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(Estela - Granada - Managua - Isla Ometepe - Playa del Flor)

Cigars and Nature

[November 20, 2004] Again we needed the aid of one of these tramitadores to cross the border within a reasonable time, just 3 hours and 15 $ per person, a bargain. And we all were happy to leave Honduras fast.



Now we were in the poorest countries within Central America, the signs of the war were still visible almost everywhere! But the people here do not carry on the burdons or the sadness of these times, that´s history now and happiness and laughters are everywhere! We stayed one night in Esteli in the North and test the local Bars and Clubs. Everywhere a friendly and happy atmosphere, no signs of jealousy towards us foreigners. People stop and ask us about our journey and the bikes, whether at the gas station or in the bars.

Our next stop is Granada, but that´s pretty filled with tourists already leading also to the sideeffects of prostitution and drugs… Well, where the Dollar is…

We find a nice and friendly hostel at Don Alfredo, an older German running a small hotel here in Granada. And he also has good tips for our excursions in the next days. So we visit the grand market in Masaya, one of the biggest ones in Central America. And drive and climb on the Vulcano Mombacha. Lot´s of nature and a great vista, and a really well organized national park here surprise us.



That´s when you expect a little - we got treated very good.
And we took the time and visited the local Cigar production of Dona Elba, a top product. And the Don Silvio itself showed us his factory and let us taste the different products. What an afternoon!



The next day I took off to meet Volker and his family in Managua. He lives and works in Central America now for more than a decade and knows the areas very well. His tips combined with the knowledge of Bjorn and other friends already secured us very nice days. Thanks guys!
And I got deeply involved into the political situation as there were Alcalde elections (town mayors) on the evening. And the family showed up late to celebrate! Good look for the future, Nicaragua.

After that we spend a few days on the beautiful island of Ometepe, right in the middle of the lake Nicaragua with a unique world of plants and animals, a juwel. And I a full of a positive belief that with the current trend of ecotourism this could continue. I hope it.
That looks totally different on the Pacific coast. Where ever there are good streets and an airport you will find better hotel resorts and the tourism we all know all over the world, here still just starting now. So we decided to go on along the coastline on a smaller road. And that brought us to the Playa del Flor, where we could participate in one of these rare days of luck - the turtle coming on the beach. An unbelievable show, when these prehistoric creatures crawl on the beach and dig a hole of 2 feet, then spawn 100 eggs and close it carefully to crawl tired back to the sea. Once again I was very quiet and could see the power of the world - stunning and clearly one wonder!

On the next day we had to get back to the Panamericana, easy 16 miles we thought. Well, the first river crossings were easy for the KTM and the little Hondas learned swimming…
But then the dirt road got smaller and narrower, the road was now only for mules and horses. And we with the bikes in the deep shit, the word fits…



In one hour we barely made half a mile, the purified water was almost finished. And a military boarder post is mad, runs at us with the AK47 aimed. Not good. Well, again the magic words Aleman and Holondase solve the situation and we continue our fight through the mud. After 7 hours we finally arrive at the Panamericana again totally exhausted and tired, no water left. We decide to drive to the next town for the overnight stay and the necessary service work. Even a flat tire on Dirks Honda cannot shock us now anymore. And after the cleaning of the bike, the freshly oiled chain and finally our strongly needed shower we deserved the ice-cold Buffalo beer, our cigar and the atmosphere of the local bars. And tomorrow we will go for Costa Rica.

Thanks Nicaragua, you are a juwel in Central America, I´ll be back!

Hasta la proxima!

Rasmus