Stress and its counterpart: Granada

Traveling isn't easy. Each time we reach a new location it feels like an accomplishment as nothing is simple when travelling cheap in a developing country. Upon meeting our taxi driver in Popoyo, we instantly knew we would have to be very alert as we sensed that he was most untrustworthy. This apprehension was verified when he stopped 3/4 of the way to our destination (Rivas) to pull up a chair and have a beer. I tried to laugh it off as typical absurdity, but it was difficult when two guys pulled up right after and loitered at the trunk of our taxi which was where our backpacks were, where our homes were. Thankfully with Travis's watchful eye they did not have the oppurtunity to try anything. The 3 hour ride on the old school bus (called the chicken bus) from Rivas to Granada was very crowded as usual with half the people standing in the aisle. Each stop mobile food vendors with baskets of differing products would climb aboard to sell their wares and somehow make their way around to all the hungry passengers. Now, if you are a person like Travis who values personal space you would find these bus rides very uncomfortable with an average of three people touching you at all times. But on every single one of these bus rides we have met very kind people. On this ride I gave up my seat to two young children standing in the aisle falling sleep on their feet, an easy decision. After two hours of standing along side of an elderly man, he told me through an interpreter that he was sorry I had to stand as my feet must be sore. He was so thoughtful, however looking at his shoes and age I felt terrible he was standing as well.

Our place is Granada was the cheapest yet, $10 for a twin dorm bed in which we slept surprisingly well. A few nights here really helped offset expensive Coast Rica. Granada itself had an abundance of old colonial character with its churches and impressive colourful buildings. We found a place with chocolate crepes and pancakes for breakfast and quickly made them an integral part of our morning routine. We also decided to treat ourselves with massages! It was very enjoyable to escape from the stress of travel and completely relax, even if some of their techniques were comical indeed. The best part of our stay in Granada was the day we spent at Laguna de Apoyo; a very old volcanic crater in which a lovely lake now resides. We thoroughly enjoyed playing in the mineral water and talking the day away. It still amazes me how the more time we have together, the more we have to talk and laugh about, rather than exhausting all topics and staring blankly at each other. Even though Travis and I have fantastic communication, we have never spent every minute of every day together like this. So we would be lying if we said that we didn't each have some apprehension as to how things would go for us. But, I can say with absolute certainty that this time has shown us how more time together only serves to strengthen our relationship. I am constantly thankful for the wonderful people we regularly meet along the way, but I am more thankful for the endless amount of alone time we have together. 

   

   

Hiatus...

Hola Amigos!

We would like to thank you for your patience as you've had to wait quite a while for us to post a new entry. Even though I have been writting about each location shortly after we move on we have lacked adequate internet services to post recently. Also lately, more than ever, we have got caught up in the moment and have lost track of time. Thirdly, and this is something you may not know, I will not post unless the blog entry has been carefully reviewed by my beloved Editor and Esposo (husband), Travis.

It has been an incredible experience for me to reflect and journal our travels. However, the entries are not my own, each one Travis has infused his experiences and perceptions as well and I am so grateful he has. His grammar and punctuation skills exceed my own and he is able to see what I'm trying to say and enhance it each time so that our posts clearly convey our experiences (hopefully). This joint effort has added to our own reflections of our journey as we do our best to share with you from our heart the joys and trials of backpacking. I am so thankful for Travis's help, his way with words and excellent editorial skills have greatly added to this blog. Each entry takes us about 2.5 hours combined and we hope you continue to enjoy reading about our travels as we are now passed the half way point and on the home stretch, flying out of Mexico on April 1, 2015! 

Also, we apologize for your inability to comment on our posts as our settings were improperly adjusted at the beginning. Recently, we changed them so anyone can comment now and we would love to hear from you! Also, check in regularly this week as we will be posting often to catch you up to speed with where we are now. 

Sincerely,

Chantal ... And Travis

                       

                       

   

   

A Feliz Navidad on Popoyo Beach

Travis had told me many times that Christmas in another country would not feel much like Christmas at all (from his Christmas away in New Zealand) and although I tried to grasp what he was saying, I had no experiences of my own to prepare me. And then it happened... It was nearly impossible to believe it was Christmas time as we traveled in the sweaty, dusty taxi from Rivas to Popoyo beach. I closed my eyes for a moment and pictured what everyone would be doing at home and the holiday hustle and bustle. In that moment I missed seeing everyone at home that I love and hold dear, but I didn't feel like I was missing out on any Christmas activities as my mind couldn't quite fathom being anywhere else than where I was right now. That moment is when I understood what Travis had been talking about. We love our families and have many great people in our lives at home, but the scenery and intrigue right in front of us was too intoxicating to allow ourselves to get wrapped up in what was going on at home.  

When we arrived in Popoyo we quickly met up with our Swiss friends again at our beach front hostel and stood in awe of the beautiful scene before us; gorgeous blonde sand, large playful waves and hardly anyone in sight (not quite the same scene as home). At first the waves made me nervous to go in but eventually I made my way out with Travis's encouragement. The hostel we were staying in left a lot to be desired. Our room came with two single beds, so sharing a bed for Christmas was out of the picture, but our biggest adjustment was finding out they didn't have any fresh water for showering, so salty became the new clean. 

The morning of Christmas Eve Michelle (Swiss friend) and I went for a barefoot run on the beach, talking as we ran in the cool ocean breeze brought me Christmas joy. During our run together I was able to share my faith and encourage Michelle to seek her own and in doing so I instantly felt that this was exactly where I was supposed to be. Our time with our Swiss friends was short lived as they moved on later that day, however this allowed for more time with new friends which now includes two great guys from Sweden, a girl from the U.S. and a fantastic Irishman. With everyone away from home and yet happy to be at the beach we all kept each other company, laughing and talking until midnight. At which point the hostel staff set of a few weak fireworks in the sand and everyone went around hugging and wishing each other a "Feliz Navidad", even the armed security guard with his loaded mossberg shotgun slung over his shoulder!

Christmas morning we all walked down the road to our favourite breakfast place where we had a special meal; scrambled eggs with ham and hash browns. The day proceeded as it normally does on a perfect beach; jumping in the waves, swinging in the hammocks and watching the sunset. With no stores around it was easy to follow through on our rules of spending no money and adding nothing to our packs as gifts. Travis gave me a beautiful gift through words that made my heart smile and I made him a picture in the sand with seashells which he said was the best gift he's ever received. The day was capped off as we read the Bibles account of the birth of Jesus Christ, filling our hearts with gratitude and love.

While at the beach we took a surfing lesson from a very chill kiwi. After gaining knowledge of waves and currents, followed by dryland practice it was go time. We carried our boards down the beach and into the white water. It was incredible to feel the power of the waves pushing me as I stood gliding across the water, even if it was just for a few moments before falling in. Thankfully, we both stood up on the board a number of times and it definitely piqued my interest enough to want more. Finally, it was time to say good bye to our Christmas home, grateful for our time there and excited for a fresh water shower in Granada.

                                 

                

 

 

   

Sickness in San Juan Del Sur

Arriving in Rivas amongst the many taxi drivers eager to take you wherever you want to go, we found another couple also heading to the beach town of San Juan Del Sur. Jumping in a cab with them, we parted ways with our Swiss friends for a few nights. When we arrived at our little green side street hostel, we were kindly greeted by Mama Sara who offered us some empanadas. Thankful and hungry we downed them in no time. A few hours later at supper, I couldn't eat anything, the smell, taste and thought of food made my stomach turn and head spin. Quickly we left the restaurant and the long, ugly, painful night began. I can't think of the last time I felt so terrible, laying in bed in agony before vomiting in the adjacent bathroom. Once I was finally able to lay down without the fear of vomiting again, Travis was hit with a migraine headache and we both were immobile. Thankfully God gave us strength to continue to care for each other all night through brief moments of clarity. We don't know what we had for sure but we assume innocent food poisoning courtesy of Mama Sara may have been the cause.

The next few days we took it easy as we tried to recover from the worst experience of our trip so far. On our last day we rented a quad and rode up the hill to see the large Christ statue which over looks the town. From there we were also able to soak in the incredible view of the ocean and surrounding country side, it was breathtakingly beautiful. We had hoped to do more in San Juan del Sur, like turtle watching, surfing or simply visiting surrounding beaches. However with our low energy we settled on finding good food and watching the sun set into the ocean each night, still filled with gratitude to be in this beautiful country. 

The following day we took a 45 minute taxi ride back to Rivas and bought a few groceries as our next stop would not contain the oppurtunity to get much in the way of essentials. When exiting the grocery store, we decided to take a ride aboard a manual rickshaw to the bus stop. It was fun, although we felt sorry for the guy peddling both of us, plus our packs and groceries (we gave him a nice tip for Christmas). While on Ometepe we gained a new friend, Fearghal from Ireland, who works in Vancouver. We made plans to meet in Rivas and go spend Christmas on the beach together. As we waited for Fearghal to arrive from Granada, the taxi drivers trying to give us a ride were overwhelming with their persistence and competition with one another. Finally we found one we were comfortable with and headed for Popoyo beach with Fearghal and his friend Morgan, excited to see our Swiss friends again and enjoy some of the things we missed out on in San Juan del Sur. 

                          

                                               

                                    

  

   

  

Adventures on Isla de Ometepe

With a bit more energy from a good nights sleep, we walked onto the ferry with our two Swiss friends (after taking a picture with a big random chair at the ferry terminal) and spread out on the upper deck. The lake breeze was welcoming as we headed out on our four hour journey to the island composed of two volcanos in the middle of the largest fresh water lake in the world. Unfortunetly, the water didn't look so fresh and we decided right away against swimming in it. The sunset was beautiful from the ferry over the distant hills of Nicaraguas mainland. Arriving in the dark we climbed into a shuttle van and headed for the hostel our friends hoped would have room, sadly it did not. Tired and hungry we finally found a hostel and crashed for the night. All through the night the local roosters crowed allowing for little sleep, we would have understood if the sun was rising but these fellas didn't seem to care if the sun was up or not. At 6:30am we got up and researched other island options for accommodations. Walking through the village it was very difficult to see the numerous starving dogs all around, it broke our hearts. 

That afternoon we found a great spot to stay right on the lake where we could enjoy the sunset each night. Our private room had a large hammock out front where we peacefully read and relaxed for the next two days. The place was called Hacienda Merida and helped fund the Billingual (English) Elementary School attached to it and also leads the recycling program on the island that creates many work opportunities for the locals. With these two factors in play, it made the rather steep price of the rooms a little easier to swallow. On our third day we went kayaking with our friends along the lake to a river heading inland. This was my first time kyaking, It was challenging and tons of fun. We saw a small caiman (1.5 metres), turtles, cranes and many other beautiful birds. I felt like Ariel from The Little Mermaid floating in the romantic lagoon as Travis paddled, shalla lala lala.... 

The next day we rented a dirt bike and headed out for a cruise around the islands. We had noticed that most of the locals didn't wear helmets so made the assumption that it is optional. We were wrong. After a splendid half hour we were pulled over by an eager police officer who happily handed Travis a $20 ticket while putting his drivers license in his pocket. You see it was Travis's ticket because only the driver is legally supposed to wear one, go figure. So the obstacle race began, we were instructed to find a bank on the opposite side of the island before 4, pay the ticket and then find the police officer again somewhere along a different stretch of road (he wasn't sure we're he would be) to obtain the drivers license. With some frustration and laughter we embarked on our new journey while still enjoying the island scenery. We passed many pigs, oxen, horses, chickens and dogs crossing the road. We drove over the runway of the airstrip which doubles as a road when there are no planes. After three attempts to find the right bank, we paid our fee and later found the officer with ease. With that behind us we went for a dip in the natural mineral pool, it was refreshing. With about  one hour of sunlight left we decided to complete our goal of driving around both islands. What we didn't know is how rough the final stretch of road would be. My husbands dirtbike riding skills were put to the ultimate test as we raced the dark along the very rough, very narrow road strewn with large rocks and boulders. The poor dirt bike hit the bottom of the suspension on more than one occasion. While barreling along the road, we were drawing closer to a section of road flooded by a river from the volcano. I was unsure of what we were going to do and asked Travis if I should get off the bike and let him try to cross alone. He quickly spotted a very narrow pedestrian walkway and went straight for it before I could completely comprehend what he was doing. Nervously, I tried to sit still as the rails of the walkway were mere inches from our knees, but Travis didn't falter or slow down to give any other option anyways. Thankfully, we made it around the island just in time to watch the sunset on our home stretch. After a good night sleep we packed up, loaded in a truck (with the men in the box) and caught a one hour ferry ride to Rivas.