The Adventures of a New Backpacker

The day started out hectic and dare I say “bad.” I went to pick up money at Western Union and it wasn’t there – this I only learned after spending 45 minutes in the bank line. The issue was quickly resolved after I spent my last dollar at the internet café talking to mom. I waited another 45 minutes and everything was perfect. I went about my day as usual stopping by a local coffee shop where I get a bowl of yogurt with granola and glass of orange juice and use their free WiFi. My computer wouldn’t stay connected though and before I knew it I had missed my bus. I took the extra time I had to exchange my two books that I finished reading and picked out a couple new ones. I thought it would be free, but the store charged me $40 cordobas (the equivalent of $2.00). I was a little irritated by the whole thing, but chose not to argue. Finally I got on my bus to Rivas. I am still taking chicken busses (the local buses that the locals use) which are quite uncomfortable. I was happy to get a seat and waited for my stop to approach. I got off the bus in Rivas just in time to get on the other bus to Managua. This bus was nicer than the last, but it was taking off at the same time I was getting off my bus so I had to throw my backpack to someone who was hollering at me and jump on the bus while it was actually already moving. There were no seats so I had to stand, along with at least 20 other people. There was not an inch of extra room and as I stood there, getting squished by the people walking up and down the aisle selling things and collecting the fare, my I could feel my calmness diminishing. I was getting so frustrated by the fact that at every stop more people selling bags of water, blocks of hot cheese, and fly covered bread were getting on the bus. I took a second to close my eyes and breathe and remember the fact that this is how those people make a living, how they provide for their families and keep a roof over their heads. My annoyance turned to compassion and I remembered how much I have to be grateful for. I pulled out my MP3 player and listened to music for the next hour as I tried not to fall into the laps of those lucky enough with a seat. And as I listened to song after song my spirits started rising and my body started to sway with the notes and my head was cleared. I finally got a seat and a little boy about 10 years old got on the bus with a small guitar (though I don’t think it was a guitar it was so small, but it was not a violin or ukulele either) and he patiently waited for the preacher to finish his sermon (every long bus ride includes a free service with a pastor who stands in the front of the bus and yells loud enough that everyone can hear him!) I took out my headphones when the boy started to pick the strings and he belted out some popular song. His voice was beautiful and my heart sank when I thought about how he should be in school and not riding buses playing a guitar with half the strings broken in the middle of the day. I gave him $2.00 and he got off the bus. The bus finally arrived in Managua and it was another cluster f*ck of taxi drivers in my face. I didn’t want to take a taxi, but I remembered what my friend from the coffee shop told me about his city, he was from Managua, and I negotiated down to $4.00 for a ride to Tica Bus. I hadn’t bought my ticket to Honduras yet and was anxious to get a confirmed seat so when the taxi driver tried to drop me off at some hotel I refused to get out and he took me to the bus station. The minute I stepped foot out of the cab a young man, he introduced himself as Howard, ran up to me and tried to take me to hostels he worked for. I told him I wanted to buy my ticket first and I would take a look when I was done. He waited outside for me and when I was done he took me to a hostel across the street. I looked at the room, but decided to take the hotel room that was attached to the bus station for only $4 more. The owner of the hostel and Howard were disappointed and I felt bad for both of them.
I wanted to get something to eat before calling it a day (I arrived at 3:30 in the afternoon) so I walked outside hoping to miss Howard and find a taxi to take me somewhere to eat. My wish was not granted and he ran up to me from across the street right away. He asked to see my tattoo and I showed him what I could while still being “lady-like.” He was impressed. He spoke good English and I asked him about food in the area and where I might find something to eat. He went around to a couple different restaurants asking about vegetarian food, but I insisted on Mexican! He pointed me in the direction of the mall and said it was about 5 blocks. He said I would be okay as long as I didn’t talk to anybody, that I didn’t look like a tourist and that I fit in okay. I was still reluctant so I asked Howard if he would walk me there. I knew there would be a tip involved, but I didn’t mind paying for both protection and company. As we walked off I jokingly asked if he was going to try to hack me up or let someone else hack me up! He laughed and said I would be safe with him. I asked him where he learned English and he told me Tica Bus was his school and I was his teacher. The statement surprised me and I was interested to learn more. He told me you can be anything you want to be and learn anything you want to learn as long as you put your mind to it and really want it. At 8 years old Howard started working outside Tica Bus and practiced talking to the tourists and that is where he learned. I was so touched by the words he spoke I told him I would buy him dinner for walking with me if he would stay and take me back as well. He told me he needed money more than food, but that he would wait for me anyways. I asked him what he would spend his money on and this was his reply, “I will buy food for my house for my mom and I. She is sick and can’t work. The disks in her back have slipped.” My heart melted. I told him how sorry I was and how horrible it must be, but his response was again timeless and profound. He just said everyone has problems but it’s how you deal with them that makes the difference. This kid, who was only 25 years old, wearing pink flip flops that were clearly too small and hadn’t had a hair cut in who knows how long, was lecturing me about being grateful for what you do have. Howard seemed to know everybody, both on the streets and in the mall. After we ordered food, I insisted he eat with me, I asked him how he knew so many people. He came right out and said, “I used to be very high up in a gang and that’s how I know all these people. They call me Anthrax, but you can call me Howard. ” I was a little surprised by the words and he could see it in my face. He went on to say that if I knew him 4 years ago I would not dare trust him to walk me to the mall. He showed me the scars he had from machete fights, his arms, legs and back speckled with war wounds. I asked him what prompted him to get out of the gang and I suppose it could have been the 38 times he had been taken to jail or the friends he had seen killed, but instead it was because he felt like he had only one chance in this world and he didn’t want to waste it stealing and fighting and doing drugs. I asked if it was hard to get out and he said without hesitation, “You cannot change the world, only yourself, but change yourself and see how the world around you changes too.” His wisdom, though such common knowledge, was inspiring. I gave him a quick rundown of my past and we were instant friends. He was happy I would accept him despite his history and I was happy he would accept me despite my “tourist” label. We finished what we could of the pizza (yeah, no Mexican vegetarian food) and he took the leftovers. We got a local bus to the lake and he showed me the old park and the new park and educated me on Nicaraguan history. We walked around for a couple hours enjoying our new found friendship and easy conversation. It was starting to get dark so he suggested we take a cab back to Tica Bus. He hailed us a cab and negotiated a $1.50 fare. While stopped at a red light a little girl came up to our window selling gum. I declined, but Howard gave her a piece of pizza. Her face lit up with excitement and it was that kind of gesture that reminded me that almost everyone has good in them. I told him I was tired and wanted to get into my hotel room so I guess this was good-bye. I gave him a hug and the entire street started chanting something – nothing good I am sure! He was quick to smile and tell me to get inside! I think tonight could have been the highlight of my trip so far. I hope my friend Howard will be in my heart for years to come and when I start feeling pity for myself or forget how good I really have it, I will pull out this filed memory and flip through it. If he can be grateful for his life, we all can be grateful for ours.
Much love and peace…
-H

So, I made it to San Juan del Sur. I had my first travelling catastrophe when I opened my backpack and realized my entire bottle of shampoo had lathered my clothes! I spent the first hour cleaning out my toiletry bag where most of the mess was. The inside of my backpack is quite saturated too, but there is no way of cleaning it out here. I rented a towel and wiped it out the best I could. I am hoping it just dries and makes my bag smell good until I get home and can clean it out with the hose.
San Juan del Sur is a beautiful place with booming tourism which has been kinda nice after being in Ometepe where there were no people near me. The beach a block away from me is nice, but the sand is mixed with rocks and a little bit of garbage. There are cleaner, nicer beaches about 20 minutes away but they are expensive to get to. I went to one about 15 minutes from here, but I did not realize it was a small cove mostly visited for surfing, not sunbathing. When I got there I was disappointed because there was no sand – just rocks! Fortunately, there were lounges you could rent for $3 so I did that. I fell asleep on my stomach and my legs got burned – I was happy I put my towel over my back! My plan was to go to the other beach today, but decided against it so I didn’t actually burn to a crisp! I think it will prove to be a good decision. The town is small and easy to get around and there are quite a few bars to choose from lining the beach. Yesterday there was a big party for the town because it was San Juan’s saint’s day. I remembered when I used to get presents on my saint’s day! I wanted to go to the celebration, but the power went out (as it has done everyday since I left Heredia) and it is not safe to walk around in the dark here. Catholics are crazy I swear! Everyday in Granada and San Juan del Sur I have been woken up at the crack of dawn from fireworks. They are waking up the saint’s and scaring away the demons is what I have been told. They light them for about an hour in the morning and then again at night. I called it a night at about 8pm and met some people at my hostel.
I finished my current book and was excited to go exchange it for a new one, but I don’t keep track of the days anymore and didn’t realize it was Sunday; all the book stores are closed! Not being able to go to the beach has made today kind of lazy and boring. I took my first daytime nap since I started my trip! It was nice I have to admit! I am looking forward to going to Honduras tomorrow. I think I will go first to Utila or Roatan and then to Copan, but the nice thing about travelling by myself is that my plans can change at any moment so who knows! It takes about 2.5 days to get there from here, but I think it will be worth it!
I am starting to feel a little homesick and am looking forward to the fam getting here! I think 2 months will be sufficient after all! I hope everyone is doing well back home. And, as always, much love and peace…

So as I wrote in my last blog, the trip to Nicaragua was interesting. Once I got settled in the first day I started to get acquainted with the city. I walked around the central park – so many times in fact I made friends with the vendors. There is not a lot to do there except look at the buildings, talk with the people and buy small souvenirs. The city is dirty with garbage and stray dogs. I couldn’t find any place to eat that I liked. I hate Nicaraguan food and it seemed that whatever was advertised - Mexican, Italian, American – it all tasted the same. I made do with a café that sold bagels. I walked down to the lake the second day and was shocked at the smell. I was expecting some beautiful lake, but instead was met with a body of water with trash, feces, and dirty water running into it. I was disgusted to see a group of people swimming in it! As I walked around the lake, kids asked me for money and starving horses walked by. I walked back to my hostel down less populated streets and groups of guys were hanging out in front of their houses. As my anxiety level rose my pace increased. The next day I wanted to go to the market in Masaya. The bus is close to the market in Granada so I decided I would first walk around the local market and then go to the big market. I thought I was going to be sick. The smell of raw meat and flies in your face was enough to have me hunched over sick. As if that wasn’t bad enough I saw a guy walking around with a live pig upside down. He was holding it by the back legs as it squealed in either pain or fear. That was the last straw for me, I couldn’t walk around anymore or go to the bigger market in Masaya. I made my way back to the hostel and was greeted with Toby. I told him about it and sat around for awhile reading and drinking Victoria. I decided to call that a day and was ready to leave this town. I needed to get laundry done before moving on to my next destination though. I walked down in the morning, dropped off my laundry and headed to the park. The day finally passed and it was time to pick up my laundry. As I stood in the entryway holding my laundry and waiting for my change, I met Daniel. We started talking and found out that both of us use couchsurfing.com. We decided to go out and get a beer and share some stories. He told me that he was headed to Ometepe and invited me to go along with him.
We decided that we would meet at the central park in the morning and head off together to Ometepe Island. A kid showed us the way to the bus station, that was, of course, through the middle of the market. We made it on the chickenbus and got off at Revas. From Revas, we had to take a taxi to the port of San Jorge and get a boat to Ometepe. I thought we were going to be taking a ferry like you imagine in your head, but instead it was a boat the locals use to transport fruit and other necessities I am sure. It was not bad, just different than what I pictured. The ride across took about an hour and I was glad to refrain from getting sea sick! Once we arrived at Ometepe, Daniel and I decided we wanted to go to Medira. We took the bus half way, but there was a rock slide so we had to get off the bus and walk across to another bus. We finally made it to our destination and found a nice little hostel. The location is quite remote, about 2 hours in the middle of nowhere. But, it is surrounded by beautiful greenery, the volcano and the lake. I attempted to climb the volcano with Daniel and a guide today, but about 25-30% of the way up I decided to head back down. It was a bit more difficult than I anticipated, and while I could have continued up further I decided I better stop while I could still remember to get back down by myself. It took about 3 hours all together for me, but Daniel took about 6 hours to go all the way to the top and back down. I was happy with my attempt. I am back at the hostel now getting ready to leave to go to San Juan del Sur tomorrow. Admittedly, I will be happy to be back in civilization.
Much love and peace…

I made it to Nicaragua! That was a very interesting experience, one that had me doubting my survival skills. I wasn’t sure about how to get here so I got up this morning with the goal of making it to Nicaragua one way or another. I caught a bus from Tamarindo to Liberia this morning around 9am. I was a little confused when I was the only English speaking person on the bus as I thought indefinitely there would be other tourists going to Liberia at least. I figured if I could find anyone who spoke English I could convince them to go with me to Nicaragua. Clearly that didn’t work out. So I got off the bus and waited in line for the bus to the border, my thoughts the same as before, but the results once again disappointing. No problem I thought, once I get to the border someone is bound to be a tourist with the same goal of making it to Granada as me. This is where I gave up hope. I got off the bus and was welcomed with mass chaos. There is no system to the immigration process. My first step off the bus I was met with a man flashing money in my face asking if I wanted to exchange my colones or USD for cordobas (the Nicaraguan currency). Two police officers were standing next to me and since I wasn’t sure if I was going to need them I decided to go for it. I knew nothing about the currency or the exchange rate so I took what he gave me for my $20 and was on my way. I filled out my first form and waited in line at the counter. I accidently stood in the line that was to enter Costa Rica, not Nicaragua so I got out of that line and waited in the correct line. The guy glanced at my passport, stamped the page and I was on my way, or so I thought. I began the walk across the border, it is about two blocks, and I saw more mass chaos. I needed to catch yet another bus to go to Granada so I started walking through the gate when a man asked to see my passport again. I pulled it out and he said I had to go to two blocks in another direction and wait in another line. A man who was standing behind me grabbed my passport from the man checking in and took off in the direction I was to go. I started chasing after him telling him to give me back my passport but he continued to walk briskly. In the few English words he knew it was obvious he was going to take care of the immigration for me, at a price of course. After failing at getting him to give me back my passport I reluctantly agreed. He went to the front of the line and argued with the man for a minute. Then, he went and got some more forms, filled them out, signed my name, cut in front of a very long line and told the women working that I was not sick and needed my stamp. Without ever even looking at me she stamped the page and we went back to the original line. Again, cutting in front of everyone, he brought my passport to the man, took twenty dollars out of my hand and paid my fees to enter the country. Still holding my passport, he walked back to the first gate I tried to enter, gave that man some money and shoved me on a bus. It was the only bus I saw and it looked like safety to me so I decided I would go wherever it took me. When the driver asked where I was going, in Spanish of course, I told him Granada. He said ok and an hour later we were off with a full bus. The whole ordeal of getting into Nicaragua took about 2 hours, cost me about $20 (and however much I got ripped off from the money exchanger) and left me scared of how this was going to work. Oh well I thought, I am here now and hopefully going in the right direction.
Nicaraguan roads are similar to Costa Rican roads as in they are very narrow and leave no room for error. Every time a car is on the other side of the road the driver honks to make sure they are looking ahead and see each other. A couple hours into the trip, driving started to slow down and it woke me up. Off to the right I saw a big rig and a bus that had hit each other head on. The first 20% of the bus was smooshed and everyone was gathered around looking and helping those people who were injured. I thought for a minute maybe I should ask to get off and see if I could help, but the fact is I don’t know enough Spanish and I saw myself being more of a hassle than help. So as everyone hung out the bus window gasping in disbelief I sat quietly clenching my fist and closing my eyes every time a big truck or bus would pass by us. About an hour went by and I was itching to get off this bus, being the only tourist and not knowing where I was, I was anxious to find a hostel and hopefully other travelers. As my luck would have it that is not how the story goes. The bus driver pulls over on the side of the road as he did many other times during the duration on this journey to let people off the bus, but, this time he pointed to me and told me to get off. WTF! This was not Granada – this was a small patch of dirt on the side of some road in the middle of nowhere! They gently tossed my backpack to the ground for me and went on their way. My feeling of loneliness now turned to desperation as I looked around and remembered the granola bars Melissa gave me. It was a quick relief thinking about how I had been saving them for an emergency and thinking the next few days may be labeled as such. I began walking down the road, the same road that is barely wide enough to fit two cars, and lacks a shoulder for pedestrians. I constantly looked back checking for fast moving vehicles that were sure to run me over. So here I was, walking alone in Nicaragua, no idea of where I was and used to hearing Spanish the way the CR’s speak it, which is surprisingly different that how Nicaraguans speak it. About five minutes went by and I thought about Kristen and how funny it would be to have her here right now! She would be a wreck I am sure and I daydreamed about how she would have already of given of hope and collapsed in defeat! (It sounds just like you doesn’t, Kristen!) And at that moment as I was envisioning Kristen saying that we should jump in front of a passing car and surrender before we were kidnapped, raped and murdered, I heard singing – it was a church! Whew, People! When the people outside the church saw me they all rushed over to offer me taxi rides, but really I wanted to take a public bus because taxis are expensive. I agreed on a taxi (actually a golf cart) who talked to me the whole time so fast that I had no idea of what he was saying. I asked him several times to speak more slowly but he seemed unconcerned with my ability to understand him. He dropped me off in the middle of Granada, which was only about 15 minutes away and as I looked around I saw no travelers, no hostels and no English speakers. I walked around for a while looking at the buildings and park and then found a group of kids sitting down by a tree. I asked if any of them spoke English, as my attempts to find out where a hostel was in Spanish was proving to be unsuccessful by this time. One of them spoke English and had me follow one of the other guys to a hostel. I am weary of following locals to places I don’t know obviously, but my options were dwindling and I wanted to get somewhere, anywhere before dark. He did indeed take me to a hostel, a shitty hostel, but a hostel nonetheless.
I got checked in, changed out of my long jeans and boots and walked back to the center. This is where the story turns golden! I walked into this small café, ordered an iced mocha, and walked to the back to sit down and drink it. As I walked around the patio looking for an outlet to plug my laptop into, a familiar face looked up at me, it was Toby! I met him one week ago on the bus to Tamarindo! When he left Tamarindo about 4 days ago he told me he was going to Panama and I told him I was going to Arenal. As luck would have it we found each other in neither of those places, hundreds of miles away, in another country. We both took a noticeable sigh of relief at the sight of each other as he too was feeling a little lonely. We shared our experiences of crossing the border, left the café and took a walk. He is staying at a different hostel than I, but we will meet up again tomorrow and probably stay together until we leave on Friday. Toby is from London and is very sweet. Anyways, I have made it safety back to my hostel and will attempt to take a shower in one of the only two bathrooms this hostel has to share between all of its nine dorm rooms! Although I am starting to think I am the only one in my room. I do not have internet so I will write again when I can. As always…Much Love and Peace

I have been slacking at keeping up with my blog this week! It has been busy with school, surfing and well, laying on the beach. However, the torrential rainstorm I was just caught in persuaded me to write. I have learned my lesson…NEVER leave home without your umbrella! I was walking home from school (it is very close, only about ½ mile) when I saw sprinkles bouncing off the ground. For a second I thought it was nothing more than that, but within one minute the clouds opened like an ocean was nearing empty and its sole goal was to refill it. By the time I got back to my hostel I was dripping wet from head to toe. I changed all of my clothes! It was a good lesson!
School has been going good, but to be honest I am not really up to study while travelling. The school moves soooo fast I can’t keep up unless I studied 5 hours a night and I just don’t want to. I understand that the other kids in my class are doing this for college credit so they have to, but me….well, I don’t! I am learning a lot though, probably as much from being out as from being in school.
I am headed to Nicaragua on Sunday for a week or two. I am pretty excited to see Granada and San Juan del Sur. I will take the bus from Granada to Managua for a day trip. I want to go to the market there – I heard it has cheap souvenirs.
Some funny things I have seen so far in Tamarindo:
1. I was walking home one night when I saw something right next to me move. I was started and didn’t know if it was a dog or what. When I got closer I spotted my light on the moving animal and there was 9 cows lying on the side of the road!
2. The, I saw the same family of wild cows, walking knee high in the ocean!
3. While I was laying on the beach yesterday I saw a dog swimming, jumping playing in the ocean. But, unlike most dogs who would stay close to the beach, this dog wanted to play in the waves so he got as far out as the surfers and bobbed around in the breaks for about 10 minutes and then came back to the beach.
Anyways, the rain finally stopped and I think I will go to the beach now.

Muchos amor y paz…
H