February, 2012 

Nicaragua, Almost Not Here

The beach of no return

I came close to dying.  No joke.  I was swimming in the Pacific Ocean west of Leon, Nicaragua being the only guest in a hostel on a very quiet beach.  It was around sunset when the heat was not so intense that i went for a swim.  The owner of the hostel also came out after me to swim but stayed closer to shore.  It was when he went back to the hostel that I realized I was out a little too far.  The sun was going down.  Now I was the only one in the water or on the beach.

I tried to touch the bottom.  Too deep.  So I started to swim in.  After a while I looked to see how much ground I had covered.  None.  Now I started to panic a little.  Don't panic I thought, that won't help anything.  But shit!  The sun is going own and no one is anywhere around!  So I swam again with the waves going toward the beach.  After a while I checked the shore line.  I had gained nothing.  Same place  I wasn't getting anywhere.  So I thought, what now?

About twenty minutes had now passed.  I was starting to get tired as the waves were pounding on me from behind.  I couldn't watch out for them and swim at the same time because it took too much energy.  But I had to because I was swallowing water.  Relax I thought.  I have to reserve as much energy as possible.

A person was running along the beach.  Great!  I'll just yell.  I screamed and waved.  Nothing.  I tried whistling but I couldn't whistle very loud with all the water in my mouth and hands.  I thought maybe I saw someone standing near the palm trees on the beach so I waved and waved the the person didn't move.  It was probably a tree or a bush.  No one saw me or heard me.  I was totally alone.  I had to figure a way to get in by myself.

I thought about my options.  I knew if the hostel owner would miss me, it would take at least an hour or more.  He could then go down the beach to a fisherman who had a wooden boat which would need to get over the large set of waves, and then start searching for me in the dark.  I would have to float for hours and I was getting tired.  It seemed dismal at best.  The waves were taking my energy.

Before I got in the water, I noticed that the current was going a little bit south so I decided to swim south.  I swam changing my strokes to keep my energy up, ducking waves, trying to relax but still I stayed in the same place.  So I tried to swim north.  Same thing.  I knew about rip tides from swimming in San Diego so swimming farther out to sea was a good option, but when you're getting weak and it's getting dark, swimming farther out took more courage than I could muster.

I had heard that we have different exits in our life.  A time when we can choose to leave this plane of reality.  We can choose if we want o move on or live.  So a that moment, I called no, 'No exit!  No exit!  I don't want to leave.  It's not my time.'

That's when an idea came to me.  Be like a surf board.  Imagine yourself on top of the water and glide in.  First try, it didn't seem like I was getting anywhere.  One more try.  Now it seemed like maybe I was moving.  several more tries I was actually covering ground toward the beach.  I could finally touch again!  Of my God, literally, I'm not going to die right now.  Once I was past the last wave, I staggered onto the beach.  I was so grateful to be on dry sand!

I went back to my room, took a shower and thought over what had just happened.  I was very tired and went to be early at 9pm but couldn't sleep.  When something like this happens to you, there is a lot of adrenaline running through your body.

Today is the day after.  I still feel tired and life seems a little surreal.  I have returned to the city from the beach.  No, I didn't go swimming again, I'll leave that for another time.  In my hostel room in Leon with clean sheets and a fan blowing on me, I am happy to be able to write about this and happy to be on this earth.

A post script:  I often swim with a little child's inflatable tube tucked under my swim suit just in case.  I just bought another one.

January and February,  2012
Honduras and Nicaragua 

Magical!!!  I never heard this word so much in my entire life.  So many aspects of my entire trip were magical.  Other travelers noticed it too.  That's where I heard it so often...'It's magical'.

With the holidays coming to an end, I decided it would be nice to visit some of the islands that we passed by when we came to Belize.  So I went on a catamaran that was heading SE to the islands of Honduras.  The boat was going to Utila so that's where I went.  Utila is a very small island known for inexpensive dive courses.  So there are a lot of young people there.  But I also like places that are easy to get to know and after being here for a while, it felt very familiar and felt  like you were with family.  Everybody knows everyone on the entire island.  You don't encounture that very often.  I stayed one week.  

The main intersection on main street.

Further on down.

It's easy to like this place.

Bottle cap art.

The dominos table on the main street.

Cheap caskets.

One of the many dive boat companies.

Artist Neil Keller's creation: The Jade Seahorse on this tiny little island.  

There is glass imbedded at every step and place imaginable. 

Close up.

Lots of patience.

It's quite magical.

La Ceiba, Honduras  
From Utila, Honduras, I hopped on a fishing boat going west to the NE tip of the mainland.

45 minute trip out of town to the white water rapids.  After you go on the class 3-4 rapids, you can stay for free. This is hammock country.

The lodge.  The sound of the water rushing by all night long was fantastic.

You can see the yellow rubber boat going down the rapids. 

A 35 minute local bus takes you to the small nearby villages with great beaches.

The waitress that wanted her picture taken.  Here she is.

Central Honduras
From La Ceiba I took a bus into the central area of Honduras' national parks near Lake Yojoa.  It was so beautiful with lakes, water falls, caves, woods and yes, mosquitos.

One of the highlights of the trip was to walk directly under this 42 meter falls with a local guide. All that was between you and falling down to the rocks below you was the hand of the person in front of you.   It took a leap of faith because you couldn't see a thing with all of the water pounding down on your head. 

Not far from the B and B Brewery hostel was this little lake.  But first you had to find the lady in the village who rented the boats and carry the big wood oars down to the lake.

The boats for rent.

Honduras is filled with acres and acres of land that grows bananas, coffee and pineapple from big growers like Dole.  This is an antique train that used to move people and fruit through the fields and towns. 

Estrili, Matagalpas, Selva Negra, Nicaragua 
From the natural areas of central Honduras, I crossed over into Nicaragua.  It took almost an entire day to get to the town of Estrili in Nicaragua.

This is one of the main streets of the 3rd largest city in Nicaragua - Estrili. 

Horse transportation is very economical, efficient and 

the horses seem to enjoy their work.

The house mascot of one of the hostels.

This trip was filled with many mountains, volcanoes and beautiful views.

A hotel center called the Black Forest with Swiss owners. Can you tell?

It took a 30 minute bus ride and a half mile walk to get there.

Green roof top garden.

A peaceful meditation place in the center of the complex.

Flower stained glass.

Chile in Nicaragua.

Cool, lovely hiking.

Back down in Estrili. Everything grows so large here!!  

I can see why Dole and the United Fruit Company

 wanted to own so much of the land. 

Bus ride to Leon. I didn't manage to get any pictures of the people riding on top of the bus with the baggage.  Amazing!  It always thrilled us safety conscious travelers to see the bus going around curves at 40 mph with the assistant climbing out the window to get items ready to drop down at the next stop.  It was like being in a John Wayne movie.  But the Nicaraguans told me it would be more like a Jackie Chan movie.

Volcano Boarding in Leon, Nicaragua 
Leon is the second most important city in Nicaragua with the universities located here.  It is also very popular with the young tourists for it's volcano boarding.  I thought long and hard about doing it but I remembered sledding on a hard tobaggan.  And how much harder it woud be to carry around a suitcase with an injured body.  These pictures are from my German friend Elisa.

Typical corner in town.

Bakeries weren't so good here but Honduras had wonderful cakes!.

The group is admiring their conquest.

Brave Elisa.

Protective clothing to prevent stone burns.

So many beautiful mountains all throughout Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Grenada, Nicaragua 
Bus ride from Leon to the most beautiful city in Nicaragua, Grenada.

Central Park in Grenada.

One of the corners of main street.

A very fancy breakfast buffet for six dollars.

My favorite hangout just outside of Grenada on Laguna de Apoyo. 

My surfer friend Ha from Hawaii.

No meter parking.

Hostel in Grenada.  Everywhere you go there is always a hammock to rest in.

I believe everyone is skilled at carrying things on their heads.

The women selling food always wear an apron.

Colonial street downtown Grenada.

It seems illogical but there are three very large churches in a row.

So much good fruit to choose from.

I couldn't hep myself...back to Lago Apoyo.

Lago Apoyo.

Lago Apogo.

Lago Apoyo.

A funeral procession in Grenada.

No matter rich or poor, rocking chairs are the standard furniture for living rooms.

The International Poetry Festival of Grenada. 

Parades were part of the festivities.

Parade.

Traditional costumes mocking the Spanish explorers.

Island of Olmetepe on Lake Nicaragua 

From Grenada to Lake Nicaragua and the agrarian island of Olmetepe.

Several boats were available including this oldie.  I felt like I was on the African Queen.

The bilge pump consisted of a stick and a plunger that the assistant had to work every so often.  You can see the sillver opening on the lower end to put the stick in.

Olmetepe consists of two volcanoes.

A cooperative farm that feeds 25 families.  You can stay there for free if you work the farm.  Otherwise it is five dollars a night.  I decided not to stay a second night because I didn't like the mice running around my room.  My fault for leaving food in my packs.

Overview of the farm.

Bus stop. Very few buses roam here.  When asked about the schedule, they would tell you the time of the next bus and then add 'maybe'.

Another highlight of the trip for taking a kayak up this little river from the hostel.  

Here a fisherman is working.

I stayed quite a while here.

An egret.

The flowers were brilliant against the green background.

My hostel with a town meeting going on about the water supply.

Baseball.  Just like when we were kids.

Life with horses, cattle, pigs and dogs.

Main street.

 The beach in front of my hostel.  Those piles of stones are used to wash their clothes.

 The evening attracts many admirers of the sunsets.

 My hostel and restaurant.

Mangos.

Cattle are brought down twice a day to drink water.

Typical hostel beds and fan.

Restaurant kitchen.

 You wouldn't know it but a lot of meals come out of this kitchen.

The cook's son has had his picture taken many, many times.

Washing.

Riding a bicycle down a dirt road under construction.  Someone yelled my name and I stopped suddenly.  Too suddenly.  Memories came back to me of bike riding when I was a little kid.  Only I think it hurts more when you're an adut.

Not many buses that need to go around the cattle.

Heading back to Granada and beginning the journey back to Florida.