From Matagalpa to Somoto (Nicaragua) to Bay Islands (Honduras)

I am going to try and keep it short to get up to date! I am developing a slight allergy to computers and the internet and can't be on here long, haha. I got used to doing nothing so much, I don't even notice the time passing. I surprise and impress myself with being able just to sit and stare, enjoy the beauty around, maybe chat a bit, and sincerely do nothing. Mind you, it is not the case that I do nothing all the time.
I'll start with Matagalpa first, where I went together with the Americans in their van coming from playa de asseradores. It is a city in the mountains, supposed to be lush and green, but with the dry season it has all turned brown and yellow, the ground is in dire need of some rain which will come very soon. It felt like a proper Nicaraguan hill town, small houses, colours, lots of buzzing and traffick and people, little shops everywhere. And nice street food, they sell corn tortilla with cheese on top in banana leaves. Delicious and a welcome change from rice and beans and eggs! The other day I was burping egg flavour all day it was so disgusting I felt like turning into beans and eggs, had to go on a forced diet or find just fruit to recover! Now here on the islands where I am now luckily they serve lots of tortillas and burritos and shakes so there is a little more variety, plus I can use the kitchen.

Anyway, so Matagalpa was an interesting stop over, went out even, and then I went on to Somoto which is a smaller town by the Honduran border, surrounded by green mountains, a truly beautiful setting. There is an amazing canyon which I visited and I ended up living with the family of the man who guided me and three Frenchies through it. We were climbing and swimming and jumping and and hiking through the canyon which at times is really high and narrow and deep. There were bats flying around and several bee nests. Impressive place. So I stayed at the farm of Beryardo, such a lovely man, just like his family, I had tears in my eyes when I left them! They were looking after me so well. They let me stay for free in the little room with two of the daughters, one of them with her own two kids in her bed. They get up at 5am and go to bed between 8 and 9pm, and so did I. Was really hard to adjust to staying up longer again when I got to the islands here! Another day I explored a bit more of the canyon with one of the daughters and just hung out with them and all the animals running around, pigs, dogs with puppets, chicken, geese, cats and cows. I lovede it! When I left the husband of one daughter gave me a ride on his moto to the bus station, making sure I would be on the right bus. All were very helpful and caring.

At the border I emmigrated from Nicaragua but managed to walk straight past the Honduran immigration without getting a stamp!! Some dodgy boys who hang out at the border to help people for whatever they can get, including stealing your stuff if you are not careful, but they did help me by telling me I had gone past. Then when I waited for the bus they were telling me I could go with a truck driver through all of Honduras to the coast which would be much cheaper and which would mean I didn't need to stop in the capital Tegucigalpa, the second most dangerous city in Honduras. So I spoke to a truck driver, Silvio, and he took me with him on a ride all teh way to San Pedro. He didn't even let me pay him! And he got so worried about me going to Honduras on my own that when we got to San Pedro, THE most dangerous city in Honduras, which is already a country most travellers I met just drive straight through, or some go to the islands, he stopped and sorted a taxi for me to the bus terminal to make sure I could travel on safely. Honduras apparently has the most violent criminal gangs in the world, but as long as you do not get caught between them you are generally fine. In la Ceiba, where I stayed one night before taking the ferry to the bay islands, I walked at night to buy some mango and water and upon my return an Israeli guy told me that an hour before that had been some shooting and screaming just down the road from where I walked. ! Well, all good. All that strip of my travels I met close to no Westerner at all, in Honduras none until that hostel and also there were only a handful leaving the next day.

Then I got the the Bay Islands, to the smaller one Utila which is the cheaper one. There is just one little village here with two main roads which still are just some narrow streets wwith motos and tuck tucks. I found such a lovely place to stay, I am in paradise. I could so very easily just stay and get a job here. I am already going to stay longer and I know it will be hard to leave. I am staying at a small hostel which is also a diving school righ at the sea front. I have my own little room where I have made myself feel at home, I smile everytime I enter. I have sea view as well and there is a constant breeze everywhere making the heat more barable and keeping the mozzies off (there is a very high malaria risk here - I bought some tablets of the Americans but since I stay longer they won't last me now). There is even a sea view from the shower and the kitchen. The house is made from wood painted in white and blue shades and it looks a bit like and old boat the material. It is cozy and the instructors mega friendly and so are the guys staying here. All men at the moment. I feel like they are my friends or family, they all look after me and I get on very well with them. Sergio is so funny my cheeks hurt! I am overly mega happy here, I found my paradise! Today at 2pm I will start my diving course, with some practises in the shallow water. I am a little scared because of my traumatic experience at the Great Barrier Reef where they lost me at the bottom of the ocean! So they are extra nice with me and I am going with the instructor as well as another guy. All good. Every morning I have been going out on the boat with them and snorkeled whilst they dived. And I also explored the island on a bike. What a life!