WEEK 9

Alajuela, Costa Rica
- a taxi picks us up from the hostel early in the morning, and Ruby and I head to Rivas to the Tica "bus station" ... turns out it´s just a (closed) ticket office on a street ... luckily we´re able to flag the bus down when we see it, and we´re on our way to Costa Rica
- we board the bus, and head for our assigned seats ... and the person sitting directly across from us is none other than Alyson! That was a happy coincidence! We chatted, and caught up, and hung out at the border crossing ... it definitely helped pass the time of the long bus trip. Alyson was heading to San Jose for the last couple of days of her trip, before flying home to Toronto
- the border crossing into Costa Rica was a fairly painless waiting game ... then again, crossing borders with Tica Bus seems to always go smoothly
- a few hours later, Ruby and I get off the bus near the airport, well short of San Jose ... we catch a cab to get us into the proper residential area of Alajuela, and then it´s up to Ruby to try to remember where the house is that she lived in for a few months, three years ago
- memory kicks in, and the taxi drops us off in front of a quite, pretty bungalow, closed to the public by means of a metal gate (we´re in a NICE neighbourhood, but every single house has a metal gate to the sidewalk, and the front and back doors are metal barred too)
- Ruby´s host mom isn´t home at first, but she shows up in just a matter of minutes, getting dropped off by a friend (she´s been shopping in preparation for her flight to the U.S. tomorrow)
- so I get to meet Wilma ... a tiny older woman, full of life ... loves to talk ... English or Spanish ... LOVES to say "come on, give me a break" ... very nice person, very entertaining, very hospitable
- big hug for Ruby, and a lot of catching up, but Wilma also welcomes me into her home with open arms, and immediately makes me feel comfortable
- Wilma´s son, Herman, drops by ... he also knows Ruby ... and we all get into his car so Wilma can run a couple more pre-trip errands ... we wind up at a very modern mall, which is always fun to walk-through and compare to back home ... always similar, but always different ... Ruby and I are also able to hit an ATM here, to get some local Colones
- Herman drops us all off back at the house, and Wilma starts preparing a home cooked meal for us (quite the treat when backpacking!) ... meanwhile, Ruby and I walk around her old "hood", hitting a store for some drinks and snacks, and visiting another host family that Ruby knew
- dinner was delicious, and Wilma seemed very happy to not only have company in the house, but people to drink with! Her beverage of choice was something very much like a bloody mary ... at one point, she complained that I only bought myself one beer - completely neglecting the fact that I bought a JUMBO (1 litre) bottle, making it roughly the size of 3 normal beers!
- the evening conversation was fun, and eventually Wilma started throwing brain teasers our way ... her best trick was to take five half-broken toothpicks and "magically" turn them into a 5 pointed star (without every touching them)
- eventually, it was time for bed ... I´m not sure if Wilma´s dog usually sleeps in the bed I was given, but my allergies kicked in big time that night ... I had a lot of trouble breathing, and I had to wait for an allergy pill to take effect before I could finally fall asleep
- the next morning, Wilma made us breakfast, and then she got ready to head to the airport ... her cleaning lady was at the house, so we were able to stay even after Wilma left
- so hugs and "come back any time" invitations later, Wilma was off to the airport, and Ruby and I were off to catch a bus to visit the Spanish school that Ruby had attended during her previous stay in Costa Rica
- the school was pretty impressive ... on top of a hill, building after building set up to run small independent classes ... almost all of them outdoors ... everything was pretty - the buildings, the pathways, the plants and flowers and other flora ... it looked like a great place to learn Spanish! The people were also extremely friendly ... many of them remembered Ruby, so she had a great visit
- once we´d said our goodbyes, we headed back to the house and grabbed our bags ... we then caught a taxi to the bus station in San Jose ... it was time to get back to the Caribbean coast ... next stop, Puerto Viejo!

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
- the bus ride is fairly comfortable, but it takes several hours to drive through jungle and forest and coast line ... we wind up arriving in Puerto Viejo after the sun has long disappeared
- somehow during the bus ride, Ruby has managed to meet and befriend the only other African-American female in all of Central America travelling by herself ... her name is Donna, she is from Philly, and she´s suddenly "with" us ... hi Donna, nice to meet you (I think)
- so first order of business is to try to find a place to stay ... I noticed a decent looking place near to where the bus dropped us off, so we poke our heads in to see what they have available ... they have a four-bed room at a good price ... BUT ... Ruby remembers this really cool hostel from when she was in Costa Rica before, and she wants to check that place out first
- so we start walking down the main road, through the heart of Puerto Viejo ... many restaurants and bars ... most of them with some sort of Rastafarian feel to them ... in a lot of ways, the entire town seems like a tribute to Bob Marley ... people joke that it´s easier to get marijuana in PV than it is to get drinking water! (and Donna can attest to this, as it took her about 30 seconds of "hunting" to come back happy)
- we keep walking, and the bars and restaurants disappear, and the road becomes empty and dark (and full of pot holes) ... and then it starts to rain ... and then it starts to POUR ... hey Ruby, just how far away is this place we´re looking for??
- Ruby thinks it´s just around the corner, for about 10 corners in a row ... coupled with a fear that maybe it doesn´t even exist anymore ... but eventually (read soaked to the bone, with our backpacks on our shoulders), we find the place ... and I have to admit, Rocking Jay´s gives off a pretty cool vibe ... it´s huge and colourful, with a bar and a restaurant, and many backpackers around (probably because town is too far away) ... we check out the room they have available for 3 people, and it´s a very small room with a couple of bunk beds and no space for anything else
- so we decide to go back to the first place we looked at, but at least Ruby is happy to have found Rocking Jay´s ... we decide to catch a taxi back to town :)
- we dump off our bags (nothing seems horribly wet), and head out to find food ... we asked the hotel manager where a good place is for good local food, and he sends us down a dark ally away from the action on the main street
- a couple of blocks later, we wind up at this tiny little restaurant that happens to be packed with people ... I get the stewed chicken with rice&beans, and it´s pretty delicious ... similar to the same dish in Belize, but different enough
- after dinner, we head to one of the reggae bars for a drink ... Ruby gets a Smirnoff Ice, I get a local beer (Imperial I´m sure), and Donna gets ... a shot of tequila with a beer chaser! Oh-oh, who IS this chick??
- Donna pounds back her shot, sips some beer, then goes off looking for weed ... as previously mentioned, she returns minutes later - mission accomplished (again with the oh-oh)
- we finish our drinks, and have determined that the reggae bar across the street has a better crowd and better music ... so we head there
- turns out there is an amazing live band playing, so we find seats and enjoy the show ... Donna disappears after a while, and next time we see her, she´s swaying to the music, right in front of the band! Well that isn´t necessarily an oh-oh sign ... maybe she´s just cool like that
- the band finishes its set, and Ruby and I decide to call it a night ... Donna decides to come back to the hostel with us ... when we get there, Donna discovers it´s not crazy late, so she decides to head back out to party more ... but before she leaves, so gives a monologue about how she loves natural light and blah blah blah ... next thing you know, we have a candle lighting the room, and incense stinking the place up!!! (mmmm, black coconut, my favourite)
- forget oh-oh´s ... this chick is straight up crazy! Turns out she´s a 40-something grandmother who parties like she´s 22 ... oh and did I mention that when she first got on the bus, I was 90% positive she was a man in drag!??? ... bottom line is we were sharing a room with her - yay
- the rest of the night passes without event ... the next morning, Ruby and I head off to Rocking Jay´s ... for brunch and to look into the border crossing trip they offer that includes a boat ride to Bocos del Toro (in Panama)
- we get the information we need for the trip, and book for the following day ... the weather is a little too cloudy and grey to justify staying much longer in PV ... and Ruby is on that tight timeline anyway
- we get some fantastic lunch (I had ridiculously cheap and super yummy marlin), and then we find a table to play some cards (I´m teaching Ruby how to play Casino, Crazy 8´s Deluxe, Rummy 2000 and Golf ... trying Cribbage did not go well)
- we play a game, and Ruby suddenly gets up and says she needs to go back to the room to get something (more money perhaps) ... whatever her excuse was, it turns out the real reason is that it dawned on her that we´d left Donna alone (with all our stuff) for waaaaaay too long, so she was on a mission to make sure everythign was a-okay
- her timing was fairly spectacular ... she gets back to the hotel and the hotel manager informs her that Donna JUST left (as in took her bags and everything), and did NOT pay!!!
- Ruby heads towards the bus station, and quickly finds Donna ... playing it cool, she says something like, "Hey girlfriend, were you seriously going to take off without at least saying goodbye?" ... Donna panicks a bit, but tries to play it off cool, "Oh hi ... yah, I didn´t know where you guys were, so I left you a note ... I´m just going to head off with the guy I met ... we´re going to check out Panama for a couple of days, then come back" ... Ruby coyly asks, "Did you pay your share for the room?" ... and Donna is all like, "Oh, was I supposed to do that ... I guess I forgot ... how much was it again?" ... Ruby knows full well how much Donna owes, but she haven´t even had a chance to check our room (i.e. to see if the crazy chick stole anything), so she plays dumb, "I´m not sure exactly ... you better come back with me and we can ask the manager together."
- so both of them head back to the hotel, and Donna pays (Ruby gives the manager specific instructions not to let her leave again until Ruby has had time to give the room a once-over) ... turns out nothing seemed to be missing ... just a case of a crazy chick who was too stoned to remember to pay when she left on the spur of a moment
- MEANWHILE, I´m back at Rocking Jay´s, playing solitaire, oblivious to everything! Ruby comes back and fills me in on all the details ... I have to admit, it can be a good thing to travel with someone who grew up in the ghetto ... Ruby was all like, "I´m glad she didn´t steal anything, because I really didn´t want to have to kick her ass ... but I would have!"
- so bye bye Crazy Donna ... we play some more cards, eat dinner at Rocking Jay´s (yes, the food there is THAT good), try a couple of places for some evening entertainment (we didn´t see much, but we did watch this one young white guy try to walk home, but he was so messed up he kept falling down, and eventually had to take a nap on the sidewalk of the main street! Ruby actually walked up to him and took a picture!)
- overall, it was a quick but entertaining time in Puerto Viejo ... but the clock was ticking, and Panama was calling

Bocas del Toro, Panama
- next morning, a mini-bus picks us up in front of our hotel ... it´s just Ruby and myself for the entire journey (always nice to have a bus to yourself)
- the bus driver is friendly, and he tells us he makes this trip every single day ... the road is very bumpy (it actually isn´t much of a road at all)
- the ride to the border isn´t too long ... we get there, and the driver tells us we have to do our paperwork and work to the other side, where he´ll meet us with our bags and the van
- we get out of the van, and get into the immigration line that is both for entering and leaving Costa Rica ... the line isn´t too long, and it doesn´t take much time to get our departure stamps
- next, we have to walk into Panama, but to do so, we have to cross a wooden bridge that has HUGE holes in it ... you´re walking, and you´re basically a couple feet away from falling to your death ... definitely a memorable experience!
- we get across the bridge, and get in line for Panama immigration ... at this point the sun is beating down on us with full fury, and the line is NOT moving ... we must have stood there, melting, for well over an hour ... at least we didn´t have to lug our bags around
- eventually, we get to the front of the line, and it takes less than two minutes for us to both be processed ... go figure
- we get back in the van, and we take a fairly short drive to a boat/dock area ... apparently, this is the launch area to get to the islands of Bocas del Toro ... the area smells "wonderful" and it doesn´t take a genius to figure out why ... on the other side of the river, there are many houses, all with docks, all with toilets at the end of the dock (bottomless toilets) ... lovely
- we have to wait a bit for the boat to fill, but then we´re on our way to the town of Bocas del Toro, on the island Isla Colon
- the ride isn´t too rough, and about 45 minutes later, we arrive at Bocas del Toro
- right across the street from where we land, there is a hostel that´s been recommended to us at Rocking Jay´s ... Big Kahuna is kinda nice, but it seems too expensive for the price, so we decide to keep looking
- we wind up walking the entire length of the main street, and around the corner (at least it wasn´t pouring rain this time), to check out the ever popular Mondu Taitu - some treehouse-esque hostel ... winds up being the same price as the Big Kahuna, and it´s smaller and more cramped ... more than anything, you get the vibe that this place is party central
- so, we walk one block more ... to a no name hostel that nobody knows anything about (I think it´s actually called "The Hostel") ... and it´s clean, and cheap, and empty ... so we wind up getting a big dorm room and two bathrooms basically to ourselves! And we´re only a block away from party central. :)
- we get settled and then go out looking for an ATM ... we have to go down a quiet side street, but it happens to be where the fire and police stations are ... so we assume it´s all safe
- next, we go looking for some food ... it appears that we´ve had more than one meal of tuna and/or potato chips while blitzing through Costa Rica ... after having our eyes pop out at some very expensive seafood restaurants, we find a place that seems like a fast food cafeteria with an outdoor patio ... only the food is fairly decent (the pizza at least), and the hot sauce is fantastic (first time on the trip I´ve seen hot sauce made with scotch bonnet peppers)
- we go to a bar for a drink, and people on the street keep coming up to us to tell us about this huge vodka-themed party tonight ... at Mondu Taitu ... we walk by it on our way back to the hostel, and it´s so packed, people have to hang out and drink in front of the entance
- the vibe is a little too hardcore for our tastes, so we wind up hitting a grocery store for some drinks, and then we head to the Hostel to play cards
- and then the rain starts ... and then it comes down with full fury ... and it lasts for most of the night
- the next morning, we´re thinking about finding the good beach area, but before we can even get up and going, the rain returns ... the rain lasts all morning, and we give up on the idea of staying ... we only wanted sun and beach, and that´s obviously not in the equation ... so we pack up and check out ... and check a boat after having delicious and cheap Chinese food (again with really good hot sauce)
- our next destination takes us inland, away from the Caribbean coast (and hopefully the rain) ... off we set for Boquete

Boquete, Panama
- the boat ride is a bit bumpy because of the weather, but compared to the rest of the day, winds up being a pretty nice trip
- next, we get a taxi to a gas station, where we can apparently catch a bus to David (a city in Panama)
- turns out that pretty much every mini-bus that shows up for David is already full ... meaning we eventually have to settle for trying to make room when there isn´t any ... Ruby lucks out and gets a faux-seat facing another seat (i.e. their legs are overlapped to fit) ... and lucky me, I get to stand in the middle of the bus!
- better still, the top of the bus is about shoulder height, so I have to hunch over drastically ... and then there isn´t really anything to hold on to for support, AND it´s a very bumpy and windy road (we´re climbing through mountains for the most part)! lots of banging into the seated passengers ... but not a big deal, the ride is only THREE HOURS!!!
- about 30 minutes pass, and my neck is in agony ... one person gets off the bus, and I´m waved do to share the door platform with the guy who collects the money ... so now I´m low enough that I can stand straight (yay), but I´m also facing an open door, with nothing more than an overhead handrail to keep me from spilling out to certain death (boo) ... did I mention this ride was on a very windy road? I quickly learned that the high speed turns to the right pushed me more inside the bus, so they were nothing to panic over ... but the high speed turns to the left basically put most of my body outside of the bus, and I was holding on for dear life!
- the first 15 to 30 minutes of this open door policy was possibly entertaining ... but eventually the muscles get sore and tired, not to mention my affinity for sleeping in all and any moving vehicles ... I really had to focus on the road ahead ... try to catch the road signs for which way the next curve would bend ... and then I´d have to turn my body accordingly, to minimize the centripetal force against me
- finally, with about half an hour left on the trip, the bus emptied a bit and I was able to get a seat ... hanging outside a bus might sound fun, but I wouldn´t recommend it beyond fifteen minutes
- we arrive in David, and there is a bit of a real city feel to it ... the bus station seems fairly substantial too
- the bus to Boquete leaves almost as soon as we arrive, so we aren´t in David for long
- the trip to Boquete only takes an hour and a half, but by the time we get there, it´s already dark
- luckily, the town is very small, so the hotel we´re looking for (even though it seems on the outskirts of town) is only a few blocks away
- we head to the Boquete Hotel, which is on a river, near a bridge ... quite pretty, and inviting ... it´s run by an American guy (also named David) who doesn´t seem to speak too much Spanish ... it would appear that Boquete is a town pretty much filled with ex-pats, especially from the U.S.
- the initial price of the room is pretty high, but we are able to haggle down to something we are comfortable with ... seems like since the rainy season has officially started, prices to rooms are much more negotiable
- once we´ve checked in, we go for a night walk around the town (David told us Boquete is the safety town in all of Panama ... nothing to worry about here) ... most of the action is on the main street, with bits of spill over on the various side streets ... it takes less than half an hour to feel like we´ve seen most of what there is to see ... overall, it´s a quiet and pretty town ... "quaint" seems like the perfect word
- we head to the restaurant with the checkerboard painted walls (again on David´s recommendation), and order a pizza (as that´s all they´re serving this time of night) ... the pizza turns out to be really yummy, and we even wind up having leftovers
- we head back to the hotel, and sit on the patio out back, facing the river ... serene, peaceful, calming ... Boquete is cooler temperatures than we´ve had in ages, but the vibe we´re getting is warm and good
- we play a couple games of cards, and then call it a night
- next day, the morning is sunny and beautiful ... we decide to check out the much adverstised hot springs of Caldera
- we start by taking a bus back towards David, but we get dropped off at an intersection with a bit of a bus shack (and a billboard for the hot springs)
- we wait about an hour for another bus to show, that takes us through the town of Caldera ... tiny town, but it´s FULL of activity ... this would be because today (Sunday) is the day of the presidential election in Panama ... and everyone is out voting! Oliver Murillo won in a landside, but it was still neat to be in a country during a presidential election ... even the supermarket wouldn´t sell alcohol on that day (nothing to do with it being a Sunday, entirely because of the election)
- towards the end of town, we get dropped off at a road that leads to the hot springs ... we figure it´s about a 10 minute walk, but it turns more into a substantial hike, through a gravel road, then over an aquaduct of sorts, then over a wooden bridge that is so broken up it makes the bridge we used to cross the border seem ridiculously safe (this bridge had entire planks missing, and then loose wood casually laid overtop), then up a big hill, then through some farm land, down some rocks, pass some ecological research field, and finally up to a couple of houses where you pay an entrance fee
- then once you´re "in", you discover that the much acclaimed hot springs are two tiny circles of stone, trapping water inside ... and the water happens to be hot! Huge disappointment ... the first spring was barely a foot deep ... the second one was bigger (jucuzzi sized), but only 3 feet deep maybe, and super hot, and kinda dirty
- our salvation was walking further down the path, to the river ... too much current and too many rocks to swim, but we were able to "wade" ... the water was cold and refreshing (especially after the hike getting there)
- we didn´t stay too long, but then again, we had to rush back to try to catch the last bus (4pm) back to the main road
- as we neared the bus stop, it started to rain ... then it started to rain cats and dogs ... already wet from the river and sweaty from the hike back, I stood out in the rain for a couple of minutes and pretty much had a shower
- shortly after, we catch the bus, and it drops as off back by the main road ... by now, the rain has let up, but we have to wait at least an hour for the bus back to Boquete
- we catch that bus, and by the time we arrive in town, it´s pouring rain again ... it´s a sprint to the store for food and then a sprint to the hotel ... avoiding the massive flash-flooded puddles on the roads
- it rains and rains and rains the rest of the day/night ... we have tuna and chips for dinner at the hotel, and we play cards for hours ... then we call it a night
- so it´s like 3am, the room is pitch dark, and I think I just randomly wake up for no particular reason ... a light breaks into the room, and it becomes apparent someone is opening our door!! I see the silhouette of someone short and dark and it occurs to me that maybe Ruby stepped out and is coming back in ... except when I glace over to her bed, she´s in it!! Great ... intruder with a key!!
- I say "Helloooo..." a few times ... maybe even "Holaaaaa..." (I was half asleep) ... eventually my voice wakes up Ruby and she says something more threatening ... the entire time, the person has been at the doorway ... suddenly, he says "oh", and backs up and closes the door
- Ruby gets up and locks the door and double locks it with the sliding lock I never knew we even had ... now we´re wide awake and wondering what the hell just happened
- then we hear a key opening the door to the room across from us, and a few minutes later we hear one of the girls inside say, "what the hell ... get out of here!!"
- turns out the guy just went into their bathroom and didn´t really do anything ... next morning we find out no one else had their door opened, and nothing was stolen or anything ... still, it was a pretty freaky night
- we were assured nothing like that had ever happened before, and security measures were taking place the next day, including changing to locks to the front gate
- however, the weather looked like it was going to rain again, and it was time for us to be heading on anyway ... so we packed up and checked out ... next stop, a beach on the Pacific coast!

Santa Clara, Panama
- we catch the bus back to the David bus station ... from there, we move to the swankier end of the terminal, where they have all the big buses from David to Panama City
- we get on the bus, watch a couple of bad movies, and travel the majority of the way to the capital
- about an hour before the city, we are let off at the side of the ride ... supposedly at the beach town of Santa Clara ... only, there is no beach in site
- turns out the beach is a decent hike down the road ... it´s mid-afternoon and the sun is hot ... and we don´t feel like hiking with our packs ... we´re told we can hail a mini-bus or a taxi, we just have to wait for one to come by
- about half an hour later, we flag down a mini-bus, and we get dropped off about 5 minutes later, right at the beach
- the beach is huge, the sand is ideal, the water looks inviting ... only problem is, there doesn´t seem to be much in the way of places to stay!
- the one hotel/restaurant that actually seems open only has rooms for 5 to 6 people, so the price is way out of our range ... then we find out it´s possible to rent hammocks under a canopy (right on the beach) for the night, for the cheap price of $3 per hammock
- we pay for our hammocks, and set up shop under our canopy ... overall, it really isn´t that bad ... but avoiding bugs is a bit of a challenge, and hammocks really aren´t all that comfortable for sleeping through an entire night
- even better, we have a new full moon in the sky, and there is some crazy huge halo around the moon, that seems to block out all stars and all clouds ... really neat to witness, but impossible to capture with Ruby´s camera
- we eat a so-so dinner at the first restaurant, and then head back to our hanging beds for the night
- things get fairly interesting when a couple drive up, park, and walk down to the water ... they are "hanging out" for AGES ... we try to ignore them and hope they don´t notice us
- eventually, the sun rises (at like 5:30 am), and that´s the end of any chance to sleep
- then again, the good news is that the sun is out ... the morning is gorgeous! We play some frisbee in the sand and go into the water ... unlike Nicaragua, the Pacific ocean is again warm and not full of gross grass and/or pollution
- we head back to our hammocks to laze, and the morning is going wonderfully ... and THEN some guy comes up to us and ruins all our fun, saying that we have to pay for the hammocks and canopy separately for the day, and it´s an additional $10 or $15 ... this does NOT sit well with us, and after much complaining, we pack up and catch a ride with a truck back up the road, stopping at a hostel called the Blue Dolphin
- the hostel is really nice, with a pool and a kitchen and the rooms have a/c ... the price they tell us is extreme, but we´re able to barter our way down to something in our price range ... the only problem is that the hostel is pretty far away from the beach
- so instead of the ocean, we wind up spending the rest of the day in and out of the pool
- we really enjoyed the hostel, and we could walk to a store for food and drinks, as well as a cheap local restaurant
- after a full day of sun, we got tuna, bread and booze for dinner ... and we drank and played cards until it was time for bed
- next day was more of the same - hanging by the pool ... but only for the morning ... we were able to do a late checkout, so after lunch, we packed up and headed up the road to once again catch the David-Panama City bus ... it´s the 6th of May, Ruby has to leave on the 8th, but there´s still a lot of party left in her ... Panama City, here we come!
- EoW

WEEK 8

WEEK 8 - Isla de Ometepe and San Juan del Sur
- Ruby and I catch the 7am boat from Little Corn to Big Corn
- at the airport, we luck out and get in on standby for the morning flight
- an hour later, we´re landing in Bluefields (as I see a guy actually filling up a barf-bag as we land ... guess the puddle-jumper doesn´t agree with some people ... maybe he had a hangover)
- we stay on the plane as a couple more people board, then we´re off again to Managua
- from the captial, we immediately grab a taxi to Granada (costly, but we were trying to get a LOT of travel in on this day)
- people joke about how many times they tend to stop and stay in Granada ... this was only my second time stopping there, and I spent maybe half a day total there ... still, it´s a nice town ... similar colonial feel as Leon, but somehow "nicer"
- we had a really cheap and yummy (and huge) lunch at the restaurant across from Amigos hostel (where we knew Laura was staying, but go figure, she´d gone to Crater´s Edge for a day trip ... we left her a note)
- we then headed to the dock at the edge of town, where we caught a ferry for Ometepe (an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, with a volcano at each end, with towns scattered along the lakeshore between the volcanoes) ... it was a pretty big coincidence that we were even able to do this ... the fairy runs at 2pm every Monday and Wednesday ... that´s it!
- the four (or more) hour ride across Lake Nicaragua was fairly peaceful and relaxing ... even though there wasn´t much in the way of actually chairs
- we got a spectacular sunset towards the end of the trip - the sun turned a crazy shade of blood red ... and it was next having the sun behind us, with a huge volcano in front of us
- then things got a little hairy ... we actually hit land after the sun had gone down, so it was completely dark
- we were in one of the main towns in Ometepe, Altagracia ... we started asking if we could get to Playa Santo Domingo ... a 30 minute drive, but the mini-bus people were saying $25!!! We refused that absurdity, and we moved on to find a taxi
- as the last bus left, little did we know there were NO taxis!! Suddenly, we found ourselves stuck at a boat dock (at least 20 minutes walk from town, down a very dark and ominous looking gravel road), without any clue what we were going to do
- luckily, the last vehicle there (a truck with sacks of rice in it) offered us a bumpy ride into town, for $1 each
- we got dropped off at a hotel on the main road, and it turned out to be pretty nice for pretty cheap ... so we called it night
- next day, we took a bus to Santo Domingo for all of $2.50!
- we checked into a hostel, and it all seemed pretty nice ... a gazillion hammocks, a decent looking beach ... BUT there were these aphid-esque bugs EVERYWHERE ... the hotel manager said, dont´worry, they don´t bite ... but there were so many by the door to our room, that it was impossible not to be covered in them any time we went in or out ... and there were a bunch of them on our beds, etc. ... it got WAY worse towards dusk ... thousands and thousands of them ... in your eyes, up your nose, in your mouth ... it seriously make staying there a pain in the butt
- at the same time, Ruby managed to forget her PASSPORT(!!! ... sin of all sins!) ... luckily, she left it in Altagracia, so she was able to bus there and back in just a couple of hours
- in the meantime, I walked around and discovered there really wasn´t much of a town, no real store, and only a couple (expensive) restaurants
- I also went for a dip in the lake ... it wasn´t cold, but it didn´t come close to competing with Laguna de Apoyo and Little Corn
- we stayed for the night, and then headed to the south side of the island the next morning, to check out Charco Verde
- we caught a bus right in front of the hostel in Santo Domingo, so that was nice ... but the bus dropped us off nowhere near anything other than a sign for Charco Verde ... so we had a long walk, hauling our bags (did I ever mention that Ruby was hauling the biggest/heaviest backpack anyone has ever seen!?) along this winding dirt road ... and we eventually wound up at the Charco Verde Nature Reserve (and Hotel)
- the place was pretty huge, and I guess it seemed a bit swanky ... when we asked for a room, the price was astronomical (especially when we looked at the room, and there was nothing at all appealing about it)
- at the same time, the weather turned sour ... wind and rain and dark cloudy gloom
- we ate and the restaurant there ... overpriced mediocre food ... and right there and then, we need it was time to say goodbye and good riddance to Ometepe (granted, a LOT of people we met had similarly unenjoyable experiences at Ometepe, but many people also love the place ... I think we may have been hit with bad timing in general - bugs, weather, etc. ... when Isaac and Doro went later, they loved it ... but yeah, I´m not eager to ever go back ... so many great places in Nicaragua, but I can´t say I´d put Ometepe on that list)
- we overheard some older people had booked the hotel van to get to Moyogalpa (the other (and bigger) main town on the island, and the way to/from San Jorge and the mainland to the south), so we piggybacked off them, and got dropped off at the docks for about $1 each
- the ferry ride to San Jorge is much shorter than the one from Granada ... you can see the mainland from Moyogalpa ... and from San Jorge, you can see pretty much the entire south side of Isla de Ometepe
- from San Jorge, it´s about 30 minutes to bypass Rivas and get into San Juan del Sur (by taxi)
- we got dropped off in front of the hostel Casa Oro, and things were suddenly looking much better (very similar to arriving at Crater´s Edge from Leon)
- overall, the hostel isn´t amazing, but it is pretty nice, and it´s only a block away from the beach (and just a few blocks away from most of the night action) ... we checked out a private room, but it wasn´t going to work for us ... but staying in the upstairs dorms was pretty decent ... the hostel also ran a bunch of the tours and shuttles in the area (zip-line, surfing, other beaches, etc.), and it had six computers with FAST internet (fastest we´d seen in Central America), free to use
- pretty much the only real complaint anyone has about Casa Oro is that they make you wear these stupid wrist straps (that can´t be removed), to prove you´re staying there
- so we walk around, and there are decent stores a block or so away for snack and drinks, there is decent shopping (Ruby needed an outfit for her birthday), yummy food all over the place, and some pretty cool bars on the beach
- as evening approached, we decided to head up the hill to this big resort hotel, called Pelican Eyes (Piedras y Olas) ... thanks to Laura, we learned that they have this amazing happy hour on Wednesdays (and by complete coincidence, we happened to arrive on a Wednesday) ... the 2for1 drinks were spectacular, and the view of the city and the ocean was amazing, especially at sunset ... the bar is by a gorgeous swimming pool, and the hotel gives off a distinct high-end resort feel (even the urinals were filled with ice cubes and slices of lime) ... and it turns out they have the same happy hour on Fridays, so we already knew we´d be returning
- then we heard a rumour that people who aren´t staying at the resort can still use the pool during the day ... so we wound up spending a couple of glorious days there, laying in the sun, cooling off in the pool, and enjoying the view and the tranquility of it all ... that is until they finally informed us we were supposed to pay to use the pool (more than we were paying for an entire night at the hostel!) ... we never paid, but that was the end of our daytime fun at the resorty ... so then we had to settle for heading to the ocean, where the sand was decent and the water was so-so
- along with getting sun, the daily tradition was to head over to the restaurant Big Wave Dave´s, for super yummy and super cheap food (be it breakfast or brunch) ... we also had dinner there a couple of times, because the food there was simply that good
- another dinner hit was sitting at a restaurant patio, overlooking the ocean ... and eating delicious fish and shrimp
- Ruby and I also discovered an evening basketball league, played on an outdoor court near the beach (under the bright lights) ... we watched a game, and Ruby picked one of the local guys to be her "boo" - turns out he runs one of the bars in town - but Ruby had competition from an older tattoo shop and biker bar owning Canadian chick who had just bought property in San Juan del Sur
- three days flew by in a fun-filled blur, and suddenly it was Saturday - the day before Ruby´s 26th birthday, on the 26th of April (but we´d already decided to celebrate her b´day on Saturday night) ... she was determined to make her "golden birthday" a night no one would forget, and she succeeded
- Isaac and Doro showed up in the early afternoon, and we recruited the others in our dorm room to join the celebrations, including a German girl named Sinikka - who hit it over with Doro immediately
- earlier in the week, we´d found a woman who does customized piñatas (for cheap), and we got her to make a pretty huge replica of a Flor de Caña bottle ... the Nicaraguan rum that we´d all become *very* familiar with in the past couple of weeks
- we filled the piñata with cheap candies, and Ruby carried it around with her and we hopped from bar to bar ... first Iguana; then Tsunami; and finally (in the wee morning hours) we ended up at the dance club called the Crazy Crab ... there, they strung up the Piñata from the high rafters, and Ruby went to town trying to bash the living daylights out of it
- when the piñata finally broke, it was unreal how quickly the local people moved ... within about 30 seconds, ALL the candy was nowhere to be found ... absolutely crazy
- we drank and danced the night away, and got home at some ridiculous hour in the morning
- everything in San Juan del Sur seemed very easy going and relaxed ... and we thought it was safe ... a bit of a wake-up call occurred the very next night, when three girls (who were at the same bar as us, and left maybe 30 minutes after we did) got mugged on the way back to Casa Oro ... apparently, one girl had a knife held to her neck!! Sickening to the stomach, especially when you consider we´d been walking those same streets every night (not to mention just a few minutes before they got mugged) ... she only had a bit of money stolen, but she was definitely emotionally traumatized ... the next night, the beach streets were suddenly populated with quite a few police
- the rest of the time in San Juan del Sur was more of the same ... beach, sun, food and drinks
- one day, Isaac, Ruby and myself did a zip-line canopy tour ... 17 zip-lines over the mountain-side to the east of San Juan del Sur ... definitely not as elaborate as many of the canopy tours people talk about in Costa Rica, but it was much cheaper (and because of Ruby´s fast approaching fly-home date out of Panama City, we already knew there wasn´t going to be much time in Costa Rica anyway) ... it was pretty fun - definitely doing once to see what it´s like
- days came and went in San Juan del Sur faster than anywhere else ... suddenly we´d been there for almost a week, and I was in no hurry to leave
- however, after days of trying, Ruby got a hold of her host mom in Costa Rica (she had done a long homestay in Costa Rica about 3 years ago), and it turned out she was about to fly to the States in a couple of days, so we had to leave the very next morning, if Ruby was going to get a chance to see her before she left
- Doro and Isaac had plans to see Ometepe ... and after that, Doro wanted to take Spanish lessons and do a homestay in San Juan del Sur for two weeks ... Isaac indicated he wanted to do something similar ... so the decision was made that I would travel with Ruby up until see left Panama City on May 8th, and then Isaac would head straight there after his week of Spanish lessons and homestay, meaning we would meet up around May 12th
- Ruby and I had a mellow last night in Nicaragua, as we had to get up early for another long day of travel
- EoW

WEEK 7

WEEK 7 - Little Corn Island
- Ruby, Isaac and I get up in time for a 4am taxi
- hugs and goodbyes with Lisa, Ann and Dorothy, and we´re off to the airport in Managua
- by 6am, we´ve checked in and paid, had our bags weighed, had ourselved weighed (!), and we were boarding an old school puddle-jumper (there were two sliding doors to the cockpit).
- a couple of hours later, we´re back in the Caribbean, on Big Corn Island - an island off the eastern edge of mainland Nicaragua ... pretty much all the locals are black and speak Spanish, English, and their own creole ... there´s a similar feel to most of our Belize experience.
- it would appear that the landing strip for the airport takes up pretty much the entire length of the island ... as soon as we´ve gathered our bags, we´re shuttled by a taxi to the other end of the island, where the boat docks are
- we pay the (quite likely a scam, but a cheap one) 15 cent entry fee to the dock area, and we try to get on a boat to Little Corn ... turns out no boat is leaving for another hour and a half! ... so we head over to a neighbouring restaurant (where we see everyone else from our flight, and possibly other tourists), and we contemplate breakfast ... we settle on each of us having a drink
- when it gets close to time to board the boat, we try to jockey for ideal position ... I can´t remember if we tried for the front on purpose (we did get the front), but if we did, that was a mistake
- not sure when last I mentioned my tailbone, but it has been bruised since like the 3rd day of the trip (every single bus/boat ride reminds me how it is NOT healing) ... well this hour long boat ride from Big Corn to Little Corn either partially fractured my tailbone, or came close
- aside from the plethora of small (but hard) bounces that were continually shooting pain into the tailbone, there were five or six times when the boat seemed to take flight in the air, only to land with a mind (and butt) crushing thud into the water ... it took two or three days before I can sit on anything without feeling immediate pain
- but butt woes aside, we dock on Little Corn, and soon find we´ve landed on a bit of an island paradise ... it´s small enough to walk, but big enough to avoid people and noise ... about 30 minutes north of the main area are quiet and more secluded beaches ... about 15 minutes walk east cuts through the island and gets you to more populated beaches ... and staying on the west side offers most of the shops and restaurants, along with the dock and the boats, and a bit of west side beach (should you feel too lazy to walk anywhere) ... there´s also less wind on the west side, making it ideal for throwing around a frisbee
- from the boat, we walk for about two minutes, and we hit Sun Shine Hotel ... recommended by Jasmine and Eric, and we were informed that Lindsay and crew had booked for there for at least the first night of their stay
- we immediately meet Dustin, from Texas ... he looks like a young party type, who is probably working at the hotel to help pay for his party habits ... turns out he owns the place (although, his personality does match his initial appearance)!
- we haggled a pretty good deal for two rooms between the three of us (I think the fact that semana santa just ended helped us to get the prices dropped a bit) ... the rooms all came with air conditioning and private bathrooms ... the only "catch" being that the entire island doesn´t have electricity between about 4am and 3pm every day! Still, the a/c was heavenly in the evenings
- the upstairs to the hotel had a nice patio, as well as a huge indoor area that used to be a restaurant, but was being coverted into more of a fun-bar for guests ... ping pong table, wii set up on a projector screen, and pool tables had been ordered (but never arrived while we were there)
- we asked if he knew Lindsay and the other girls from Canada ... he informed us that they were staying on the opposite side of the hotel (in the room next to Ruby´s, as it turns out)!
- so we headed over to see if they were around ... their bags were all open and outside their room ... apparently Lindsay got bed bugs (in Granada), so they were still airing out their bags ... it would also appear that crime on the island isn´t an issue
- they weren´t in their room, so Ruby and I decided to take a walk to check out the island (while Isaac opted for a nap)
- not three minutes later, I´m getting whistled at by some nutty chica sitting on a restaurant patio ... oh wait, it was Lindsay! Big hugs later, Ruby and I are sitting with Lindsay and Laura, catching each other up on the last few days apart
- turns out the Brits had already left (sucks!), and team she-Canada were planning to take the boat to Big Corn TODAY, as their flight was early tomorrow morning ... luckily, upon seeing us, L&L made an executive decision to stay on Little Corn one more night ... and the flight the next morning had been downgraded to "maybe" ;)
- a little while later, Alyson walks by (she´d been lying out in the sun, on the east side), and she reacts positively to the idea of not going to Big Corn today
- we head back towards the hotel (to wake up Isaac), with Lindsay stopping by to talk to Twila (the woman who runs the Cuban restaurant), making lobster reservations for all six of us for later that night ... Twila replies with, "no problem, Ms. Lindsay Lohan" ... funny stuff
- we grabbed Isaac (Lindsay bounced up and down on his bed until he agreed to get up and join us), and we headed to the east side for lunch, to Casa Iguana ... yummy (but overpriced) wraps, and an amazing view of the ocean ... plus a constant and cooling breeze, which is very welcome and hard to find on the island
- after lunch, we hit the beaches ... Ruby and Isaac followed Alyson to the north part of the island, and went with L&L to see the east side of beaches ... it was the perfect time of day to get a bit of sun, without getting too much ... the water was also very nice and warm
- a combination of sunning and walking later, we returned to the main area and hit the store that sells booze ... we got some wine and some rum, and headed back to the hotel for some pre-dinner libations (reunion celebration) ... by the time we set off for dinner, there was only enough wine left for L&L to smuggle in a small water sized bottle each ... we also managed to bring with us a third small bottle - this one filled with rum (warning, this night is about to get messy)
- first off, the lobster dinner is AMAZING ... two bit tails (cut into 4 halves), a baked potato ... preceded by salad and rice ... everyone is stuffed by the end of the meal, and the lobster is so so delicious ... we already know we´ll be coming back here (and soon)
- as for the beverages, Lindsay has been telling us how fantastic this one drink is ... called the Temptation ... but when we ask for it, Twila simply explains that Lindsay (and company) drank too many of them earlier in the week, and now she didn´t have all the necessary ingredients to make it (and in fact never got the ingredients while we were there)!!
- so, we were stuck with delicious margaritas and piña coladas (which we spiked with our rum)
- by the time dinner was over (and the rum and wine had disappeared), we were all pretty rowdy
- we headed back to the hotel and went upstairs, where a mix of hotel guests, dive shop instructors and locals had gathered (as is the nightly custom) ... we grabbed what was left of the main bottle of rum, and joined the festivities
- before long, we ran out of rum, and others ran out of beers ... people wanted to go out (dancing and/or whatnot), but nothing was open (Monday after semana santa)
- Dustin made a couple of phone calls on his cell, and suddenly we were all walking to Dolphini´s ... there must have been 15 to 20 of us, just hanging out, outside a closed Dolphini´s ... we must have waited at least half an hour ... this would be when Ruby decided to teach Laura how to "pop" her butt (if you don´t know, maybe google can help) - MUCH to the delight of everyone around, especially the guys, especially the LOCAL guys ... Laura´s name for the night could easily have been Ludicrously Loaded Laura, but she was pop-tastic (over and over and over again)
- eventually, someone showed up to open the bar, and music started, drinks were sold, pool was played, and everyone had a genuinely good time
- the next day, the aftermath of the previous night became apparent ... aside from the numerous hangovers (shared by pretty much the entire island), team she-Canada had experienced some life changing (okay, well island changing) events ... Lindsay had somewhat "fallen" for a YOUNG South African dive instructor; Laura found herself with an "island boyfriend" ... a nice enough (read "not enough in common") American boy, who shall forever be referred to as "ostrich boy" (thank Ruby for that one); and Alyson discovered a second bed for herself - an outdoor hammock! Needless(?) to say, the girls did not leave on Tuesday ... Alyson did leave Wednesday morning, but L&L wound up staying as late as the possibly could, which was Friday morning
- once Alyson had left, we took the first initial of the remaining five (David, Ruby, Isaac, Lindsay, Laura) and we immediately declared ourselves as the DRILL SQUAD
- the rest of the week followed a fairly predictable routine ... beach during the day (or possibly sleep all day long, especially if your name begins with an "L"), and party during the night (which often included a reggae bar - if it was open - usually with good music and dancing at the back)
- Wednesday was a "Clean the Beach Day" ... it was fairly depressing, as the island felt pretty CLEAN (compared to the other parts of Central America we´d seen), but the amount of trash we accumulated was staggering, especially as it felt we barely made a dent ... it was also fairly disconcerting that only about 5% of the people participating in the cleaning effort were locals (not to mention the staggering number of used syringes we found)
- Wednesday was also the day we ran into Doro again (she had arrived the night before) ... she and a couple of other Germans were staying at cabanas on the east side, which means we didn´t see them very often (especially at night, when the walk from east to west side is dark and a bit treacherous) ... that also meant we saw a lot less of Isaac too
- Wednesday was also the day I sliced the bottom of my foot open, playing frisbee with L&L ... even though the cut was pretty deep, it didn´t seem to break the surface (i.e. draw blood) ... so after Lindsay cleaned and bandaged it for me, it healed rather nicely
- however, the cut definitely prevented me from using my foot much over the next few days, including not being able to climb the lighttower for a cool view of the entire island ... once discovered, this tower became a favourite hangout spot (day and night) for Ruby
- there is a chained monkey on the island (en route to the northern beaches) ... I´m pretty sure he´d get food all day long from tourists that felt sorry for him
- there were these kids that would constantly hang out around the hotel ... a couple of girls and a boy ... some people loved them, but they were basically there to mooch ... the fact that the called the fat boy "Rambo" was funny though
- one of the locals that would often hang out at the hotel thinks he is the next big thing for music (he just needs to be discovered) ... rap and reggae with a Little Corn flare ... if "Darian" ever makes it big, I met him, heard him rap, heard him sing, saw him dance, etc. (I think he was looking for money)
- mid-week, four *crazy* party girls from the state of Washington showed up on Sun Shine (Courtney and Jenny from Spokane, Katie from Olympia and Kit from Seattle) ... we were positive they were 22 at most, but "apparently" there were all significantly older ... they definitely amped the energy level of the island ... one of them wound up shacking up with Dustin for a couple of days ... I´m not sure if he´s ever been so happy in his life! ;)
- we hit the Cuban restaurant like three more times while we were there ... turns out there are different (totally yummy) sauces you can have your lobster cooken in ... plus there were other food options (one night I had some yummy fish and another night Ruby had some delicious shrimp)
- Ruby and I decided after a week that we were ready to move on and see more of Nicaragua (plus the island just wanted nearly as exciting without L&L ... the DRI Squad didn´t have the same appeal to it) ... Isaac and Doro decided they were in paradise and wanted to stay a couple of more days ... so we split ways, with the agreement that we´d meet up in a few days (for Ruby´s birthday)
- next stop ... Isla de Ometepe and then San Juan del Sur
- EoW

WEEK 6

WEEK 6 - Laguna de Apoyo
- we get up early and catch a taxi to the Leon bus terminal
- a couple hours on a mini-bus later, we arrive at a bus terminal in Managua ... right beside where we get out, there is another mini-bus waiting to take us to Masaya
- half an hour later, we wander from the parking lot where the mini-bus dropped us off in Masaya, through some crazy little local market, and then to another lot with chicken buses in it
- we catch a bus for Laguna de Apoya, and after another 30 minutes of travel, we´re dropped off at the top of a huge hill / small mountain, with a view of the crater-made lake below
- we flag a taxi and get conned into have to pay a gate fee as well as a taxi fare ... but it wasn´t crazy expensive ... just annoying
- we arrive at our destiantion - the Crater´s Edge - and at this point it´s about high noon, and we´re already hot and bothered from the heat and the morning of travel
- before we can ring the bell to be let in, the wooden gate-door opens, and we are greeted by the owner, Ann ... saying to us, "you must be David and Isaac ... we´ve been waiting for you!"
- the friendly greeting was a nice start, and we were also greeted by Ann´s niece, Lisa (visiting from Canada for a few months, helping her aunt run the Crater´s Edge), and then by Dorothy - Ann´s recently hired assistant
- we get signed in, and then Lisa gives us a tour ... with each step (there are literally like 100 steps from the entrance down through the reception area, the kitchen and dining area, the dorms, the bar and lounge area, and finally the lake), one can actually feel like getting better and better ... the weather gets a bit cooler, a breeze picks up, the ammenities are fantastic, the lake is gorgeous and inviting ... we´re told the water never gets cold, thanks to a volcanic influence ... and even better, the minerals in the water make is supposedly really good for your skin! There is even a really cool floating dock, a short swim from shore. Once we get the explanation of how evenings work (upstairs is quiet after 9pm, but you can hang out by the lake and the bar area at late as you want, and you just help yourself to beers and colas (or bottles of rum or wine) and anything else that you want ... just simply write down whatever you take) ... it dawns on us we´re pretty much in heaven
- we arrived just in time for lunch, which worked out well, since we hadn´t eaten anything for the day
- all the meals at the Crater´s Edge are served on these fantastic basket dishes, lined with folded banana leaf ... the meals are typically very tasty as well as very healthy
- for the rest of the week, we stuck to breakfasts (fruit, cereal, various breads, hard boiled eggs) and dinners (always something yummy, with a starch, a meat and at least one kind of salad)
- after our "this place is amazing ... thanks to Vinnie and Hanna for recommending we book our Easter week here ... this is exactly what we need after the hellacios heat of Leon" introduction to the Crater´s Edge, the rest of the week is a bit of a whirlwind blur ... so much happened, with so many good times ... I´ll just try to summarize the highlights as best as possible
- during the week, our mornings were quite routine:

1. Wake up ridiculously early (i.e. 7:30ish) ... still drunk. (Isaac typically went down to the lake for a swim, whereas I´d wait for Lisa to get out of the bathroom ... unofficially electing her as my daily wake-up call)
2. Stick only my head in the shower to try to become actually functional ... try to be dressed at the breakfast area by 8am ... have some fruit, bread and a couple hard boiled eggs ... try to keep the food down, and try not to upset the stomach too much
3. Brush teeth, fill up giant water bottles, sign "Isaac and David" on the whiteboard to indicate we´ve headed outside Crater´s Edge
4. Walk 10 or so minutes down the road, marvelling at how sunny and hot it already is, as well as cursing the fact that we drank too much the night before, and questioning why on earth we were awake so early
5. Then we´d arrive for our 8am Spanish class (typically around 8:30, except for one day when Lisa slept in, not knowing she was THE alarm clock)

- our instructor was an amazingly patient Nicaraguan women named Aura (ah-uhr-ah)
- she was very easy going, and she let us decide what parts of the language we´d focus on for each lesson
- everyday, we´d get 4 hours of school, along with a mid-morning drink break (where we would get fresh fruit juice, and we could chat with some of the other students for a bit)
- the classes were all outdoors, sitting on lawn chairs (and moving table and chairs as required to avoid the heat and glare of the sun)
- Aura´s daughter, Linda, would hang around during our lessons, running over to another instructor to get the Spanish/English dictionary whenever we needed it (must have been a pretty boring way for a 12 year old to spend her Easter week holiday, but she didn´t seem to mind)
- we also had a few dogs that would hang out with us during class ... one of them being a complete psycho dog ... Simba was his name (aka Chucky, as in the movie) ... way too much pit bull and not enough anything else (including brains and the ability to feel pain) ... this dog should also be tied up on a leash ... but that´s not how they do things there ... every day Simba would get in bloody fights with other dogs ... totally crazy stuff ... but during our classes, he would just lie under our table, usually at Isaac´s feet
- the first couple of days, we went over vocabulary basics, as well as learning many Spanish words for everyday/useful items
- the next day or two, we did a lot of regular very conjugations, while also learning many Spanish verbs for everyday actions
- the last day or so, we broke free from learning lessons, instead opting for lengthly conversations in Spanish only
- for only five (somewhat hungover) half days of class, I´m amazed at how much Spanish I learned ... definitely a good way to spend our mornings that week

- twice a day, a shuttle bus came to Crater´s Edge from Granada and returned 30 minutes later ... once at 10:30 and once at 4:30
- people checking in and out of the hostel often rode on one of these shuttles, but there were also many "day trippers" would were staying in Granada, but wanted to just come hang out at Crater´s Edge (and get away from the city heat) for the day
- this led to an interesting dynamic for Isaac and myself, as we´d return from class and see new faces everyday ... and we typically wouldn´t know until the 4:30 shuttle if the people who only day trippers or if they were staying overnight
- still, it´s the amazing people we met at the Crater´s Edge that made are week as great as it was ...

1. Ann, Lisa and Dorothy. Lisa actually stayed with us in the dorms, and even partied with us a couple of times.
2. Eric and Jasmine ... Alberta couple ... met them on the first night ... Jasmine was suffering from too many bottles of wine the night before, Eric was on a rum mission ... Isaac and I gladly joined him on his adventure ... then they left for a couple of days, only to return for the end of the week.
3. Lindsay ... aka Scarecrow, Box Punch, and 1/3 of "our brain" ... another Alberta girl that we met on the first night ... she too was suffering from too many bottles of wine the night before ... but we got her back on the booze the following night, and she was one of the gang until she left for Corn Island mid-week.
4. Rob and Ernie (aka Courtney) ... cute Alberta couple (yes, it would appear everyone we met on the first night was from Alberta ... but they didn´t know each other before they met at Crater´s Edge) ... thanks to some miscommunication on a bad phone line, Ann was expecting the couple "Rob and Ernie" ... which made for a good laugh when Courtney showed up, much too pretty to be an Ernie ... naturally we called her Ernie from that point on.
5. Eric from Seattle ... aka the Lone Jackal (LJ) ... as in a hunter, chasing a pack of wild animals (women), going after the weakest one (anyone left alone for a second), but continuously failing in his attempts to make a kill (I have a private room, why don´t we go to my room, hey come sit on my lap, we should go to my private room, could I be any creepier and/or socially retarded, did I mention I´m married, but keep scaring my wife about the dangers of Nicaragua so she won´t join me here) ... in the few days that he was there, we know of at least 5 girls he freaked out, trying the same disturbing lines over and over ... but rest assured, no one fears the Lone Jackal anymore ... (please note: "LJ" is also a verb ... for example, when a socially retarded loser tries to slime you with his come-ons, you should immediately walk away, go to your friends and tell them you just got "LJ´d").
6. Adam, Annie and Sarah, the travelling trio from England ... they were a blast, and together with the 3 thirds of a brain (Isaac, Lindsay and myself), we formed the "Super 6" (officially documented, as that is how we signed out on the white board one night) ... what made us so super is that we decided to invade the other big name hostel in the area one night ... we brought the party with us, we drank *all* their wine, and then we brought the party back to where it belonged ... good times, good times ... the Brits scored a last minute flight to Little Corn, and took off with Lindsay mid-week.
7. Dora and Nicole ... same Dora from Leon ... she showed up (with her German friend, Nicole) as a day tripper early in the week ... they both enjoyed it enough to return a couple days later to stay for a night.
8. Holly ... from close to Bismark, but living in DC (but actually living/working in Nicaragua at the moment) ... she was way fun until she got langostafied (sunburned lobster red) ... unfortunately, she was only at the hostel for a couple of nights.
9. Ariana ... fantastically fun Nicaraguan who speaks very good English and can appreciate the art of sleeping in ... comparing cultures over bottles of rum was a forte.
10. Taco and Tamara ... adorable couple from Holland ... responsible for introducing me to the card game called Sets (from the makers of Uno) ... now I´m dying to meet more people who own the game ... both of them (especially Taco) turned lobster red their last day at the hostel (apparently Easter is typically the hottest day, and I guess the sun is extra deadly with the glare off the water).
11. Laura and Alyson ... Ontario girls that showed up just for one day, but really they were just coming to pick up Lindsay, as the three of them were travelling together to the Corn Islands.
12. Heiko ... fun guy from Austria ... he showed up late, but fit in nicely.
13. Brad ... from San Francisco ... nice enough guy, but angered people a bit when he freaked and killed a little scorpion one night.
14. Stephan and Marianne ... nice German couple that arrived at the end of Easter week, just as everyone was leaving.
15. Ruby ... aka Lady Blackpacker ... from the poor streets of southern Chicago, now living in Minneapolis / St. Paul ... tough as nails ... she might scare you at first (sure she always carries around 2 to 3 pieces of "protection" at all times), but get to know her, and everyone loves Ruby! She showed up towards the end of the week, and within a day or so, she´d decided to join us to our next destination (Little Corn Island).

- other big highlights include just how crazy crowded the public beach area (like 5 minutes walk from us) got on the weekend ... thousdands of locals flooded in every day to party it up semana santa style
- almost everyone´s last day was Easter Sunday. Ann help her 4th annual Easter Egg hunt ... approximately 300 little chocolate eggs were hidden all over the hostel grounds ... the hunt began at 6am (the chocolate was already melting in some sunnier spots) ... the competition was split into two categories ... tourists and locals (Nicaraguan employees) ... the locals had a BLAST ... sprinting here and there, grabbing as many eggs as possible ... this would include Ariana - who didn´t quiet master the art of the hunt, but woke up extra early for the event, and got all gussied up in a pretty dress (until someone explained the actual hunt, and she changed into more pratical clothes) ... Ruby stole the show though, showing up with war paint under her eyes, a do-rag on her head, and fingerless "tough-girl" gloves on her hands!! ... one of the night watchmen destroyed everyone with 38 eggs, and won the employee competition ... in the mid-20 range of eggs, Eric (not LJ, he was already gone) won a massage (there was a blind man that offered varoius massage deals during the day ... I never got a massage, but everyone said he was great value for the price ... Isaac got at least 2 hour-long massages during the week) ... Isaac got second place and won a free dinner ... Brad, Heiko and myself all tied for third place, meaning we each got a free dessert with dinner that night! :) (mmmm, warm brownies in ice cream)
- the full moon showed up towards the end of the week ... it was amazing over the lake ... better still was swimming out to the floating dock late at night, warm water, peaceful calm and nothing but clear skies (with a massive and bright moon, along will all the stars) overhead ... the very last night there, the group that was left all sat in silence as we watched the incredibly fast and scenic moonrise over the lake
- midweek, we fought a fire ... that´s right, "volunteer fire fighter" can be added to the resume! We were down by the water one night, having a drink ... Ann shows up and mentions that a wild fire broke out on the hill across the street ... next thing you know, every single person staying at the hostel is pitching in, cutting the edges off with machetes and/or filling and carrying bucket after bucket of water ... the fire itself was probably 15 feet by 15 feet (maybe 20x20), and it´s quite probable that it was started by a careless late night partier from down the road ... the crazy thing is that the ground there is super dry ... to the point that you´d think the fire would spread like nothing ... so it was fairly impressive how well this fire was contained ... within an hour, it was mostly out ... quite a few extra buckets of water later, we were all a sweaty mess, and we hit the lake for a late night swim, followed by Ann giving the gang a free bottle of rum as a way of thanks
- the week was amazing, the people we met were incredible, and the next step was to try to get to Little Corn Island in time to reunite the Super 6 (plus extras)
- EoW