Little Corn Island - Nicaragua

Corn Islands - Las Islas de Maiz - Big Corn and Little Corn,70 km East of the Caribbean cost of Nicaragua. Ferries leave from Bluefields few days a week and reach Big Corn in 5.5 hours. From there, a panga (little speed boat for 40 people) reaches Little Corn in 30 agitated minutes! Sometimes, the boat stays up in the air for few scary seconds! Never seat in the front of the panga!!

Little Corn is a little paradise (only 2,9 sq km), with no cars, no bike… only reggae music, friendly people, happy tourists, 2 dive centers, 3 wifi places, 2 discos, a few small convenient stores, lobsters, white sand, blue water, palm trees, a very changing weather, few hotels and restaurants, lots of partying, any foreign languages, great people, several nurse sharks, many power cuts, lots of Rhum with Fresca... and a very simple life!

Lobster in garlic with rice and delicious vegetables....

Los Delfines

 rain water tap at Casa Iguana

Dive Little Corn

View from Casa Iguana

Symba

Preparing the famous Rundown...

Big rundown dinner

"The Statue"

Tranquilo bar / restaurant

by Adele Bouaziz

From Omotepe to Corn Islands - Nicaragua

The best part of a trip is not always the destination. Sometimes, the journey is the whole purpose cause you know you will be meeting a lot of people, discovering wild landscapes, having adventurous time... So, to go to the Corn Islands in the Caribbean Sea, I decided not to fly, but instead to go by land and river from Isla Omotope.

The ferry left at 7pm on Monday from Altagracia on Omotepe. I paid 161C$ my ticket + 30C$ for a lounge chair on the open deck (total: less than 8US$). We were maybe 20 tourists travelling on the deck of this ferry whereas the locals were staying in the big cabin downstairs for half price. It was windy and cold but comfortable and a unique experience.

Lake Nicaragua Ferry

San Carlos dock

We arrived in San Carlos at 6am and enjoyed a nice sunrise on the lake. I had decided during the night that I would try to make it to Corn Islands. I knew it was adventurous and long by land and river, so let's go for it! San Carlos seemed small, busy and nice. There is a Malecon and some cafeteria with a nice view on the lake.

I met 2 French guys there, Lois and Gaetan (who were on the same ferry) travelling for 8 months and thinking of heading to the islands too. We teamed up and took a bus (150C$)  at 9am together to Rama. They were great company. We arrived at Rama at 3.30pm. From Rama, the road doesn't go further. The Rio Escondido starts and goes all the way to Bluefields in the mouth of the Caribbean Sea. So at 4pm we took the only speed boat ready to leave. We paid 250C$ (10US$) to be there in 1h30. It was either this or 65C$ to spend 12 more hours on an ugly ferry!

The colorful scenery was gorgeous. The river reflecting the trees and the schools of birds flying away. The sunset in a cloudless sky and the greenery of the nature…

With Gaetan and Lois on the panga from Rama to Bluefields

Sunset on the Rio Escondido

When we arrived in Bluefields, it seemed like a whole different country. Population is a mixt of descendant of slaves, and Nicaraguan, they play Reggae, people speak English with a strong creole accent…. But Spanish is still spoken. Very confusing. We – Lois, Gaetan and myself – were taken to a cheap hostel. The place was slum!!! very little rooms along a corridor, for 5$ the night. They all smelt mold. On my bed, the sheet had holes and didn’t look clean. I pulled it up and noticed pieces of carton to cover big holes in the mattress. It really looked disgusting! And scary! What’s hiding in those holes? I went in the other rooms, same thing! I told the guys and their bed looked the same! With paper and all kind of shit filling the mattress! We decided to leave but I took big pleasure screaming in Spanish at the very unfriendly woman in charge.

So here we were, walking in this quite ugly town, trying to find a place to stay… we ended up back ear the port. A hostel has only one room left with a double bed. I left the guys stay and go next door where it was supposed to be… bad. Well it was simply awful! I needed a room so I took it after negotiating to 4$. The wooden walls and floor were falling apart. The ceiling was open to the roof. The worst: the common bathroom was so disgusting that I started screaming that it was worse than a jail! No way I would shower in this! There was a stinky toilet and a big bucket, no light and old wood everywhere. No room to shower unless almost above the toilet. I was scared! They let me use the family bathroom downstairs… It was actually the same, except with light and more room so I could manually shower (with a bucket) next to the stinky toilet! I couldn’t skip a quick wash but as I say, it was quick! Especially when I faced 2 huge cockroach in less that 5 seconds!

My slum in Bluefields....

Next morning, after 2 hours wait to buy boat tickets, we got on the Ferry that took us to Big Corn in 5.30 hours! long sunny crowded boat ride!!!

first sight of Big Corn

By Adele Bouaziz











In the next post, you will know all about the magic of little Corn Island, well deserved after a 48 hour journey ...

Isla Omotepe - Nicaragua

Coming back to Nicaragua after 2 months traveling North – El Tunco, Utila, Guatemala, Mexico, California – is very exciting. I loved this country, the people, the nature, the fruits (not the food!)… When I left the country to go to Guatemala, I kept one place of the country to visit when I would return, on my way to Costa Rica: the island Omotepe on the lake Nicaragua. My plan is to visit this beautiful island and then cross the lake from there to go to San Carlos where I could cross – supposedly easylier than from Rivas –  the bordure with Costa Rica. The question is : will they let me in without an exit ticket?)

After 2 flights from USA, a taxi to a bus station in Managua, a bus to San Jorge and a Ferry – an exhausting 16 hour journey with a bad cold – Here I am in Omotepe, still drowsy from the strong night cough syrup, but no more sick!

Omotepe is an island in a shape of an 8 with two volcanos. Concepcion is the highest volcano on the biggest part, Maderas is the other volcano on the small side of the island.

It was 5pm when I arrived. I decided to spend the first night here, in Moyogalpa. 

Walking a little bit, I found this quiet hospedaje where I could enjoy a private room with bathroom for 5$. It was clean and the ladies were very nice. I ordered a good meal of steamed vegetables and meat, nothing fried, no rice and no frijoles! I ate while watching with them a Mexican novella called “lo que la vida me robò”. It was so popular that people were standing in front of the restaurant to watch it! Reminded me of Cuba!

This night I slept for 12 hours!

The next day, I had a French breakfast (toasts with butter and honey) and a coffee in a little wifi café. It’s Important to me to stay connected. And now that I have my new mini laptop, it’s even more enjoyable!

 I decided to leave Moyogalpa to get closer to the volcano Maderas. Since the bus was not coming, I hitch-hiked and jumped in the back of a truck. I had the best view on Conception! Amazing volcano! 

I was left on a road where I waited for a bus that took me to the hostel Zopilote. I spent one night there and didn’t like this place at all. It’s a permaculture farm that preach for organic everything, recycling everything, dry stinky toilets, free yoga every morning… Too much for me!! Especially when they keep give you pieces of paper with the map and rules of the place, a flyer to promote the place and a sticker! And of course, Nothing on recycled paper!

El Zopilote

Anyway, I left the next day and walked on the road for 15min with my backpack. Then a bus took me to Balgue, the next village. There, I spent 2 nights at the lazy crab hostel. They were so friendly, attentive, very cheap and the atmosphere was really relax, with Hammock and lounge music! 

During my stay, I visited the Finca Magdalena that offers one of the best view on Cenception and the beaches of Santo Domingo. I also rode a bike on the island and chilled out…

view from the Finca Magdalena

Santo Domingo Beach

Beautiful nature on the island

Monday I packed and went to Altagracia.  A night ferry leaves twice a week to cross the lake to San Carlos. And here started the very long journey!

To be continued...

San Francisco, somehow still Latin America?

A  very spontaneous and thought-through decision put me on this flight from Mexico to L.A, and then on a Greyhound bus to San Francisco, where I have just spent 17 fabulous days.

I was lucky to be hosted by my friend Martin who I had just met a month before in Guatemala as I was working in Semuc Champey. I messaged him out of the blue for a drink, and there I was, crashing in his little house in Oakland.

Fruitvale is considered as a dangerous suburb of SF. (I did hear shot guns last night!) however, I was feeling pretty safe during the day, walking on International Bd to go to the BART station (suburb train). There are plenty of restaurants, shops and food trucks where one language is surely required: Spanish!

Sobre International Bd, se habla espanol!

People greet you with a friendly 'Hola', you can buy fresh fruit cups in the street, it smells fried chicken everywhere, street ads are often exclusively in Spanish... What else would I need to feel I am still travelling in Latin America?

El pollo loco! Que sorpresa! tu aqui?!

But that is where I sleep. Now San Francisco is where I spend my days and this is to me one of the greatest city in the world. I have walked all over the place, and I can tell: this is not a typical American city! What makes it different? Let’s see:

- It smells Marijuana almost everywhere in the city. (But don't even try smoking a cigarette less than 10 feet from the terrace of a café! Smoke is not tolerated! ha ha!)

Coco loco: Coco with a lot of rhum!

Dolores Park on sunday... you can find coco loco, space chocolates, and joints!

- Men can walk around in the street naked without shocking anyone (but me)! See the picture... Only a golden sock to cover the sex. Add flip flops, a hand bag and a coffee to make it look natural! Yep!

Naked city man

- Lots of great street art!

In Mission District

- They have the Giants and lucky me, I was there for the final games of the World series, Where the Giants were competing against ?? the Giants, supported by everyone and everything, won and set the city on fire!
\

The City Hall giant screen for the big Giants game!

- Streets are so hilly and stiff! Walking through SF is sport! They have the city bikes too! (never seen anybody using one!)

The colored sisters, from Alamo Park

- People talk to each other in the Metro! Try to sing some Lionel Richie hit song, you'll get 3 girls singing along! Thank you Martin, it was so much fun!

- You can find dog food at the counter of some coffee shop. Pets are like a must have here... but if you have the chance that your landlord lets you have it it, he might also make you pay an extra for the rent! He he!

- There is an "authentic" Medieval castle in the Napa Valley, finished to be built only a decade ago by some rich Italian wine maker! crazy!!

- The typical Clam Chowder served in the sourdough bread!  It is so good!

- Google is a city in the city!!!

Working at Google

- There are oyster farms in the bay where you can have oyster orgies for reasonable prices

Point Reyes

- Wine, wine, wine….

The Napa Valley

- The Bay and the city itself are simply goregeous!

Ocean Beach

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Rock - Alcatraz

Washington Square Park, Sts Peter and Paul Church

The Cable Car

The Coit tower

I love SF!