We finally left Guatemala

After two days on an air conditioned bus, we arrived in Nicaragua. We decided to skip through El Salvador as we wanted lots of time in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Also the fact that El Salvador is the most deforested country in CA was not too enticing to us.

We spent our last days in Guatemala on the Rio Dulce. Once again we visited our friend Bob from PT and some friends we made on our last visit. We had a great time, it was relaxing to return to a place we had been and felt familiar with, plus it hardly rained while we were there!

Nicaragua took some getting used to. It felt a bit like going to Canada-- I know it is a different country yet I expect it to be the same. It is obvious that it is poorer than neighboring countries, which is hard to fathom.

The buildings are in need of repair and most of the streets smell like a sewer or cheese that has been left out in the sun. It is also extremely hot, as hot as I imagine the savannah in Africa. We found some refuge in a crater at Lago Apoyo and plan to be at the beach before sundown. Internet is also a challenge here, we got spoiled in Guatemala.

We also cant understand anyones Spanish here. I was feeling kind of proud of myself for being able to chat with people on the street. Here I cant understand when someone asks me if I want a bag at the grocery store. Kevin and I are in constant disagreement over whether the woman we passed in the street said "hello sweetie" or "give me money for shoes". Ah, well...its pretty amusing when you think about it. We persevere and still manage to have a pretty good time.

Hasta Luego, Chrissy and Kevin