Hola amigos! Buenos nachos? (mmm nachos...)
Just wanted to post a few photos from this past week and say hi! We've been hanging out at Camino del Gigante, a gringo hostel on a surf beach in Nicaragua. We meant to be here for just a couple of days but it looks like it has already been a week! And I think we might leave tomorrow if we can get our shiz together.
Just wanted to post a few photos from this past week and say hi! We've been hanging out at Camino del Gigante, a gringo hostel on a surf beach in Nicaragua. We meant to be here for just a couple of days but it looks like it has already been a week! And I think we might leave tomorrow if we can get our shiz together.
Wall mural we painted at Yogi's Hostel Our last few days on Ometepe were pretty cool! We rented a scooter and spent a day checking out the Island on the brick roads (man that must have been a ton of work!). And for our last 2 days we painted a wall mural in one of the bedrooms in exchange for a few nights free at the hostel. We spent 11 hours total on the wall and I think it turned out quite well! The bottom of it looks a little weird, but we ran out of white paint so we had to do something down there. And our paint brushes were not the easiest to use, but we made do and had a blast! Andrew took a bunch of pictures so we could make a time-lapse video (coming shortly!) so it was like a double-whammy art project.
Playa Gigante When we decided to leave Ometepe, our friend Devon, who we met there, recommended Playa Gigante for our next stop. It is near Rivas and is a quiet little town with amazing beaches and surfing! We arrived by taxi (there are no busses to get here) which stopped in the middle of the town of Gigante. There are two restaurants (very expensive compared to Ometepe!) and one little corner store. When we got out of the taxi we saw a sign on a little building beside us that said hostel, so we went over and booked a room since we thought there was only one hostel in town. The price was good ($15/night) and the room was nice (our own private room with bathroom). But there was no hang out area, no table or chairs to use, no internet. All this was ok, since we were mostly going surfing, but it made making food a challenge, and was a bit uncomfortable to hang out at. Since it is so expensive here and we have all kinds of free time, we thought it would be nice to cook some of our own meals on our camping stove. So behind our hostel we found a round cable spool to use as a table, and some broken chairs to sit on, and we set up our kitchen in an abandoned shack behind our room. It was absolutely hilarious, but slightly uncomfortable. Andrew said he is glad I'm not a "Princess", referring to my willingness to eat badly cooked rice and beans off of a cable spool in an abandoned shack. But I'm pretty sure if that wasn't ok with it, that wouldn't make me a "Princess", so much as "a rational person"! Haha, it was all good though, I didn't mind one bit.
Camino del Gigante, gringo hostel After a couple of days we realized that there were no other people staying at our "hostel", and yet there were other backpackers in the area that we saw while surfing and wandering around town. After talking to a few people (who hadn't even heard of the place we were staying at!) and when we decided to find some internet, we discovered Camino del Gigante, a gringo hostel at the end of the beach, where all the backpackers and locals hang out. There's a bar, free internet, surfboards, slack lines, free coffee, hammocks, music all the time, comfy tables and chairs, directly on the beach, great food and more! We immediately went back and packed up all of our things from the first hostel, and moved over to Camino's. I admit, I feel a little bad about leaving the shack behind like that, but Camino's has been such a game changer! All of a sudden everything is easier and more enjoyable! And we got the exact same price as the other hostel. We still chill with the locals, and go surfing and exploring, and now we have a sweet-ass bar to chill out at when we get back, fresh coffee in the morning and other people to watch and hang with. A bunch of people that are staying here right now have been here for several months because every time they try to leave they just don't. And I can totally see why! Like I said earlier, we meant to leave a few times now but we keep putting it off for "just one more day"!
Catching some gnarly surf, dude! Surfing has been great! At first, I was a little weary about it since I haven't done any surfing since Australia (2006) and I wasn't any good back then, so I knew it would be a steep and painful learning curve, again. The first day was a little difficult for me, getting used to wading through the crashing waves that pull you backward 3 steps every time you take 1 forward, and getting tumbled around in the waves when you fall off the board, sometimes face-planting into the sand if it gets too shallow. Andrew didn't show it, but I think he might have felt the same way, given a few comments he made after we showered off that day. The second day was much better! Aside from the bruises and board rash, the waves were less intimidating, and we both actually caught a few decent (by our standard) waves, stood up, and carved a little! Since then it has been something to look forward to. We might even go again today since it is potentially our "last day" here, or we might rent a kayack and check out one of the other bays since we haven't done that yet! Damn, as I write this I am saddened by the idea of leaving :p
Our next stop will be Leon, Nicaragua. It is north of here and we will have to take a few busses I think, and maybe a taxi to get there, but it shouldn't be more than a few hours total. It is a fairly large city with some history and culture for us to learn about. Also there is another volcano there that we can apparently board down!!! There are some good nature hikes and outdoorsy things to do nearby, and the hostel we picked out looks really fun. We hope the internet there is good because Harrison's first birthday is on Sunday and we would love to facetime with him!!! Aparently he walked a few steps the other day! And I thought he said "hello" to me a few days ago, and then I realized it was just Kim being a ventriloquist which is easy to do over facetime :)
We miss the little guy!!! And Everyone else at home! Any time any of you wants to come down, let us know!!! We will find the best spot to hang, just get a place ticket, we will do the rest! :D
Love ya's!
-Chelsea
Our next stop will be Leon, Nicaragua. It is north of here and we will have to take a few busses I think, and maybe a taxi to get there, but it shouldn't be more than a few hours total. It is a fairly large city with some history and culture for us to learn about. Also there is another volcano there that we can apparently board down!!! There are some good nature hikes and outdoorsy things to do nearby, and the hostel we picked out looks really fun. We hope the internet there is good because Harrison's first birthday is on Sunday and we would love to facetime with him!!! Aparently he walked a few steps the other day! And I thought he said "hello" to me a few days ago, and then I realized it was just Kim being a ventriloquist which is easy to do over facetime :)
We miss the little guy!!! And Everyone else at home! Any time any of you wants to come down, let us know!!! We will find the best spot to hang, just get a place ticket, we will do the rest! :D
Love ya's!
-Chelsea
Last batch of Isla de Ometepe photos
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Playa Gigante photos
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