Hotel Casablanca San Juan del Sur

... After getting off the bus,<br>we were stoked to see that the hotel we had wanted to stay at was right<br>in front of us. What luck! Our hotel is the Hospedaje Buen Vista ($6<br>each with a private bathroom), and it's got a nice sitting area<br>overlooking the lake with hammocks and, of course, rocking chairs. It's<br>right on the beach and just has a very relaxed vibe. Now that we had<br>checked hotel off our list, it was time for food. <br><br>We went ...

... because we got to hang with Fred all day and met 2 Canadians (construction managers from Fort Mac!) that we have been hanging out with since then. Since our first surfing day at Playa Maderas we have been heading back to the beach every day. Kent has caught on to surfing really well and has graduated to a short board. I am no longer surfing on the long board either, but am not ready for the short board yet. <br>As mentioned earlier, we have been spending our nights hanging ...

... 8220;Porque?&#8221; He keeps pointing at his makeshift badge I am convinced is made from the back of a cereal box in the style of Blue Peter. Eventually I relent; I mean 10 cordobas is about 50 US cents. He then toddles off and leaves me at the mercy of the hawkers and street merchants. Who thankfully sell me lychees, water and some deep-fried batter coated in sugar stick things... oh what a healthy diet.<br><br>At 7 pm, I arrive in San Juan Del Sur in the rain and check ...

... and some lovely doggies that delighted in the scraps that Lyndsey and I fed them. We were also pretty stoked to find out from the owner that the kayaking company was down the road and they charged $20 per double kayak. We decided to do that the very next day. That afternoon we headed off to the lake for a swim and another gorgeous sunset. Honestly, every sunset on Ometepe was different and each as equally beautiful as the rest. We felt so spoilt. Lying in the water looking at the two ...

... the US Open semis. <br><br>I awoke that night with telltale cramps and a dash to the loo led me to believe that I had caught a bug. About half an hour later I was joined in the toilets by an amorous couple who, upon probably staying in the dorms and feeling a little frisky, decided to shag in the cubicle next to mine. I was particularly put out as I had been trying to keep my noises to a very low level so as not to disturb anyone in the open area outside the loos ...

... laps of this island and pulled in 3 more big fish (all Barracuda) before heading home.<br>The trip home was alot calmer then on the way there, and with a beer in hand and dinner on ice we were all feeling pretty happy. <br>The entire way along the coast you can hardly see any signs of civilization, just trees, birds and the waves crashing onto the rocks.<br><br>The power in town went out almost as soon as we got back, so I went fishing in the dark through my back ...

... and get to Merida, still in Ometepe. We went to a more "chick" hotel there, because we didn't want to walk 15 minutes with that hot weather and all baggage till the cheapest one. We left everything in the hotel and went to see a waterfall in San Ramon. As we had benn 10 minutes walking, Amelia realized we had no money to pay the entrance to the waterfalls, but we didn't want to come back so we went further..let's see, we said. As we got to San Ramon, we could not enter ...

... in at Mario's. Mario is the nicest guy in all of Nicaragua and was extremely helpful with any information regarding the island. He only charged $3 each a night as well. It was a great welcoming experience. The next day we headed to a farm called Finca el Zipolote. The bus ride took over an hour because the roads on the island are terrible! The finca was really nice though. We got a tree house cabana for $12 a ...