After spending 4 hours of chaos at the border, we finally finished all the paperwork to enter the country. This border crossing was so inefficient and disjointed that I could have screamed. I was so stressed that Rick decided it was best that he drove the first leg to Leon. Within the first hour, he was pulled over twice and let go both times. I started laughing at his criminal behavior, as I took over the last leg. Well, within 15-minutes I has my chance over the barrel. I was pulled over by three policeman, who spoke no English. One handed me a laminated card and pointed to my offense. I quickly google translated the offense as he told us it was 1000 of their dollars or about $30US. I saw that I was being accused of zigzagging in the lane. This was not true and I began saying NO, as I took my paperwork back and he motioned to the other officer. This officer, with my original license on his clipboard, strolled up to say that it was true. I just looked at him and said, NO-NO!! He started to say something twice and I cut him off with a stare and NO-NO-NO!!! Rick was getting nervous and I reached and took back my license. Clearly, I was standing my ground on this BS. They walked back to a third officer and talked. After a few minutes, I got wave of their hand and saw the defeat in their eyes which meant I was free to go. I have been pulled over way too many times and know exactly when I am wrong and when I am being shaken down. Thus, this country was not impressing me quickly. We got in Leon, which is a dirty town and a bit rough around the edges. The AirBNB was a hotel run by an american and full of students from Scandinavia. We immediately hit it off with everyone and were back in the groove. The next day we walked all over the town and it really grew on us. Many little churches, courtyards, restaurants later, we declared it a nice place to visit. We booked our bucket listed volcano sliding trip for the next day and headed to a small beach town to smell the ocean and watch the sunset. It was so relaxing on the beach and miles away from every worry. The next morning, we joined 7 young “kids” whose combined ages was just a tick over ours. We held our own hiking up the volcano. By the time we got to the top, we were all best friends and we chatted with everyone. Sliding down the volcano was just better than awesome. You put on a suit, goggles, and gloves and sit on a sled for a quarter mile of pure fun. Rick went first and wiped out twice on the way down. I was last and made it down without any falls. Fear was my guiding force! It was such a blast that 3-minutes of excitement outweighed 2-hours of uphill hiking. We both declared it one of the best outing to date, as we headed for Granada for our next stay. The next morning we strolled the colonial city with expectations that we surpassed by this “hot” town. I was here a few years ago and was taken back by the progress and renovations. I hardly recognized the place as it was full of new stores, freshly painted buildings, and a new lakeside park. I was impressed by the charm and hoards of people enjoying the lively atmosphere. It is really a neat town and worth a visit. We could have stayed longer, but headed south to San Juan Del Sur for our indulgent stay at a beachside condo overlooking the bay. It was in the center of town but we just sat on the balcony and talked instead of going anywhere. The next morning we headed to Lago Cocibolca and a ferry ride to Volcan conception, which is a twin volcano in the center of the largest lake in Central America. We hired a guide, who took us on a nature hike where we saw a few monkeys, butterfly’s, and learned about the culture. All and all, Nicaragua was better than expected, as we explored volcanos, beaches, lakes, and historical cities. It has along way to go to meet western standards, but this is why it is so charming. The people were extremely nice and we had no negative encounters with anyone not wearing s police uniform. On to Costa Rica and many outdoor activities.
From Arizona to Panama Canal 