Nicaragua: Anything is possible

Nicaragua - the first country we visited in Central America where not everyone carries a shotgun. However, the danger of being struck by a falling mango increased immensely - we didn't know there were such large mango trees. And besides, Nicaragua, along with the USA and Syria, is the only country that has turned its back on the climate agreement. ;-)

Other than that, we found the country to be very diverse and will remember the land and its people positively. From colonial cities (Granada, Léon), to rainforests, volcanoes, and surfer beaches, we experienced the full diversity of Nicaragua, with the usual heat and surprisingly little (if any) rain, despite the supposed rainy season. During the whole 11 days, we traveled with a Swiss couple whom we met during our 15-hour minibus ride from Honduras to Nicaragua and continued our journey in Costa Rica together.

Here are the highlights or memorable experiences of our Nicaragua trip:

- 'Volcano Boarding': After a short climb, we were able to race down the volcano on a sandboard, a dusty affair but very funny, with an adventurous arrival and departure!

- 'The Tree House': The journey itself was challenging, as we raced over the highway with 15 people standing on the back of a pickup truck. The Tree House itself is a notorious party hostel in the rainforest with 'treehouses' as accommodation. However, the reality was somewhat disappointing. The accommodation was more of a somewhat run-down wooden hut, and we were among the few lucky ones who didn't get bedbugs at night (our Swiss friends had to deal with them afterwards). The party was not bad, the accommodation was actually in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by monkeys, an experience to remember. :-)

- 'Vulkan Concepcion and Ometepe Island' - a green island in the middle of a huge lake, formed by 2 volcanoes: Thilo and the Swiss dodged a challenging 7-hour hike up the higher of the two volcanoes on the island (the second highest and most demanding in Nicaragua - the summit picture speaks for itself in semi-optimal weather). I 'had' to relax in the hammock due to a cold.

- 'San Juan del Sur - surfer beach': We really enjoyed the last three days in Nicaragua with an upgraded accommodation (i.e., air conditioning!!), a great view over the beach from the guesthouse's rooftop terrace, surfing, and playing cards on the beach.

Afterwards, the four of us headed to San Jose in Costa Rica, still without any plan...