Nicaragua

On my last of five nights in El Salvador, I solicited a shopkeep for ideas about a good place to camp. Marvelously, he was able to understand what I was saying and I think I managed to properly translate his charasmatic hand gestures. He insisted that I camp on his lawn, protected by a sizeable fence and a dog that could easily fit into a pony costume. The man's family of 12 soon arrived and their hospitality was exceptional. To close off the evening, I stood back and watched the dozen people practice an Evangelical Christian ceremony; one that involved a fair bit of screaming.

Crossing into Honduras was reasonably straightforward just as was crossing into Nicaragua the following day. Much to my dismay, however, I had myself swindled out of an estimated $60 through currency transactions. To turn a gray day colourful, I was assisted in changing a flat tire by the 2001 Central American road cycling champion, who proudly took me into his home to show me his collection of trophies.

I spent a night in Leon, Nicaragua, albeit a quite one, having had cycled nearly 180km in the day. Despite the roads being undoubedtly the worst "paved" roads I'd ever ridden, I braved on to the capital, Managua. The city seemed to lack the charm of any of the big cities I'd previously visited. Most of its buildings (plus 10,000 residents) were destroyed in a 1972 earthquake and reconstruction wasn't really a big priority. Structures of more than 5 stories were pretty hard to come by in this city of 1.6 million people.

Naturally, with Christmas (my deadline) drawing near, I resolved to spend at least two days at a beach. I boxed up my bike for shipment, stored it at a hotel, then caught the first bus to San Juan Del Sur (given the road conditions, this was a brilliant idea.) I spent yesterday coasting up and down the surf on a rented board I'd taken to a sparsely occupied beach about 15km from the town. After a night of youthful comraderie and ambitious indulgence into spirits, I now draw myself away from the waves to compose this message.