Our plan to rent scooters and tour around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua was thwarted by the ridiculously high cost of $40 per scooter. Plan B was to rent a truck and drive around. This, too, was exorbitant after factoring in insurance, taxes, etc. So….we went with plan C – walking. After walking about a mile through and then out of the main town we came across a baseball field with people tending to it. Apparently baseball is huge in Nicaragua.
We passed a cemetery. In Mexico, and I believe most of Central America, they “bury” their dead on the surface in colorful coffins. The gates were open so I went to walk inside, but out of nowhere a drunk man teetered up to me and began pointing to the right side and muttering. It’s hard enough to understand well spoken Spanish. There was no understanding slurred Spanish. I had no idea what he was emphatically trying to tell me, but I figured it had to do with the right side. So I turned from him and headed inside, staying to the left! He shook his head and walked away.
We walked a bit more and then, just as we were going to turn back, a pickup truck came along. The driver asked “A donde va?” Since we had no idea where we were going, we said we would go wherever he was going. 🙂 The six of us jumped into the truck bed and, whoosh! Off we went!
We passed homes both big and small and then entered into the jungle on a dirt and rock road.
At one spot our driver came to an abrupt stop and pointed out the window. Howler monkeys! Can you see them?
About a half hour later we ended up at a secluded beach community called Playa de Coco. It essentially consisted of one boutique hotel and restaurant and a handful of homes scattered into the jungle. Beautiful, wild and tranquil.
We managed to snag a lift back to San Juan del Sur in a Jeep Wrangler. A local guy was also seeking a ride, so when the jeep came along, the SEVEN of us jumped in and joined the driver and his young daughter. Picture this…driver and local in the front, with daughter sitting on local guys lap (she eventually fell asleep on his shoulder), Jeffrie, Cal, Rodger and Claire in the back seat, and Rhiannon and I tucked into the small cargo area behind the back seat. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride over that bumpy dirt road! But when it started raining we were happy not to be in the back of a truck!
On the short walk from where we were dropped off, I somehow ended up with a stick wedged between my flip-flop and the top of my foot. Just a small scratch, phew! Using the fantastic first aid kit that Avery put together for me I wiped it down with alcohol, shmeared on some antibiotic cream and popped on a bandaid. All is well. Or so I thought…
It’s been nearly two weeks now and that little scratch is growing. I ruled out flesh eating bacteria. Phew! Just a few days till I get home and then I will get it checked. No infection, just not healing. 🙁 And getting larger. I learned today that keeping a bandaid on it was the wrong thing to do. Too sweaty. Damn humidity everywhere in the jungle. I think my brain is melting.
Anyway,back to the story…tomorrow’s adventure is Scootering around an island created by two massive volcanoes. Ometepe here we come!
A, R, J, C, R and C – five walkers and a stick stumbler who got a ride to the unknown and back.
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