Leon, Nicaragua - " Volcano Boarding"

Arrived in Leon, Nicaragua after a very long bus journey from Utila. The journey was strenious to say the least. It involved a ferry, a few taxis and a bus across the border. The border crossing was quite eventful with money touts brandishing wads of cash and trying to jump on the bus to change our money.

We drove through the countryside once again, but this time I saw a lot more poverty. The roads were pot holes ridden and there were (too) many barefoot children running after our bus begging (I assume) for money. I definitely felt that the country had suffered a lot in its history and that it was still not out of the woods.

Leon is (i think) the second largest city in Nicaragua. It has a cool colonial feel to it, a bit like Antigua (Guatemala) but less touristy and with rougher edges. I also felt like the people were more aggressive, men staring and whistling frequently. But i guess that's part of the culture here.

Leon is surrounded by volcanoes and what better way to explore the region than by going Volcano Boarding on an active volcano called "Cerro Negro". We hiked up along the crater (yes it was exhausting), carrying our 'board' (it was like a luge) and bright orange suits complete with plastic goggles and gloves. We thought we looked so cool, but I think that the reality of it was that we looked like funky Bob the Builder wannabes on a volcano. Our aussie guide went through the safety procedures (very little!) and as he talked about the volcano and how to brake without breaking your neck, I thought to myself ..."why?". The end result was an exhilirating rush of adrenaline as we zoomed down a 400m black sand slope at a 40 degree angle. It was an amazing experience.

The next day we were off to Granada.

Apart from that, you will be happy to hear that my belly is fine, the chicken - rice and beans combination is not doing me any harm (as yet!).

Bay Islands (Utila), Honduras

I haven´t been able to get to a internet cafe recently and my trip to Utila is already a few days old.This is the problem with being on such a tight schedule. The opportunities to sit back and contemplate are few and far between.

Having endured a gruelling 10 hour travel day (our wake up calls vary between 5.30 and 6.30 - yes, loving it!), I was elated to finally reach the coast line. As the distance from Guatemala increased I couldn´t help but notice how people were losing their indigenous features; these being replaced by a blend of carribean, brown and white. The ferry from La Ceiba to Utila was a bumpy ride and I think if it wasn´t for my previous outings with my family our the boat in France, it would have definitely been a "head overboard" situation.

Utila is the third largest and less developped of the Bay Islands. As the boat approached the make-shift dock, I had a flashback of scenes from The Beach. Utila is the most backpacker friendly of the three islands. It has an amazing laid back feel to it, with many tanned bearded backpackers lazily kicking back with locals drinking papaya juices.

The Bay Islands have an interesting history, for nearly 200 years Spanish conquistadores and British pirates battled for control of these islands. The result is that still today people speak a mix of english and spanish.

Utila is also one of the cheapest diving spots in the world (approx 25 USD per dive!). I managed to get 3 dives under my belt. My apprehension of getting back under water quickly vanished thanks to Sean and Lynne, my dive instructor and trainee divemaster (respectively). Sean is a Reading Uni graduate who is looking to develop a diving academy in different locations around the world. It´s called Sunken Dreams. I had the opportunity to get to know them both and learn about his ideas for his business. It was like a breath of fresh air to see someone so dynamic and optimistic who really wants to make things happen. I was impressed by Sean´s professionalism and ability to connect with people. Both him and Lynne (and the cool diving) are what I will remember about Utila (oh without forgetting the cool fish, crabs and my first shipwreck!) So a big shout out to both of them for making the experience so cool..

Copan Ruins, Honduras

So I met my group yesterday. We're less than 15 people which is great and there's a good mix of nationalities, ages and sexes which is even better. I am flying my french flag proudly, surrounded by a few danes, a dutch, some Brits, an Aussie, a Kiwi, a German and some Americans.

We boarded our little bus this morning at 6 am to make our way to Copan, Honduras. The drive took approx 7 hours and went smoothly (i am probably saying that because it's my first one!). The scenary was spectacular, dense forest on lush mountains...all i saw was green!

We arrived in Copan this afternoon and went straight to the Copan Ruins - a famous and nicely kept set of maya ruins. I am not very good at looking at old stones especially as I hadn't really done my homework but there were some nice details of mayan characters and the pyramids were well preserved.

We are staying one night here and then we are off tomorrow to the coast to a place called Utila. Supposedly there is some great diving to be done there and i might be able to do what I have always dreamt of doing ever since i saw Flipper on TV...yes you guess it...swimming with dolphins!

As it's our first night in the group I definitely think a few bevvies will be in order tonight !