Okay I'm terrible at this

We left our homestay families at 8am and had a little boat ride over to a cliff for breakfast and a swim in San Juan. We then had a long bus ride back to Antigua.

Once arriving in Antigua Em and I decided to spoil ourselves by her getting a massage and me getting a blow wave! Then we all had a group dinner before our early wake up call of 4.30am!

The travel day to Rio Dulce was hell! 8hrs in a bus! With only 1 hr to go we stopped at a hot waterfall and cold springs. It was very odd being in freezing cold water and feeling 45° water falling over you!

Our hotel in Rio Dulce was an eco hotel... With 2 toilets for all 30 bungalows! We settled into the hotel and decided on our activities for the next day before dinner and drinks with another GAdventures group.

The next day we had a lazy morning and lay out by the pool until 3pm when we had horseriding. We rode for around 2hrs and stopped to climb up a 4 story tower. Unfortunately the horses weren't in the best shape which was a little sad.

Our travel day to Flores wasn't too bad, only 5hrs in a bus. Once we arrived we unpacked and went on a sunset boat cruise around the islands. We had a little swim before dinner. A Vegie burger later and it was time for me to go to bed before our 6.30 wake up time to go to the ancient myan ruins of Tikal.

- K x

Crazy days

For our last full day in Antigua the girls and I took it pretty slow. We walked around markets, hiked up to the famous viewpoint and got our nails done (priorities).
That night we did Salsa classes with the group which was hilarious, we are all terrible.

The next day we caught 5 hrs worth of chicken busses up to Panajachel... I genuinely thought I was going to die. Once there we walked around the town and markets and settled into our hotel by sunbaking on the lawn. For dinner we met up with Jean from our old group and had some amazing Paella.

Day 2 in Panajachel we went to breakfast and had some amazing banana pancakes, then went back to the hotel to pack up ready to go to our home stay in San Juan, a mostly Mayan speaking town.

A 45 minute boat ride later and we met our families. I stayed with the organiser and her two year old daughter  which was lucky as she spoke a bit of Spanish and English. We walked around the town as a group and learnt about how they made organic medicines and textiles from scratch.

It was getting late so we headed back to our houses for dinner and to play with the little girl.

Tomorrow we are heading back to Antigua.

- K x

Ouch.

After drinking enough tequila for a small nation, those of us who hadn't left yet pulled ourselves out of bed at 12ish and went for a walk, shop and lunch.

Then we had a little nap and met our new group at 6.30.

We went out for dinner with them but were all so exhausted from the night before that we were tucked up in bed by 9.30.

Tomorrow is another free day in Antigua so we may have a girlie spa day...

- K x

Last Day - Part 1

Today was our last day with the first group and it was a bit of a sad one.

We had an 8 hr bus ride from Copan to Antigua and on the way stopped for lunch and a guy was selling puppies on a bicycle... Abbey almost got a new friend for the low price of $40!

Once we arrived Ricardo took us on a tour of Antigua, it is the old capital of Guatamala which was destroyed by a flood from the Volcano waters.

Then it was time for dinner, we went to an Australian bar for a drink first then to a super expensive restaurant (I paid $20 for a main and a cocktail) for dinner.

At dinner we decided to do a bit of a mini roast of everyone in the group. So we each had a piece of paper with our name on it that was handed around and everyone wrote something on it. We then headed up to the rooftop and everyone read their sheet out. By the end of it everyone was in tears from laughing so hard. Emma and I probably got it the worst but there was nothing too mean written so it was all taken in jest.

Then we went out, and boy did we go hard. We got into a club and were told ladies drank for free... thats when the tequila and body shots started. Somehow by midnight we ended up dancing on tables in the VIP section.

Clubs in Antigua shut at 1am so we went to an illegal bar afterwards until 3 and went a bit crazy. The bar then closed so we made our way home, stopping by the ruins to all stand on a podium and make a speech. The Canadian boys had to leave at 4 so we all waved them off and went to bed.

Tomorrow will not be a fun day...

- K x

Copan

Today we went to the ruins in Copan.

They were absolutely incredible and the area is called the Paris of the Mayan Empire due to the detailed 3D art everywhere.

The area was home to around 30,000 Mayans including the royal family of the area. We were able to see the small stadium where they played a ball game (the captain of the winning team was sacrificed) and stand where the king would have addressed his people.

We all got attacked by midges and mosquitos while we were there so after a healthy dose of bug spray we went for a walk and some lunch.

After lunch we all just had some quiet time before a bit of a shop and dinner. A few of us went to a bar that shows films and watched 'The Drop' (it's terrible) before heading to bed as we have a big travel day tomorrow!

- K x

Sorry!

Sorry for being awol the last few days. I've been quite sick so any moment I've had to myself I've been sleeping.
Heres a recap of the last week:

Poneloya - On our day in Poneloya we did... not much. Sunbaking on the beach, playing in the water and drinking tropical cocktails. That night we let of about 20 fireworks including blowing up a piñata puppy that we named 'Boom Boom'.

The next day was a massive travel day to El Salvador, 14hrs including 2 boats! For the last 5 hrs Greg and I had a great set up at the back of the bus, my tablet, a headphone splitter, popcorn and a few movies. It made the trip somewhat bearable. We arrived in Suchito El Salvador at around 9pm and were put into rooms of 4 to sleep. Em and I bunked with the 2 other Australian girls Darci and Elyse so it was just like a big slumber party.

We were able to explore the town a bit the next morning before driving 4 hrs to Ataco, El Salvador. This was the height of my illness so after dinner I went straight to bed.

The next day people went off to do waterfall jumping etc but i thought ot best to have a sleep in and take it easy. When the others arrived back I had a late lunch with them and we all went to the hotsprings that afternoon. That evening everyone was buggered so it was just crepes for dinner then bed.

We travelled 6 hrs the next day over 2 boarders to reach Copan, Honduras. This is where some of the 'most important' Myan ruins are which we will go to tomorrow. Everyone went out but I'm still fighting this cold so am going to give it a rest until our last night as a group in Antigua. From then Elyse, Darci, Em and myself leave everyone and continue on through Guatemala and Belize finishing in Mexico!!

Internet is shocking here in Copan so photos to come later!!

- K x

Grenada City Tour

Finally a sleep in!

After my first night in a room alone we all got ready for our 10am pick up to go on our tour of Grenada, Nicaragua.

We went and saw a few churches in the city, they're very colourful and Spanish as Grenada is the first place the Spanish settled in Nicaragua.

A boat tour of the little private islands followed, you can buy your own for around $140k!

We then got to swim in a volcanic crater that was filled with water it was a massive lake (I was expecting something small)

Finally we got to go up an active volcano. The views were amazing but the smell was terrible! We saw the sun set then looked over the edge and saw the glow from the lava.

We got home at around 8 and were all exhausted so ordered in Pizza and had a quiet night.

Volcano boarding tomorrow.

- K x

Volcano boarding

Still in Nicaragua, we left Grenada and headed 4hrs towards Poneloya.

On the way there was a vital stop... Cerro Negro, the volcano we boarded down.

Somehow like an idiot I once again chose and paid to hike 1km at a 45° angle up a volcano.

Boarding down was fun though! We reached speeds on sleds of up to 50km!

Once all sweaty, dusty and finished we got on the bus and headed to the beach town of Poneloya for a bit of R&R.

We are staying at a hostel all 16 of us together in the same room so this should get interesting...

- K x

Grenada

Today was a bit of a nothing day.
We were picked up from our homestay in Ometepe at 6am and took the 5hr journey via ferry and chicken bus to Grenada.

We arrived, had lunch then chill out time by the pool before dinner in town.

Tomorrow we are going on a tour of grenada including a volcano and islands.

- K x

Scooting in Ometepe

Today we went Mopeding around the island of Ometepe, Nicaragua.  Yes Mum I know my insurance didn't cover it and yes it was dangerous but wow was it fun.

We had a beyond awkward breakfast with our families then the Canadian boys, the Yank, an Aussie girl the tour guide and Emma and I met and hired little mopeds for the day.

After a few not so impressive crashes (in the sand, no broken bones!) We were confidently off zipping around the island.we paired up and trusted the boys with our lives as they zipped through Ometepe. Greg (the american) and I definitely got the slowest, oldest one and as a result got lost a few times.

We drove about an hour and a half over every surface imaginable (the roads in Nicaragua are not up to Melbournes standard) then we finally arrived at the base entrance to a waterfall. We started walking up only to be told it would be a 1.5hr hike. Ricardo started ferrying us up via dirt bike in order to make the journey quicker... it didn't... from the parking area (around 3km up) it still took us around 2hrs with rest breaks to hike up! If anyone had told me I'd be hiking a volcano I would have laughed in their face!

Although the journey was tough the waterfall and views were amazing and almost worth the hike. It was then 4pm and we all realized we hadn't eaten since 7am so went off to a natural spring attached to a resort for lunch. Like the true Westerners we are we all ordered some form of burgers and fries (in fairness we've been surviving on beans and rice for a week straight now!). We then headed back but it started to turn dark and our little moped lights were no help at all so we rode home at about 30km an hour!

We arrived home and had a big bonfire and a couple of drinks to celebrate the fact that everyone had survived the day!

Off to Grenada tomorrow at 6am!

- K x

12 hours...

Wow. Today was a doozy.

We woke up at 5.45 to ensure all of our stuff was packed and ready for the massive 12hrs ahead of us.

We started off with a 5hr bus ride with some stops along the way. Almost everyone slept until our 7.30 breakfast stop! 

From there it was another 1.5hrs to a waterfall, along the way we played my music (we have a system where people get bullied to play their music) so everyone enjoyed the Taylor Swift and other embarassing Pop songs I had!

The waterfall was pretty but only 4 people went in, I think the rest of us didnt want to spend the next 8 hrs wet on a bus!

From there pretty much everyone slept until our first boarder crossing from Costa Rica to Nicaragua. It was a massive ordeal, we were lucky we were prepared with our exit taxes or we would have been waiting 2-3hrs in line for that. It took about 30mins to leave the country then we had to walk across the boarder!

The walk was only about 500 meters so not too bad, we got Ebola checked which was pretty exciting!!

The worst part was being stuck in "no mans land" for around 2hrs while Ricardo took our passports to process for our visas into Nicaragua.

Finally, after a few hours he returned back and we had to pass through the most unofficial immigration ever. 2 men in a uniform guarding a gate... which went into a market!!

The "Chicken Bus" or public bus was next. They use old American school busses and cram as many people as they can on. We got really lucky and all got a squishy seat. We were on there for an hour and saw the 2 volcanos of Ometepe.

After a 45 minute ferry ride we FINALLY arrived at our destination of the island of Ometepe at which we got to see an amazing sunset.

We met the families we are staying with and went home. Em and I are staying with a non english family which make chatting to them difficult. We ended up going to bed at 7.30 and watching Mamamia as we didnt know what else to do!

Tomorrow is going to be interesting ...

- K x

Zipping around Monteverde

Still in Monteverde, today we went on the longest Zipline in Latin America. It was around 1.5kms going 100km an hour at about 180 meters tall!

It was scary to begin with but after a while it became super fun seeing the beautiful cloud forests at such speed and height!

Afterwards we went for lunch and a big walk around the town.

Half of the group went bungie jumping so I went along for the ride as official photographer!

That night we had a Costa Rican buffet dinner with a big bonfire. Due to being so high up in the cloud forest its constantly drizzling so it was nice to get warm and dry for a bit!

Then we went salsa dancing at a nightclub. Some of the boys surprised us with their moves but most had 2 left feet!

We unsuccessfully tried to play wingmen to the boys but ended giving up at midnight as we had a 6am bus ride!

On the way home we made a little puppy friend who was adorable. He was so cuddly, blonde, fluffy and playful I wanted to ship him home to play with Abbey!!

- K x

P.s. photos from Ziplining are on a disc so wont be uploading for a little while

The last 2 days...

Sorry for not posting the last 2 days, Internet has been terrible (not surprising given the tiny town we are in...)          

New Years day in La Fortuna was a slow one for me as most of the activities were high intensity (climbing down watefalls etc). So I walked into town, had a look around then chilled with some other people who weren't participating in activites.

That night we went to the natural hotsprings which were amazing. Steamy hot water coming off the volcanos and super stong currents were pulling us in every direction. I think everyone at some point fell over!

After that a few of us just had a cheap dinner in the town and went home to bed.

The next day we went by bus and boat to Monteverde - still in Costa Rica. It took around 3hrs to get to which wasn't too bad. Its at the top of a mountain and was raining heaps, which was so funny as the rain here goes sideways due to the winds from the Caribbean and Pacific oceans!

We all had lunch together and decided to do a rain forest walk. We saw a few cute animals and walked over some super high suspension bridges which was pretty cool.

Some of the group then went on a night hike but due to my poor eyesight I opted for an early night before ziplining tomorrow!!

Photo to come... have to track down Emma when we are in a wifi zone to get some good shots!

- K x

New Years Eve

La Fortuna is only a short 3hr bus ride away from San José and it's where we journeyed to on the second day of the trip. A few embarassing tunes and an Abbey look alike sighting later we arrived. The weather is typical tropical weather, on and off raining, cloudy, warm and humid.

We then all had a lunch of traditional Costa Rican food, Casado which is meat, rice, beans, corn chips and salad... it's huge! We went for a walk around town (about 15min stroll from our hotel) then set off for a waterfall to have a swim in.

The waterfall was under a road bridge which was kind of weird. To get in we had to jump 2 meters into the water that was only 8ft deep so I opted out of that one but about 1/2 went swimming.

We then checked into our hotels had some downtime and started getting ready for the spa (man made) hot springs. They were amazing, 10 pools ranging fro  25°c to 50°c and we sat in them while it was raining. We were there from 6.30 till 10 and had dinner at the traditional style buffet.Our bus forgot to come and pick us up so the tour guide Ricardo organised taxis instead.

After a super quick shower and change of clothes we were ready to go ring in the new year Costa Rican style. Sipping on sugar cane rum and orange juice we dance the night away at an outdoor concert with live Latin American music. It had been raining all day so the field was full of mud, making the experience all the more fun! At midnight the fireworks went off and continued for around an hour, which is when the torrential rain started! We were all filthy anyway so just continued attempting to dance like all the locals until we got pulled up on stage by the host. There was hardly anyone left at this point so we danced on the stage as a big group for around half an hour before heading home.

Thinking getting clean was a good idea at 3am we all stood in the pool up to our thighs unsuccessfully trying to wash the dirt off. We then headed back to the Canadian's cabin and played Cards Against Humanity before heading off to bed at 4.15!

Some of the crew have to be up at 7am tomorrow for the Waterfall jumping activities tomorrow but as thats not a great idea post microdiscectomy I may treat myself to a sleep in and explore some more before going to the natural hot springs in the afternoon.

Adios

- K x