Gringa in Somoto Canyon.

Long time since I gave a sign of life, I blame the lazy internet connection and too high temperatures to write something that actually makes sense.


Since last thursday I couldn't continue with my thesis research, I hadn't received new data to work with, so I decided to spend my time in a more useful way then reading articles about shrimps (can always do that in rainy Belgium too, I guess...)
I took the microbus to Léon where I met some other travelers planning to go to Somoto canyon that weekend. I was heading there as well to meet up with another Belgian girl that I actually didn't know but she's a friend of a friend (hey it's a small world!) and with Hannah a US girl that I met during surfing here. So on friday, Jessie and Joel (the australian part of our weekend team whom I met in Léon) joined me on the chicken bus to Estéli. We waited for two hours in that freaking hot bus before it actually left. And for your information, in Nicaragua a two person seat is made for three, so you can imagine how we looked (and smelled) like when we finally arrived in Estéli. Luckily during the trip I got to meet this Nicaraguan girl, Xilma who told me all about life as a student in Léon and her tourism work as a volunteer, hopefully we can meet up again for (iced) coffee.
The only hostel in Estéli we all had planned for our stay there was full and in expectation of my two other travel compagnons coming all the way from Managua we decided to rent a 5 persons room in a shithole hotel. But hey, for 100 cordobas a night you can't complain.  (1 euro = 30 cordobas)


I was a bit worried if Hannah and Maurine would find us that friday night but luckily they did. So on saturday morning the five of us left with a bus to Somoto, a town nearby Estéli. The canyon just got explored in 2004 by a group of Czech scientists, although before it was already a well known playground for the locals. We met our guides for the day at their family house and after they had provided us with these ridiculous life jackets we took off. We arrived after a small hike at rio coco and paddling, swimming, tubing through the water we arrived at the canyon. So nice to float with the current through these rocks when above your head a tropical scenery takes place. We could also jump from cliffs into the canyon, since the depth of the water reached up to 20m the only thing we had to do is step forward and go for free fall. 


When we got back to the guides home we got a nice lunch (which off course included "gallo pinto" = rice and beans and mais tortillas). On sunday we just had a lazy long breakfast at this hippie organic cafe thing where they baked their own bread and stuff. And then it was time for all of us to go back to our different destinations. So funny that no one of us five actually knew each other but spent the whole weekend together. 
So now I'm back in home sweet home, Chinandega, full of energy to get back on track with the thesis stuff. And they still call me  "gringa gringa" on the street as I walk to work in the morning...

i'm so proud of this picture (central market in Léon)

still in Léon

Lady peeling and selling coconuts, yummie.

Our group for the weekend. Me, Jessi, Hannah, Joel and Maurine.

Somoto canyon.

Lunch and Tortilla's

Saterday Lunch at the guide's house in Somoto.

As I'm writing this blogpost I just discovered that they're playing "Berling calling" on television dubbed in Spanish, so awkward and funny at the same time. Only a month ago I watched this movie with a bunch of Erasmuspeeps in Montpellier, good times.