Panamericana

18.05.09

What a bad night! The 8-bed-dorm I‘ m sleeping in was occupied again last night. Actually it was overbooked. A guy came in the room around 10 pm and asserted that someone else was sleeping in his bed;). Sleeping, oh yeah. I hardly slept at all last night. At first a guy was snorring – it actually sounded more like he was dieying – for a couple of hours. After that I was wide awake and didn‘ t sleep ‚til 2:30am or so. When I woke up around 7:30am I was so tired – and of course I didn‘ t hit the road today. This hostel makes it pretty easy NOT to leave. There are some quiet areas to chill here, some hammocks, a balcony, a kitchen, free wi-fi, hot showers, comfortable beds and included breakfast consisting of Pancakes, fruits, coffee and tea. The pedestrian mall is only a few blocks up the road and a grocery store just around the corner – all pretty convenient.

Since I had hardly seen anything of the city so far I wlked around for a while together with Sonja (from the Regensburg-area). We saw some nice plazas and cathedrals just before the rain started again. It‘ s usually pretty hard rain, but it makes the air cool of and makes the temperature very pleasant. Short stop at the grocery store on our way back where I bought some more Milka chocalate;-).

17.05.09

Today I met a swiss couple at the hostel. They cycled in Patagonia and will cycle around Costa Rica now for about 2 months. Other than that not much exciting happened today. I fixed the flat tire I got on my trailer on my way from the bus-terminal to the hostel – I just love my new bike-pump!!! 

16.05.09

What I did today? Well, do you really wanna know? I got up at 5:30 am (Why can I never get up that early and easy on cycling days? I know, I asked before – but didn‘ t get an answer;-)), wandered through the Tranquilo Hostel and spent some time at on of the several computers they have here. An hour later I sneaked back into my bed in the 8-bed-dormitory – where the air was pretty thin by that time. I rested a while before it was time for the included pancake-breakfast and a cup of coffee.

Then, in the afternoon when I was just playing some stupid computer-game, Rabecka and Aden from New Zealand walked into my the room. What a surprise! We stayed at the same hostel in Oaxaca about 2 months ago! They are backpacking and on their way to South America.

It‘ s wet-season here now and so it started to rain for quite a while around 1pm. Later I had a late lunch at BK;-). On my way back I stopped at a grocery-store, the first one I‘ ve been to in Costa Rica. And what can I say? They had a pretty good variety there and it was a lot more expensive than in the other countries of Central America which I‘ ve been to.

And then I saw it, the purple package, and couldn‘ t resist: Milka Chocolate with nuts!!!

Exciting day, he?

Surprised, he? How I got here so quickly and why – I‘ ll tell you tomorrow. 

Good night

Anja 

Ok, it‘ s not tomorrow anymore, but I‘ ll tell you anyway.

Since I only got a 5-day-transit-visa for Nicaragua there was no way that I could cycle all the way to the border to Costa Rica. So I took a bus from Managua to Costa Rica. The ticket cost 22 US $. It was no problem to put the bike on the bus and they didn‘ t charge me for it.

The bus left Managua at 7am. I got a glimpse of the Lago de Nicaragua, Central americas largest sweet-water lake.  Actually I had planed to take a boat across the Lake and stop at the Isla de Ometepe in the Lake – but that‘ s history.

Crossing the border on the bus was pretty easy. At the migracion of Costa Rica everybody had to take their luggage out of the bus, put it on a bench and open it for a check which wasn‘ t taken too serious. A guy who worked obviously for the customs told me that I could leave my bike AND the trailer on the bus. „No custom-check for you“, he told me. Ok, fine with me, I thought. Then he pushed me a bit to the side and told me that I should give him a tip now. I asked him why. He said because he didn‘ t check my luggage. I told him to check it then, but he was obviously not interested in it. He wished me a good trip in a not too happy voice and walked away.

After climbing quite a lot we reached San José duly at 5pm. Together with Birte from Germany I looked for a hostel recommended in my guide-book, but it wasn‘ t where it was supposed to be. The second choice was easier to find. The staff at the „Hostal Tranquilo“ wasn‘ t very tranquil at the beginning though, they were rather unfriendly. We stayed anyway. Then walked up the road a bit to get dinner. I was starvimg! A double-hamburger and fries and a beer. I felt a lot better after that. Birte always seemed to be kind of confused what made me laugh at first and then just annoyed me. For example she had her money hidden at different places in her bag and on her body. Then she always thought she lost some money, or rather that it was stolen. Too much for me after a long day.

Though a guy in my room snorred a lot I slept pretty good. Guess I was glad that I left Nicaragua without any other problems…

Hey, just a short note.

I‘ m in Nicaragua now.  The people here are very friendly, but the heat is a killer! León is a pretty nice City, the Lazybones Hostal I‘ m staying at is great – the place to hang out for a while if it wasn‘ t so hot.

Gotta get going!

Anja

09.05.09

Pespire – Choluteca

66km, 4:14h, Ø 15,5km/h, 373hm

We left at 7:10am, early start for me;-). Unfortunately it was already hot and very humid by that time. It was a nice ride, there were some short climbs but nothing serious. We just sat in the shade of a tienda when a family on bikes stopped there as well. It was a french family with 2 little boys, 5 and 7 years old. They bought their bikes in Costa Rica and are cycling to Cancun, Mexico. They didn‘ t have panniers but big bags tied to their bike-racks. I can‘ t believe those 2 boys are cycling on single-bikes! Very impressive – but also very dangerous if you ask me!

We are very close to the Pacific now and cycled by the Golfo de Fonseca.

Choluteca is supposed to be the hottest city in Honduras – and that might be true;-).

After a small controversy, dispute, disagreement – I don‘ t even know what to call it – between Michael and me we – unfortunately – split up.

Now I‘ m at Pizza Hut, because of the free wi-fi – and in a while I‘ ll go back to my air-conditioned hotel-room and get ready to cross the border into Nicaragua tomorrow.

Anja

08.05.09

Tegucigalpa – Pespire

81,8km, 5:14h, Ø 15,4km/h, 1012hm, max. speed 70km/h

We said goodbye to Claudia and the Vogel Family and left Tegucigalpa after a pleasant stay at the house of Claudia and her family (muchas gracias again for your hospitality!!!). We knew that there would be a big climb to get out of Tegucigalpa (950m el.). It was a long climb and when we got to the top (1450m) it didn‘ t flaten out like so many people told as. After a nice downhill ride there was another climb. The road dropped down to about 200m, but after that it was all up and down again.

The people on the way were very friendly and vivid, waving and greeting from the side of the road. It was so different from cycling in the north of Tegucigalpa and at the Caribbean Sea, where they were much more reserved. Around 5pm we reached Pespire. We checked out the hotel there which seemed to be very nice, but they wanted an incredible price for their rooms.

We weren‘ t sure if we could make it to the next town before dark. Finally Michael asked at the police-station. The guy he talked to there wasn‘ t very helpful. When we just wanted to leave another police-officer came and said that a business place just up the road was operated by americans. We stopped there and Michael convinced them to let us stay there. We pitched our tents in a large and clean room, there were even restrooms with showers, it couldn‘ t have been better.

We finished dinner at the only open restaurant in town just before it started to rain.

Anja

o2.05.09

Time is running. Can‘ t believe it‘ s already may!

I was ready to leave by 8am but had to wait for a while for someone to open the parkinlot where my bike was parked. I was glad that it was still there and the 3 big dogs didn‘ t destroy it!

It was already hot by 8:30am and sweat was already dripping on the sidewalk while I loaded my bike. The first 40 km were easy rolling, but then the climbing started. I had several refresco and some banana-breaks – and another flat tire. I can‘ t believe it! 3 young girls and a little boy observed me while doing that. They were so cute and I really wanted to take a picture of them, but their mother wasn‘ t so friendly before and so I let it be.

I stopped at a hotel next to the lake Yojoa  (or what‘ s the name of that lake again???). Hotel-room 40 US$, camping 6 US$. Easy decision. I pitched my tent and ate dinner at the restaurant. It was raining a bit and I didn‘ t feel like cooking. With my Hamburger I had a Salva Vida, the national beer, which I don‘ t really like that much. So one was enough. Being right next to the lake means that there are many mosquitos here as well. At 6pm it was already dark. So I guess I‘ ll go to bed early and try to get an early start tomorrow to catch up with the 2 cycling families. That means a 90km day with lot of climbing is waiting for me tomorrow.

Good night

Anja

01.05.09

Another rest-day today! I just couldn‘ t get going this morning. So I hang out in my airconditioned room pretty much all day – and got a sore throat. I wanted to go to a bikeshop but it was closed. It was a public holiday today, labourday just like in Germany. What a surprise. Now I‘ m wondering if there would have been a „Maifeuer“ somewhere yesterday as well???!!!???

However, that was my day.

Anja