For those who don't know me personally, I love everything Latin American. Every since I visited Brazil with my family in 2013, I have wanted to explore the region and have managed to visit Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia since then. You may be wondering why I haven't prioritised the rest of Latin America since then, however the answer is a simple one: I always planned to do South America in one big trip over a couple of months. This trip was itinitally booked for Summer 2020, however when covid hit I had to postpone, with the current plan being to travel in Spring 2024 instead. That said, Latin America is huge, and I wanted to explore Central America in the meantime.
My friend, Becca, and I had initially intended to do a cruise through Central America, however life got in the way. Nonetheless, when Becca sent me a link to an Intrepid tour across four countries in Central America, I was enthralled. The tour spanned Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua - all countries that I'd longed to visit. We decided to visit Belize too whilst we were there, as we wanted to visit but not enough to do an additional trip there.
We visited in mid-November, which was the beginning of the dry season and between 25-35°C (in comparison, it snowed in London whilst we were abroad).
Belize City, Belize
Our flight to Belize contained a stopover in Houston, Texas, where we spent one evening. As we walked up to the Texan barbeque restaurant that we'd been so excited to dine at, we saw a sign on the door stating that they'd sold out for the day and thus closed. We were in dismay, but luckily there was a Tex-Mex restaurant next door, where we went instead. We then had to walk for ages in order to obtain Wifi and call an uber, during which we received an Amber Alert on our phones, which we'd never seen before, meaning that there was a missing child in the area. After the bizarre evening, we luckily managed to stay awake until night fell so got into the time zone (GMT-6) immediately.
Day 1
The following day, we headed to Belize City, where we'd be spending a couple of days before embarking on the Intrepid tour. We'd booked an airport transfer with our Airbnb host so on arrival a taxi driver, Don David, was waiting for us; he was a lovely man who spoke little English and oftentimes brought his elderly mother along with him in the passenger seat.
We learnt that the official language of Belize is English but that most people also speak Spanish and Creole. The currency is the Belize Dollar, which has an exchange rate of 2 Belize Dollar to 1 US Dollar. As we approached the Airbnb, Don David pointed out our nearest supermarkets, restaurants, and hospital, and truth be told it was a bit of a shock: the hospital was very run down and the restaurants were very much shacks on the roadside. Nonetheless, we were starving at this point so we treated ourselves to a burrito (which were very cheap) and were invited to sit with a local couple on a bench. The lady explained to us that she was visiting her son in the hospital, where he was fighting for his life after being missing for three days on the roadside. She warned us to stay safe and not walk alone at night; unsettlingly, she was the second person to say this to us within an hour of us arriving in the city. We made the most of the daylight to explore the city centre, which was smaller than expected but nice and my first impression of the locals was that many of them wanted to chat to us, often saying 'hi' as we passed or inviting us for beers.
Day 2
The main reason for us visiting Belize was that I had a Bucket List item that had to be completed there: cave tubing, which is essentially a relaxing ride through a cave on an inflatable. We booked the cave tubing with GetMyGuide, and were surprised to learnt that we had a private tour, including drop off and pick up! The tour guide was very knowledgable and the landscapes were beautiful. We drove about an hour out of the city, then walked for 20 minutes through a forest in our bikinis and crocs to the cave's entrance. Inside the cave we saw bats and a waterfall and we we were told that skeletons had been found here too as the site was historically a place of sacrifice. One thing that really shocked me was that, despite going above-and-beyond, the tour guide hadn't been expecting a tip at all, which was a novelty for me.
Since we didn't have long in Belize, we decided to take a water taxi to one of the islands off the mainland: Caye Caulker. Here we enjoyed Belizan jerk chicken with coconut rice, which was delicious, and went for a swim in the sea (one of our favourite things to do on trips). Although warned beforehand, we were taken aback by how strong the current was in 'The Split' (the gap between the north and the south islands), and were forced to swim back on ourselves. We only stayed on the island for a few hours before heading back to the mainland, and although it was nice, I did think it was overhyped. Our second day in Belize was Thanksgiving, which isn't a national holiday but is celebrated there, and Christmas decorations were also rife.
Overnight, we got our first insect bites of the trip - an inevitable fate that we'd been prolonging as long as possible. I'm allergic to mosquito bites so I was dousing myself in repellent several times a day but still got a few.
After enjoying our breakfast in the Airbnb, Don David drove us to the airport, during which my friend felt queasy, and we said our goodbyes to the lovely Don David and his mother. I was surprised by how small the airport was, and even more when we all had to line up for a head count, before hopping onto a small propeller plane bound for Guatemala.
Antigua, Guatemala
On arrival at the airport in Guatemala, there was a very cute sniffer dog that I kept glancing at and the Border Force officer told me that I could pet him if I wanted to, which was a great welcome to the country. I was so excited to practice my Spanish and realised quickly that the Spanish in Guatemala was very clear and people were so lovely. Guatemala was the start of the Intrepid tour and we'd booked a transfer from the airport in Guatemala City to Antigua, which was a 1.5 hour drive. It was on this journey that I learnt that Belize used to be part of Guatemala. There were many accidents on the highway and a lot of people on the roadside but eventually we got there.
We arrived in Antigua in the early afternoon and, after a quick meal, explored the city. I was instantly enamoured with this beautiful city filled with churches and colourful houses and due to its small size we managed to see all of the highlights in an afternoon walk, which was lucky for us because sunset was around 5:30pm.
We freshened up and met the tour group at 6pm; my initial impressions were that the tour guide was beautiful and that the group was small but lovely, comprising only five others (one of whom was yet to arrive). There was a couple form Silicon Valley, a lady from Arizona, a man from South Carolina, and a girl from London (who shockingly lived a 5-minute walk away from my friend). We ate dinner as a group, where I tried a traditional Guatemalan dish (pepián de pollo, which was delicious) and then went to a bar called 'Café No Sé', where we tried the local beer. The bar was busy and very cool, with superstitious items all-around and a tiny fridge door as an entrance to another room. Our tour guide explained that in Guatemala the population is half Catholic and half Protestant, but unlike in many countries, the Catholics are very liberal whereas the Protestants are much stricter, the reason being that almost everyone is born into Catholicism whereas those who are Protestant have actively converted and thus take it more seriously. Furthermore, we learnt that 50% of Guatemalans' first language isn't Spanish, but instead a Mayan language, and that Guatemalans consider being loud in public very rude.
On the itinerary there was the option to have a salsa lesson, which my friend and I were very keen for as we'd learnt salsa in London a couple of years ago, however this wasn't offered to us on the day which was disappointing. Nonetheless, I loved our experience in Antigua. Guatemala was one of the main countries I'd wanted to visit in Central America and I was sad that we hadn't spent longer there as there were many additional activities I wanted to do, including salsa and an overnight hike in which you see volcanic eruptions before your very eyes.
Copán Ruinas, Honduras
We had a very early rise of 4am the following morning to traverse Guatemala into the east of Honduras. I was apprehensive about this 6-9 hour drive, however we stopped every two hours for snacks and the bathroom and it flew by! Luckily, the views across Guatemala were beautiful, especially the Sierra de las Minas mountain range, which made the journey much more pleasant. The roads often cut through mountains, which was reminiscent of Madeira. We stopped at a coffee shop called Sarita which offered delicious coffee and French toast, but was also the place where both of my cards got declined, which was not ideal. I had a similar issue in Colombia and wasn't excited for a repeat in Central America, especially not so early on in the trip.
It was on this drive that I learnt that Central America used to be known as the Banana Republic, the cemeteries are very colourful (in contrast to British cemeteries, which are much more gloomy), and there are a lot of stray doggos but they aren't scary at all (and actually many are pets but the locals believe that dogs should be outside and free for the most part).
Day 1
Eventually, we arrived in Honduras; we crossed the border with ease then drove to our final destination: Copán Ruinas. This is a hilly Honduran city near the border whose main landmark is a Mayan archaeological site, which we would be visiting the following day. On this day, we first explored the town centre then headed for lunch, where I enjoyed birria tacos. A member of our tour group refused to climb the hill back to the hotel after lunch, so we grabbed a TukTuk back and got ready for our next adventure.
There was the option to head to some hot springs nearby, which I wasn't too fussed about, having been to various before, including in Iceland, Japan, and St Lucia, however a minimum of six people was required so I joined the group. The hot springs were an hour away, which meant a bumpy ride through the rainforest, but they were much better than anticipated; there were various pools, each at a different temperature, with the addition of a natural sauna and a mud mask. The resort was hidden in the rainforest itself and you had to cross a rope bridge (which reminded me of the Carrick-a-rede in Northern Ireland) and go through a tunnel to get to it, which was cool. We learnt that the Mayans had their own numeral system, with a dot representing the number 1, a dash representing the number 5, and a shell representing the number 20 (each of the baths was numbered using this system). Although Honduras has no active volcanoes, the baths are heated geothermally. After relaxing for a few hours, we drove to a neaby restaurant for a typical Honduran dinner, consisting of various meat cuts, refried beans, tortillas, rice, salad, and avocado, which was delicious, as expected. After another bumpy ride back to the hotel, we were ready for bed.
Day 2
I awoke to the crowing of roosters outside the bedroom window, which brought back memories of waking up in my parents' house in Madeira, then headed to breakfast at a nearby café which was recommended by the tour guide. My friend didn't fancy breakfast that morning, but I went with a member of the group which was a huge benefit of joining a tour group. After treating myself to delicious coffee and pancakes (a theme of this trip), we got another TukTuk up the hill then visited the famous Copán Ruinas. Similarly to the hot springs, I wasn't too fussed about visiting this site, as we'd already visited a couple in Mexico, including Chichén Itzá, however since it was the main attraction in the area, I decided to go for it. I hadn't planned on getting a guide but it was much better than I'd anticipated and the ruins were very different to the ones visited in Mexico. We learnt that the Mayans came from Mongolia and that trees had grown over many of the Mayan civilisations here, which each generation building above the former in order to create layers of history. We saw many macaws and learnt about the different kings and games played back in the olden days. (Though, the tour guide did at one point describe Central Americans as being 'tutti frutti' to indicate a mix of races, which was questionable).
Thereafter, we packed up our belongings bound for El Salvador (via Guatemala as the Honduran roads are worse than the Guatemalan ones apparently). This meant six hours of driving, including the two border crossings and frequent stops, however it was hassle-free and we arrived to El Salvador in no time. When I initially saw the itinerary, I was apprehensive about the various long drives, however they flew by and as the group was small, we had plenty of space to stretch out and get comfy. I am also used to going far distances for little time, such as Yorkshire or Cornwall for a long weekend, so I didn't mind the drives at all. I was also unsure of how to navigate the different currencies throughout the trip, however at each border there were men with wads of cash in each currency offering decent rates so it was very easy. Other things I noted on this drive were that there was barely any traffic, there were occassionally cows on the road, and many people used the back of pick up trucks as a means of transport. The landscape was very green and mountainous and we enjoyed the beautiful sunset and full moon, before eventually arriving in El Salvador. A fun fact about El Salvador is that the official currency is the US Dollar but it also accepts Bitcoin!
Suchitoto, El Salvador Suchitoto is a small, colonial town and we arrived in time to discuss the following day's activity options, during which, I managed to break a chair. Nonetheless, the show must go on and so we then headed to a restaurant, where a shot of moonshine was offered to us, which is apparently commonplace to make at home. I had a seafood cream soup with a local beer and was intrigued by the small packs of chilli flakes alongside the salt and pepper. After dinner we visited the town centre, where a teen beauty pageant was being held, filled with music and crowds. Thereafter, we headed back to the hotel and played cards with some of the tour group, beer in hand. This was a very chill day but was a nice break between the activity-filled days on either side. The hotel was also beautiful, with a pool, hammocks on the outdoor terrace, and a laundry service (which I used in order to last me the rest of the trip).
Day 2
We started off this jam-packed day with some coffee and pancakes (shock!), which I enjoyed greatly. At 8am we set off for our first tour, which focused on the Salvadoran Civil War and involved meeting a former guerilla fighter, doing a hike in which we saw how the guerillas survived in the forests, and swimming by a waterfall. I hadn't intended on going on this tour but the Salvadorean tour guide, Dani, sold it so well that I felt I had to go (plus, the whole reason we visited Cuba was because I was fascinated after learning about Che Guevara and Fidel Castro at school, so It hought it would be an incredible experience to meet a guerilla fighter).
We first arrived in the town of Cinquera, which displays a defeated US plane in the plaza and where the priest hits a stone against an unexploded bomb to call for mass. This town was fascinating; we learnt that the guerillas fought against the elite (the top 1%), which consisted of 14 families who owned the land of El Salvador and whom the government protected in the Civil War. We were told that the government's army killed catholic leaders and committed atrocities against innocent civilians. We then went to meet the guerilla veteran: Rafael Hernandez. He told us about his life, including how he became a guerilla fighter and what it was like during the Civil War. Our guide, Dani, later mentioned that the veteran had stepped on a landmine at one point, which left permanent scars on his legs. It was honestly fascinating to learn about the Salvadoran Civil War and what Rafael Hernandez went through, as I knew nothing on the subject before this point.
Following this fascinating lesson, we hiked through the Ecological Forest of Cinquera, passing various guerilla sites along the way, including a hospital, a campsite and a Vietnam kitchen, which is the name of the 'kitchen' used to cook without the smoke signalling your location, and was also used by guerilla fighters in the Vietnam War. Our tour guide pointed out various flora and fauna during the hike, including wild ginger, a huge moth, and a frog. Additionally, we learnt that Cuscatlán, meaning 'Land of the Jewel', is the name for the region used by the predominant tribe prior to the Spanish conquest, however of El Salvador's 7m population, only 150 people speak a Mayan language nowadays due to the Mayan genocide by the Spanish. Eventually, the hike led us to a beautiful viewpoint, where we saw 'the most bombed mountain in the American continent' and learnt that there are armadillos in El Salvador. The view was definitely worth the sweat and insect bites, and we ended the excursion by taking a dip in a waterfall, before heading off in time for our second tour.
The second tour was the one I was most excited about, although there was no time for lunch which, as anyone who knows me can attest, was devastating news. We started off by visiting an art centre, where volunteers teach children how to play instruments, paint, do karate, and much more, for free! The artwork was incredible and, in fact, Dani had learnt how to play the guitar here, and was now was touring Europe with his Tribal Metal band (which explained the long hair and piercing). He was extremely kind, knowledgeable, and respectful towards his community, which was lovely to see.
We then visited a grandma who made cigars for a living, where we tried our hand at making a cigar ourselves and tried a 'chocobanana' for the first time (essentially a frozen banana coated in chocolate). Our next stop was Los Tercios waterfall, which was a steep descent but was reminiscent of Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland and from the top of which a beautiful view can be seen. Our final stop was at an indigo shop, where we were given a demonstration of how indigo is used to dye fabric. This wasn't really my scene but there were two very fluffy dogs that I managed to pet, even giving one a belly rub, which was a highlight of the excursion.
We ended the night by making pupusas, a flatbread similar to arepas, with a very welcoming local family, including a chocolate pupusa for dessert; though a lot of fun, it was harder than I'd anticipated. It was here that I remember taking a step back and looking around at everyone smiling and bonding over the music and food, and feeling very grateful for this trip.
El Cuco, El Salvador
Day 1
After enjoying another breakfast of coffee and pancakes, we left our luxurious hotel at 10am, bound for a beach town in El Salvador: El Cuco. We passed some donkeys and iguanas on the drive and over lunch we all ended up treating ourselves to some Wendy's at a mall. It was here that I learned that Messi is referred to as a flea ('la pulga') in Latin America due to his short height. By mid-afternoon, we had arrived at the beach resort, where a few of us immediately swam in the sea (despite the warning of potential sting rays), which is definitely my happy place.
I caught up with my boyfriend over a beautiful sunset and 2-4-1 cocktails but unfortunately, by the time we decided to shower, we found there was no water in our bathroom. After trying the showers by the beach and at the pool (to no avail), we settled for a quick rinse in the pool to remove the sea salt (which in hindsight can't have been good for the pool), only to learn that the water had since returned.
We had dinner with the group and it was on this night that my friend and I decided we'd make the most of the happy hour (given that the following day was a beach day). We enjoyed multiple drinks with the group (and taught them what being 'double parked' meant), however once the tour guide went to bed, a drunk security guard ambled over to chat to us. He offered us drinks and cigarettes, then went on to show us pictures of twins in LA who he claimed were his, but said that 'the mum is a bad person and says they're another man's'. He then told us to not mention him to the manager as he'd get in big trouble, and although he was obviously just drunk, we later learned that one of the girls in the group had messaged the group leader as she felt uncomfortable by his behaviour, alongside that of another member of the group. I stayed out of this drama and instead hurried to bed.
This hotel was the most basic by far, with air conditioning being an additional charge and ants found within the bathroom (some of which we sacrificed, then witnessed their bodies being trnasported by smaller ants).
Day 2
I set an alarm for 6am in anticipation of being able to release turtles as it was still hatching season, however none had hatched overnight unfortunately. Instead, I woke up slightly hungover, went for a walk on the beach, and finished my bottle of insect repellent (which I trusted and loved). My friend and I had been so excited for a surf lesson here, but after learning about the sting rays we were apprehensive so we gave it a miss. Instead, we had a beach day in the warm and beautiful ocean.
There was definitely more of a breeze than on the previous day, which was actually welcomed as it was around 31°C and the waves were much choppier too, which I enjoyed. After being told by one of the girls in the group that she'd seen a fin in the water, we started to back-pedal, before spotting that it was in fact a sting ray jumping over the waves - which I'd never seen before but the tour guide had spotted the previous day too. Later, I was chilling with my book when the same girl brought over a sand dollar that she'd spotted (which I'd only heard of from Animal Crossing). After catching up with my boyfriend over another gorgeous sunset, we had some pizza and then headed to bed in preparation for our early start the next morning.
León, Nicaragua
Although we only had one day in León, it was by far the longest day. The original plan had been to leave El Cuco at 8am, bound for León, then spend that evening and the following morning in León, however our tour guide offered us an alternative: to depart at 4am instead, make it to León by the afternoon and do any activities then (including the activity I was most excited for this whole trip...), and then leave León the following morning, bound for Granada. This meant that we could do a half day tour of Granada instead of spending just an evening there. It also meant we could get two minivans instead of a taxi, a minivan and two public buses (although truth be told, I was actually quite excited to see what the buses were like). We chose the alternative option, meaning that despite only getting 3 hours of sleep, I was ready to leave by 4am.
We drove from El Cuco to Honduras, which had a beautiful landscape filled with volcanoes, and then from Honduras to Nicaragua. Although every border until this point had been unproblematic, we were warned in advance by our tour guide that the Nicaraguan border is much more rigorous than the others. The first issue we encountered was that we couldn't just drive across the border - instead, the first minivan had to drop us off and we had to walk 1km in 30°C with all of our luggage, before reaching the Nicaraguan immigration office (our tour guide neglected to tell us this until we arrived at the border). Here, we were told that the wait could be anywhere between one and three hours, wo I got settled with my book whilst our tour guide was taken into an immigration office with all of our passports for questioning. Eventually he came out and we each in turn went up to an immigration counter, where the officer asked for our phone number, our destination, and our profession (which we were advised to lie about if it was related to journalism or humanitarian aid). After some more waiting around, those who had visited South America in the last three months (myself included) had to provide a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate, and put our luggage through an x-ray machine, before we finally were allowed to enter the country. All in all it only took an hour, however I was extremely grateful that I'd come with a tour group as I would've struggled a lot had I come alone.
As we drove through the country towards León, we saw the biggest volcano in Nicaragua, at 1700m, emitting steam as this volcano is active. Despite being ravenous, immediately after arriving in the city, we were whisked off on one of my favrouite adventures to date: volcano boarding. This was apparently voted the second best thing to do in the world by CNN and the New York Times aftering skydiving, and boy was it a lot of fun.
We drove to the volcano, Cerro Negro, which we'd have to climb before descending on a sandboard (essentially a sled adapted to increase the speed). There was the option to pay a local to carry up the board, which I opted for, and then the hike began. The tour guide had stated that it was a very easy hike and I wouldn't even sweat, but by this point I knew he was conservative on the detail when it came to the negatives. That said, the hike was definitely manageable and easier than the Cinquera forest hike. The views were stunning as the dark volcanic rock contrasted with the surrounding greenery, and the clouds had come in so provided some coolness, although I was surprised by was the high winds at the top. Luckily, I powered through with our Nicaraguan guide (also named Dani) so I managed to take a breather whilst waiting for the others. Both Dani and the Intrepid guide said that most Latin Americans were indifferent to the Spanish nowadays and that their history is accepted but neither celebrated nor condemned, which I found very interesting as I feel that it's rare for a country to feel indifferent about its coloniser(s). After the rest of the group joined us, we changed into our volcano boarding attire (comprising a jumpsuit, gloves, a helmet, and googles), before lining up in order of descent. At this point I was shitting it, as the incline was 45° and we couldn't see the bottom. Regardless, I was told that to fall off your board would be very unlucky, so I comforted myself with that fact and imagined it was a ski slope to reduce the fear. When my turn came, I sat on the sled, feeling surprisingly relaxed, and just went for it. It was a lot of fun so I leaned back to gain speed, however there was a sudden further incline, at which point I started to lose control so had to use my hand, as well as both ankles, to slow down. As soon as I reached the bottom I wanted to go again, despite having had stones and grit fly at my face throughout the descent and being absolutely covered in dirt (including inside my trainers and in my hair).
Once at the bottom, I could watch everyone else descend, including other groups, and to my surprise I noticed a plethora of people falling off their boards... On the drive back, the tour guide informed us that the worst accident to date had occurred only 12 days prior, where a man had fallen off his board and had ended up partially paralysed. If this trip taught me one thing, it's that a lot of negative information was omitted until after the fact. Another incident that made me laugh was that a member of the tour group was asking Dani about Nicaraguan food, as we were yet to try it, when we noticed the driver and guide putting on their seatbelts as we passed some police officers; the member of the group asked: "it is similar to the rest of Central America?" (referring to the cuisine) and the guide replied: "yep, the police are very corrupt".
After returning to the hotel and taking a very thorough shower, we went to León's town centre for dinner. Two things were immediately apparent: the first was that there were symbols of the Virgin Mary everywhere, the second was that there were several groups of kids in costumes and drumming. Apparently this is a local tradition in which various groups of friends practice telling the tale of a tall Spanish woman and a short local man and whichever group is best wins a competition. I tried a Nicaraguan dish recommended by the Dani, which was delicious, and noticed that although Nicaragua has its own currency, everywhere accepted US Dollars too, which was very useful. The other observation I made was that many more men would say things like 'bonita' at us as we walked past, however this occurred predominantly at the border.
Our Intrepid tour guide pointed out a hostel bar that was fun, and four of the girls (including me and my friend) ended up going, alongside the tour guide, despite all being knackered. Initially, it was slightly awkward, however we played pool (we were all useless), followed by a game courtesy of another girl in the group, until at one point the tour guide summoned me over to be his partner for the beer pong competition that was occurring. There were two peer pong tables and although we had to wait a while for our turn and I'm rubbish at beer pong, it was a great way to meet others and I thought it would be fun (especially as I had a crush on the tour guide). We ended up playing beer pong through a power cut and until we were kicked out to head elsewhere. Although we held strong for a while, we eventually caved and headed to the next bar as one girl in our group wanted to dance. One thing about me is that I love going out in Latin countries; it's where I get the most free drinks and approached the most, and my type is Latino/Meditteranean so I find it a lot of fun.
The bar was filled with locals of varying ages and the some of the dancing was pretty much just dry humping. The music was a mix of reggaeton, English songs, and local music, which I enjoyed. By this point, I was very tipsy and remember being in a mischieveous mood, including hitting the top of my friend's beer bottle with mine so it overspilled (she returned the favour), and trying to source a lollipop after seeing someone else with one (I asking our tour guide to ask where he'd gotten it as I hoped it was from the bar but he apparently said he'd brought it himself). A lot was going on: one of the girls in the group dropped her beer on the floor, people were smoking indoors, there were a couple of local kids outside the club who apparently were trying to steal some money, and there were several creepy guys just staring at us or wanting to dance with us. But the most entertaining part for me was the (very fit) lollipop boy, who had curly surfer hair, coming over and telling me that I had beautiful hair and if he could please teach me how to surf the following day. I told him we were leaving the next day and he said that he wanted to dance with me. I told him to dance with one of the other girls and with that infamous Latin charm he said that he didn't want to dance with anyone else, only with me. I made various excuses ("I don't know how to dance like the locals", "I have a boyfriend", "it's too sexual"), but he was ready with answers ("I'll teach you", "if I make you feel uncomfortable at any point just let me know", "you can do the male part so you control how sexual it is"), and before I knew it he was spinning me around. Later on, I reminded him that I had a boyfriend and he threw a little strop, before joining me outside for a chat. He seemed to know everyone and was handing money with his mates, giving slight dealer energy, but he did mention several times that people always assumed he was a bad boy because of his long hair and tats so who knows.
Whilst we were chatting, we saw the tour guide walk out hand in hand with a girl we'd spotted him kissing and dancing with in the bar, and he sheepishly smiled as we waved him off, which felt like seeing a teacher pull, but provided endless entertainment. My friend and I ended up being the last ones from our group in the bar and felt very drunk so we stopped accepting drinks and started to make our way home at around 2:30am. Annoyingly, one guy wouldn't leave us alone and insisted on walking us home until the lollipop man got in his face to drop it. Instead, we walked to the hotel only to realise that it was locked. We were both desperate for the loo and I was trying to think of alternatives, when all of a sudden a figure appeared right before me, which gave me a fright, leading to me gasping in this man's face. As it transpired, this was the security guard for the hotel, who had been asleep, but had (annoyingly) been awoken several times by different guests returning. We went straight to bed but noticed as we passed the tour guide's room en route to ours that loud music was blaring...
Day 2
Despite running on minimal sleep, I awoke bright and early the next morning to have a quick explore of the city before departing at 8am. On my way out, I passed the tour guide, who was now having breakfast solo, which made me chuckle. I needed to buy some souvenirs and felt safe walking around León alone, though I couldn't figure out how to access the views from the top of the León Cathedral.
The minivan that was transporting us from León to Granada had seen better days - the driver had been rear-ended that morning so the boot wouldn't close without being tied with a rope, the passenger sliding door was malfunctioning, and at one point we had to turn the air conditioning off to ascend a volcano. Nonetheless, we settled in half-asleep, headed to another colonial city in Nicaragua: Granada.
Granada, Nicaragua
We arrived in Granada around midday, leaving us with plenty of time to do a half day tour of the region. This tour involved a lake lookout, Apoyo Lagoon Resort, Masaya handicraft market, Masaya volcano, rum punch, and a local guide. Unfortunately for the local guide, the group was very sleep-deprived and thus low-energy, and it was at this point that I started to feel sad as I knew the trip was coming towards its end. Regardless, the tour itself was enjoyable: the view at the lake lookout was incredible and Apoyo Lagoon is the caldera of an extinct volcano, with it's deepest point around 200m, which is cool but scary. We were given the opportunity to swim, paddleboard, or kayak at the resort, however I didn't want to carry around a wet bikini for the rest of the day so just chatted to the rest of the group over rum punch and food, including delicious fresh fruit (one of my favourite things about being abroad). That said, I was eaten alive by insects here, despite putting on repellent.
I bought some souvenirs at the handicraft market, and then went on to do something that hadn't been advertised on the Intrepid tour, but was included in our Granada half-day tour: seeing lava in a volcano crater. I was beyond excited, however on the way I understood from the converstaion between the tour guides and the driver that we weren't going to see it at its best, which had been two weeks beforehand. Although we did see some ripples and the vibrant hues, when there is less steam, you can apparently see the lava boiling.
We eventually returned to the city centre for dinner, which was delicious (although I did have a shock when I saw 'caballo' on the menu, which apparently wasn't actual horse meat). After dinner, we explored the city, which was booming with loud music at each bar. I was melancholy on the inside, which unfortunately always happens after my favourite trips, such as Mexico, South Africa, and Lisbon, but was making the most of our last few hours. We walked to the sea, and as I looked at the bright stars and waves (two of my favourite things, which I'm consistently drawn to), I reminisced bittersweetly on all of the memories we'd created on this trip.
We arrived back to the hotel, where a girl in our group showed us another thing we'd never seen previously: fireflies, and honestly it felt pretty magical.
Day 2
Our last day in Central America was spent in Granada. We ate breakfast at a café called 'Café de las Sonrisas', which employs deaf people. Here, you have to point at the image on the menu to order, and there are various pictures along the walls indicating how to sign basic words in Nicaraguan Sign Language. We learnt how to sign our names and were each given a sign name by an employee based on our characteristics (mine was doing the sign for S in spirals, to represent my name and my curly hair), which I loved. The café also weaved hammocks, which were sold far and wide and we tried our hand at it, however it was harder than it looked. This was one of my favourite places that we visited as we were actively supporting the local community and seeing the impact.
Our last moments were spent walking through the streets of Granada, passing along the classic colourful buildings of Central America which I love so much. It was also at this point that I realised that the tour guide reminded me so much of my ex. We'd learned a lot about our tour guide the previous day: his favourite animal was a cat as "they are the perfect animal; they are solitary and don't depend on anyone", he doesn't see his family much or go out of his way to celebrate Christmas, and he has a tattoo that represents a Nepalese mantra about lotuses (something beautiful) being able to grow and prosper despite growing in mud (something 'ugly'), which was poignant. Later on, we were in the car and the tour guide was pouring us rum punch but struggling with all the cups, ice, and punch, so I helped and told him that he can ask for help, to which he replied: "I'm not very good at that", which was sad but made better by the fact that he then did ask for help the second time around! Furthermore, he had mentioned that saying goodbye over and over again never got easier and that the job was hard in that regard. I speculated that he'd been heartbroken by a girl but the more I thought about his mentality, his style, and his personality, the more I realised I likely gravitated towards him because he was so similar to my ex; a bizarre realisation that took me aback.
After heading back to the hotel and saying our goodbyes, which was very sad, we took our transfer to Managua, where our flight was departing from. Here, my favourite nail scissors and some coffee that I'd bought as a souvenir got confiscated, which wasn't an ideal ending to the trip.
Thoughts on Group Tours
Although I'd previously done a few day trips with tour groups, I'd never gone on a tour such as this one, where you stay with the whole group throuhgout and everything is sorted for you. Honestly, I'd never really thought about it until my friend sent me the link to this tour, and I thought it would be a great way to see as much of Central America as possible in such a short amount of time.
That said, this tour completely swayed my viewpoint and I am now a huge lover of tour groups: not only do you not have to worry about accommodation and transport, but even what meals to eat and resturants to try are all hassle-free as your guide recommends everything and no brain power is required from you. Furthermore, you have a go-to translator and someone to ask any questions to throughout the trip. In addition, there were a couple of times where my friend and I wanted to eat or sleep at different times and no compromise was needed as each of us could do as we pleased with other tour group members, meaning we were always in good company and having a good time.
Finally, we could check in earlier than usual and all of the hotels had free bottled water and coffee for us, with many additional tours accommodating our timings so that we could fit everything in. In fact, I loved the tour group so much that I now want to do part of my big South America trip with a tour group too!
Final Thoughts
This was genuinely one of my favourite trips to date and I cannot recommend visiting these countries enough as Central America has an abundance to offer!
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