Neddy to the rescue . . ..

Moving on from Pico Bonito to Copan Ruinas involved a six hour journey which was broken at Lancetilla Botanical Gardens (the second largest tropical garden in the world).  Our guide took us around, pointing out many of the plants and trees and the important work that is being done in terms of medicine and other treatments.  His second skill was proving that morris dancing was alive and well in Honduras, or was he being bitten to death on the back of his calves.  None the less, we continued on to Copan.

The hieroglyphic staircase is behind us

Our first full day was spent on the start of our Mayan Journey as we visited the Southern most Maya ruins.  As we continue Northwards in Guatemala and Mexico we will see more and more ruins.

Our guide 'Neddy'was very informative and interesting.  He told us about the 16 kings of Copan.  The 13th was called Eighteen Rabbit who oversaw the construction of many of the buildings.  On hearing this information, PR began getting delusions of grandeur.  We have yet to tell him that Eighteen Rabbit was the only king to be executed.  We also saw a ball game court where the objective of the game was to hit a stone macaw with the ball.  The best player was then rewarded by being sacrificed. 


 We also visited the adjoining museum said to be one of the finest in the Mayan region. 

The symbol of Eighteen Rabbit

During lunch, Neddy helped us sort out the rest of our itinerary as the tour company had a different version to us. The early afternoon was spent in the residential area where the wealthy Mayans lived.  Their homes were an open air compound surrounded on three sides by stone structures which housed wives and children.  The fourth side contained the main bedroom of the man of the house, where you could clearly see the huge stone bed complete with stone pillow.




Neddy on the beddy!

Late afternoon involved a 45 minute horse ride up a steep track to Hacienda San Lucas via the twisting river bed.  We recovered with a cool glass of lemonade whilst taking in the views of the valley and the various crops.  

The return trip was quicker and we rewarded ourselves with happy hour G&Ts.  During our drink we noticed that the second happy hour started at 6pm where wine was $10 a bottle and so we returned for dinner where we tried anafre, a fondue like dish of cheese and refried beans served with tortillas. The girls doing the serving also had a party trick; as they went to the upstairs bar they would always balance either a bottle of beer/wine, a plate or a seving dish on their head - good for deportment I am told.

HJ on Princess

On the way home, RM fancied a nightcap and we called into a liquor store. Whilst perusing the various bottles of rum on offer, his eyes lit upon the holster and gun of another customer.  Moving upwards he found the face of a teenage boy who along with his equally gangsterish friends, were also buying nightcaps. We said Buenos Noches, quickly exited and scurried back to our hotel for sweet dreams.  

Up Sambo Creek without a flipper

The transfer from El Salvador to Honduras was long and painful!  It involved a 3 hour journey (with road works) from our coffee plantation to San Salvador airport, the obligatory 3 hour wait for an international flight, a 30 delay in take off and then a 3 hour drive from San Pedro Sula to Pico Bonito Lodge. We arrived in the pitch dark at 7.30pm and had to be guided by flash light to our jungle cabin.  Fortunately dinner was available until 10.30pm as in many places the restaurants shut at 8pm. We decided to swap hot showers for cool G&Ts whilst mulling over the excellent menu (probably the best to date).

Our pick up at 6am for a boat trip to Cayos Cochinos Marine Reserve, was late, meaning we missed breakfast for nothing!  We were dropped off at Sambo Creek at 7am and told others would be joining in a few minutes - we thought this would be around six others.  At 7.30am we were still on our own, but shortly after mini buses chock full of tourists began arriving.

No one appeared to have any knowledge of us or our booking but eventually we tracked down the man in charge who after discussions with others in the arrangements, agreed that there had been an almighty mix up.

We opted for a refund and lift back to our hotel.

This is how we SHOULD have spent our day - cruising and snorkelling amongst Caribbean cayos.





This is how we DID spend our day - relaxing by the pool, sipping rum punches and taste testing the local beers!

Today we took ourselves off on a trek through the Pico Bonito National Park ending up at Los Pilas waterfalls where we were able to swim in a cool pool.

Tomorrow we head off to Copan for some Mayan ruins.

To the manor born

We left Suchitoto with Benjamin heading for Concepion de Ataca (known locally as Ataca).  We stopped for mid-morning beers overlooking Lago de Coatepeque with its stunning views of the wealthy homes strung around the Lake’s edge.

Earlier on our arrival in El Salvador, Benjamin had explained that the because of the earlier civil war, people felt comforted by the sight of heavily armed security guards.  He hoped that this was not a problem for us and reassured us that the country was safe.  This was underlined at the lake where an armed guard welcomed us into the empty bar, stood with an eye on the car (which was good as PR was in the boot), showed us across the road, and held up traffic for us whilst reversing out.

We drove along the Ruta de las Flores, made famous in the country because of the small white flowers on the thousands of coffee bushes that cover the surrounding hills. The small towns we passed through had all developed markets brimful of various crafts and foods, but unfortunately the weekends are the busy time.

On arrival in Ataca we stopped for the obligatory coffee at the originally named House of Coffee. Our guide book explained that this is the only place in a town of 2,000 with an espresso machine.  HJ felt like she was just arriving for work and her early morning trip to the Deli.  However this time, it was beautifully served in a glass jug with separate jug for the hot milk.

A far cry from the Deli

Our living room at Finca El Carmen

Home for our two nights was a working coffee plantation, Finca El Carmen.  The house is a traditional coffee farm house built over 100 years ago, with five double rooms and numerous other rooms stuffed to the gills with antiques and bric a brac.  We found out we were the only guests and so had the run of our own private mansion, not even a receptionist or night porter was in sight.  Any fears were banished by our nightly Buenos Noches to another gun toting, but smiling, gate-keeper.

Our evenings were spent in Ataca, a very sleepy town, which apparently comes alive at weekends. We spent Wednesday and Thursday nights here and were disappointed that the $3 margarita joint was shut.  So we had to make do with a pizza and bottle of unchilled chardonnay one night and pisco sours and a more traditional meal with chilled SB the next.  The town is well known for its colourful murals that adorn many of the buildings.

The side of a houes in Ataca

 

Benjamin and Rosa our guides in Imposible National Park

Our final day in El Salvador was spent hiking and bird watching in El Imposible National Park.  This was a two hour drive away, with the final hour on an unpaved road, which has saved lots of money in back massages. 

Next stop is Honduras and the Caribbean coastline.

Eye Opening El Salvador

San Salvador has been totally different to our expectations: the city is more affluent and modern with good roads and smart shopping centres.  We had a whistle stop tour of the various areas where the rich, middle class and workers live and then on to a church where Bishop Oscar Romero was murdered whilst giving mass in 1982. 

In the downtown area we visited the cathedral, another church with a very modern design and windows and two plazas. We also stopped at a local market where football, seafood and the local pilsner beer appeared to combine very well. 

We then enjoyed our first El Salvadorean dish - a pupusa in a pupeseria.  A pupusa is a maize tortilla which is filled with cheese, pork or beans or any combination.  They are very tasty, cheap and go well with a beer.

We drove for an hour to Suchitoto which is on the artificial lake (created to deliver HEP).  On the journey Benjamin took us through two versions (official and non official) of El Salvador's history from the Maya times 400AD through the Civil War from 1980 to 1992, to current times. RM is happy to regurgitate this to interested parties on return! 

Suchitoto is a very quiet town with cobbled streets and a beautiful hotel, Los Almendros, where we are staying.  There are only 12 rooms, but June was obviously prepared for us as she showed us to the one next to the bar.

RM sits between the bar and our room (the double brown doors)

This morning has been spent on the lake bird watching - mainly huge flocks of cormorants.

We learned from Rene', our guide for the morning, that El Salvador has over 15 active volcanoes that look the part and many more in different shapes and under lakes.  Full of such information we spent the afternoon by the pool (photos withheld to protect the innocent).

Cat on a hot tin roof.

Leon has certainly being hot - one of the hottest in Nicaragua. 

Highlights have been:

The tombs on the cathedral roof where HJ stepped into thin air

Visiting our first cathedral - massive on the outside, disappointing on the inside.  HJ also felt bruising on the roof as she stepped into thin air on the escarpment and grazed her leg badly.

To keep on the roof theme, our tour in Spanish of the Museo Heroes y Martries culminated in our being dragged literally on to a red corrugated and rusty iron roof of the revolutionary building - 30 meters above the main square in the mid day sun

RM looking confident onthe tin roof

After lunch we tried the fascinating Museo of Legends and Myths housed in an old prison where at the end we were sent up a very narrow railed staircase leading to a 2 foot wide path around the outside of the whole building.  Fortunately there was a thin narrow handrail to keep us safe.

A boat trip through the red mangroves to Juan Vernado island - 17km by 300 metres at its narrowest.  Here we saw captured iguanas being introduced into the breeding programme and the divots of the last turtles which had been released into the sea the night before.  This contrasted bleakly with the site of young boy trying to hawk these animals on the side of the road for dinner.

An afternoon spent in a splendid multi national spent in an art gallery that covered everything from religious art of the 16th century to more contemorary modern art - all in two magnificent mesons opposite our hotel.

Finding a tapas restaurant for out last meal in Nicaragua where there was an offer on the SB - two for one - who could refuse.

Tomorrow we travel to El Salvador - who knows what awaits.

Valentine's Day in Nicaragua

Valentine's Day started with a walk down El Castillo's main path to Manuel's waiting boat, a 2 hour trip on the Rio San Juan to San Carlos, a short taxi ride from the dock to the airport, a 45 minute flight to Managua in a Cessna where Antonio, our driver, was waiting to take us to on the 2 hour drive to Leon. 

Unfortunately William, our guide, couldn't be with us, but he did send HJ a wonderful box of rum truffles and as Antonio passed them over, William rang on the phone to wish HJ a happy Valentine's Day.  RM meanwhile reached for the sick bag as he had failed to produce any romantic offerings.

HJ enjoying Williams's chocolates

On reaching our hotel, El Convento, a former convent, we found the beautiful courtyard garden being set up for a huge $35 a head VD dinner with live music.  We asked if we could just eat in the restaurant and after some negotiations were told we could. 

On arrival at the restaurant, we found we were the only two people in the 50 cover, air conditioned restaurant. 

Apart from a scrambled egg breakfast we hadn't eaten all day and HJ had the munchies and decided we would both have a starter and main course as to date, the portions have been so huge we have been sharing. 

The layered smoked salmon and cheese terrine was so big, M&S would have sold it as a main meal for two and the shrimp cerviche had 12 shrimps.  Then it was on to mains of a volcano of erupting lava (called four cheese risotto on the menu) and a dinner sized plate crepe stuffed with scallops in a cheese sauce.  With two bottles of wine (it was VD after all), our bill came to the bargain of $71.

"Cheesed" out we retired to our room so HJ could munch on her truffles and dream of William.

PR was equally spoilt as on logging on, he found an e-mail from his favourite admirer, appropriately named V.

Relaxing after dinner in El Convento

Crocodile Dundee, snakes and pirates

Transfer day was again eventful.  We left Granada at 8am for a four-hour drive to San Carlos.  The journey ended up taking five, due to an accident, diversion, cattle being herded by horses along the road and school children who had not learned the Green Cross Code.

On arrival at San Carlos, we boarded a boat with our new guide Manuel, for El Castillo (only accessible by the river – Rio San Juan) for the 90 minute journey when Manuel soon gained favor when he dished out plastic bags and eventually a huge plastic sheet that we all had to huddle under as a massive storm engulfed us. The town is dominated by a castle made famous for repelling pirates, including a young Horatio Nelson.  It has one main path and no cars or roads.  There is apparently one motor bike, which the locals hate.

How rubbish is collected in El Castillo

Our first evening was spent caiman spotting from a canoe.  HJ had low expectations until our intrepid guide, with flash light on his head, jumped in the water, thrashed around and returned to the canoe with a four foot female in his arms

He proceeded to perform the same trick with male and female green iguana and a number of frogs including the famous red-eyed tree frog.

Our second day was split. The morning was spent trekking in the Indo Maiz Reserve, where howler monkeys took umbrage to our guide’s impersonation of them and pelted us with almonds.  HJ then excelled herself by not only spotting a snake (poisonous and over 5 feet long), but staying around to take photos. 

Although the rain forest trail was only 2km, it took three hours as we had to squelch through shin-deep mud. Fortunately the hotel provided wellies which we were able to wash in the river before returning.

The afternoon was a more sedate amble up to the castle (properly known as La Fortaleza de la Limpia Pura e Immaculada Concepcion) with its small museum and stunning views of the river and town.

Our next stop will be Leon, our final in Nicaragua.

Hair raising and hectic! - photos added

We have spent the last three nights in Granada and it has lived up to our expectations.  Our first stop was a tour of the 365 Islets of Lake Nicaragua - around 40% are inhabited - with houses owned by the very rich - apart from one which is inhabited by three monkeys, with Pancho being happy to jump onto passing boats.

This rich person owns two islands and the house forms a bridge

Pancho - white faced capuchin monkey

Lunch was in El Zaguan described in the Rough Guide as having "melt in your mouth sirloin steaks" which they certainly did.

Our first afternoon was spent with our guide William and concentrated on a city tour of the many historical, cultural and artistic gems in Granada - following 200 years of repeated attacks by pirates.

Day 2 looked at Nicaragua's favourite subject: volcanoes (there are 25 of them in the country and many are active).  We visited two.  Firstly Mombacha was which a blind tasting as it was in the cloud forest and we couldn't see anything.

With Ramon our guide in the cloud forest at Mombacho Volcano

The second was a nose tasting with a distinct whiff of sulphur from the very active crater which last erupted in 2012.  Fortunately HJs loud sneeze did not trigger a seismic reaction. Little wonder, you are advised to park your vehicle facing the exit, just in case. 

HJs three amigos- Antonio our driver, RM and William, the best guide in Nicaragua

RM at the top of Mombacho Volcano

We also managed to squeeze in a shopping trip to Masaya market and a tour of a coffee plantation including an eye opening explanation of how our favourite brew is made.  Supplies were purchased, so perhaps a coffee morning in 100PS on return would be appropriate.




   

Our final day was equally hectic and hair raising.  We started with RM going to the barberia before 9am for a much needed re-style. 

We continued to the cemetery and tracked down a few of the more notable mauseleums including the first Nicaraguan President.  Next we celebrated with a cigar at Donna Elbar and saw a demonstration of hand rolling cigars (but not on a maiden's thigh)!  Keeping to the luxury mode, we visited the chocolate shop and museum which said it all.  The advice for Valentines Day is that women prefer chocolates to flowers! 

Lunch was at Gordito's kiosk in the plaza where for $2 we shared a plate of banana leaf wrapped pork, casava and cabbage salad which tasted better than it sounds: we avoided the vignon which is basically a huge pork scratching. 

We had a post lunch horse and carriage ride around the town before HJ had a BOO sponsored massage by "Seeing Hands" a non profit organisation where blind masseurs are trained. The $15 for an hour was well spent as she had managed re-arrange her shoulder when she missed her step on exiting the mini bus in a most inelegant fashion.  Meanwhile RM spent a paltry $4 on dos cervaza whilst researching our next port of call.