Canyoning Somoto Canyon was an absolute gem. In the last 48 hours, we have made nothing but the right decisions.
We had the choice to book out trip through one of the big companies such as Somoto Canyon Tours, but due to our general fatigue upon arrival at Esteli, we chose to go with our hostel. So we booked it at 6pm, for the next day at 8:30am.
We woke up on this tuesday morning incredible early (for most)- 7:00am. We decided to take our car to Somoto Canyon to gain an hour of sleep, rather than take the chicken bus down the winding roads through the mountains. We were suppose to meet our guide, Jancy, at a gas station. Well, between the late departure, the accident we witnessed on PanAmericana Highway (the highway that crosses all of North America), and the police stop to check for drugs and human trafficking, we didn't notice either the guide, or the gas station. We arrived at 9:30am for a 8:30am tour.
Luckily, Jancy was patient. She had seen us drive past her. It turns out, we love Jancy. She climbed in our car, took us to the bus station for some coffees and then to her family plot, where her and her cousins live. They made us this the heavenly breakfast made of gallo pinto, fresh eggs, tomatoes, cheese and tortillas. Brodia fell in love with the little puppy there. She would sneak little bits of eggs under the table to make sure he was well-fed for the day.
We had another cup of coffee, which turns out Nicaraguan love their coffee with a (non)healthy amount of sugar. Listen, coffee is coffee is coffee when you have to hike and swim for 6 hours.
We walked 1Km to the entrance of the park. On the way, Jancy showed us guava fruit and climbed the tree for us to taste it. We saw a herd of cattle lead by two cowboys- a big one and a little one. We are in the middle of Semana Santa, so all the children are on vacation, or out helping their parents with work as there is no TV, no video games for them to play.
Once at the entrance, we saw some plantations of coffee, bananas, mais/corn, and rice. Jancy only spoke Spanish but everyone started to be able to understand her, and communicate with her one way or the other. She told us about her studies as a tour guide, and how she does the 6 hour hike twice a week, and the smaller hike of 4 hours three times a day. She told us about the changes in the canyon throughout the dry season and the rainy season. She showed us the plants growing along side the cliffs, and the many "bebe" jumps we could do to get that adrenaline rush we wanted.
We hiked, climbed up 45 sets of stairs, and swam until our arms felt like falling off. We jumped 8 meters high cliffs (it is really not that high, don't be too impressed) and we slipped on many rocks. We got in caves, saw some bats, and walked among the cattle. The best part was at the end, when unexpectedly, we were greeted by Jancy's family and horses. I have yet to have a truly horseback riding experience, I greeted those horses with arms wide open. After trekking for 12.5 Km, I was done using my legs/ arms for anything.
The horses took us all the way back to Jancy' s house where we had left our car. We could not believe the authentic, local experience we just had for so cheap. We tipped everyone heavily. Sam told her children how great their mom is, and we hugged and left as the storm was setting in. On our drive back, Tori found us a falafel restaurant (restaurant Jerusalem Kebab grill) and once we dropped off the car at the rental place, we headed straight there. The owner greeted us and took our orders and also cooked for us. We were so happy to taste homemade hummus, pita bread and have a good falafel sandwich. This was the first time on the trip that Sam and Tori really finished their meal!
We took a taxi back to the hotel and started drinking the beers that we had brought back and talked until 1am about the catcalling, the general feeling of safety and our experiences abroad. We've witnessed a good amount of harassment aimed at us. Whatever it'd be general stares or whistling or cat calls, it has created a climate of uncertainty when we walk the streets of Nicaragua. We are in a different country where the dress code is very different and we have not fully respected this, but the feeling still resides. Maybe honduras will treat us a little better.
Today we are heading to Honduras, and my sunburns and I must make peace as we will be in a bus for 2 hours, to then cross the border for 1 hour and then hopefully catch a minibus for 4 hours. There is only hope that the more Aloe Vera I put on my shoulder, face and back, the quicker my body will heal.
Then again, the sun came back out today...
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