Day 623
Familia
Over the last two days we have ridden our final miles in Nicaragua and entered Costa Rica. Nicaragua has turned out to be about my favourite country so far in Central America. We met up with @BrianSampson one of our fellow cycle tourers who, aged 12, was given a book, ‘1,000 places to visit before you die’ and over the last few years Brian is slowly ticking them off. For some reason meeting Debs and Tom in a hotel in Nicaragua wasn’t actually on the list but we had a nice evening anyway!
The roads have been a little flatter but the head wind ever present! We took refuge in ‘Museo Nacudari’, a fantastic cafe with a museum, shop and mirador, and when chatting to the owner discovered it was also a hostel. His wife cooks, he paints, and the pair of them work together to run the place. We loved it. We finally left the main highways behind and ventured onto some fantastic back roads, leading us through tiny villages and down to Apoyo Lagoon. We stopped and ate an ice cream whilst enjoying the view. Over 23,0000 years old, with the city of Granada in the background, this nature reserve is becoming a real tourist attraction. We passed up the opportunity to zip line over part of it, and also declined a horse ride. In reality it was beautifully quiet and we were tempted to wild camp there but it was pretty early in day so off we went.
We had wild camping on our mind and as it got to late afternoon, we spotted a dried-up river bed and decided to set up camp there. A local family spotted us and invited us to stay at their small family village. So, we decamped and set up our tent in a recently built house. Hilary, aged 6, and Mariela, aged 11, took charge of us. We had great fun playing various ball games with them until their mums called them in for tea! In the morning Hilary spotted Tom and flung herself into his arms, with the cry ‘Tomas!’. The whole family took time to make sure we had everything we needed, cooked us breakfast, but also ensured we had privacy too. Mariela spent ages with us asking questions about our life and our journey. It was hard to believe she was only 11. We have photos to send them but the email we have doesn’t seem to be working! I do hope they read this to understand just how much Tom and I were moved by our time with them.
Then we were off to cross the border into Costa Rica. We timed it badly and managed to arrive behind two bus-loads! Finally through, we rode the last 10 miles to an awesome campsite, ‘Canas Castilla’ a Finca, or estate, run by a Swiss couple who emigrated here 25 years ago. They have transformed an old farm into an oasis of tranquillity. Set by a river, surrounded by rain forest, monkeys, sloths, chickens, endless types of ants everywhere, fantastic walks through the trees, home cooked food, some of the best we have had since leaving our friends Niall and Suna in Spain. We simply couldn’t just stop for one night! Tomorrow we will pay the price with a longer day on the road but today we’re in paradise.
