[12/03/25~29 (D+211) Nicaragua] In Nicaragua

I start early in the morning but today I am slow because I spend over one hour on the border for visa and exchange money. These days I can’t sleep well because of the hot and humid weather so I try to stop to stay for a night around the border. But the hotel is not cheaper like other country. So I just keep riding. When I am so hungry I find some people in a restaurant. So I go to there, but I find that it is not a restaurant but farm. The Christians are under construction to build water pump for local people for free.

Lorenzo who will be Pastor next year feeds to iguanas. He says he was a sinful guy but after he started to believe in god, he was born again. He also divorced to become pastor.

Iguana

When I arrive here, they give me bread, cheese and rice. They also say I can sleep at here if I want. Now, he is cooking by burning wood. I sleep in a hammock which you can see in the picture.

When I was in Honduras, I stayed at warmshower’s host home. At that time there was also another guest who is from China but grew up in the US. I started earlier than him. Actually, I didn’t know that he will start to ride a bike today because he was staying over a few days at there. When I was on the border, he caught me. But at that time I already finished my work so I start to ride a bike by myself. But later he caught me again. I was too tired at that time so I let him go.

But when I am in a farm, I find he is coming back from the road with a pastor. He says the next city is too far so I just stop.

A little bit funny story is that somebody says while pointing him that another woman cyclist is coming over there. So I have to explain to him that he is not woman. Anyway I meet Pablo again.

Lerenzo is cooking for dinner. Actually I don’t have religion. When I was in Korea, I was skeptical of every religions. But I am trying to respect them these days. Also the more I meet nice people who have religion, the more I try to respect them. I think if a man of religion wants to show how much their religion is good, they should show as acting, not just saying. One time I was with my Mexican friend in a car. She saw a dead dog on the road, and then she crossed herself and prayed for a dead dog for a second and I was very impressed with it.

I only believe something that I can see on my eyes so I might not have a religion in my life. But when I meet really kind religious people, I learn from them that how I can live together.

It’s kind of Rottweiler which was same kind of mine. When I was teenager, my mother brought her which was just two months. But it grows so bigger and my mother couldn’t her let live in a house anymore because we lived in an apartment. I was so cried and actually angry with my mom at that time. I still miss my dog which was called “Pin”. It’s true that dog never forget their owner but also owner can’t forget their dog.

The next day, I am on the road like yesterday. Today is my first time to ride a bike on the flat road since I came to Central America. I think Central America has a lot of Volcano.

Volcano means only ruin and destruction? Actually answer is Yes and No. After volcano active, everything is ruined for a while but also life is promoted. Comet collision is same like volcano. Long time ago, there were a lot of comet collisions and it made the earth have abundance of everything. But actually if it happens in my life, I would say no thanks.

I’ve seen many local people who ride a bike on the road. Usually their bike is old and rusty. But it’s funny that always they catch me whatever and however. Sometimes they ride together without special seat like in the picture. They look so lovely in the above picture.

Today I also started to ride a bike earlier than Pablo. I joked to him that you might catch me again today, so see you later. And then I don’t stop to ride a bike for three hours because I don’t like to lose. Hahahahahaha. I eat a watermelon which is in plastic bag while I am talking with them. It only costs 5 Corodoba (23 cents). When I try to ride a bike again, they call me and give another big piece of a watermelon for free. It is so delicious.

It’s my lunch. There were only tortilla in Mexico but I’ve seen rice since central America. It’s very glad to see rice because I am from Asian who eat rice. I think the food means their culture. Thankfully it is so cheap that I can enjoy their culture. It costs 25Corodoba (USD 1.2$))

I make some mistake today. When I ride over 90 km (56.25 mi), there is a big city which is called Leon. But I don’t try to go into the city but just look outside of the city to find a place to stay. I can’t find cheap hotel so I keep going. And there is no place to stay for 40 km (25 mi) until next little small town. Even there is nothing on the road. I feel like I am in the US again. I mean city is too far to each other and there is nothing between cities.

You know I don’t like to be on the road in the dark. So I do my best to arrive in daytime. When I arrive in a small town, there is too cheap but too old hotel. I think my tent is better than hotel. So I ride into the town and find a police office. I’ve not heard Yes from police offices when I ask them to stay in there over three or four times since Mexico. But today they say yes with kindly. The police office is in front of the park so I can watch their world cup.

It’s a little bit scary and funny that I find a yard where I can put my tent. So I ask police officer that can I set up my tent here. At that moment I just see the jail also in a yard and I am shocked because I’ve never seen jail in my life even there is somebody in a jail! Another scary thing is that bathroom is in a yard. I am too nervous to go to bathroom first time but I find a solution that if I don’t try to look at them, everything is okay. Also police officer says that it’s safe so no worries. The place I sleep is corner and it is too hot so I can’t sleep well tonight also.

The sun which hid to dark shows me its face with flushing.

There are many brick factories.

I see breakfast sign so I stop to put some food in my stomach. There is also rice with beans and it costs 25Corodoba (USD 1.2$). I used to drink coffee but I found that it’s not good for me because caffeine makes me feel bad. But I couldn’t sleep well last night, so I drink a cup of coffee which has lots of sugar inside and it costs 5 Corodoba (23cents).

In the picture is a boy holding an iguana. Last day I met boys holding iguanas and they asked me one dollar for taking picture. But the boy in the picture is with his father and let me take picture without asking money. I am wondering what taste is iguana.

I buy plastic bag of juice. It costs only 2.1 Corodoba (10 cents). I have to bite on the top to drink. Actually I think it can be not sanitary. But I used to see like this kind of stuff when I was child so it’s no problem to drink with this way.

Again I take the picture of their money.

I am supposed to stay for three nights in Managua which is capital of Nicaragua at couchsurfing hosts’ home. I do need the rest because I’ve ridden too much with 38C (100F). I go to a book preview with host. Of course, I can understand nothing. Just I follow my host for fun.

My host’s friend is DJ on a radio.

Thanks to them, I appear on a radio show.

After a radio show, we have dinner together

And then we go to a bar.

I am supposed to stay for three night to take the rest in Managua, but I can’t feel that I am resting because of too hot and humid weather. So I just stay two nights in Managua and then I take the bus to San Jose where is capital of Costa Rica.

San Jose is around the mount and little bit highland more than other place. I take the bus while expecting that I will take the rest with cool weather. Thankfully, I don’t charge extra money for a bike and even I don’t need a box for a bike. It costs 667 Corodoba (29$). I have to pay 3.50$ for leaving fee in Nicaraguan border and it is the first time to pay leaving fee in my trip. Actually I pay 4$ because I don’t have change. It’s very easy to leave Nicaragua. Bus staff asks passengers money and passport and then he does everything for us. The one thing I feel inconvenience is that we have to wait in outside although we don’t need to go to immigrant.

Route
Days in Nicaragua = 5 Days
Distance in Nicaragua = 246.29 km (153.93 mi)
Flat tire=0
Cities I stayed = Villa Nueva, La Paz Centro, Managua
Costs in Nicaragua = USD 66$ (Costa rica bus 29$)
(1$ = 22.9 Corodoba)
Cities I stayed = Villa Nueva, La Paz Centro, Managua