It’s only been a week and a half, because I don’t count my time at Spanish school as solo travel. For one, I wasn’t traveling; I was living with a family. And, for another reason, there were other students to hang out with all the time. I was rarely alone. So, I have only been traveling alone for about 10 days, and I am glad it’s almost over. Solo travel is hard.
Tag: solo travel
Exploring Estelí Nicaragua
Estelí is a big city in the northern highlands of Nicaragua. It feels smaller than León, but I think that’s mainly because the traffic is better. In León, I always felt like I was about to be hit by a car (pedestrians do NOT have the right of way here!). Estelí traffic is better because the streets are mostly one way which makes exploring Estelí Nicaragua easy peasy.
getting to know estelí
I had plenty of time to get to know Estelí today, so I walked around town for a bit, went to a museum and visited the cathedral.
estelí street art
There is a quite a bit of street art in town. I am not sure if it’s a direct result of the political importance of this town during the revolution (it was a Sandinista stronghold), or just lots of artists. The variety is really engaging and it made for a fun day looking for more murals.
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On Making Stupid Mistakes and Dealing With Them
That was not how I planned it! Yesterday I took the bus from Matagalpa to Esteli. The main reason I came to Esteli was to see the Somoto Canyon to the north, so I booked the tour yesterday from my hostal. Things did not work out as I planned because I spent yesterday making stupid mistakes and dealing with them.
i had plans
Today I had to get up early to catch a taxi to the bus station for a tour of Somoto Canyon. Instead I got money out of the ATM and left that money and my debit card in the taxi. I realized it at the bus station but the cab was already gone. So I had to walk back to my hostel (fortunately only a 15 minute walk!) and cancel the tour and my ATM card. Do I feel like an idiot right now? YES I DO!
Negatives:
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Matagalpa Solo Travel Fears
I asked around and did online research, and the only way to get to Matagalpa was two and a half hours on the chicken bus. So I made the plan to take the bus but barely slept on Friday night because I was so nervous about the morning bus ride. I worried about many things, including but not limited to getting a seat, losing my bags, missing the bus, and getting robbed. You know what? It was awesome! And now after my experience in Matagalpa solo travel fears are much smaller.
bus trip from leon to matagalpa
I got to the bus station early so I could get a good seat, and it worked. The bus driver gives out assigned seats! I got a window seat (score) near the back door (double score!). I was able to put my bags above me and a woman sat next to me and that was it for the whole trip. Easy peasy. Nothing like Rivas! I had worried for nothing.
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Windy Season in San Juan del Sur
It’s been the windy season in San Juan del Sur. Basically since I arrived on this solo adventure, the wind has been blowing hard. Some days, and nights, are worse than others. In general, for the 3 weeks I have been here, it has been very windy.
Dealing with extreme winds in SJDS
At the beaches, people use large rocks to hold everything down: surfboards and beach chairs included. I have seen more than a few people running across the beach after hats and clothes. Usually they catch up to their belongings, and it offers us entertainment to watch! Until, of course, it happens to you.
And then there is the sand! It gets EVERYWHERE, including your eyes. Some days it is wise to just avoid the beach. Some days, like today, the navy closes the port because they don’t want boats on the water the wind is that strong!
