could go with a guide and a police man. Only at 11am? This is still 1.5 hours. Why is it dangerous? Because of bandits hanging around, it only is for your own security. Hmmm... And why is the park open at 8am already when the tour guides only appear at 11am? This is only during the week. Grrrrrrr! What shall we do? We used the opportunity to at least walk the 1,300 m long circle trail and got thus to the look-out for the lake and the volcano Santa Ana (2,365 m).
We were back about 10am. Armando who had walked with us and who hasn't been here before enjoyed it as well. As we didn't want to wait another hour for a guide we decided to drive to Suchitoto. Like that we could do two things which we originally had planned for two different days.
Armando agreed to drive us there. Unfortunately though he didn't take the route we wanted. It was much further via Santa Ana he said. A gaze on our map showed that this was not true but he wasn't interested. He just drove the way back to San Salvador. Well, it's us who pay so we should also decide on the route ...
We made it to Suchitoto which is 47 km north of San Salvador, at an altitude of 380 m. Some of the earliest fighting in the civil war began in Suchitoto and went on for 13 years. Since 1993, the city's colonial legacy has been impressively restored. We wanted to have a look at the colonial buildings, the cobblestone streets as well as the Lake Suchitlan.
Around the lake it just looked as back home: lush green grassland, on which the cows were grazing, on one side the lake, in the background the mountains. Nice and idyllic. Just perfect to hang around. We had a cold coke in a "cafe" and enjoyed the calmness.
Back in San Salvador we did our chores and Armando took us back to our hotel. We gave him the agreed amount of money but he wanted more. We didn't mention Suchitoto to him yesterday? This is indeed correct but we had booked him for the whole day, had asked him for his daily price. I (Nicole) stayed ever so calm and was so happy that I knew the correct Spanish words in the right moment. In the end Armando agreed - whether it was because I mentioned that we wanted his service tomorrow as well?
This evening we had football on the program. Germany - Netherlands, a big hit! The match was long over but as we didn't know the result we watched the match. For us it was just as if it had been live. A shame though that they didn't make it, the Germans. However, we were quite surprised by the German team in general.
Sunday, June 13, 2004
León - Choluteca (Honduras)
We were already quite excited, the youngest and most active volcano in Nicaragua was on our program today - the Cerro Negro. Only by accident we had heard of it, in our travel guide they didn't mention it at all.
At 7am it knocked on our door. We got picked up in time. Only now we learned that we had to check-out by 11am. If we stayed only 30 minutes longer we would have to pay an extra night. Gee, they are picky here! We packed our stuff and left our room.
10 minutes later we were off. With us the bunny with who we had booked the tour yesterday, her father and her boyfriend. Then we picked up her mother and a tour guide. Ramona and I didn't realise yesterday that we had booked a family trip.
We asked them whether they would go there regularly and the bunny answered positively. Oh, this must be boring for them. But she must have misunderstood - it certainly wasn't because of our Spanish :) - as we realised pretty soon that noone knew the right directions. Gee, what did we book here? In fact there were signs but not at every crossing. Obviously sooner or later we would take the wrong one. The father got really loud and angry, it probably was just too embarrassing for him. Ramona and I could only laugh. We'll make it somehow ...
At 8.20am it was time - let's climb the 726 m high and still active volcano. We had to walk over the big and small black lava stones. This volcano was totally different to all the others we had seen so far. At some parts the stones were even yellow, white or red. Red like burning lava. Ramona and I were quite fit and soon our tour guide and the bunny's friend couldn't follow us any longer. It really wasn't that steep ... and the tour guide was here to show us the way. Ph! What do we need a tour guide for?
We had a closer look at those parts where the volcano was still smoking. The smell of the sulfur was so strong that we had to cough lots. Thus, we couldn't stay there for long and continued to walk to the summit.
The view was gigantic: the black sand of the volcano's last eruption in 1992, inbetween the lush green of the trees. Awesome! The view from the summit into the crater took our breath away. It was undescribable.
The higher we got the more insects and beetles were there to see. They not only were around us, no they even sat down on us and our clothes. In no time we were full of insects ... as long as they don't bite us...
Today's descend should be special. No pain in our knees, no blisters on our feet ... We went to the sandy part of the volcano and wanted to just slide it down. It was very steep though and it cost us quite some effort. But soon we knew how to do it and almost ran down the steep slope. We even triggered off a sand- or stone avalanche - it was so much fun! Almost as good as sand skiing. But far too fast over!
At noon again we had to leave. We at least wanted to get to Honduras. The first bus ride to Chinandega was soon over. There we had to wait a few minutes for the next bus to Guasaule. No problem. Ramona had just bought a hot dog when slowly the bus to Guasaule passed us. I started to run immediately, wanted to get the bus stopped. We after all don't have time. Some men helped me and screamed. In fact, the bus stopped. Great. I ran back to Ramona, we took our backpacks and ran back to the bus. It was already coming backwards towards us, the door wide open so we could easily jump on. We had been just sat down when we realised it. The bus drove further backwards and stopped. Good that we had hurried up so much in order to get on a parking bus! 10 minutes later only we left Chinandega.
The ride was like hell as it was mostly on unpaved roads. This however was of no interest to the bus driver who drove like crazy. Sometimes we jumped from our seats because he drove through big potholes.
We were ever so glad when we eventually got to Guasaule. Because of all the dust and dirt we were almost as black as chimney sweepers. Whether we'll get over the border like that?
A young guy offered us his driving service - with his special bike he wanted to take us to the border to the migration office, yes, even to our next bus. Good. We wouldn't have liked walking 3 km in this heat.
At 5pm we left Guasaule and only one hour later we were already in our hotel for the night. For 5$ we got a quite big clean room, towels, soap and even a TV. However, the water in the shower could have been colder. And it would have been also nice to have some water in the toilet - but as this is only for one night ...
At 7am it knocked on our door. We got picked up in time. Only now we learned that we had to check-out by 11am. If we stayed only 30 minutes longer we would have to pay an extra night. Gee, they are picky here! We packed our stuff and left our room.
10 minutes later we were off. With us the bunny with who we had booked the tour yesterday, her father and her boyfriend. Then we picked up her mother and a tour guide. Ramona and I didn't realise yesterday that we had booked a family trip.
We asked them whether they would go there regularly and the bunny answered positively. Oh, this must be boring for them. But she must have misunderstood - it certainly wasn't because of our Spanish :) - as we realised pretty soon that noone knew the right directions. Gee, what did we book here? In fact there were signs but not at every crossing. Obviously sooner or later we would take the wrong one. The father got really loud and angry, it probably was just too embarrassing for him. Ramona and I could only laugh. We'll make it somehow ...
At 8.20am it was time - let's climb the 726 m high and still active volcano. We had to walk over the big and small black lava stones. This volcano was totally different to all the others we had seen so far. At some parts the stones were even yellow, white or red. Red like burning lava. Ramona and I were quite fit and soon our tour guide and the bunny's friend couldn't follow us any longer. It really wasn't that steep ... and the tour guide was here to show us the way. Ph! What do we need a tour guide for?
We had a closer look at those parts where the volcano was still smoking. The smell of the sulfur was so strong that we had to cough lots. Thus, we couldn't stay there for long and continued to walk to the summit.
The view was gigantic: the black sand of the volcano's last eruption in 1992, inbetween the lush green of the trees. Awesome! The view from the summit into the crater took our breath away. It was undescribable.
The higher we got the more insects and beetles were there to see. They not only were around us, no they even sat down on us and our clothes. In no time we were full of insects ... as long as they don't bite us...
Today's descend should be special. No pain in our knees, no blisters on our feet ... We went to the sandy part of the volcano and wanted to just slide it down. It was very steep though and it cost us quite some effort. But soon we knew how to do it and almost ran down the steep slope. We even triggered off a sand- or stone avalanche - it was so much fun! Almost as good as sand skiing. But far too fast over!
At noon again we had to leave. We at least wanted to get to Honduras. The first bus ride to Chinandega was soon over. There we had to wait a few minutes for the next bus to Guasaule. No problem. Ramona had just bought a hot dog when slowly the bus to Guasaule passed us. I started to run immediately, wanted to get the bus stopped. We after all don't have time. Some men helped me and screamed. In fact, the bus stopped. Great. I ran back to Ramona, we took our backpacks and ran back to the bus. It was already coming backwards towards us, the door wide open so we could easily jump on. We had been just sat down when we realised it. The bus drove further backwards and stopped. Good that we had hurried up so much in order to get on a parking bus! 10 minutes later only we left Chinandega.
The ride was like hell as it was mostly on unpaved roads. This however was of no interest to the bus driver who drove like crazy. Sometimes we jumped from our seats because he drove through big potholes.
We were ever so glad when we eventually got to Guasaule. Because of all the dust and dirt we were almost as black as chimney sweepers. Whether we'll get over the border like that?
A young guy offered us his driving service - with his special bike he wanted to take us to the border to the migration office, yes, even to our next bus. Good. We wouldn't have liked walking 3 km in this heat.
At 5pm we left Guasaule and only one hour later we were already in our hotel for the night. For 5$ we got a quite big clean room, towels, soap and even a TV. However, the water in the shower could have been colder. And it would have been also nice to have some water in the toilet - but as this is only for one night ...
Friday, June 11, 2004
Laguna de Apoyo
We had breakfast at 7.30am: Gallopinto with egg, the typical Nicaraguan breakfast - rice with beans and egg. Delicious even if rice is not everybody's cake so early in the morning.
Our dive master Lorenzo was late but at 9.40am we could start. Got all our equipment and 20 minutes later we were in the water. As today we were diving in a crater lake we didn't need to take a boat. We could walk into the lake and after a few meters there was a steep drop and we could descend. But Ramona, where are you? Ramona was still up on the surface, she couldn't make it down. Well, she seems to need some more weight. Lorenzo gave her a few stones from the bottom but they were just useless. The stones here don't weigh a gramm. Lorenzo had to go back. The second time it went better and Ramona could descend. Unfortunately the visibility in the lake was not as expected, maybe just about 5m. The bottom was sandy with a few stones. There is not much underwater life but what we saw was unique. 3 different kinds of fish which are only to be seen here in this lagoon. Amongst those even fish which have eyes but cannot see but also fish which don't have eyes at all. These really looked weird. In addition to that we saw a relatively large crab which was something special here in this lake. How did it only get here?
After the second dive we had a quick shower and at 2pm we were on the road again. Off we were to León - founded in 1524 by Francisco Fernández de Cordoba. Today's city is based about 32 km from where it was originally founded, at the foot of volcano Momotombo. In 1610 this volcano caused an earthquake by its activity and destroyed the old city. Until 1857 León was the capital of Nicaragua (today it is Managua) and nowadays is one of the few cities which are clearly signed with street signs.
We explored the city for a bit and had a hot dog in front of the cathedral. These are sold here in every corner, thus something local people seem to like.
Our dive master Lorenzo was late but at 9.40am we could start. Got all our equipment and 20 minutes later we were in the water. As today we were diving in a crater lake we didn't need to take a boat. We could walk into the lake and after a few meters there was a steep drop and we could descend. But Ramona, where are you? Ramona was still up on the surface, she couldn't make it down. Well, she seems to need some more weight. Lorenzo gave her a few stones from the bottom but they were just useless. The stones here don't weigh a gramm. Lorenzo had to go back. The second time it went better and Ramona could descend. Unfortunately the visibility in the lake was not as expected, maybe just about 5m. The bottom was sandy with a few stones. There is not much underwater life but what we saw was unique. 3 different kinds of fish which are only to be seen here in this lagoon. Amongst those even fish which have eyes but cannot see but also fish which don't have eyes at all. These really looked weird. In addition to that we saw a relatively large crab which was something special here in this lake. How did it only get here?
After the second dive we had a quick shower and at 2pm we were on the road again. Off we were to León - founded in 1524 by Francisco Fernández de Cordoba. Today's city is based about 32 km from where it was originally founded, at the foot of volcano Momotombo. In 1610 this volcano caused an earthquake by its activity and destroyed the old city. Until 1857 León was the capital of Nicaragua (today it is Managua) and nowadays is one of the few cities which are clearly signed with street signs.
We explored the city for a bit and had a hot dog in front of the cathedral. These are sold here in every corner, thus something local people seem to like.
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Moyogalpa - Granada
Already at 6.45am (!) we were on the ferry back to the mainland, got on a taxi there which took us to the bus station. The bus to Granada only leaves at 10.30am - oh no! Well, we'll take the bus to Managua and change buses later. We didn't get up so early for nothing. After an hours bus ride we had to change - our luggage was faster than we were. We couldn't follow our backbacks so quick had the guys thrown them in the arms of another guy who then took it to our next bus. Really fast these guys.
As it was already quite hot here again the windows were all open. The breeze was really nice! ... But yak, what's that? We get wet. Where does that come from? It's not raining! Well, there must be something dripping from the roof. We closed the windows. It didn't take long though and we knew what it was - a pig which had been carried on the roof thought it should pee. Now we know why the people in the bus had laughed so much!!
At 10.30am already we had our accomodation in Granada. We left immediately for Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Here we wanted to finally book our flights, find out more about the volcano skiing. But it all took so much longer than we had expected. Mind you, we managed to book the flight but didn't get any information on the sand skiing. For that we would need to go to Leon from where they offer these tours.
Thus we took the bus back to Granada - we'll have to phone them tomorrow and try to find out. Let's see whether we can manage this with our Spanish!
Granada is the only city enduring in its original settlement, making it the oldest city in the Western Hemisphere, as it rests in the same site where it was founded in the year 1524 by Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba. Despite being the most besieged city by pirates, sacked during the civil wars and destroyed by the Filibuster William Walker in 1856, Granada is one of the most beautiful cities in Nicaragua. The city really is impressive with all its colourful baroque and renaissance style buildings, amongst them the outstanding colonial building, the Iglesia de San Francisco, the oldest in Nicaragua. Granada really is beautiful - so peaceful and quiet. We just couldn't stop taking pictures.
As it was already quite hot here again the windows were all open. The breeze was really nice! ... But yak, what's that? We get wet. Where does that come from? It's not raining! Well, there must be something dripping from the roof. We closed the windows. It didn't take long though and we knew what it was - a pig which had been carried on the roof thought it should pee. Now we know why the people in the bus had laughed so much!!
At 10.30am already we had our accomodation in Granada. We left immediately for Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Here we wanted to finally book our flights, find out more about the volcano skiing. But it all took so much longer than we had expected. Mind you, we managed to book the flight but didn't get any information on the sand skiing. For that we would need to go to Leon from where they offer these tours.
Thus we took the bus back to Granada - we'll have to phone them tomorrow and try to find out. Let's see whether we can manage this with our Spanish!
Granada is the only city enduring in its original settlement, making it the oldest city in the Western Hemisphere, as it rests in the same site where it was founded in the year 1524 by Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba. Despite being the most besieged city by pirates, sacked during the civil wars and destroyed by the Filibuster William Walker in 1856, Granada is one of the most beautiful cities in Nicaragua. The city really is impressive with all its colourful baroque and renaissance style buildings, amongst them the outstanding colonial building, the Iglesia de San Francisco, the oldest in Nicaragua. Granada really is beautiful - so peaceful and quiet. We just couldn't stop taking pictures.
Monday, June 07, 2004
Tamarindo - Moyogalpa/Isla de Ometepe (Nicaragua)
About 9am we were on our bus to Liberia. Today we want to leave Costa Rica und travel to Nicaragua, the country of volcanos and lakes. It was our plan to get as far as Moyogalpa... We had to take our luggage on the bus. No problem at all we thought, but it got more and more crowded and we ended up with our heavy backpacks on our laps, squeezed on our seats. It was ever so hot, our legs fell asleep ... how much we were looking forward to those bus rides in Central America!
In Liberia we had to wait longer than expected. Oh, whether we will still make it for the last ferry to the island? Will our plan already fail on the first day? At 12.30pm we got on the bus to Penas Blancas, the last town before the border to Nicaragua. This time we could store our luggage in the luggage compartment. The ride was supposed to take two hours - great, we can read lots then. However, it didn't even take 1.5hrs and we were in Penas Blancas.
In no time we had our leaving stamp and walked across the border to Nicaragua. We had to pay $7 for a tourist card. Only then we would get our stamp. Let's quickly get some money changed in the bank next door. At the tourist information we took some flyers and off we were to our next bus to Rivas. I (Nicole) read the flyers and got ever so excited! Here it's possible to ski on a volcano - not on snow though but on sand! Fantastic! Where is that? Cerro Negro, never heard of. Why didn't we read anything about it in our travel guides??? I should get more information on the net ... it's obvious where I will soon be.
36km we got off the bus and immediately took a taxi to the ferry. We were on time and left the mainland with a really rusty ferry at 4.30pm over the Lago de Nicaragua. An hour later we arrived at Moyogalpa. That was our plan!
The lake is with a length of 177 km and an average width of 58 km the third largest lake in Latin America. In total 45 rivers flow into it. The Isla de Ometepe ("between two hills" in Nahuatl)is the largest island in the lake and formed by two volcanoes. Volcan Concepcion, 1610m, and Volcan Madera, 1394m. Volkan Concepcion is still active though its latest eruption has been 48 years ago.
With a population of 50,000, Ometepe is dotted by small coastal settlements where people live by fishing and growing bananas, citrus fruits, maize, sesame and beans. Ometepe is famuos for its ancient stone statues and petroglyphs depicting humans, animals and geometric shapes, especially spirals.
We had quickly explored the town Moyogalpa and had dinner in the restaurant of our hotel. Eventually in bed we spent the rest of the evening reading.
In Liberia we had to wait longer than expected. Oh, whether we will still make it for the last ferry to the island? Will our plan already fail on the first day? At 12.30pm we got on the bus to Penas Blancas, the last town before the border to Nicaragua. This time we could store our luggage in the luggage compartment. The ride was supposed to take two hours - great, we can read lots then. However, it didn't even take 1.5hrs and we were in Penas Blancas.
In no time we had our leaving stamp and walked across the border to Nicaragua. We had to pay $7 for a tourist card. Only then we would get our stamp. Let's quickly get some money changed in the bank next door. At the tourist information we took some flyers and off we were to our next bus to Rivas. I (Nicole) read the flyers and got ever so excited! Here it's possible to ski on a volcano - not on snow though but on sand! Fantastic! Where is that? Cerro Negro, never heard of. Why didn't we read anything about it in our travel guides??? I should get more information on the net ... it's obvious where I will soon be.
36km we got off the bus and immediately took a taxi to the ferry. We were on time and left the mainland with a really rusty ferry at 4.30pm over the Lago de Nicaragua. An hour later we arrived at Moyogalpa. That was our plan!
The lake is with a length of 177 km and an average width of 58 km the third largest lake in Latin America. In total 45 rivers flow into it. The Isla de Ometepe ("between two hills" in Nahuatl)is the largest island in the lake and formed by two volcanoes. Volcan Concepcion, 1610m, and Volcan Madera, 1394m. Volkan Concepcion is still active though its latest eruption has been 48 years ago.
With a population of 50,000, Ometepe is dotted by small coastal settlements where people live by fishing and growing bananas, citrus fruits, maize, sesame and beans. Ometepe is famuos for its ancient stone statues and petroglyphs depicting humans, animals and geometric shapes, especially spirals.
We had quickly explored the town Moyogalpa and had dinner in the restaurant of our hotel. Eventually in bed we spent the rest of the evening reading.
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Playa del Coco - Tamarindo
Already at 8am it was so noisy that we couldn't sleep any longer. Why today? It's Saturday! We mocked about and went to the dive shop again to visit Kevin. Only at 11.45am we were sat in the bus to Filadelfia. Unfortunately without the two guys from yesterday.
We had to wait an hour in Filadelfia for our next bus to Tamarindo. It was quite bumpy on our way there and so hot that we were quite happy to finally get off.
Immediately we were offered a room for 10$ per person by Victoria, an Italian woman. Gee, that's quite expensive ... but with kitchen, hot water, it's clean, safe ... We went for a look. In the end the prices in the restaurants convinced us that it is cheaper to cook our own meals. Thus we booked for one night!
We went shopping to the supermarket and then were off to the beach. There was an unpleasant smell of fish and the beach itself wasn't really nice. So we went further direction National Park where we wanted to see turtles but it's not their season at the moment. We didn't go far anyway as it started to pour down with rain. We spent almost an hour underneath a shed... then it got dark and we started walking back. A really successful day! Maybe we should stay for another night and try to go surfing tomorrow? 20$ for 2 hours that doesn't sound bad ... tomorrow at 2pm we'll start!
For dinner we had delicious pasta with cheese and we spent the evening reading our travel guide and planning our last weeks. Travelling with a plan will be different for us ... let's see when we'll first change our plan!
We had to wait an hour in Filadelfia for our next bus to Tamarindo. It was quite bumpy on our way there and so hot that we were quite happy to finally get off.
Immediately we were offered a room for 10$ per person by Victoria, an Italian woman. Gee, that's quite expensive ... but with kitchen, hot water, it's clean, safe ... We went for a look. In the end the prices in the restaurants convinced us that it is cheaper to cook our own meals. Thus we booked for one night!
We went shopping to the supermarket and then were off to the beach. There was an unpleasant smell of fish and the beach itself wasn't really nice. So we went further direction National Park where we wanted to see turtles but it's not their season at the moment. We didn't go far anyway as it started to pour down with rain. We spent almost an hour underneath a shed... then it got dark and we started walking back. A really successful day! Maybe we should stay for another night and try to go surfing tomorrow? 20$ for 2 hours that doesn't sound bad ... tomorrow at 2pm we'll start!
For dinner we had delicious pasta with cheese and we spent the evening reading our travel guide and planning our last weeks. Travelling with a plan will be different for us ... let's see when we'll first change our plan!
Thursday, June 03, 2004
La Fortuna - Playa del Coco
Today we want to go to Playa del Coco. It's supposed to be the best dive spot in whole Costa Rica, a must for us! It was going to be a long day in four different buses for us:
08.20 - 11.20am: La Fortuna - Tilaran
11.30 - 12.15pm: Tilaran - Canan
1.00 - 2.25pm: Canan - Liberia
2.30 - 3.30pm: Liberia - Playa del Coco
We were quite surprised how smoothly everything went. We never had to wait longer than a couple of minutes for the next bus.
Playa del Coco is a small village at the Pacific coast. Unfortunately, also here quite touristy though one cannot tell from the choice of accomodations. The cleanest - a clean room and our room are not the - for $8/person!! Gee! But we'll only stay for one night.
There is not a lot to see here so we booked our diving trip for tomorrow and had an early night.
08.20 - 11.20am: La Fortuna - Tilaran
11.30 - 12.15pm: Tilaran - Canan
1.00 - 2.25pm: Canan - Liberia
2.30 - 3.30pm: Liberia - Playa del Coco
We were quite surprised how smoothly everything went. We never had to wait longer than a couple of minutes for the next bus.
Playa del Coco is a small village at the Pacific coast. Unfortunately, also here quite touristy though one cannot tell from the choice of accomodations. The cleanest - a clean room and our room are not the - for $8/person!! Gee! But we'll only stay for one night.
There is not a lot to see here so we booked our diving trip for tomorrow and had an early night.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Manuel Antonio - San Jose
It was only 7.45am and we were already in front of the Manuel Antonio National Park entrance. It is one of the most popular National Parks in Costa Rica and also the smallest. This has led to intense pressure on both the park and the area: too many visitors, too many hotels and too much impact on the wildlife and environment. Therefore, the park is closed on Monday and limited to 600 visitors on other days.
At the entrance we saw a lot of tour guides offering professional tours. No doubt that the tours will be professional but $20 per person? Out of question! We will go on our own: our mission was to find a sloth without a tour guide. Ramona was already quite excited as she always wanted to see a sloth in nature. Here in Central America it is the opportunity. But it´s not that easy ... but we are clever! Slowly we walked through the park, in front of us a tour guide with a group, behind us another tour guide with a group. Where they are, there must be something to see. Well, and like that we saw our first sloth. It was hanging in the tree, not moving at all. These animals are really world champions in camouflaging, they are hardly distinguishable from termite nests.
We spent more than 3 hours in the National Park and in the end we even managed to find two sloths without the help of tour guides. Thus, we were right: What do we need tour guides for?
At noon we were already sat in a bus to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, with a population of 330,000. For us, San Jose will only be a stop over as tomorrow we will head to La Fortuna.
We had chosen an accomodation near the bus terminal which was really cheap. Only $5 for the two of us. But we would soon realise why! Just as in a prison cell. Which crime have we only committed? Well, it will only be for one night.
In San Jose we walked a bit around. There is also a pedestrian street here and we almost felt like being in Trier. Everywhere people, quite hectic, one has to watch out not to bump into someone. We really did not miss that!
Information on sloths:
The sloth only moves in slow-motion - always with its back downwards and with the belly up. Its because of its moving that the sloth got its name. It is considered to be the slowest mammal in the world. Its average moving ´speed´ is 0.27km per hour (about 270m per hour).
In order to put one leg in front of the other it takes up to 1.5 minutes. On the ground lying on their belly they can tediously move forward, about an hour for 120 to 200 meters. In the water though they are quite good.
Still the sloth asks us riddles. Until today one is not sure about how old sloths can get, assuming 30 - 40 years. They can weigh up to 10 kg.
Sloths are hanging climbers with a round head similar to monkeys. Their head is markedly flexible. Just as with birds it can move its head by 180° to its back. Their ears are hidden in the fur. They have strong round claws and a dense, longhairy fur. They don´t have incisors and they eat leaves.
The sloth is moving so slowly in order to use as less energy as possible and therefore not to have to eat too much. Their muscles are only half as much developed compared to most of the other mammals. It can take up to a week until the food is gone through their digestion system. Their thick fur decreases the heat and energy loss.
When sloths sleep (about 15 hours a day), they hang in the branches of the trees. They don't need a nest or another firm sleepling place. They protect themselves while rolling up their head and legs to a ball. In this position they sleep safely and are protected.
At the entrance we saw a lot of tour guides offering professional tours. No doubt that the tours will be professional but $20 per person? Out of question! We will go on our own: our mission was to find a sloth without a tour guide. Ramona was already quite excited as she always wanted to see a sloth in nature. Here in Central America it is the opportunity. But it´s not that easy ... but we are clever! Slowly we walked through the park, in front of us a tour guide with a group, behind us another tour guide with a group. Where they are, there must be something to see. Well, and like that we saw our first sloth. It was hanging in the tree, not moving at all. These animals are really world champions in camouflaging, they are hardly distinguishable from termite nests.
We spent more than 3 hours in the National Park and in the end we even managed to find two sloths without the help of tour guides. Thus, we were right: What do we need tour guides for?
At noon we were already sat in a bus to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, with a population of 330,000. For us, San Jose will only be a stop over as tomorrow we will head to La Fortuna.
We had chosen an accomodation near the bus terminal which was really cheap. Only $5 for the two of us. But we would soon realise why! Just as in a prison cell. Which crime have we only committed? Well, it will only be for one night.
In San Jose we walked a bit around. There is also a pedestrian street here and we almost felt like being in Trier. Everywhere people, quite hectic, one has to watch out not to bump into someone. We really did not miss that!
Information on sloths:
The sloth only moves in slow-motion - always with its back downwards and with the belly up. Its because of its moving that the sloth got its name. It is considered to be the slowest mammal in the world. Its average moving ´speed´ is 0.27km per hour (about 270m per hour).
In order to put one leg in front of the other it takes up to 1.5 minutes. On the ground lying on their belly they can tediously move forward, about an hour for 120 to 200 meters. In the water though they are quite good.
Still the sloth asks us riddles. Until today one is not sure about how old sloths can get, assuming 30 - 40 years. They can weigh up to 10 kg.
Sloths are hanging climbers with a round head similar to monkeys. Their head is markedly flexible. Just as with birds it can move its head by 180° to its back. Their ears are hidden in the fur. They have strong round claws and a dense, longhairy fur. They don´t have incisors and they eat leaves.
The sloth is moving so slowly in order to use as less energy as possible and therefore not to have to eat too much. Their muscles are only half as much developed compared to most of the other mammals. It can take up to a week until the food is gone through their digestion system. Their thick fur decreases the heat and energy loss.
When sloths sleep (about 15 hours a day), they hang in the branches of the trees. They don't need a nest or another firm sleepling place. They protect themselves while rolling up their head and legs to a ball. In this position they sleep safely and are protected.
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