Profound! Stopped me in my tracks! A description so delicious, I stopped reading and went to look up this place to see if it was real! The Rio San Juan in Nicaragua and the Indio Maiz Reserve. They were described in a couple paragraphs in a Clive Cussler book! If anyone knows which book that was, please let me know. I typed up the description and saved it but over the coarse of changing computers, I’ve lost it!
I found that the place was real, remote, wild and full of life! Instantly, I wanted to go!! Now, 20 years later, I was there! Each morning I woke with the birds. Some started around 4:15 am. Macaws screeched loudly, the sound filling the river basin. I’d see their dark silhouettes as they flew South into Costa Rica. I saw the shapes of toucans. Flocks of parakeets screeched overhead! Pairs of parrots screeched as well, pairing with their mates for life! Each morning greeted me with a rich robust feeling of life! LIFE..abundant and all around me!
My balcony was a favorite perch! Sitting quietly, camera at hand, observing the world. Raptors, tiny birds, hawks, vultures, hummingbirds and more, all came calling! Since I was the only guest, I had my run of things! Perfect!
The last day and a half, we had a lot of rain! But I was always in the right place at the right time to ride it out. One afternoon, I was in the swimming pool when the rain started! It wasn’t cold like out rain at home but felt very temperate. It was a bit like getting a scalp massage!
Then, it was time to leave! That was a bit complicated, unsettling, requiring huge amounts of patience and flexibility, and eventually being clear and unwavering in what I knew felt right for me!
Travel challenges and relying on flexibility
After weeks of wandering, misinformation, changing information unknown bus schedules and such, I made it to Granada!
My last spot was Metagalpa! That was the day I left not knowing what time the actual express bus left! A weird sensation except, that is normal for travel here. People have opinions. They want to help. They rarely say “I don’t know” and will say something. All that information gets jumbled and eventually, I simply have to go and figure out on the fly how to get where I want to go.
Travel review...
Some of this will review what I wrote before. It was such an important part of my trip the past couple weeks, I want to summarize it again here.
A review….the same thing happened for leaving Matagalpa! I decided to leave early, around 5:00. My foresight: inform the staff so they would know! I woke early, packed, and walked down to the lobby to check out and leave my key. It was locked. I was effectively locked inside the hotel. No way out. I tapped with the key, knocked loudly, spoke loudly all the while hoping I wasn’t bothering the other guests!
Behind me came a shuffling sound. I turned and saw the lady I had spoken with…last night…about leaving early. She seemed a bit put off to be up so early. No surprise. That is how things work in Nicaragua.
Four or five taxi drivers stopped but weren’t going where I wanted to go. I was tempted to walk but didn’t feel like straining my knees with my heavy pack and walking 30 minutes or more. The next driver stopped. I told him I was going to “Cotran Sur”. He nodded. I got in and off we went!
He drove a different route. Of course at 5:10 in the morning, three is not traffic so he could go wherever he wanted. He turned into the bus station from a different direction and stopped in front of the exit! He pointed to the gate. I paid him and started walking.
The gate opened and a bus market “Managua Express” was pulling out! Perfect. Except, it looked like I would have to stand the whole way! Then I saw a seat in the front row near the window. The man by the isle got up and I had a seat.
Yay!! How fortunate!!
Finally Reached San Carlos and the Rio San Juan boat terminal
But, we weren’t done! The bus kept stopping to pick up extra passengers. Again, normal here! One passenger got on, looked to the man sitting next to me and showed his ticket. He was in seat #3…the one next to me. That man stood the entire trip, I had a seat! Awesome…for me!
Managua’s bus station was simply crazy and chaotic. They nearly had a fight with a van trying to get out, a woman reached through an open window struck the driver of a van with her fist! He got out with his phone and video’s her. Chaos ensued!
Our bus couldn’t pass. Emotions were high. Our driver kept his hand on the horn. Eventually, they opened another gate so our bus could pass.
As I got out, an official looking man was at the bottom of the stairs. I said “San Carlos” and he motioned for me to wait. He took me to the window and I was able to buy a ticket. Buses came and went regularly. Eventually, a bus for San Carlos drove into the lot but it looked very ratty. I asked a woman if she was going to San Carlos and if that was the bus. She said no, thee would be another.
There wasn’t. That was our very aged and worn bus. I couldn’t sit in the seat normally because there was no knee room. I literally could not move for the 6 hours to San Carlos. Midway through the trip, I took some advill for the pain in my hips and legs.
We did arrive eventually! I hadn’t made a reservation but found a very dumpy hostel! Turns out, all of they are about the same.
San Carlos??
Initially, I thought I’d stay an extra night and explore San Carlos. After walking around it for an hour, finding one spot for dinner, being propositioned by several women, I changed my mind! I rose early to take the first ferry, had plenty of time to buy a ticket and then have breakfast. Several of the officers there were quite helpful as was the family at the comedor. Then, I was off for Guacimo Lodge!
If you haven’t seen the link I posted before, here it is: https://guacimolodge.com/en
Traveling Down the Rio San Juan to El Castillo and Guacimo Lodge
I was off to El Castillo and the Rio San Juan the next morning. I love being on the river and it was such a great ride! Lots to see and no rain!
I’d been communicating with the owner of Guacimo Lodge and he informed me that he was leaving and would be gone for the duration of my stay. His manager would take care of me. His manager had been on the job one week.
I loved the lodge and considered staying an extra night?? But the manager told me the lodge was booked full and I might have to move. I still thought about it? I couldn’t get accurate information from anyone about the boat schedule back to San Carlos??
Travel Challenges Continue
Eventually, I would have to get back there to San Carlos.and then get to Managua and then take another bus to Granada. I wasn’t looking forward to 2 hours by boat, 6 1/2 hours to Managua and another 2 hours to Granada…plus waiting time in between.
I posted a question about hiring a driver on a Facebook group. One message offered to drive me for $280 US. The bus would cost me less than $8. Then the information got even more confusing!
There might be a direct bus to Granada. Yes, it is at 3:00 pm on Friday! Or 4:00 pm. Six to seven hours! Yes. Maybe. Yes.
Getting there for the 3:00 bus?? No one was sure about the boat schedule.
They live there and have guests coming all the time and didn’t know a boat schedule?
There is a but at 11:00. It would get me there at 1:30 and in time to get a ticket to have a seat on the bus. Ok…that will work!
The night before I was to leave after dinner, I was told that there was no boat at 11:00. I’d have to leave at 8:00 in the morning and wait until 3:00 in the afternoon to arrive in Granada around 10:00 pm.
Also, they weren’t full. They were expecting only two guests that day!
So much for trying to make decisions on accurate information!
I woke before 5:00 am with the birds and laid in bed meditating and feeling. I became aware of the feeling I was having inside about traveling that day. Complicated. Not smooth. Unpredictable. Potentially long and uncomfortable and exhausting!
The good news: staying fresh and open! No rigid plans, they didn’t work. Flexible plans didn’t work. It was stepping out of the familiar and comfortable and letting another way of being work out. Quite an experience!
Finally, I felt a great possibility!
After learning that I could ask multiple people, receive multiple confilicting answers, and still have no clear idea how schedules would work, I had a flash of the obvious!
Feel for the path of least resistance. Feel for the sense of ease and flow and relief!
Definitely not a feeling of lightness, east and “flow”. Then, I tuned into what would feel like ease and flow! Instantly, I thought about a driver they had recommended to me. I wrote to him at 5:20 am, acknowledging that it was last minute and I was just checking. Would he be avilable to pick me up and drive me to Granada when my boat landed around 11:00?
Yes! He was available! His price, $125! That felt perfect! I decided to confirm. Thus, I arrived in Granaga about one hour after my 3:00 bus would have left!
I was in my hostel! Had local dinner at a little comedor! And was nestled into my room with new friends from Australia, England and such! Perfect!
And, I had AC!!!
Guacimo Lodge, a great place!
This place was wonderful! The only challenge…all the steps up to my bungalow! LOTS of steps and climbing. However, the view from my room was amazing!!! So worth it! And I was the only guest. It was a private retreat for me supported by the staff.
River boat traffic began long before sunrise and continued throughout the day! It is the lifeline for the 10,000 people living down the river. All supplies come via boat. And it is the primary means of transporting people as there are no roads in the jungle!
It rained quite a bit, much of it at night. The trails were muddy and slick do I didn’t do much hiking! Slippery trails played havoc with my knees!
The birds were amazing waking me before 5:00 am each morning! It was dark so as I watched the blue/green macaws fly across the river to Costa Rica, I was unable to get any great photos. But, they were some of the first to wake me!
It was so peaceful and quite, it was indeed a perfect experience to spend three days “being”….with very little human doing!
I’d like to go back at some time in the future when I can hike more!
Enjoying Granada, I like this city!
Before I landed in Granada, I had a great feeling about the city! My driver Gustavo and I had a great trip together. He asked me about food and I told him I liked simple local food. Rather than go to a tourist restaurant, we stopped at a comedor on the side of the road and had a terrific inexpensive meal. He paid for my meal and wouldn’t take any money!
We stopped on the shore of Lake Nicaragua to feel the wind and listen to the waves. When we pulled into Granada, clearly it is a city but it felt very different from any other place I’ve been on this trip!
I’m happy I left and got here one day early! I explored on Saturday.
Saturday was my day to catch up. Today was a day to explore and pack. I reorganized my pack so I can travel light tomorrow. I only need things for three days in this tropical environment! My pack will be stored here until I come back!
Once back, I have a day here and then go to Mombacho Lodge in the cloud forest near the volcano! Have a look: Mombacho Lodge
I’m excited to have one more day in the forest before going to Managua and then flying home next week!
Ciao!!