Here our family and friends can follow our adventures traveling the world!
Här kan ni följa med på vår resa genom Amerika, central Amerika, tropiska öar och slutdestinationen Australien..
It's our friend Ellens birthday today and we've all dressed up to honour the birthday kid. We all stayed at parrot's diving center and had lots of fun together! From right Dwayne from New Zeeland, Connor from Ireland, Britany and Analise from Australia and me, Matthew and Dom were all waiting for Ellen on the Terrace above the hostel bar.
when she arrives we all sit down for an expensive but oh so good dinner at the Chinese restaurant.
We all tried to drink our drinks with our feet, it didn't work so well.
Ellen curls Matthews tash one last time before it's gone;)
IT was almost impossible to find a good way to go to Utila from Leon, but after days of research we finally found a tika bus for 51 dollars that took us to San Pedro (one of the most dangerous cities in the world and in which we had to stay over night) and then from San Pedro we took a 4am bus to the dock from where we took the ferry over to Utila. 2 days of travel, car sickness and sea sickness was finally over!! We chose to stay at Parrots diving center and we wouldn't regret it. Because we were 7 people we got a really good price; one week of accommodation, one breakfast for free, an open water diving course, 4 Fundives and a T- shirt for only 269 dollars. You won't get it cheaper anywhere in the world.
First time in the water for me, I jumped straight into a school of squid and they squirted out their ink all over me. haha aren't they cute!?
Heavy equipment, that's why they also taught us how to put the equipment on in the water which is much better for your back.
Me and my diving teacher Sara, the best and most energetic and lovely teacher! here they accidently put too many weights on my weight belt so I sank like a stone and struggled to stay on the surface, I'm lucky matthew helped me and after that I had no problem being buoyant ;)
Study, study every day. Up at 7:30, study, breakfast, lessons and diving. But It was so worth it!! The first fundive I did after becoming an open water diver I saw the coolest sea creatures ever. Huge eagle rays, a 2 meter green muray eel attacked us three times, big lobsters and crabs, christmas tree worms and a big sunfish(look it up at google, you wont believe it!) if it wasn't for all the Mosquitos, sand flies and the boring food we would have stayed longer and do our advanced diving course too!
Ofcourse the birthday kid should have the first bite!
Nomnom
after the cake we walked across the street to participate in a trivia game- all about south and Central America. Suddenly the guide from volcano boarding turns up in tiny red shorts with lots of face colour. We totally forgot about the trivia competition and began to paint eachothers faces.
Hipp, hipp hurray it's Matthew's birthday today! First up - volcano boarding down a living volcano.
just started the hike up the volcano
Tobi and Dom
Halfway there, the heat from both the volcano and the sun made the one hour hike much tougher.
A big crater, the guide told us to dig a little hole in the ground just where we're standing and feel the heat from the volcano with our hands. Very hot! Some people actually bring food to cook on top of the volcano.
excited and scared we're having a group photo before riding down the volcano.
Wohoo!!
And here we go! After riding down the volcano we had black rocks everywhere, in our ears, noses, hair, and even in our underwear. But it was so fun so we did the hike up the volcano a second time just to try again:)
Before going out to look at the town I had to make sure that the cute Bigfoot kitten (that loved to sneak into our room) got the daily cuddles it needed!
Look what i found!! In one of the hostel's dorm rooms in a little tree locker there was four newborn kittens. Everyday when the mother went out to get food I had to sneak into the room and make sure they were ok! And for some snuggles ofcourse;) except the kittens there were two baby turtles walking around the hostel. I had to save them from the nasty cats who wanted to play.
Exploring Léon.
We wereon our way to go look at two museums but after a while we found out that everything is closed at Sundays so we went for a smoothie instead....
Our favourite smoothie place- best flavor was coffe, chocolate and banana with ice cream. yum!
The food in Léon was actually really good, finally after traveling for a long time without any good pastry or bread we found a wonderful and cheap café owned by a French lady with dark and healthy bread!! Hör och häpna, hittills har det enda i brödväg varit vitt, luftigt och torrt bröd... Two broccoli quish, two grapefruit juice and two chocolate croissants for five dollars. Do I have to tell you that we came back for breakfast every day?
We met up with the boys and later on we took the hostel shuttle to the beach for an afternoon swim. The waves were huge and the guys were washed away like toys ( haha just like Tobi in the picture) so I had to stay at a good distance:( no afternoon swim for me...
We brought coca coola and rum and had a good time at the beach (and the boys were wrestling as usual)
There were 7 of us heading into Leon after a few days relaxing on the beach at Surfing Turtle Hostel. We paid a guy with a ute about a dollar each to drive us the half hour inland. Lucky for Pååg and i who had to sit in the cabin as a true tropic storm came over just as we drove off so everybody in the tray was completely soaked! To make the trip more exciting about 2 mins into the walk to the hostel a local guy sneaks up behind our friend Candice who was at the back of the group and tries to snatch her phone out of her hand. Tough chick went to the ground fighting him off and the coward ran away. This seemed to be very common in Leon everyday we heard of a new armed robbery with knives or gun...
Crazy fucker who runs the Bigfoot Hostel - a massive and cool hostel pretty cheap at 7US a night, bit of a party place...
The beginning of the end with the chilli shot challenge. 3 shots 5 seconds apart with no chaser, if you keep it down for 3 minutes you get a free singlet. Fair to say we were shitting fire!
Lovers after the challenge.
A few alcoholics appreciated my tash so much they got it tattooed on their fingers ;)
After two chicken buses, two mini-vans, a taxi, a boat and a hike in the dark we made it to Surfing Turtle Lodge.
A really nice hostel next to the beach, very expensive though - a cabana for two cost 50 dollars / night and a dorm for 16 people 12 dollars / night per person. Even the food was super expensive but it was nice to wake up in the morning and go for a swim in the ocean and every afternoon the hostel organized a volleyball tournament. Fun!
Surfing turtle lodge hostel is known for saving baby turtles. It's very common that the locals steal turtle eggs and sell them to restaurants which is illegal. The hostel buys the eggs from the locals or try to find them first. They bury the eggs in a safe place where they can hatch without dogs or locals trying to eat them.
This night one of the staff members working at the hostel brings us to the beach and we all get to see a big beautiful mama turtle lay egg in the sand and then make her way back to the sea. We're all very happy that we're going to save the baby turtles. Though, after a while we realize that the hostel won't buy the eggs and the local guy runs away with a full bag of turtle eggs. That was very upsetting and we decided to leave the next day, we don't want to support stealing turtle eggs!!
New zeeland vs South Africa - rugby
Off to Leon to meet up with Toby, Clint and Jarred...
After spending three nights in Granada we took a shuttle to paradise. A good place to rest and get my energy back (and have amazing breakfasts like this!) The first day we canoed to the other side of the blue lagoon, where we stayed for a while to watch the monkeys play high up in the trees. What seemed to be a 1hour trip took us at least four hours and poor Matthew paddled as never before.
This night we had the luck to see the lightening strike down in the blue lagoon several times while having some drinks with a Canadian couple. (non-alcoholic for me ofcourse)
On our way to a market we couldn't find we met a local guy and his wife and we had to ask for the way. They told us to follow them and so we did. After a while we headed onto a little djungle road which lead us further and further up a huge mountain.
After 30 minutes walking uphill we asked how long it would take until we reach the market, all of us dripping of sweat. Maybe 20 minutes answers the very happy local.
Finally when we reached the top 1 hour and 20 minutes later we realized that this wasn't the market we were looking for, actually it wasn't a market at all. Instead we found a cute little town, the hometown of the local guy and his wife. He had to walk up the mountain twice a day. I must say I feel sorry for him!!
From the little mountain town we enjoyed the view of the blue lagoon.
Exhausted after the big walk and in a food coma we took a tuktuk back to our hostel:)
As soon as Pååg was well enough to travel I moved her to a nice place called oasis in Granada where she could rest with a decent hospital nearby.
Granada is a beautiful old colonial town, the gem of Nicaragua, because it was privy to Spanish gold trade as it lies on Lake Nicaragua.
Police car - absolute village. There is a real lack of police presence in Nicaragua compared to other Central American countries.
My little friend.
A morning boat trip to the islets with our South African friends Dean and Candice.
sunset from the church bell tower.
I went up with a Dutch photographer we met who gave me a good hour lesson on using the camera.
book exchange at the garden cafe while Påågy slees off a food coma in the hammock.
Ontop of Masaya Volcano.
Sulfur gases released from the volcano mean you can only spend 5 mins at the volcano crator before the coughing fits start.
So the story behind this volcano visit is a long one... So in very short Dom and I booked a night tour of lava tubes into the active volcano where you are supposed to see lava glowing and a stop at the Masaya Markets. All going fine on the half hour drive until we arrived and the tour wasn't booked and the volcano park was closing in 5 minutes. So we drove another half hour back and naturally didn't pay the balance of the tour. To this the guide wasn't happy so after extensive arguments trying to explain we left. An hour later I had the police knocking on my room door saying I had to pay 50 US or be arrested. After some help translating from the hotel staff the police officer told me the tour guide is a dick and he would pay him a visit in the morning to tell him so...
Sorry for delays in updates, it's been both crazy busy and terrible internet. we are about two weeks behind but will try to catch up tonight...
After 5 days of caring for the little one she started feeling a little better and insisted I get out of the cabin for a few hours so Dom took me horse riding. 2 hours for about 5 dollars we walked through dense jungle, swamps, small communities and finished with a gallop on the beach.
Must say I ended up with some nasty saddle rash though have promised Pååg head we will ride when she is better :)
This is the view from the most amazing treehouse made of hard wood. It was three stories; the bottom was an eight bed dorm, the second a chill area with hammocks and the third a tiny viewing deck that reached above the treeline so we could se bouth volcanos on Ometepe.
We were shocked when we came to the hostel by the beautiful nature and all the animals running around in the garden. There were talking bird, dogs, pigs, cats, hummingbirds, monkeys, squirel looking things and nasty roosters. We even has a guest scorpion and tarantula in our bathroom...
The walkway to our little cabin
We first got a room that barely fit one bed and had old palm leaves full of ants and spiders as walls. When I realized there were more lizards climbing on the bed than in the jungle we changed our room to this cute cabin with our own shower and bathroom. That turned out to be a really good move.
A sick story:
When I came to the island I noticed a pain down my lower back and it only got worse. A couple who lived in another cabin were osteopaths and took a look at my back and told me the best thing is to rest. So I rest for two days but woke up in pain and terrible cramps. I couldn't keep either water or food so we decided to contact a doctor. Matthew ran around everywhere to find a phone, he called just to hear that the only good doctor on the island is leaving the island!!!! and we have one hour to get to the hospital. The really nice owner of the hostel gave us a ride to the hospital and matthew carried me around everywhere, i was way to weak to walk. At the little and very dirty hospital i got a needle to stop puke and then we had to go to another doctor who could take my blood tests. He wasn't there so the taxi driver who was a lot of help took us to a childrens hospital where I waited and waited, took blod test and found out that I had a really bad kidney infection, my one kidney only worked with 30%. Mucho problema was the only thing the poor taxi driver said when he saw the results and tried to translate to us from spanish. The doctor wanted me to stay but matthew refused to leave me there at that dirty hospital with stray dogs running around in the corridors.
We got needles and antibiotics for a week which the doctor thought matthew could help me take every day in my bum. Aochhhh! Never! So the taxi driver drove us to another "clinic" with roosters running around and a lady came out and took my blood in the car, didn't even have to go out. (What a service?) I got antibiotics in pills! Finally!
Rooster dancing on our breakfast table.
These cute pigs looked after me when I was sick, they came to our cabin and looked in a couple of times a day. The first night I found them sleeping like this behind the bar, aaaaaaw, look at their smiles:))
Matthew all dressed up for our first dinner out at Ometepe. He found the four months old puppy sleeping in the hammock when we came back to the hostel and couldnt resist get in for a snuggle. (Note his mustache, now all guys are trying to grow one, OH NO!! )
Gosgosgosgos
haha Dom playing Simba with one of the stray dogs
evrynight we had any leftover food we just left it outside our room for the poor stray dogs that are all so skinny.
My antibiotics and one of the needles. It's not a little one either, explains why I couldn't sit down properly for a week........
Having made a great group of buddies at Sunday Funday in San Juan we decided to travel together to ometepe and hang out at little Morgans jungle hostel. Unfortunately I couldn't climb either volcano as I cut my foot very bad and a night out And Påågy went and got a bit ill. We definitely didn't foresee what Ometepe had in store for us!
We shared a couple of cans to the port and took some old fishing boat over to the volcanoes That sit in the biggest lake in Central America. Geographically amazing place that is very unique for many reasons Including having the only freshwater sharks in the world, a relative to hammerheads, that were isolated from the ocean when the lake formed and overtime decreased in salinity due to river flows filling the lake...
Påågy enjoying the view and looking very pretty as always :)
Tobi the German getting creative with his reflective sunnies
The crew (minus Clint)
Just sharing a serious moment with the boys before taking a bus to crazy Little Morgans Hostel in the middle of nowhere!
Our hostel Esperanza was located just next to this beach so in the mornings we could go out for a jog along the water, beautiful! It was a very nice hostel owned by a spanish lady with her cute two year old daughter running around asking us questions in Spanish:))
Crossing the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border was a bit of a laugh. The Costa Rican side takes a few minutes in a nice air conditioned building that had a big flat screen playing the rugby and security everywhere. As you walk the 1km to the Nica border you are constantly harassed for all sorts from taxi, money exchange and so called border crossing assistants. At the border there are fake officials trying to force you to pay a manicipality tax (most people do just so they leave you alone) when we finally found the immigration office even the official there tried to rip us off taking about 20 mins of arguing for her to finally give in and charge us the correct fee...
we shared a taxi from the border to San Juan Del Sur suppressed to see massive wind farms all along the coast and a really good quality freeway.
First day in San Juan we heading to a southern surf beach with about 8 mates for the day. Not big but really perfect waves 3-4ft. I gave Påågy her first surf lesson though it was tough for her with rocks underneath she did really well almost standing up!
Dom posing
Juan floating about on his first time surfing
Our Swedish friend Nasim and her handsome Argentinian man
Picnic lunch on the beach. Though as always Påågy gave most of her food to the starving stray dogs :)
Great day with good mates only to return and have the board rental guys try and screw us for broken fins which Wasn't us. Apparently they do it everyday threatening tourist with violence and calling the police if they don't pay ridiculous prices for fake damage. Really stupid business people as we would have rented from them for another 5 days so they lost a heap of business...
