My new hobby

Good morning,

what can I say, backpacking isn't always great. Some days it's just a pain and you just want to go home! Everything annoys you, you spend a lot of time on your phone and don't feel like getting up in the morning. That's how I've felt the last few days, to be honest it's been there subconsciously since the beginning of Nicaragua. This listlessness over and over again, the thoughts of home, friends, family and just thinking about not having to pack your backpack every few days and having to ride to the next hostel in an overcrowded and loud bus... Sometimes it just gets too much, even if traveling is one of the best things you can do. I just had to recognize this fact and deal with it. Now I've just taken it easy for a few days and just listened to myself and what's going on. Anyway, my little low is more or less over and it hasn't been that long now. But now to my experiences of the last few days.

On April 6, 2024, I was drawn to the sea again. Well, yes, the place was by the sea, but I wasn't really in the mood for the beach. I actually only wanted to go there to go kayaking. And it was only a 30-minute drive from Leon. I was only at the beach for 2 hours that day and did some research on where to rent kayaks. After I found a hotel with kayaks, I reserved one for 9:00 the next day.

I still have the German punctuality in me and so I was at the hotel at 8:50 the next day (07.04.24). For just under 11€ I had a kayak for 3 hours and was able to explore part of the "Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado". This is a mangrove forest right by the sea but is divided by a river and can therefore be explored from there. Kayaking is just great fun for me, the isolation, the peace and just the way of getting around is just great. So I was almost alone on the river for 3 hours and was able to spot some birds, fish, crabs and even 2 lizards. After that I stayed on the beach for a while, treated myself to a cold Coke and went back to the hostel. In the evening I spontaneously went to the sea to watch the sunset.

And it continued again (08.04.24)...you see, I've been pretty restless lately and haven't stayed in one place for long, even though I have the time. Somehow, no place appealed to me enough to make me want to stay there for a few more days and I always thought that the next place would appeal to me more. A bit of a vicious circle. Then I took the bus back to Léon, then through the whole city to another bus terminal, from there to the capital Managua and then on to Granada. A fairly large but pretty city. I didn't do much other than get a little something to eat.

Before I continue, I must briefly explain the location of Granada. Granada is located on the largest lake in Central America and on it are the Granada Islands. This is an archipelago of 365 islands, some of which are inhabited, that were formed a few thousand years ago by the eruption of the Mombacho volcano.

Continuing on, I organized a kayak tour (yay!) for the next morning to explore some of these islands.

So we got out of bed at 5:00 (09.04.24) and were taken to the kayak at 6:00. And how could it be otherwise, the other participants were all German of course 😂. It's really bad at the moment, over a third of the travelers here are German, crazy! We saddled up the kayak and off we went through the islands in the largest lake in Central America. Our guide was cool, told us a lot about the different birds and plants. There are even howler monkeys living on the islands, they are the only monkeys living in Nicaragua that can swim. We were able to spot some of them too, but for once they were quiet. Some of these islands are for sale, some with houses, some without. On an island with an old fortress we took a break and munched on a melon. After 3 hours we were done and were taken back to the hostel. The rest of the day was not particularly eventful.

Yesterday (April 10, 2024) not much happened, I did a bit of shopping, sat around and thought about my further journey. In the evening I went to another hostel because there was a couple there who I got on well with in Miraflor. We chatted a bit and played pool (I was terrible at it). It was nice to talk to them a bit and hear what they had been up to in the last few days since I left Miraflor. And maybe in a few days we will climb a volcano on Ometepe together, that would be really cool.

Today (04/11/24) there was another volcano to climb. The Mombacho volcano, which was responsible for the 365 islands on the lake. After a 20-minute bus ride I was already close to the entrance. The climb was no picnic, however, it was almost 7km and 900m up. There is the option of booking a shuttle to the crater, but to be honest, you don't deserve the crater! So I hiked up, the path was even paved, which made it much easier than some other climbs. I was at the top after 1.5 hours, I could wring out my shirt but I was a little proud of the time 😅 At the top there are 4 paths that lead along/around the crater, but only one is allowed without a guide. I don't understand why they always have these guide regulations here, but that's fine. But you pay more the longer the path, plus the guide + tip. So I skipped it and only walked 1.5km around the crater without a guide. But it was still really beautiful and varied. After about an hour we went back down and going downhill is a whole different story... I had to go over the really steep parts backwards because it was just so exhausting to go forwards. I've never done that before but going backwards downhill can be very pleasant😂 Halfway there was a café, I had a coffee there and then we continued down. There were a lot of howler monkeys there again, which the people in the shuttles don't see at all, ha!😂 Then I waited on the road for the bus back to Granada. After lunch in a comedor we went back to the hostel.

To go back to the beginning... Of course I experienced cool stuff the whole time but the time in between is sometimes really exhausting. Never being able to sleep in your own bed, rarely being able to sleep through the night, even in a private room with earplugs I am rarely able to do that. And generally having to take responsibility for everything is exhausting. I have to make every decision: what do I want to do, how do I get there, where can I sleep, get food, keep having conversations with people who I will most likely never see again... Don't get me wrong, all of that is wonderful, having this freedom but sometimes it is just too much and that is what I have had in the last few days.

Well, I have understood it now and have gained new strength through the realization of it. I am really looking forward to the adventures that still lie ahead of me but also to a big falafel kebab when I get home 😁