*all excerpts from my journal
8/1/2013
Living in playa El Tunco now, decided to move Boston and myself here...its a long story. Arrived here this past Sunday and the travel wasn't fun, to say the least...here is a recap:
28/12/2013
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| last sunset and dinner in SJDS |
-My plane from Florida to Nica was cancelled (found this out at the ticket counter,) so
Spirit Airlines put me in a hotel- which I found out to be overbooked once I arrived, luckily I had a good friend in the area to house me for the night. Flew out Friday and arrived to San Juan del Sur @230 in the afternoon. (Stayed the night and attempted to sleep knowing that I was to catch the 5am bus to Managua.)
29/12/2013
-I got up at 315 thinking it was 415 because of my Android being still set to Florida time...no wonder there were still people getting food at Taco Spot as I strolled by with my 'one man band.' A British guy offered me hot tea, and I took him up on the offer being that it was 330 am and from his porch was a direct view of the bus corner....
-I am sitting on the corner with Boston, my Quicksilver book bag, and my suitcase = my whole life. The British man who gave me tea is traveling from Alaska to South America on a motorbike- he said I had b*lls, but all I feel is anxiety and stress about today and all the traveling.
-Just got to Managua and dropped off my suitcase with Ticabus (for safe travel- which is a whole other story altogether), and got to the main bus terminal.
-815am, at the bus stop/market in Managua in line with Boston and my bag for the bus to Chinandega, Nicaragua. Not too bad so far, for less than $5 I got a taxi to take me from a bus stop to the Ticabus stop, and then to the bus terminal.
-It is probably @ 1230, we made it by van, not a bus to Chinandega (2.5 hours), then took another van to La Frontiera (the border) at some town I can't remember nor pronounce. Walked through immigration and had to pay $2, went across a long bridge,...now waiting for a bus to take us from here (Honduras border) to the El Salvador border, which I believe is called Amatillo (all I know is that its known to be a crazy border).
-741pm, laying on a bed with Boston after sharing pupusas that were so so. We are in a town in El Salvador called San Miguel (NEVER STAY IN SAN MIGUEL). Today and the last few days have been utterly exhausting...Ok- so picking up where I left off- from the border of Honduras we took another squished-with-people-van to the border of El Salvador ($6, 3 hours.) Poor Boston, it has been an extremely hot travel day and I can tell he is overheated and miserable :( Got to the border and we had to exit the country and then cross another creepy bridge, then enter El Salvador. Realized we missed the last bus to San Salvador so... had no other choice but to take a chicken bus to a town called San Miguel. Paid $15 for room at a place around the corner from the bus terminal....will never stay in the town again. The plan is to fall asleep and get up @315am to catch the 4am bus...Boston and I should sleep well after a day like today and with belly's full of pupusas.
30/12/2013
-Caught the 4am bus to San Salvador. Got a cabbie to take us to the Ticabus stop (to pick up my suitcase) and then to El Tunco for $30...fell asleep almost instantly and then we were there. Whew.
To be honest, moving to Nicaragua was easier for me.
Destination: El Tunco, El Salvador
Yesterday was amazing. It was Thursday. Ok so the early morning blew but once I jumped in the bed of the pickup truck stocked full of people headed to the waterfalls, I was good. The ride was about 30-40 minutes, but who cares when the wind is in your face and everyone is laughing squished up with people from countries around the world. 
The hike was down the mountain (meaning the way back was going to be brutal)...we got to the falls, which were stacked as in-you jump in one and swim to the other then jump into that one, and so on.When you get to the highest one...either you jump or you watch (its scary high). I jumped. T'was completely worth is...you have to actually scoot out to this rock ledge, covered in green slippery algae all the while you and the ledge are covered by gushing water, and then jump- you have to jump directly into the waterfall (not sure why but its like important)...my feet actually touched which is scary. There is video floating around of this I need to find it. Everyone hiked down further to other falls, down crazy trails where you are slipping and falling no matter your experience level.
Needless to say I am pretty sore at this moment, the hike uphill was indeed brutal- did a lot of bear like crawling, lol. Our group went and had $.50 rice pupusas at a local woman's house after. There were puppies and a lovely garden in her house with orange trees and a large picnic table. We played with the puppies and knocked down oranges from the tree to eat on until our pupusas. An amazing ending to the day :)
