Corn Islands say NO!

Yes after an epic journey across the country to Nicaraguan / Jamaican coastline we ran into the age old issue when attempting to navigate to an island, THE COMPLETE LACK OF A BOAT! To this end a new plan had to be made and a new destination required hatching. The new plan was to head to a SPECTRE volcano island and also home of Dr Evil and his twin mini-mi.

After a 20 hour travel extravaganza we found ourselves on the double volcano island of Ometepe. Home of the largest lake in the world which hosts a double volcano, whose last known eruption was around the 1950’s, obviously since then this location has been host to a lot of Evil plots to take over the world. We intend to simply practise some Spanish and enjoy some time in the lake.

What a difference 24 hrs and a bit of water makes

What a difference 24 hrs and a bit of water makes… we may still be in Nicuragua, but a combination of both bus and inter coastal waterway boat, are now located in the EAST of the country in a region which has more resemblance to Jamaica than Central or even Latino America.

As I write this we are in Bluefields an interesting town in many ways and very colourful as you would expect for a heavily influenced Jamaican community. We are currently waiting for the night boat to the Corn Islands, with the plan to stay on this Caribbean island for a couple of days. With the hope that the sensational weather that we had at the lake pops its head from behind the tropical storm.

As for the area we are now in, the heavy Jamaican population dominance here must be attributed to colonial times when the slave trade was rife and workers were needed in this outcrop in Nicaragua. However to still have such a heavy concentration must surely have to be down to the very fact that the town is surrounded by waterways. If you want to head west you need to take a 2 hour boat ride to the nearest road.

The picture on this entry was taken upon our initial mooring in to the town.

Rain Rain Go Away!

Sitting in the old colonial town of Granada (Nicaragua) last week, watching the rain pour down non-stop for two days running, the idea of sunshine seemed like a far-off dream. Dismayed by the pessimistic weather forecasts for the whole of Central America (and reports of severe flooding in various places), we reluctantly changed our plan of travelling across to the Caribbean Corn Islands and decided instead to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm in Granada.

But as the song says, what a difference a day makes! The weekend brought with it glorious sunshine, and with it our optimism. On Monday we headed off to Largo de Apoyo, a beautiful secluded lake formed from a volcano crater. There we spent two days swimming in warm, clear blue water and lying in hammocks watching butterflies of various sizes and colours flitting in and out of pretty flowers. Exploring the lake in a kayak, accompanied only by exotic birds gliding past is certainly a very peaceful experience.

Whilst there, we decided that it would be a great shame not to make the trip to the Corn Islands after al, both for the destination and the journey itself. Eastern Nicaragua is reportedly very different to the West, with travel often only possible by river rather than road. Calculating the time we would need to get out into the Caribbean and back, bearing in mind changing boat schedules both inland and at sea, we concluded that we have enough time to spend a few days on the islands and still make it to Costa Rica with time to spare before our flight departs for Ecuador on 8th November.

So, let Operation Corn Islands commence!

Goodbye Guatemala, Hello Honduras!

Well our time in Guatemala ended at the weekend, with mixed feelings. It was a shame to leave behind the family we were just getting to know and the Spanish lessons (difficult though they seemed at the time!), but it was good to get on the road and start seeing a few new places.

Saturday was quite a long day, travelling across the country to a little town called Copan, just over the Honduran border. The bus journey was interesting though, with various gouchos, complete with cowboy hats, joining the passengers along the way. The Mayan ruins at Copan were superb, with intricate sculptures of their rulers (pictures to follow shortly). Even better: the sun shone... ALL DAY! From there we headed to the capital, Tegucigalpa, where unfortunately the main museum we were interested in was closed. Undeterred, we spent time soaking up the atmosphere in the busy streets, and listening to the passionate preachers in the main square.

Next stop: Nicaragua!

Los Patajos

Well, today is party time for our host family (it's Jasmine's eleventh birthday... they're not celebrating just because they'll be rid of us tomorrow)! We have dished out cards and presents (for the birthday and to say thanks for a great stay), and are now planning the route through Honduras.

Before leaving our first Latin American destination, we did ensure we found out a little bit about the local volunteering situation in Guatemala. On Tuesday night we attended a presentation by Los Patojos, which is a locally founded organisation run by volunteers for deprived children and families in the area. Many of these families suffer from economic problems, and the women are also often subject to domestic abuse. The children lack the opportunity for creative expression and so this organisation offers them the chance to grow mentally (and physically - they are fed for free) at in the safe environment of an after-school club. The women are also offered confidence building sessions, and families can attend sessions together to build parenting skills. For more information, check out their website: http://www.lospatojos.org/

ese iss no un gallo que es un pollo

That’s not a rooster it’s a chicken - ese iss no un gallo que es un pollo

After asking my God daughter what her favourite animal was, I received the unusual reply of not an elephant or a dolphin or tiger, but instead she said a ROOSTER. Well on that knowledge whilst we visited the Murphy family in the USA we decided to visit a farm and attempt to find one… why do I mention it now? Well with the ever growing Spanish skills of Claire’s and a little of my own we finally discovered the translation of the phrase. Motivated to discover what the name for rooster was that wakes us for class every morning at 06.00, we finally put the puzzle together last night after a day of study we were lucky enough to spend time listening to great music at a open microphone night and studying the finer points of Rooster Ceveza.

All this fun soon ends though as this weekend we move from studying in the classroom and move the studies to the road as we head further south and onto the original BANANA REPUBLIC Honduras. I think that we are now keen to get moving and using our Spanish skills in a real travel environment. The joys of living with a local Guatemalan family have been great and we have the opportunity to experience a true local birthday celebration on Friday. Lets just hope we can get moving early Saturday morning. Chat more when we get access.

Ohh yeah and for prosperity that’s not a ROOSTER that’s a Chicken

"Mi nombre es Clara..."

Yes, that is the Spanish version of Claire, so this blog is actually the story of the travels of Roberto y Clara!



This morning saw us trek across town on a local bus with our classmates and spanish teachers to a museum of Mayan clothes and music, combined with a coffee farm. Thankfully the guides were clearly accustomed to showing novices like ourselves around, and slowed their speech right down so that we actually stood a chance of following what they were talking about. Next time I drink a cup of coffee (which I do two or three times a day here, believe it or not!) I'll remember that one coffee plant only produces enough fruit to make 40 cups per year... so perhaps I'd better go back to tea before I use up the world's supply of nescafe!