#18 Medellin I love you

After a 17 hour bus journey (yep....ONE.SEVEN for which the last two consisted of winding mountain roads with lorries swerving around each other in attempts to overtake each other like a game of cat and mouse) I finally arrived. The heavens had opened in Medellin so I took a taxi to Ivy Hostel, which is in a suburb of the main tourist area called Poblado.

I met some splendid people in the hostel that evening and five of us all booked in to do the Real City Walking tour leaving from a nearby metro station for the next morning. It was an amazing, informative tour lasting about four hours. Our tour guide Mari was hilarious, had some really interesting stories and was very knowledgeable about everywhere she took us. From the courts of justice and government buildings, to the local markets selling everything from religious calendars to hardcore porn DVDs (sometimes being sold from the same stall)! She showed us where we could buy traditional Paisa food (paisas is the name given to the people born around the Medellin area). We tried some sickly sweet 'Guarape', similar to lemonade, Empanadas (corn dough, deep fried filled with meat), coffee and arepas (corn dough, grilled and stuffed with cheese). We learnt about the turbulent and violent history of Medellin, mostly brought about by the infamous Pablo Escobar. Obviously as a result of the terror he brought to the city, he is not popular with many of the locals. We learnt about the corrupt right and left wing groups and the previous governments. We visited a church where we saw a few 'working girls' hanging around outside. Prostitution is legal in Medellin and Mari explained to us that the local men would come to 'visit' these ladies and after attend church for confession to cleanse their sole again. Bizarre! really recommend the tour, even though it is classed as 'free', the guides earn their money from tips at the end.

The church and the prostitutes 

Our tour guide getting some help from a local man 

That afternoon we went to the Cable cars of San Domingo, you pay using your metro card and can go further up for another couple of dollars. We paid the extra and it was worth it. Before long we were out of the crowded neighbourhoods of Medellin and were zipping over dense forest. On the way back down we got out and ended up stumbling through a local neighbourhood. It was very local and everyone was so friendly. We had some great, basic street food and 'tinto' (coffee), sometimes with copious amounts of sugar in! For about $2 altogether. We sat on the side of the street and ate the chorizo and chips before heading back down in the cable cars.

Overlooking Communa 13

We took a metro back across town (the metro system is so easy to navigate through). We got the metro to Communa 13, once the most dangerous area of Medellin due to the high homicide rate, guerrilla and gang violence. It is a now well known community which has been transformed through the many street murals, rap music and street dance. We had wanted to do a tour through toucan cafe with the money going back into the local community, unfortunately they couldn't take us so we went ourselves. We felt safe walking around discovering the impressive street murals with locals saying hello and children playing in the streets. Later that night we cooked some food and decided it would be rude not to go out. We bought some local liquor called Aguardiente (tastes like Sambuca and reminds me of many a drunken night in coppers) and some Medellin rum! We went out in Poblado, which is the main touristy area.

Street murals of Communa 13 

Arenas with cheese in the market 

The next morning I went to 'the most colourful town in Latin America' called Guatapé worn a girl called Helen I met in Medellin (after the night out everyone else felt too fragile to venture out). We took the metro to the bus terminal and an hour and a half bus to Guatapé costing $4. We got off the 'El Peñón de Guatapé or The rock. The bus dropped us at the end of some stairs....we thought it was the beginning of the 740 steps up the top. Only after ten minutes of walking up the stopes in the heat did we realise we hadn't even made it to the entrance. I was really struggling and was thinking if I had known Helen a bit better I would have tapped out there, curled into the foetal position and cried. However we kept going..and I'm so glad we did. The view at the top of the rock was breathtaking. We took a tuk tuk into Gutapé town and had a wander around enjoying the buzz of Colombian tourists visiting for the weekend. We got some BBQ'd corn and ice cream and weaved through the colourful streets.

The rock, 740 steps up 

Worthwhile view 

Colourful Guatpé 

The next day was my last in Medellin. I went to Minorista market, a local food market but it also sold anything else you could imagine. I spent the rest of the day wandering around Medellin with Helen, sampling some great coffee, arepas with cheese and enjoying the buzz of the city. Unfortunately later that night I took an overnight bus to Bogota where I would be reunited with Kirsty and we were flying to Ecuador together.

Next Stop: Quito, Ecuador.
Food/Drink: Arepas with cheese, cooked in the hostel. Aguardiente liquor and Medellin rum.
Bars/Restaurants: went out in Poblado. Ate in Minorista market and street food in Guatapé
Stayed: Ivy house hostel, such a great comfortable and social hostel for about $10 per night including a great breakfast.

#17 Torrential rain and thunder storms and more hammock time

Tayrona National Park.

After being away from our base hostel near Santa Marta and a relaxed night in Palomino, Kirsty, Linda and I got the bus back. Unfortunately Kirsty was struck with some horrible bug that floored her, she had been struggling silently for days and when a extremely high, rapid fever took over on the bus back to the hostel we headed straight for a hospital where she was seen quite quickly (after paying quite a large cash deposit). She was given some medications and sent on her way. She needed to rest up for a few days at least so decided to stay out in Calle 11 for a few days.

Reassured that she would be fine, Linda and I decided to go the famous Tayrona National Park for a night. We got a public bus from Santa Marta to Tayrona park for about $2. Entry to the park was about $14...bring your passport! I unfortunately had not and had left my photocopy stupidly in my backpack back in the hostel. Thankfully Linda had hers and after some sweet talking we managed to get around it. Tayrona can be done as a day trip but after numerous people advising us to stay in Cabo San Juan (a popular beach with hammocks and tents for overnight stays in the park) we decided to take overnight bags with us. We took a $3 mini bus up to the first 'drop off' which was well worth it seeing as the next two hours was spent hiking/wading through mud, rivers, beaches and puddles. I ended up going barefoot through the swamps for the last hour.....squelchy. We finally arrived at Cabo San Juan and paid $6 for a hammock each for the night (after me again trying to get around the fact that I had no ID with me).

The beach in Cabo de la Vela 

We bumped straight into a fellow Dubliner called Gav who was on our Punta Gallinas trip and Linda and I headed for the lovely beach. Within about four hours we were quick to discover why our hike up was so.....squelchy. The rain came......and only briefly stopped for an hour or so during the night. Everyone was driven into the restaurant area due to the rain where the whole night was spent having some (eh uh) drinks and playing a mammoth game of ring of fire with Irish, English, Italian, Polish and German contributors. With only two power cuts interrupting the games.

After a pretty late one, we were woken at 5am by TORRENTIAL rain, thunder and lightening storms! Good when you're sleeping under a thatched roof in a hammock. By 9am the rain hadn't eased off much so Linda and I decided to just make a break for it....I'm still not sure if this was a good or bad idea. We ended up wading through swamps, getting lost in forests trying to take shortcuts and getting soaked for the next two hours back packs and all. Drenched! We got back to Calle 11 by lunchtime to check on poor lil Kirsty who was struggling through with fluids and well...life in general.  We both agreed that she definitely needed some more time to recover. We had already booked overnight buses to Medellin so I decided to head down and we planned to rendez vous again once she was feeling better.

Next Stop: Medellin, Colombia
Bars/Restaurants: nil. Food and drinks in Tayrona but try bring your own because it's expensive.
Food/Drink: same as above
Stayed: Hammocks in Tayrona national park, you can't book these so it works on first come, first serve!

#16 Discovering the deserts of Colombia

Since reading about trips to the northern point of South America before I came away I had wanted to see the deserts of Colombia and the indigenous villages on the way. We had heard you could do this route solo but pretty good Spanish was needed to negotiate a driver/taxi with a four wheel drive to take you and.....well, we decided to take the easier and slightly more costlier option. We booked a two night, three day tour with Magic tours. Tours cost between $140-170 including all food, accommodation and transport.

Kirsty, our lovely German, hilarious friend Linda and myself arranged to get collected from Calle 11 hostel (our little base) at 4.30am! We packed small backpacks for the next few days and set off in our 4x4 with our Spanish speaking tour guide Jesus bang on 4.30am in the dark. We drove for about two hours (well Jesus drove...we slept)! He stopped just outside a beach town of Palomino and showed us the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, he told us the snow capped mountains are the closest in proximity to the sea in the world. We carried on to Palomino and picked up a Dutch guy Jasper and drove for another hour or so to a beach city called Riohacha where we stopped for breakfast....eggs, arepas and juice. Two more joined the group...two older Italian ladies who were quick to tell us they didn't speak any English or Spanish.

From here we piled into our 4x4 again and drove another hour into the sticks to Uribia 'The capital of Indigenous Colombia' to stop for cheap Venezuelan gas. The petrol station was literally just some teenagers in the middle of the town with coke bottles and canisters full of diesel. We stocked up on some drinks and had a photo shoot with a cute little guy who was fascinated with the Italian ladies' camera demanding he got a photo of everyone before we left.

Uribia petrol station

Photo shoot with the locals

We set off for a small town called Cabo de la Vela where we would spend our first night. Here was where we discovered why a four wheel drive was needed, passing by some Colombian tourists who had attempted to cross in a Kia jeep (of all things)! Jesus was quick to stop and get out to help tow him out. Driving through the indigenous villages was both interesting but also quite sad, the local kids set up self made road blocks, making the various jeeps stop to give them biscuits, fruit, water. I couldn't figure out if this was due to hunger or more like a game for them. Jesus had brought fruit and milk biscuits as did Kirsty and I, it didn't take long before our stock had been handed out meaning we had to drive past lots of children begging for more.

When we got to Cabo de la Vela we had a fresh seafood lunch and spent the afternoon walking up 'Pilon de Azucar' in English translated into 'The sugar loaf' (however the Colombian sugar loaf has slightly better views than the Irish sugar loaf)! We also went swimming at the beach where we got swarmed by the local kids, dragging us into the water, jumping on our backs and body surfing waves with us...the kids were crazy! We stopped off the watch the sunset before heading back for some dinner, rum and cards before getting into our massive hammocks for a pretty crap nights sleep

Fresh fish for lunch

We left at 5.30am the next morning and took a lancha (wooden boat) to get across to Punta Gallinas. We thought this would be a 1.5 hour journey and that it would be a 'bit bumpy'. The next three hours were spent cling on for dear life to anything we could find...each other, our bags, the boat...random watermelons. With bruised bums we finally made it to the cliffs edge and hobbled out of the boat.

Our second night was to be spent in more big hammocks, this time in a sheltered area on a cliff overlooking the sea...it was pretty special. We had grouped up with another tour, after breakfast we explored Punta Gallinas in the back of a pick up truck which was dubbed 'The Gringo bus'. This was when we visited the most northerly point of South America, more beautiful deserted beaches, the desert where the sand dunes literally roll into the sea and to end the day we stopped off at a viewpoint to watch yet another impressive sunset.

Reaching the most northerly point of SA 

Our hammock bedroom on the cliffs' edge 

We had dinner that night again of fresh fish, plantain, rice and beans. We had all coincidentally brought rum so we cracked this open. Jesus also brought round some questionable looking liquid in a big water bottle. He told us it is locally made rum from a man about 2km away in the desert...but of course! A few metres away at the cliffs edge we noticed a group of who we thought were locals with head torches having a few drinks, and playing traditional Colombian music from speakers. and lots of people with headtorches on...us being nosey, and Linda declaring that no one can have a party without her, we wandered over to see what was happening. Turned out it was a Colombian film crew that were filming a 'survivor' type show in the desert and it was one their camera mans birthdays. We all sang him happy birthday or feliz compleaños in Spanish and spent the next hour learning Colombian salsa and drinking the rest of the rum under the most spectacular sky full of stars I've ever seen...we also had to be careful not to fall off the cliff!

The next morning and our last day we got up at 5am and very reluctantly got back on the dreaded lancha. We were assured however that the way back wouldn't be as rough, thankfully it wasn't and after two hours, only mildly salt drenched we bailed back into our 4x4's and headed back towards Riochacha for our last lunch. We also stopped to visit impressive pink salt plains where we were told we might see some pink flamingoes. Unfortunately we were not so lucky this time much to the despair of flamingo living Linda.

Jesus dropped Linda, Kristy and myself at Dreamers hostel in Palomino, a beach that is becoming popular with backpackers. We spent that evening and the next day not doing very much apart from walking on the beach and swimming in the pool.

Looking back at photographs and writing about it has confirmed that the Punta Gallinas tour has been one of the highlights of my trip so far. The people I met, our tour guide, the food, the amount that we learnt and saw surpassed my expectations. I'd really recommend travelling up to visit the desert, the indigenous people and the most northerly point of South America either with or without a tour.

Next Stop: back to Calle 11 after Palomino to go to onto Tayrona National Park
Bars/restaurants: food from the tour..we were fed verrrryyy well! Fruit stall at Palomino.
Stayed: hammocks in Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas. Dreamers Hostel in Palomino (about $11 for a dorm)

#15 Avoiding snakes and chasing more waterfalls in Minca

Minca, Colombia

After a couple of days lounging by the pool in Calle 11 and prioritising where we wanted to go first, we booked one night in a hostel on a farm close to 'Minca'.

Minca is about 600m above Santa Marta and accessible by one public bus costing about 50c from Santa Marta. Minca region is known for its coffee and cocoa plantations, hiking, waterfalls and streams. After a couple of days in the searing heat and melting by the pool some cooler climate was appealing. We booked into 'Finca Carpe Diem', a large farm about twenty minutes up a very bumpy dirt track from a small village called 'Bonda'. The farm, we learnt grew everything from coffee to mangoes, grapefruit, cashew nuts, exotic fruits such as guanabana, zapote and nispero as well as vegetables. The also keep bees and various animals.

We set off with small backpacks, leaving our big bags in Calle 11. After a forty minute bus journey, with two local guys talking to us in thick Spanish (and us looking confused and politely asking them to speak slowly), they shuffled us off the bus at Bonda. We were approached by two young guys who looked about 14 asking us if we needed a 'mototaxi'. We did as a matter of fact and the mototaxi they were referring to was their scooter, us on the back and not a helmet in sight. We agreed the price of $3 or 10,000 pesos and got on. My guy whizzed off leaving Kirsty behind. My first thought was......this guy could literally drive me anywhere, and I had no clue where we were or who he was. Although I don't think certified mototaxi drivers existed in this little village and sometimes you just have to trust the adolescent Colombian scooter driver with your life. So I did. We scooted off and after about five minutes whizzing through the little streets we reached a very steep windy dirt track, littered with massive rocks. I could finally see Kirsty behind me looking less than comfortable clinging on to her 'driver'. My mototaxi driver then whipped out his mobile phone, continued swerving past the rocks with one hand and proceeded to play traditional Colombian reggaetone music on his Samsung. Standard. After a twenty minute, clammy (oh so clammy) clamber up we finally reached the small Finca. With numb bums we peeled ourselves off the young Colombians, paid and wobbled up to the reception to check in.

We had a small dorm room to ourselves complete with mossie nets above each bed. The farm was really quiet and had a lovely little swimming pool and more resident cats. My kinda place. All the staff were local and one lady took us through all the different hikes, nearby waterfalls and farms in Spanish of course. We decided to opt for a hike that looked reasonably manageable, about an hour and a half trail leading up to a look out where you could catch views over Santa Marta and the Caribbean Sea. Easy. We set off from the farm and followed the small yellow wooden signs nailed to various trees, we quickly realised this 'easy hike' was a clamber, up muddy banks and through thick bushes and trees. It didn't look like anyone had passed through the track in a long time. After forty minutes (a very sweaty forty minutes) we were almost at the top, I was powering on up the hill singing along to no song in particular when Kirsty suddenly told me to stop. And not to move. I looked down and about an inch away from the foot was a snake......F***K. Right there slithering in between my two feet....I've never moved to fast. I legged it about ten metres up the hill through the thick bushes and leaving Kirsty on the other side of the snake. We debated for a few minutes whether to carry on and after realising neither of us was fit enough or willing to carry the other down the mountain if a poisonous snake should bite us (tad dramatic maybe), we (reluctantly) decided to turn back and kept our eyes fixed to the ground, not one song was sang on the way down I might add.

A snake and lots of bushes separating Kirsty and I 

We headed to a waterfall and swimming point instead which ended up being a lot more enjoyable, leading past locals houses, rivers, over less than sturdy bridges and along a dirt track through a forest. When we got to the 'Pozo de Amor', it was deserted and the water looked lovely. After debating whether there were any leaches around I got in the fresh water for a swim and cooled off before we headed beck to the farm.

That evening we had a meal cooked in the restaurant, a burger of all things (although we're not quite sure what meat we had...goat/dog/cow/dog)?! It was good though and we had a very quiet evening with only six other people staying there too.

The next morning we walked twenty minutes along a creek in the forest to a small locally owned cocoa farm. We were told by the staff at Carpe Diem that you could just trot up and pay about $5 for a tour of the farm. We were greeted by a lovely local family and a lady called Dianna gave us a half hour tour of her farm, showing us the cocoa trees,we tried the slimey fruit, she explained the drying out, roasting and grinding process as well as where and who they sell their beans to (mostly America and Japan)! She was the loveliest lady and seemed to enjoy chocolate as much as we did (which is a lot)! We tried some of the cocoa beans, ground beans with cinnamon and sugar and we obviously had to buy some of the chocolates at the end to take away. We chatted to Dianna in Spanish about Christmas coming up, about the farm and the beautiful butterflies whizzing around us (she had no English so we made it through with mine and Kirsty's Spanish combined)...I think!

Learning about growing, roasting and grinding cocoa to turn into chocolate 

We mentally prepared ourselves for our mototaxi and more reggaetone back down the bumpy hill and caught the bus back to Calle 11, safe in the knowledge that there should be no snakes lurking around the pool here.

Bargain feed for $3 

Next Stop: Back to Rodadero (Santa Marta)
Food/Drink: Mest and vegetable soup, fresh juice and standard chicken/fish/meat, plantain, beans and rice for a bargain of $3 in Rodadero. Cooked in the hostel.
Bars/Restaurants: Finca Carpe Diem restaurant, Charles Pollo for local food in Rodadero.
Stayed: Calle 11 in Rodadero. Finds Carpe Diem in Bonda/Minca, $11 for a 'dorm' to ourselves.

#14 Viva Colombia - Cartagena

Goodbye Central America and hello to South America. First stop.....Cartagena.
After two and a half amazing months travelling through Central America, I ended the first half of the trip in Panama City and flew to Bogota in Colombia and then to Cartagena in Northern Colombia. I had arranged to meet Kirsty, a Geordie delight of a friend where we were going to travel together until the end of a January. And I was so looking forward to exploring Colombia with her. After a pretty horrendous day flying consisting of missed, cancelled and delayed flights (none of which were my fault I might add), I finally arrived in the old walled town in Cartagena where Kirsty had already arrived and rightly so was fast asleep after her thirty plus hours of travel!

The next morning we had a delightful breakfast at the hostel and a catch up on what's been going on in both our disastrously hilarious lives (cannot.adult). After breakfast we decided to do a walking street art tour from another part of town called Getsemeni. The tour leaves daily at 10am from Plaza Trinidad in Getsemeni, about fifteen minutes walk from the old town. The tour in total was about an hour and a half. It is run by two Belgian guys, our guide had lived in Colombia for a few years after visiting and falling in love with the country. He was extremely knowledgeable about the massive, colourful street murals he brought us to. He explained to us about the artists and the numerous political messages behind each mural. They were mostly based on the racism, the slave trade, music and the gentrification in Cartagena as well as surrounding areas in Colombia. The murals were everywhere and the variation and detail of them was amazing. The tour was technically free but you pay or 'tip' at the end. I really enjoyed it and our guide had really good tips on things to do and where to eat in the local areas. Such a great way to spend a morning in a new city to gain your bearings.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the colourful streets of Cartagena, we got a traditional lunch of....yes more chicken, rice and beans (my staple diet at the moment) for about $3 each. We even stumbled across a live rap concert in a main square in the old town! There was so much going on in the city and you could easily wander around for hours.

Fruit sellers in Getsemi 

Later that night we had a few drinks in the hostel with girls from our dorm which led to an impromptu and hilarious night out. Consisting of salsa (bad from me...good from everyone else), balloon hats (no clue where they came from) and tequila. We went to a local club which seemed to be full of local Colombians. There was a group of about ten of us out from all over the world; Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, France, America and of course Ireland. And of course the two other Irish girls who were out had gone to Coleraine, the same university as me! Ireland is so small.

Standard Saturday night attire 

The next day we decided to go further north to the Caribbean coast to a place called Santa Marta. I mentally prepared myself for the four hour shuttle bus...alas this turned out to be a six hour long, clammy bus with a stomping hangover. From here we planned on exploring National Park Tayrona, the most northerly point of South America and the indigenous tribes and maybe squeeze in some pool/beach time.

When we arrived at Calle 11 hostel in Rodadero, about twenty minutes outside of Santa Marta the shuttle bus struggle had been worth it! This hostel is ridiculous, a previous drugs cartel mansion and now owned by a rich Colombian family who turned it into a hostel, this place is unique. Complete with a pool, pool table, kitchen, balconies and of course resident cats and turtles whom we had names within five minutes (Harriet, Susan and George of course)! The staff were all so friendly and we used this place as a base for exploring the Caribbean coast over the next week and a half.

Calle 11 hostel 

Next Stop: Minca, Colombia
Food/Drink: local food in Cartagena, my first 'arepa' a Colombian street food staple consisting of white corn flour and sometimes stuffed with cheese.
Bars/Restaurants: hostel bar in Cartagena followed by a local club (unsure of the name), Havana club is supposed to be fantastic for live music and salsa
Stayed: El Viajero in Cartagena old town, $15 for a dorm with breakfast. Calle 11 hostel in Rodadero, about twenty minutes outside of Santa Marta $9 a night

#13 Escaping tropical storms, spotting sloths and saying 'Adios' to Central America

In week nine I went to Panama from The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Panama was also my final stop in Central America and country number eight on my trip.

The first stop in Panama was to the Caribbean islands known collectively as Bocas Del Toro or 'mouth of the bull'. These islands are situated off the cost of the Costa Rican/Panama border and are popular with backpackers due to the surfing, water sports and national park where you can see turtles, sloths, monkeys and go snorkelling.

I left Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica early to make my way to Bocas with a friend from New Zealand called E.
From Puerto Viejo to Bocas Del Toro, Panama:
- Bus from Puerto Viejo to the border - $3
- Paid $7 to exit Costa Rica at a suspicious looking window attached to shop. We were assured this was a legitimate payment.
- Walk across the bridge to the Panama immigration office.
- Pay $4 at the bridge. Later we were told this is not an official payment....(shit)
- Immigration at Panama to get entry stamp. Had to show proof of exiting Panama. Immigration were quite strict with this and some people we were with were told to go and print off their flight tickets and both their names weren't on the email confirmation. Thankfully a screenshot of my flight was accepted.
- From the Panama border we took a public bus to Changuinola. Takes about thirty minutes. Cost about $1
- Bus from Changuinola to Almirante. Takes about twenty minutes. Costs about $2.
- Water taxi from Almirante port to Isla de Colon (Bocas town). $6

Just after walking from Costa Rica to Panama

We checked into Hostel Calipso, a small hostel in town with good AC and a nice kitchen. The next day we did a boat trip around the islands. It cost $22 and included a trip to sloth island (such cute, weird little animals), starfish island, snorkelling and a couple of hours in the 'Bastimentos' island which is a national park where we hung out on the beach (and got enthralled in a very serious card game of spit). Unfortunately the weather wasn't great and it rained a bit during the day, the sea was also pretty rough...we later found out this was the start of tropical storm 'Otto' which was later upgraded to a hurricane. Just my luck on an island! Later that day we were joined by everyone else
who came over from Puerto Viejo.

Serious card game on a Caribbean island nature reserve

Spotting Starfish on 'Hollywood' island 

Later that day in the hostel, with the rain plummeting down outside, I noticed a poster asking for volunteers in a local residential home. Seeing as the weather was pretty bad, I took this opportunity to do some  brief volunteering. Being used to spending a lot of time through work in residential homes and chatting with elderly people (I'm better with the biddies than the childer), I thought it would be nice to discover what care is like in the countries I've visited as well as to look into where I want to spend some linger periods of time volunteering/working. Myself and two other girls from the hostel went one afternoon. Casa Asilo is a ten minute walk from the hostel and we were welcomed straight
away. The 42 residents were just finishing lunch when we arrived and we were quickly shown in and started helping clearing up, doing dishes and chatting to the residents in our poor Spanish. We met
Jean, a nurse from America who has been working at the centre for two years. She showed us around the crumbling building, consisting of a small common area, kitchen and dining room, female and male shared bedrooms with a shower room and toilet attached. There was also a small office and
clinical cupboard for medications and supplies along with patient files. The building was evidently pretty run down. Jean showed us the one working shower they had for all the women, there were limited handrails, non-functioning toilets, the ceilings had fallen in and some rooms had flooded due to bad weather as well as the fact that the sea would flood into the garden. She told us that government funding is very limited and they only received funding for food a couple of months prior. They mainly rely on volunteers, fundraising and donations. Most of the residents in the centre have some degree of dementia so this made conversation even more challenging at times. I went back the next morning and spent some time colouring in with two sisters who had learning disabilities. The two women and their mum all lived in the centre in two beds which they shared. The grown up daughters were so loving and had a great relationship with their mum. Jean told us when they first came to the centre they didn't speak at all but now they were happily chatting away in Spanish and were keen to speak to anyone who came in. I also helped with putting together 'mothers day' packages for the women of some toiletries they had donated. I met and spoke to Thomas, also an American but who had trained as a monk and had been giving all his time (and also his money) into the centre for the last four years. He told us about the voluntary organisations 'floating doctors' which enables them to access medical professionals for the residents. I was so taken aback by the volunteers dedication and love for the residents, it was a lot more interesting and inspiring than any boat tour, hike or waterfall ever could be!

I am so glad I was able to spend some time there and would have liked to volunteer there some more but with tropical storm Otto approaching and a flight from Panama City in a couple of days, I needed to try and make my way to Panama City. I had booked a boat off the island and then an overnight bus to the city. Unfortunately at five o'clock when my boat was supposed to leave, all boats on sea had  been banned by the Panamanian president due to the storm. The hostel owner who I booked the bus with, Richard was also trying to get off the island to see some family so he said we could try and get on a ferry at 6pm...sorted. However by the time the ferry arrived at 6.30pm...so did the police, followed by a lot of locals shouting in Spanish, filming on their phones and me standing in the middle with all my bags looking confused. When Richard and the rest of the locals started boarding the ferry with no police following them I swiftly followed (sorry mum)...but we did get life jackets! Sitting on the ferry in the rain with no shelter I was glad to have gotten off the island but aware that I would probably miss my bus on the other side....which I did! Thankfully Richard brought myself and a wandering Chilean couple to a nearby hostel he knew and told us where to get the bus the next morning. Early the next morning, with the help of the Chileans who also had had the same problem, I managed to change my ticket and got on the freeeeezing cold bus which took roughly 11 hours to Panama City. Luckily I was pre-warned about the glacial AC and had plenty of warm clothes and most importantly...SNACKS!

I finally got to Panama City at 6.30pm that evening and checked into the hostel in the old town. The next day I met up with my friend Charis and Sam her boyfriend who were coincidentally flying into Panama the same day and we arranged to stay in the same hostel. We spent the morning walking around the beautiful old town of Panama, walking out into the sea on a walkway looping from one side of the old town to the other. We went to 'Mercado de mariscos' (seafood market) just outside the old town famous for it's fish marinated in lime juice with onions and herbs called Ceviche. It is a traditional Peruvian dish but is found elsewhere across Central and South America. It is served with crackers and a big bowl costs around $5. and had the freshest mixed ceviche for $5 at one of the many 'cevicherias'. Later that evening we cooked together and played some cards on the rooftop of the hostel.

Panama old town

'Ceviche' 

The boats in the port at the seafood market 

The next day I ended my trip of Central America and it has well and truly surpassed my expectations. Every country has blown me away in different ways. I have learnt to never take on other people's preconceptions of a place as well as my own. I have met amazing people along the way both fellow travellers but also the most warm and friendly locals and I will always remember the hilarious and eye opening experiences I have had over the past 73 days (not that I've been counting or anything)! I set off for the airport on the 25th November to fly to Colombia to start my trip in South America!

Next stop: Cartagena, Colombia
Stayed: Hostel Calipso in Bocas Del Toro. $12/night with AC.
Hospedaje Casco Viejo in Panama City. $10/night with breakfast.
Food/drink: the fish market in Panama City for fresh ceviche
Bars/restaurants: Local restaurant with cheap, traditional food next door to hostel Calipso in Bocas. Fish market in Panama City.

#12 Skipping through Costa Rica

The time finally came to leave Nicaragua after delaying it for days. Not that I didn't want to go to. I had heard amazing things about Costa Rica, particularly about the landscape, extreme activities and nature but after getting used to the cheap accomodation, food and general living in the rest of Central America I had heard that Costa Rica was more expensive especially for a backpacker. However as I was flying from Panama it made sense to travel through Costa Rica and at least see some of the beautiful country. We decided to go to the mountainous area of Monteverde, famous mostly for its cloud forest, zip lining and nature. I was travelling over down with a couple I had met along the way, Virginia and Harry. We set off early from Playa Gigante, walking down the beach at 7am in the heat loaded down with our backpacks. 

The route we took from Playa Gigante was as follows: 

Bus from Gigante to Rivas - 35C (just over $1)

Rivas to la frontera - 25C (less than $1)

$1 entry to immigration

$2 exit from Nicaragua

We walked five minutes to the Costa Rica border once we got off the bus. We were asked to show proof of leaving country (I had a flight from Panama to Colombia and a screenshot of the flight on my phone was sufficient). They did ask us by they were not overly strict with looking at it. There was no fee for Costa Rica entrance. We booked a bus ticket at the border to get us most of the way to Monteverde. The bus cost about $6 and it was LUXURY. Especially compared to hot, crowded chicken buses we were used to. There was a proper luggage hold, assigned seats and air conditioning on the coach. We took the bus to La Irma which took about 2.5hrs where we got off at a petrol station. The stop was not obvious but we just so happened to ask when we had stopped and the driver told us to get off. Across road there is a bus stop where the bus to Monteverde goes only twice a day at 10am and 3pm. Luckily we arrived at 2.45pm so didn't have to wait long for the bus (so lucky)! 

The town for Monteverde is actually called Santa Elena. It's very touristy and doesn't feel like a Central American town with big supermarkets, souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants. Our first day in Santa Elena we had a nice breakfast in Sloth hostel and decided to walk about ten minutes out of town to a Ficus tree which you could climb up inside of. It was a huge tree in the forest which had vines climbing all the way up it. It was quite rainy when we were in Santa Elena, and for the first time since I was away it was cool...I finally got to wear some jeans and a jumper! A vast difference to the humidity and sunshine in Nicaragua.

Giant Ficus tree 

Made it all the way to the top

Later that night we had dinner in a local 'soda'..generally cheap local food. Costa Rica however did not differ from the rest of Central America with their local dish of....

more rice, beans, plantain, chicken and vegetables. We also tried the really good coffee in beso coffee house in the town. On our second day we Took a shuttle bus from the hostel to the Santa Elena cloud forest, this is slightly smaller than Monteverde forest and we were told slightly less touristy. General admission is $14, we managed to get student for $7 (I guess I was technically a student recently). We did a 3.4km trail route around the forest, complete with viewing point. We were looking forward to seeing some sloths but unfortunately weren't so lucky. The day we were there it was generally clear so the cloud forest wasn't as impressive as we had heard it could be. We saw some butterflies, centipedes and birds. We cooked that night in the hostel and met up with one of our friends Alberto who had travelled up from Nicaragua.

High above Santa Elena cloud forest 

The next day we made our way to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and a beach town called Puerto Viejo. 

Travelling from Santa Elena to Puerto Viejo

- Got bus from terminal in Santa Elena to San Jose at 6.30am. Cost $5. Took four hours..again this was a 'luxurious' coach

- Bus from San Jose to Puerto Viejo. They leave every two hours. Cost $10. Took 4.5 hours. This bus goes from terminal mepe about five minute walk from the main bus terminal. 

Puerto Viejo is a surfer town on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. We finally arrived at about five o'clock where we walked about one kilometre out of town to the hostel Rocking J's where a group of friends had already arrived to earlier that day. Rocking J's is a huge hostel on the beach with what seemed like hundreds of hammocks which you can stay in as well a tents, dorms and private rooms. All the tents were under a roof on a platform above all the lockers so it seemed almost better than a dorm as I had essentially my own 'room'. We all went for some food that evening, the boys opted to go for burgers whereas myself and the three girls went to a local 'sopa' or general restaurant. We all had Caribbean chicken with coconut rice, plantain and salad for about $5..I don't think I'll ever get sick of rice and beans. Later that night we went to the beach behind the hostel for a beach party and rum. There was a bonfire and lots of bongo playing, guitars, singing and rapping! 

Caribbean chick n and rice 

Rocking J's hostel 

Early the next morning I had decided to head to Panama so it was goodbye to my brief visit to Costa Rica and on to the last country on my Central American journey complete with a rum induced hangover. 

Next Stop: Bocas Del Toro, Panama 

Food/drink: Amazing coffee in Beso in Santa Elena, Rum in Puerto Viejo, 'sopa' (local) cafes in Santa Elena 

Stayed: Sloth hostel in Monteverde $12-15 for a dorm with breakfast, Sleepers hostel $10 for a dorm with breakfast in Monteverde

Rocking J's in Puerto Viejo, $10 for a tent with mattress and pillow

Bars/restaurants: Soda Almirante in Santa Elena, general dish costs $5

#11 Finding it too hard to leave Nicaragua

Nicaragua, Isla de ometepe and Playa Gigante
The day after Sunday Funday...Monday in San Juan del Sur, I even surprised myself when I got up at a reasonable time and decided to head to Isla de Ometepe. I arranged to meet everyone else the next day on the island.

The route from San Juan was:
- Chicken bus from San Juan del Sur to Rivas. $1. Roughly one hour.
- Taxi from Rivas to San Jorge dock. Roughly 70c. Fifteen minutes.
- Ferry from San Jorge to Ometepe island. $1.70. 1.5-2 hours.

Ometepe island is located in the fresh water Lake Nicaragua. It is famous for it's two volcanoes towering over opposite ends of the island, Volcán Concepcíon and Maderas. The island is also known for its waterfalls, wildlife, fishing and kayaking.

I travelled over with a guy, Markus I met on the bus in San Juan Del Sur. We both wanted to hike the Volcán Concepcíon the next day, the hardest volcanic hike in Nicaragua sitting at 1600m (what better way to shake off the Sunday Funday hangover). We decided to stay in a hostel in the main town of a Moyogalpa as it was closer to the volcano for an early start the next day.

The evening we got there we decided to take a tuk tuk with a French guy and Dutch girl we met in the hostel to watch the sunset on a beach called playa punta Jesus María. It was one dollar entry to walk down the black sanded bank jutting out into the lake. We just got there as the sun was setting and it was beautiful. One of the guys in the hostel told us we could swim in the water but the whole week I was at the lake we didn't swim in it once, the water is very murky and with tales of fresh water sharks, I wasn't keen to take a dip.

Sunset at Punta Jesus Maria

Volcán Concepcíon 

The next morning...this time before sunrise at 4.45am, Markus and I left to meet our tour guide David to take a local bus to Volcán Concepcíon. It was the morning after the presidential elections, so we were both pretty sleep deprived and still in shock at the disastrous result. By the time we got to the park, paid the $3 entry to the park and $20 for our guide which is compulsory and stocked up on 3 litres of water each it was 5.30am and we started the hike. The first two hours through hot, sticky jungle where we saw howler monkeys, lots of spiders and insects and thankfully no snakes. The last ascent however took nearly three hours and consisted of clambering up bare rock face, dodging falling rocks from above and trying not to stick your hand on boiling rocks from the volcano. It was a really hard hike.in total it took us 8 hours to the top and back down (although we were told it can take up to 12 hours)! When we got back down we also ended up having to walk the 4km from the volcano back to Moyogalpa after much confusion about transport back, our tour guide storming off and us trying (and failing) at hitching back to town...but that's a whole other story. We finally made it back to town by about two o'clock. With it being the sixth volcano I have visited since I started my Central America trip, it has definitely been the most challenging and I'm now happy to take a little sabbatical from exploring further volcanoes for the time being.


I had arranged to meet friends from San Juan Del Sur on the other side of the island that evening and Markus decided to come with so without even having the chance to shower or take our hiking boots off, we grabbed our bags, had a bit of food (more chicken, rice and beans) in a local comidor and took the last chicken bus of the day at four o'clock to Santa Cruz, It took about an hour and a half, cost $1 and I was standing for a solid hour. We got dropped off at a hostel called Zopilote, a permaculture farm and Eco lodge. We arrived just as the sun was setting so it was a dark fifteen minute walk uphill with all our bags, still in our hiking clothes. When we got to the  reception we were told that it was another ten minute walk to a dorm....after nearly crying with hearing this but realising I was close to a shower, I dragged my stuff up to the dorm room and had a very refreshing (cold) shower in the dark...outside. The toilets were also composting toilets and everything was solar powered. The only wifi and main common area was a restaurant back down at reception, when I got down to the restaurant I met back up with some of the others who had come over from San Juan that day.

The next morning my legs felt surprisingly alright. About ten of us from the hostel took a twenty minute chicken bus to Ojo de Agua, a natural swimming pool a few kilometres down the road. It was $3 entry each. It was a really nice place to swim and chill out for a few hours especially after the hike the day before.

It's recommended that the best way to see the island is by renting motorbikes or scooters however the roads are full of potholes and can be pretty bad if you've never driven a bike before. As there were six of us we decided to rent a beaut of a red jeep with four wheel drive for the day. We wanted to explore the island and a waterfall called 'Cascada San Ramon''. The jeep cost $50 for the day plus some fuel between us all. We were able to drive most of the way up to the waterfall and hike for 30minutes instead of an hour, which was a nice relief as I was done with hiking for the time being. We got to see lots of the island, taking it in turns to drive (and sit in the boot) and picking up hitchhikers along the way.

Cascade San Ramon

After deciding to put off Costa Rica for another few days, seven of us set off from Ometepe island to go to a quiet surfing beach called Gigante. We got the ferry back to the port of San Jorge. Unfortunately for us we had decided to travel on a Sunday (its very hard to keep track of what day it is) where there is a serious lack of public buses. We arrived at the port to be told there wasn't another bus to playa Gigante until three o'clock...it was about eleven in the morning at this stage. Not wanting to hang around the dirty town of Rivas, we ended up getting two taxis to bring us all the way to the beach about forty minutes away, stopping at the supermarket along of the way for about $6 each. We stayed in Monkey house which definitely has the best location I have ever seen, placed on a headland jutting out into the sea overlooking the quiet Gigante beach. It had a lovely little gazebo with hammocks and benches, salt water showers, basic kitchen and easy access climbing over the rocks down to the beach. I only stayed for two nights but could have happily set up camp for longer. We spent the day swimming, attempting to surf and body surfing in the waves. It is owned by an ex pro Nicaraguan surfer called Oliver and his cousin. They are so chilled out and the people staying there seemed to have the same idea, choosing to surf, play cards, read in hammocks and cook. We also discovered the best burrito place about two hundred yards down from monkey house, where we had 'our last supper' before three of us went to Costa Rica the next day.

Hammock views overlooking the beach 

Next stop: Monteverde, Costa Rica
Food/drink: so much flor de caña rum in little Morgan's in Ometepe.
Bars/restaurants: Local food in Moyogalpa, Zopilote hostel for cooked typical breakfast , huge fresh fish burritos ($4) in playa Gigante.
Stayed: The landing hostel in Moyogalpa (main port town), $8/night
Zopilote $8/night Santa Cruz in Ometepe
Little Morgans $8/night Santa Cruz in Ometepe
The Monkey house in playa Gigante $10/night. Surf boards for rent for $10/day.

#10 Nicaragua - Sunday Funday on Monday

Saying goodbye to El Salvador was hard, I really loved this country and hope I can go back one day soon but the next and sixth country on my trip was going to be Nicaragua. I had heard about the stunning beaches, cheap surfing, volcanoes and lakes so was excited to see what this country had to offer.

I travelled from El Cuco with Chelsea and Aaron. We got a lift into San Miguel from Lisette, the owner of Casa de Canela where we had been staying. We therefore left a bit later than we intended. We thought as it was such a long journey we would start anyway and see how far we made it. We encountered a few hiccups along the way but this was the route we ended up taking:
- Chicken bus from San Miguel to the border, 1 hour.
- Crossed the border from El Salvador back into Honduras on foot, paying $3 into Honduras.
- Mini bus straight across Honduras. $6 each. Roughly three hours (these are easily found on the other side of the immigration office)
- Honduran/Nicaraguan border. Nicaraguan entry $12
- Mini bus from Nicaraguan border to Chinandega. $8 each. Roughly one hour
- Mini bus from Chinandega to Léon. $8 each. Forty minutes.

We ended up having to take two mini buses across Nicaragua as unfortunately by the time we got our Honduran exit stamp, walked over the bridge and finally located the very discreet Nicaraguan immigration office, paid our entry to Nicaragua and got our entry stamp it was dark. Being stuck in a border town at night was not ideal.... We were told there were no more chicken buses to Léon (whether this was true or not we don't know). We made a deal with a guy with a mini bus to take us to a city called Chinandega about an hour away where we then planned on staying for a night and getting a bus early the next day to Léon. It actually took longer due to the bad roads and roadworks. When we got dropped off at a petrol station outside of Chinandega we were all tired and hungry. Again there were lots of guys with mini buses, one told us he would take us to Léon, about forty minutes away for about $8 each....a lot more than the public buses which cost about $2 however the thought of finding a hostel in a town we didn't want to stay in for one night was not very appealing. We decided to fork out the cash and get to Léon. Despite having to get two unplanned private buses and spending more on the trip than expected we spent a total of $22 on transport, still cheaper than the shuttles which were $35 from El Cuco.

In Léon I stayed in hostel Guardabarranco which had a little kitchen. It was opposite Bigfoot hostel which is the main party hostel. The main reason people come to Léon is to do the famous volcano boarding, which entails sledding down the side of an active volcano ridiculously fast on a wooden board. I was really looking forward to it! I decided to do it with Quetzaltrekkers for $30. All profits go towards supporting street children in Léon from the tour company. The volcano Cerro Negro is about an hour drive outside of Léon, It is still classed as an active volcano and towers above the green forests, a mound of sparkling black sand...perfect to board down. It is about a forty minute hot hike up to the top of the volcano and a very fast sleigh down. I ended up doing it twice and it lived up to my expectations. All limbs still attached and not necessary to use my travel insurance yet, I had a nice lunch of vegetable burritos with the other three people I did the boarding with and our two guides.

The view from Cerro Negro

Not quite pulling off the overalls post boarding

I explored Léon by walking around the big market behind the parque central, where you can buy lots of fresh fruits vegetables, meat and fish. I had lunch one day in one of the 'comidors' near the market for $3 which consisted of chicken in a mildly spicy sauce, vegetables, rice and beans, tortillas and a fresh fruit juice. The best ice cream in Léon was definitely from a place called Kiss me next door to my hostel. They had really inventive flavours and was too hard to walk past without going in.

The cathedral in Léon towering over the parque central and one of the oldest cathedrals in the Central America was stunning. They were repainting it when I was there so it was a fresh white at the front and dirty white with black stained windows around the sides. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.
The view from the top is supposed to be breathtaking with the vast white roof and I had really wanted to go to the roof but unfortunately it was closed for the Nicaraguan presidential elections on the afternoon when I was there so I missed out on it.

Léon cathedral 

I went to the Museo de la Revolucíon in the main square where you get shown around a derelict building brandished with gun shot holes in the walls with Frente Sandinista Liberacíon Nacional (FSLN) veterans sitting around talking. For $2, one of the veterans will show you around the murals and explaining the revolution and the war. This is all in Spanish but I think I understood most (I did have to ask Carlos my guide to speak a bit slower at times which he did do). It was interesting to learn about the history of the country and revolution which took place even if I didn't quite understand it all.

I also discovered the famous Nicaraguan rum, Flor De Caña while I was here. Apparently it's award winning, it tastes amazing and even better costs about $7 for a litre....think it will have to replace gin for the time being

My next stop after Léon was another colonial town, a bit smaller called Granada. A tourist shuttle cost about $25 however I had decided to take the public bus route. I said my goodbyes to Chelsea and Aaron as they were staying in Léon and traveled over with a guy from the hostel in Léon.
The route we took:
- Mini bus from Léon bus terminal to UCA Managaua. Cost less than $2. 1.5 hour
- Mini bus from UCA to Granada. Cost less than $1. 1 hour.

The bus dropped us about three minutes away from hostel Oasis Granada. I really loved this hostel. It had so much space and I met some really good friends here. It also had unlimited pancake breakfast included (very important),  a kitchen, film room and a swimming pool which was ideal in the hot city. That afternoon we went to the bell tower of Iglesia La Merced. It cost $1 to climb to the top to get panoramic views of the city. Whilst we were there the hostel staff told us that Granada is not safe at night and we were warned not to walk around at night, especially around where the hostel as mugging of tourists  were common.

That evening a group of six of us decided to go on a Masaya volcano tour. This involves getting a shuttle bus up to the crater of one of the most active volcanoes in the world. You can peer into the crater and the lava a few hundred metres below. We managed to get the tour down from $20 to $17. The most popular time to see the lava is after sunset where the lava glows bright in the crater. When we arrived on our shuttle at about six thirty there were really long queues of numerous shuttles into the volcano park however we got lucky and managed to get in quicker by tagging along with another tour group who were at the top of the line. We only got about fifteen minutes at the top, enough time to take some photos and peer into the crater with the lava bubbling below. It was a great experience (if however a bit overpriced) but another volcano to tick off the list.

Lava spotting 

The next day a bus full of us from the hostel took a day trip out to hostel paradiso on Lago de Apoyo. The shuttle was $10 return. Lago de Apoyo is a  beautiful lake in the crater of an extinct volcano. We had full use of the beach, pontoon, paddle boards and kayaks for the day. We brought plenty of rum to keep us hydrated for the day. The lake was so clear and we spent the day kayaking, jumping off the pontoon and drinking rum. Which we continued when we got back to the hostel.  The next day, feeling extremely rough we took the easier option of getting a direct shuttle for $12 each to San Juan del Sur.

San Juan is a typical surfer town and surfing is the main reason people tend to go there. The other reason being the famous 'Sunday Funday' pool crawl around the main hostels in the town. We arrived on the Saturday and had been told in Granada that Sunday Funday had been moved to Monday as the
Nicaraguan presidential elections were on Sunday and no alcohol was allowed to be sold or consumed. I didn't know whether I was willing to fork out $30 for a t-shirt and shuttles between the hostels but we all decided that 'when in Rome' (or Nicaragua) we may as well. And it ended up being a wild day, starting at 12pm and ending at whatever time you can make it to! Think I lasted until nine that evening....not sure whether to be proud of that. Probably not.

Pre Sunday Funday (Monday) 

Overall I wasn't taken aback with San Juan del Sur, it was expensive for Nicaraguan standards, particularly the supermarkets and cafes/restaurants and being a surfing town I thought it was a bit mad that you had to get a shuttle to and from the surfing beaches. However there is a Christ the redeemer style statue towering over the headland which is about a thirty minute walk to which gives great views of the coastline. I don't however think it is as impressive as Christ the redeemer in Brazil, hopefully I'll be able to compare them soon. I've also heard there are quieter beaches in Nicaragua where you can stay right on the beaches where the surf is good (not that I'm any expert after one day of surfing in my whole life)! However if you like a good day sesh than Sunday Funday is a good one for a wild days drinking in the sunshine with other drunk backpackers in matching wife beaters.

Next stop: Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua
Food: ice cream at kiss me and market food in Léon
Drink: Flor de Caña rum...a Nicaraguan speciality
Bars/restaurants: Bigfoot hostel bar in Léon
Stayed: hostel Guardabarranco in Léon ($6 per night), Oasis hostel in Granada ($10 per night), hostel Tadeo in San Juan del Sur ($8 per night).