El Tunco (surf beach), El Salvador

Just a 2-day-break in my long journey from León - Nicaragua to Antigua - Guatemala!
Was not planned. I left León at 2.30am in a shuttle (safer, faster and more confortable). On the way, the driver tells me that we stop  briefly at El Tunco to drop 2 passengers and take 3 more.  I ask about El Tunco and it sounds like a nice place to relax for 2 days! So I divide my trip in 2. The shuttle will pick me up here in 2 days to continue the journey.

The beach is not a white sandy beach where you can lay down your towel and simply sun bathe. It s a stone beach. The Pacific waves are pretty strong, perfect for the American/Australian crowd that comes here to surf. To swim, it s more complicated and sporty. 

Prices are pretty high on my backpacker scale. Food in restaurants costs a fortune.

However! the landscape is amazing, the sound of the waves so relaxing, I sleep in a cheap hostel 60 feets from the beach, with an open kitchen. I pay US$ 7 a night! (Very convenient that salvador uses dollars! I happen to travel with some of those green bills). I can make myself salads, and buy fresh fruits for breakfast. Free wifi of course, and free water!

 I found two relaxing chairs in front of a hotel that no one uses and it doesn't seem to bother anyone that I use one freely for hours! Yeay! 

Culinary wise, I tried a salvadorian dish that I will find again in Guatemala, el pupusa.  A sort of arepa. A really good tortilla filled with melted cheese and frijoles or cheese and chicken, served with cabbage salad.

Also, the local people I met here are really friendly! The oyster guy, the nuts vendor, Juanita the cleaning lady... If the country was not supposedly that dangerous (really bad reputation), I would love to see more of it! Maybe one day...

Granada, Masaya, San Juan del Sur - Nicaragua

When I arrived in the beautiful colonial Granada after a long journey (4 buses), I walked a lot through the city to arrive to a horrible place (an illegal hostel) that I left straight away. Then I walked again for half an hour with my heavy backpack to finally find, by accident, the hostel De boca en boca. Right next to the Merced church,  this hostel/restaurant is owned by a young french guy from Lille and his guatemalteque wife. They opened 1 month ago and are pretty nice! the place is clean and cheap, restaurant is good, though too expensive. An opened kitchen and some hamacs are still missing...

This is the Merced church

El palacio nacional

La catedral

El parque central

Granada is located on the coast of the huge and beautiful Lake Nicaragua. On the lake the Ometepe island seems to a very nice and relaxing place to stay a few days. I will go later, when I will head to the south east of the country (islas de Maíz,  San Carlos) on a boat all across the lake.

Near Granada there is the city of Masaya and its volcano in activity. I decided to go there on my own, since it is supposed to be easy to get to. I had a lift to the entrance of the volcano park, by the owner of the hostel who was driving to Managua.
I paid the entrance fee and started to walk up on a road... After 15min I was hot, tired and bored!! I definitely hate walking/trekking alone, when it s only trees, birds and rocks around! When a car appeared on the road, I hitch hiked (for the first time! Ah ah). A car took me to the crater where I could enjoy a nice view on the lake and on the impressive crater too.
I asked some people heading to their car if they could give me a lift. I had a lift to Granada directly, via the city of Masaya which is quite pretty, with a very nice family from Honduras! Was perhaps better than the volcano itself.

Walking through the city of Granada, having random conversations with people, getting lost in the market, trying the local dish called vigarón - yuca, salad and... chicharrón! (Chips of pig fat! York!!!) - reading in nice cosy and charming café in colonial houses, trying the local chocolate (eating all the samples and not buying!!)... This is the enjoying touristic life in Granada!

Little kiosk on the parque central

El vigarón

El chicharrón (in the market)

Le boudin! 

The 2nd or 3rd day, Nico, a hostel mate from Germany living in Costa Rica as a guide invited me to join him on a motobike trip to San Juan Del Sur trip for the day! Yeay!! I got to see San Juan Del Sur the best possible way! 2 hours to go there via Rivas. We had some rain but it was all right.
We ate a grilled fish on the beach. Then we rode up on a little mountain where a Christ statue is facing the city since 2009. The view is stunning.
On the way back we stopped on a nice beach with no tourist... and no human beings actually...just birds, crabs and dogs. It was really nice and peaceful.
On the way back, we changed road and went through the countryside. We stopped under a tree full of howler monkeys! I was having a private tour! Thanks Nico!! He also explained me that the local cows with big ears are of a special breed (brahman) from hot countries. Their big ears help them get rid of the body heat! Through blood circulation... don't ask me more!

San Juan del Sur

Jesus

La playa Marsella 

Nico, mi adorable private guide

The howler monkey

Surprise surprise! They have rickshaws here!

Back in Granada, my dear trek compañeros living next door from me in Paris,  Raphaëlle and Rémi, who had just come back to Granada from Omotepe, joined us for a great dinner at my hostel. Awesome pizza and great talk!!

Jiquilillo (playa) - Nicaragua

Leaving León again... with my big backpack, walking through el mercado, behind the San Juan church, in the heat... I grab some weird lunch on the way - tortilla with blood and rice sausage "la moronga" and cabage... I am scared of nothing! Je je je - and get to the bus station that I start to know pretty well by now.

Next bus to Chinandega - The hottest city of Nicaragua. I confirm - is leaving soon I'm lucky! 1 hour to get there. I eat half of my weird lunch. Not so good really ....

There, I take a cyclotaxi to go to el mercadito from where my other bus should leave.

This time I'm less lucky. The bus is full. I have to wait for the next one, an hour and 1/2 later.

I wait at a juice place drinking a fantastic orange juice served in a huge carafe! I'm pretty full now!

I jump into my second bus and wait that it gets full to leave. No room for the legs (and I am short), no air to beathe, loud screaming vendors of food and all kind of shit are giving me a headache... finally the bus leaves. I exchange few word, bracelets and ginger bread with my adorable 9 year old neighbor.

5 pm,  I arrive at el Rancho tranquilo, a place held by a very sweet American lady, Tina, who's turning 50 in a few days. Rapidly, the place is packed with heavy drinking American people! (No kidding! 10 Americans drinking beer and rhum all day long... starting at 9 am!  Que triste 😦! Tina is in fact never sobre...)

There are wood cabans for sleeping, a lounge area with a bar, hamacs and big wooden tables... the sand is black and soft. We are sitting on a large empty beach on the Pacific Ocean. The place is ideal for relaxing, surfing and ... relaxing! 

I did try surfing for 5 min!  And I gave up!! 😅 Too old, too impatient and surely too scared for this crazy sport!

I worked on my Spanish grammar, read a lot, walked a bit each day, tried to stay alive and decent while bathing in the ocean (strong strong waves!), sun-bathed, plaid cards with Hindrick, Julia and Freddie (l learnt Rami!) ...Great time in Jiquilillo!  

In the village

Lunch in the village: pescado frito con tostones

The Halloween crabs that come out at night

Free cattle on the beach

I also had the chance to see two baby turtles being released to the ocean by the local organisation that saves turtles!

Funny anecdote: the day I arrived I was on the beach talking with Francesco, a very nice Italian guy, when I saw, on this empty beach, walking nearby... Raphaëlle and Rémi!  My neighbors from Paris 20 who I hiked with a week ago in León! We kinda followed the same route but at a differ pace. Was great to see them again... despite the communication issues we ve had trying to contact each other, we still managed to meet up on this lost beach!