Crossing the Americas: NICARAGUA

They left from the Honduran border straight to Managua to take a look at the lakes of the region. Nothing very impressive, but the visit cost them a "giro" traffic ticket because Pat didn't make an appropriate turn according to local traffic laws. Getting this ticket in Managua seems to be common because all the people they mentioned it to knew well about the subject, where to pay for it, etc. Because the infraction happened on a Saturday and it needed to be paid at a bank, they would have to return to the city the next Monday, meanwhile they visited other nearby places.

Granada was where they spent the next two nights, one at a hostel (US$ 15.00), the other in the car. It is a picturesque town and has tourists all over. On Sunday they visited Catarina and the lake Apoyo. From Catarina there is a panoramic view of lake Apoyo and lake Nicaragua in the distance. It is a smaller and less popular town than Granada but also picturesque, and its inhabitants sell crafts and food in small tents and on the sidewalks. After the viewpoint they went to lake Apoyo for a refreshing dip. As they have a car they can go places that many tourists aren't able to go by bus. The following morning in Granada they made coffee with the camping stove as usual, did some laundry (second time in the trip) and went to the bank to pay the ticket.

LAKE APOYO

SPOT FOR A REFRESHING DIP

At the transit police department, where they went to pick up Pat's drivers licence (taken by the transit police on Saturday), they spoke to a woman official behind the counter who said it hadn't been sent there yet, and it would probably arrive in 2 or 3 days. But she had not even looked for it because the couple couldn't name the district and exact location where they got the ticket. So, they insisted until a different employee looked for it and found it almost immediately. According to her, it is illegal to give tickets to foreigners in the Managua territory and police know this because they go through training. Too late! The damage had been done but at least they got the drivers license and continued on their trip towards San Juan del Sur via La Conquista.

The real adventure started after driving less than 10 km beyond La Conquista where the road split. At the intersection there was a man on his motorbike who had just arrived from El Astillero. He said the secondary road was in really bad condition, with many potholes, mud ponds, etc, but that it could be crossed. The other option would be taking the dirt road to Vera Cruz which would be shorter and seemed as good as the other one. They opted for the dirt road. It wasn't very easy to get to Vera Cruz but they made it without further ado and from there supposedly the better road would start, but the map they had was incorrect. Instead of being a secondary road, it had been destroyed by the weather. What was expected to be the end of the dirt road turned into a nightmare of mud and river crossings. After about 2 km from Vera Cruz, a temporary but very intense rain started and made the crossing of one of the rivers close to impossible because the steep embankments became wet, muddy, and very slippery.

It would get dark soon so they hurried on trying to build a solid path on top of the mud with rocks and fallen branches. Night fell and after many frustrating attempts, thorns in their feet and hands, mosquito and spider bites, and hours of work, they climbed up the muddy ramp. From that point they had to continue building paths with stones and moving the car slowly through the deep mud until they finally freed the car at about midnight.

They kept driving with hopes that the paved road would be near and they could reach El Astillero where they could find a place to rest. Less than 3 km later the car got stuck again. This time it took only 1 hour to free it, but it led them to the conclusion that they should give up for the night.

When the morning sunlight came they walked to evaluate the terrain they would have to cross. Soon they met and old man who resided nearby and sought help from other nearby residents. Two men with a shovel and a large piece of wood helped flatten the way and push the car when it got stuck. The same followed for about 1 hour until the men stopped at their house and let the travelers continue on by themselves. That was a blessed help for Debora and Pat who were already exhausted and hurt from the previous night. According to those men and another youngster, they were the first ones to cross that road that year.

TIRED

MUDDY

The road was now drier for it not having rained since the previous afternoon, but still it had terrible terrain. Due to Pat's vehicle being 4x4, it could cross all the deep ruts and obstacles on the path without great troubles. At the last river crossing, boys from a nearby neighborhood helped wash the car in exchange of some cookies.

WASHING THE CAR

The adventurers arrived to San Juan del Sur late afternoon and got a good deal at a hostel for US$ 20.00 two nights in a room with private bath. Comedor Margarita is also a good deal with delicious food and cheap prices every day.

The next day they visited Majagual, Maderas and Marsella beaches. Because the car was a little damaged and had rocks and dried mud in many places on the lower part, they stopped at a car wash. The workers did an excellent job and cleaned almost everything, which eliminated 80% of the problem (wheels out of balance). There were still some joints, breaks and other spots that needed to be lubricated.