2/23/16
Took a bus from Granada to Managua's southern bus terminal. Then a taxi to their Caribbean terminal. Then a bus from there to San Carlos. The 6+ hour bus journey from Managua to San Carlos was not very enjoyable. The bus was packed, so it was standing room only, and we were standing. We had arrived just minutes before the bus was set to leave. So Elisha had time to pee while I watched the luggage, but I didn't have time to pee, so for the entire 6 hour bus ride I had to pee! Luckily about an hour into the ride, a few of the gentlemen gave up their seats to the ladies who were standing so Elisha got a seat. Not that the seats are super comfortable b/c the Nicaraguan buses are old US school buses which are not meant for people who are 6 feet tall. We arrived to San Carlos, which is on the opposite end of Lake Nicaragua from Granada just as dark settled in.
The bus ride wasn't very nice, but it was a last minute change of plans from my original hope. Originally I had wanted to take the ferry from Granada to Isla de Ometepe, climb the big volcano there, and then take the ferry down to San Carlos. Because of high winds and lower than normal water levels in the lakes, the ferries aren't currently running; thus, we had to do the bus around the giant lake.
San Carlos sits on the shores of Lake Nicaragua and at the outlet where the Rio San Juan starts. At one point there had been a plan to build a cross continental canal through here (more on that in my last post on Nicaragua), but it didn't happen. However, the current dictator of Nicaragua would like to do it again, which would be a huge environmental and people disaster b/c it would destroy the San Juan river ecosystem, the jungle surrounding the river and turn the river and the entire Lake Nicaragua, which is important for fishing, into a salt water body instead of fresh water.
As soon as we got off the bus, I found a bathroom and then we got some tasty grilled meat to go along with banana chips and gallo pinto (beans and rice, which is the sort of national dish here). We then hung out along the malecon (seafront) and enjoyed some Tona beers to try and stay cool as we watched the local kids play soccer under the lights
2/24
In the morning we caught a boat down the river into the jungle and towards El Castillo. The boat ride was nice as we headed towards the jungle and saw quite a lot of bird life. We disembarked at El Castillo, which is a tiny little town sitting on some fairly large rapids. The only way to get to El Castillo is via boat, which keeps it small and quiet. Seeming out of place, there' s a giant old Spanish fort here. The spanish built it here to try and keep the British pirates from making it to Lake Nicaragua. Since the rapids were tough for the ships to get up, it was an ideal place from which to launch canons onto the pirates. Though the British did conquer it at one point.
We spent the afternoon just sort of hanging out. We explored the small town a bit and hiked up to the fort and the tallest hill in town. In the evening we watched a bit of a baseball game (baseball is the national sport here, and they really love it). At the place where we ate, we watched a video from a guy there who had just got a 6 foot long tarpon (fish) by wrestling it in the water, sticking his hand through its gill and then pulling it into the boat. As it's dry season, the rapids area is shallow and as the tarpon are trying to go up river, you can see them swimming. And since they're so large and the water shallow, they're not moving fast, so hence if you're good, you can wrestle one into a boat.
2/25
We got up very early to do a jungle tour to Rio Bartola and Agua Frescas. We took a small boat further down the river to Reserve Indio Maiz. At this point the river is the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica and the jungle, especially on the Nicaragua side becomes very thick. We looked for wildlife along the river as we floated down and then we did a nice nature walk through the jungle where we spied 2 species of poison dart frogs, 2 other frog species, 3 species of monkeys (howler, spider, and capuchin), an agouti (very large rodent), 2 species of toucan, bats, and some baby birds inside a tree. Our guide also showed us sweet trees, rubber trees, and the cool walking tree. On the boat we saw some tarpon, caimans, an American crocodile, an iguana, and some turtles. After the walk we went up the small Rio Bartola for a swim in the clear and refreshing water there. We then headed back to El Castillo
When we got back to El Castillo we went to enjoy some of the Nicaraguan products grown in the area: cocoa and coffee. We grabbed quick chocolate milkshakes, Elisha went to get some coffee (fresh Nicaraguan coffee), and I went to buy some chocolate made from the cocoa fruit there. We then got the next boat back to San Carlos. When I had originally planned the trip, I had hoped to take the boat from San Carlos down the river all the way to the Caribbean sea and the town of San Juan de Nicaragua, which is an extremely isolated place only reached by the long, long boat ride from San Carlos or via the ocean. It's in deep jungle and on some beautiful lagoons. But we just didn't have time for how slow the travel was and both flights back to Managua and boats back to San Carlos were irregular, so if we wanted to do anything else, we needed to head back. It would have been a true adventure to continue down the jungly river to the ocean, but it was okay b/c we had a great time at our next stop.
We spent the night again in San Carlos, again enjoying drinks on the malecon in the evening. Before it got dark, we climbed the fort of San Carlos and watched a most amazing sunset over Lake Nicaragua. In the far distance we could even see some tall volcanos over in Costa Rica.
Took a bus from Granada to Managua's southern bus terminal. Then a taxi to their Caribbean terminal. Then a bus from there to San Carlos. The 6+ hour bus journey from Managua to San Carlos was not very enjoyable. The bus was packed, so it was standing room only, and we were standing. We had arrived just minutes before the bus was set to leave. So Elisha had time to pee while I watched the luggage, but I didn't have time to pee, so for the entire 6 hour bus ride I had to pee! Luckily about an hour into the ride, a few of the gentlemen gave up their seats to the ladies who were standing so Elisha got a seat. Not that the seats are super comfortable b/c the Nicaraguan buses are old US school buses which are not meant for people who are 6 feet tall. We arrived to San Carlos, which is on the opposite end of Lake Nicaragua from Granada just as dark settled in.
The bus ride wasn't very nice, but it was a last minute change of plans from my original hope. Originally I had wanted to take the ferry from Granada to Isla de Ometepe, climb the big volcano there, and then take the ferry down to San Carlos. Because of high winds and lower than normal water levels in the lakes, the ferries aren't currently running; thus, we had to do the bus around the giant lake.
San Carlos sits on the shores of Lake Nicaragua and at the outlet where the Rio San Juan starts. At one point there had been a plan to build a cross continental canal through here (more on that in my last post on Nicaragua), but it didn't happen. However, the current dictator of Nicaragua would like to do it again, which would be a huge environmental and people disaster b/c it would destroy the San Juan river ecosystem, the jungle surrounding the river and turn the river and the entire Lake Nicaragua, which is important for fishing, into a salt water body instead of fresh water.
As soon as we got off the bus, I found a bathroom and then we got some tasty grilled meat to go along with banana chips and gallo pinto (beans and rice, which is the sort of national dish here). We then hung out along the malecon (seafront) and enjoyed some Tona beers to try and stay cool as we watched the local kids play soccer under the lights
2/24
In the morning we caught a boat down the river into the jungle and towards El Castillo. The boat ride was nice as we headed towards the jungle and saw quite a lot of bird life. We disembarked at El Castillo, which is a tiny little town sitting on some fairly large rapids. The only way to get to El Castillo is via boat, which keeps it small and quiet. Seeming out of place, there' s a giant old Spanish fort here. The spanish built it here to try and keep the British pirates from making it to Lake Nicaragua. Since the rapids were tough for the ships to get up, it was an ideal place from which to launch canons onto the pirates. Though the British did conquer it at one point.
We spent the afternoon just sort of hanging out. We explored the small town a bit and hiked up to the fort and the tallest hill in town. In the evening we watched a bit of a baseball game (baseball is the national sport here, and they really love it). At the place where we ate, we watched a video from a guy there who had just got a 6 foot long tarpon (fish) by wrestling it in the water, sticking his hand through its gill and then pulling it into the boat. As it's dry season, the rapids area is shallow and as the tarpon are trying to go up river, you can see them swimming. And since they're so large and the water shallow, they're not moving fast, so hence if you're good, you can wrestle one into a boat.
2/25
We got up very early to do a jungle tour to Rio Bartola and Agua Frescas. We took a small boat further down the river to Reserve Indio Maiz. At this point the river is the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica and the jungle, especially on the Nicaragua side becomes very thick. We looked for wildlife along the river as we floated down and then we did a nice nature walk through the jungle where we spied 2 species of poison dart frogs, 2 other frog species, 3 species of monkeys (howler, spider, and capuchin), an agouti (very large rodent), 2 species of toucan, bats, and some baby birds inside a tree. Our guide also showed us sweet trees, rubber trees, and the cool walking tree. On the boat we saw some tarpon, caimans, an American crocodile, an iguana, and some turtles. After the walk we went up the small Rio Bartola for a swim in the clear and refreshing water there. We then headed back to El Castillo
When we got back to El Castillo we went to enjoy some of the Nicaraguan products grown in the area: cocoa and coffee. We grabbed quick chocolate milkshakes, Elisha went to get some coffee (fresh Nicaraguan coffee), and I went to buy some chocolate made from the cocoa fruit there. We then got the next boat back to San Carlos. When I had originally planned the trip, I had hoped to take the boat from San Carlos down the river all the way to the Caribbean sea and the town of San Juan de Nicaragua, which is an extremely isolated place only reached by the long, long boat ride from San Carlos or via the ocean. It's in deep jungle and on some beautiful lagoons. But we just didn't have time for how slow the travel was and both flights back to Managua and boats back to San Carlos were irregular, so if we wanted to do anything else, we needed to head back. It would have been a true adventure to continue down the jungly river to the ocean, but it was okay b/c we had a great time at our next stop.
We spent the night again in San Carlos, again enjoying drinks on the malecon in the evening. Before it got dark, we climbed the fort of San Carlos and watched a most amazing sunset over Lake Nicaragua. In the far distance we could even see some tall volcanos over in Costa Rica.
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| iguana |
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| spider monkey |
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| capuchin monkey |
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| spider monkey |
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| agouti |
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| looking at bats sleeping in a tree trunk |
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| baby howler monkey |
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| baby howler and mom |
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| spider monkey |
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| American crocodile |
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| Fort and church of El Castillo |
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| It's hot in Nicaragua! |
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| El Castillo Rapids |
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| green and black poison dart frog |
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| blue jean poison dart frog |
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| Fresh Nicaraguan Chocolate for sale |
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