We are currently on a one week vacation between semesters here in Nicaragua (the school year runs from February to December). As a result, I decided to take advantage of the free time and go visit a fellow volunteer, Matt, and see the famous El Castillo and Rio San Juan.
I took off on a Sunday morning, having to travel to Managua first in order to grab a direct bus to get to San Carlos, Rio San Juan. Luckily, a fellow PCV - Bob was heading back to his site (El Castillo) and we were able to get the last two seats on the bus together! It's always nicer to travel 5 hours on a bus with a buddy.
 |
| Bob and I on the bus to San Carlos, Rio San Juan |
When we arrived, we saw that the sun had finally peaked through the clouds and it was actually going to be a beautiful sunset, so as soon as we met up with Matt we ran down to the Malecon (the pier) to watch the sun set. It was beautiful and a perfect end to a long day on buses.
 |
| Sunset over Rio San Juan and Lake Nicaragua |
After the sunset, we headed to the local pizza joint owned by a German.
And we have good pizza here in Matagalpa but man, was this good. It
might be the best pizza in all of Nicaragua... in San Carlos none the
less.
 |
| Matt with his pizza and beer |
 |
| Bob with his pizza, yes he ate it all by himself. |
|
Monday, we all headed to Bob's site El Castillo which is located about 1.5 hours from San Carlos in a fast boat, or 3 hours in a slow one, down the Rio San Juan (Yes its the name of the department and the river itself). Here is the story of El Castillo in case you are interested:
El Castillo
 |
| A full boat! |
 |
| Bob and I had to sit in the back of the boat, but no worries that's where the cool kids sit! |
 |
| Matt and I on our way to El Castillo |
 |
| Military shooting the breeze on the river |
 |
| My two friends I made on the boat, a grandmother and her grandaughter, she gave me a banana and a hug when she left! |
 |
| The River San Juan |
 |
| El Castillo from a Distance |
 |
| A view of the small town from the river with El Castillo on the hill |
 |
| Downtown El Castillo |
 |
| Me and the Rapids at El Castillo |
We spent the afternoon wandering around the small town and visiting the fort. It was interesting to get to read about the pirate history that has affected Nicaragua and the Carribean. And it's not all like the movies project!
 |
| The hotel at El Castillo where we stayed |
 |
| The famous Castillo |
 |
| The umbrella was a suggestion by the Nicaraguan taking my picture :) |
 |
| Me and the boys |
Well that's enough for now... more to follow soon. I will try to update with the rest of the weeks adventures on Sunday! Make good choices!
Looks like a fun trip. Glad you were able to do something fun and interesting on your school break. Love the beautiful sunset! Hope you were able to recover from your vacation. Sending lots of love your way.
ReplyDeleteAwesome river. Question re: history of El Castillo. When Rafaela Herrera shot several shots at the British, did she get shot? Does she have something named after her? Needs to be googled.
ReplyDelete