It was always my plan to go to Leon first since it’s the first city in the north-west of Nicaragua that I wanted to visit. But then I met Logan on Roatan who told me about this amazing place called Surfing Turtle Lodge where he has been for two weeks. He told me it is 20km away from Leon on the Pacific coast and even though it’s only open for 6 month everyone in Leon would know it. Unfortunately, the taxi drivers I talk to don’t. I get in the car with one them and we start driving around Leon. On the first look it has nothing of the flair Antigua offers to his visitors. But right now I don’t really care about that and just hope that we find someone who can actually tell us how to get to Isla Los Brasiles. After asking around without success I get the information I need on the internet and we are on the way. When we get to Poneloya, a small town on the coast we ask around and finally find the office from Surfing Turtle Lodge. From there a boat brings me on the island. It’s already dark so that I can’t see anything when we start walking through the sand. Hector, a young local kid that brought me over, offers me his service to carry one of my backpacks which is a huge help since my big one is loaded with books and the weight on my shoulder is killing me while the handles cut in my flash since this suit case is supposed to be used as a drolly. Originally I planed to stay here for two days but already after 10 minutes walking I know that I am not leaving that soon and carry this stuff the same way back. Hector tells me some stuff about him, the Lodge and the turtles but I don’t make an effort to listen to him. My bare feet sinks deep in the sand and after two days of travelling my energy level is almost at zero but the sound of the ocean takes my mind of that and let me carry on. It’s like the power of the ocean recharges my batteries. After 25 minutes we finally reach the lodge and Dave welcomes me at his place. From the first minute I get the vibe Logan has been telling me about and I feel like home.
Isla los Brasiles is 25km long and 2km wide. Only 35 locals live on the island and there are a few villas from people who come down here for 2 or 3 weeks in a year. The lodge is right at the beach less than 50 meters away from the ocean. It has 3 cabanas, 2 private rooms and a dorm with 12 beds. I chose the dorm for 10 bucks a night. With me are 2 Australians which are absolutely chilled out, just like all other Australian I have met so far. When I get my luggage up I come down again and order a Ray filet for dinner. When it is served I am absolutely surprised about the quality of the food as well as the way it is presented. Dave tells me that Jason, the chef, is his friend from Toronto and has been working there as a chef for many years in fancy places. From that moment I know that I will love this place! After this delicious dinner Adam, Ben and I make a walk along the beach to see if we can see some turtles but return without any success. However, later that night, when everybody is already asleep and only Dave and I are chatting in the lounge, a local comes over to us and brings us to a place where a turtle was lying her eggs. When we come she is already finished and we can only see her turning around and making its way back into the ocean. The next morning my mind is already moving around and I think about how long to stay here and where to cut the time. I end up reducing my stay in Costa Rica from 2 weeks down to nothing and I am absolutely happy about it. Costa Rica is the most expensive country in this part of the world and overrun by tourists, especially from the US. It never really appealed to me to go there but since it was on the way…now that I found this idyllic hideaway place I am in no rush to leave, especially since I can safe some money here too. I ask Dave if I can volunteer here for a while and he is more than happy to have me on board. And that’s how it all begins.
The crew
Dave, Jason and Rajni are all from Toronto were they worked in restaurants before they came here. Dave is originally from Hungary but his family fled before the communist system broke down and were offered a visa in Canada. He and I are getting on from the first night when we get to know each other a little and the more I get to know him the more he reminds me of one of my best friends in Germany - his stories and even little things (eg. his gesticulation when he thinks carefully, his love to detail etc.). Dave tells me how the previous manager, a guy he knew from Toronto, asked him to come down to Nicaragua and take over his position. He didn’t have to think about it twice, packed his few belongings and came down here. But after a few weeks he started to realize that his predecessor left him with a lot of trouble. He didn’t pay the bills so that the lodge did even get into trouble with the police. Treated his staff badly, so that the locals didn’t like him. Invited friends from Leon for the weekends down here to after-parties. All in all, I wonder what traveler thought about this place before. I don’t think Logan would have told me about it if it was still the same. Anyway, Dave, step by step, started to sort things out. What I really like about him, and in general appreciate about people, is, that he came down here to Nicaragua and didn’t behave like a big asshole who comes from the western world and knows everything better. He started talking to the locals and asked them for advice how to do things the right way and gave people work. When you have this kind of attitude people will always respect you wherever you go and will make your life a lot easier. He picked up Spanish without going to school, although the French and Latin he studied in college helped him big time. Still, when I hear him talking to the locals I am seriously impressed by his level after only 4 month. This way Dave managed to make this place to a paradise for backpackers like me – totally chilled out location where you feel home from the first moment you enter the lounge.
To bring Jason down here was another great idea from Dave. Traveling in Central America you don’t really expect fine dining. There are some places like Antigua with pretty decent restaurants but all in all you cant compare it with the choices we have back home. On an island with only one restaurant which belongs to the lodge you have even less expectation and you are happy if you get at least a few choices. But the lower your expectations are the easier it is to exceed them and a chef who learnt his trade in fine dining not only exceeds them, he smashes them! J is originally from Korea but grew up in Toronto. He looks like a chef, Kim, who I worked with in a restaurant in London. Easy going and totally chilled out he tells me that one day Dave told him to move his ass down there and without having a clue what its gonna be like he bought a flight and came down here. His return flight is in November but, and that’s not a big surprise for me, he is not going to go back to Toronto. Why would he!?!
Rajni is Dave’s girlfriend, an art student who worked in the kitchen to raise money for her studies. Dave and she met just before he came down here and I am really impressed that she came here without knowing him. But then, and I totally agree with that, sometimes you meet people and from the first moment you start feeling that you have known them forever. When I grew older and knew what to look for in people I had quite a few such experiences and developed very close friendships with some of the people I met over the time. Rajni is pretty cool and outspoken and gives this place the female touch that it would be missing with only Dave and J here. Back in Toronto she made a name in the art scene despite still being a student. She organized art shows, encouraged students to start making money while still studying by making sellable art, built networks for foreign art students in Toronto in order to help them in all areas etc. Impressive!
Saving turtles
Before I came here I knew nothing about turtles. The first time I saw one was on the snorkeling trip on Caye Caulker. I was swimming right next to her for a bit which was pretty cool. But after a few days here I learn how they lay their eggs and how human beings are on the way of eradicate them. Dennis, one of the guests at the lodge in the first days of my stay, is working for a NGO which tries to protect turtles from distinction. He tells us that turtles come to lay their eggs after 15 years on the same beach where they were born. Unfortunately, the locals here love to eat their eggs and thus you can see night after night plenty of them running around along the beach waiting for a turtle to come out of the water. Once she has laid her eggs and disappears in the dark of the ocean, they take out the eggs and sell them on the market. The amount of money they are making with it is ridiculously small and they all know that the number of turtles to come to the beach decreases year after year. But that doesn’t stop here anyone from doing it until one day no turtle comes to lay their eggs on this beach. Growing up here you don’t think that far ahead and it needs people like Dennis to come and start helping this creatures. Dave is totally inspired by Dennis´ information and while Dennis is here with his girlfriend we build a nest under his instructions where we can put the eggs. Just when we are done with it Dennis goes with some locals along the beach at night and comes back with 100 eggs from one turtle. They have the seize of a ping pong ball and Dennis tells me that 100 is on the bottom line of what a turtle lays and that it can go up to 150 eggs, which is pretty stunning. He shows us how to dig the whole and explains all the little details that Dave needs to know for the future. When all eggs are in the hole we seal it and in 2 month from now hopefully a huge number of the 100 eggs will turn into little turtles that will, give they survive the wild life in the ocean, come back 15 years later to create more life on this planet.
How I fell in love with the Pacific Ocean
The first time I have been at the Pacific Ocean was in Monterrico in Guatemala. It was the second day of my journey and Gabie, an Austrian woman who stayed with me at Tomas’ house invited me to come with her. We went there just for the day but the impression I got was sooo bad that I actually never wanted to go back to the Pacific again. Monterrico is a small and ugly place which only exist to serve the tourist or locals who come here for the weekend. It has some restaurants, bars and some places to stay…and that’s it. But the weirdest thing for me was the black sand on the beach which I was told is due to the volcano eruptions and is very typical for the Pacific coast. Lying on black sand and sunbathing didn’t appeal to me and so I never wanted to see the Pacific again. Well, you know how the saying goes – never say never – and so when I met Logan and heard about this place I forgot all about that I didn’t want to go back to the Pacific. Definitely the right decision! Already when I arrived and walked down the beach to the lodge the sound of the waves had something so magical and powerful that it got to me. The idea of falling asleep and waking up to the sound of it made me absolutely happy. But it was not until the third day that I realized how much I love the Pacific.
It was Thursday, 2nd September, and I had to go to Leon to call my mom and buy some chocolates. I came back before sunset and when I turned around a corner I could hear the sound of the ocean again and suddenly felt that I missed it the whole day in the city. When I arrived at the lodge I changed my cloth and went swimming. Swimming in the water, fighting against the mighty waves I realized how much I love swimming in the Pacific. Now you have to know that I actually don’t like swimming at all. Its too slow for me and I always needs some action whatever I do. In the Caribbean Sea I always went into the water when I needed to call down but that was it. On the other side, here I cant wait to get into the water and swim, or, when the water level is low, just walk far outside and wait for the waves, facing them frontally, trying to stand my ground. Because of its strong current the Pacific has cost many peoples life – of those who were over-confident or just taken by surprise. Therefore, many people don’t even bother to swim in it or don’t go too far inside. I am not a great swimmer so some might say that I am one of those over-confident idiots who just ride their luck. Never mind, knowing the danger, I swam 30 meter out the first time I was in the water and from that moment never looked back.
So that day when I came back from Leon, swimming in the water, I started to compare the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific. I came to see the Caribbean Sea as a perfect woman. She is stunning when you look at her and there not one little thing that doesn’t fit – starting from her outfit, to her haircut and down to her perfect body and beautiful face. But you know what, and that’s obviously just my personal taste, there is something missing. After looking at her for a while you get bored because she is too smooth, to perfect, but doesn’t have the special ingredient – passion and character. That’s how I feel about the Caribbean’s. I can stay there for a few days and enjoy myself but then quickly get bored and leave. Contrary, the Pacific Ocean is something totally different. Its beaches don’t have the fine white sand. The water is not crystal clear. It is dark and once you are trying to get into the water its current tries to draw you inside. Every day the waves are different and I don’t remember when I last enjoyed swimming that much. At least 3 times a day I get into the water and start fighting with the waves. My favorite time is either in the morning after my first coffee or when the waves are high and powerful. For me the Pacific is like a woman with a strong character, the one who wouldn’t back down or just let it go and agree to something without letting you know her opinion. When you fall for this kind of women they can make you walk on clouds on a good day. But you can bet on it that there will be days when a storm would come up and everything around you becomes dark. You struggle to keep your head above water not knowing how long the storm will go on and whether your energy will last to see the end. But its not only the swimming that makes me love the ocean. Falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the waves is something incredible. After waking up I prepare myself hot water for the coffee and walk down to the water. For an hour I sit there doing nothing else than staring out on the sea. My mind is free and floating somewhere out there on the ocean. At this time of the day I am absolutely alone on the beach and only Chancha, the dog from the lodge, is with me. While she is hunting the crabs I watch the day arrive to the crashing of the waves. What a way to start the day, don’t you agree? That’s what makes me enjoy this ocean and will make me want come back to it in the future.
Night fishing
It was the first night at the lodge and I was sitting at the beach watching out to the horizon. Far away were two types of lights - one that came from the lightening and the other from the fisher boats out there. In that moment I wished I could be out there standing on the deck while the boat would be going up and down like a rollercoaster. I have never been out on the ocean but a day trip isn’t enough for me. Just like always I am looking for the most challenging situation to see what I am capable of and enjoy the adrenaline rush. There was a time in my life when I needed the adrenalin just like other would need the air to breathe. My love for adventures goes way back to my childhood. Once, as a 5 year old, I have escaped my grandparents´ house through the kitchen window and ran around at night through the deserted streets of Nikolajew. This was the first time that my heart was beating twice as fast as normal, pumping adrenalin through my body. I guess it was a defining moment in my life paving my way to the life I had and eventually bringing me here.
I spoke to Dave about it and he told me that it would be possible to do a trip since he knew the fisherman in Poneloya. He himself has been on a boat during the day but would love to go at night s well. It takes more than a week to materialize but finally we can go on Friday the 9th. On Thursday night Dave decides to knock him out after the neighbor, an American guy who owns the villa next door, invites them to his place. The next day he doesn’t come down once and I am on my own on the way to Poneloya. Even though the weather is nice the waves are high and the water reaches far onto the beach. In this moment I wonder if I was doing the right thing because a few days before two Irish blokes went on a day trip and I could see the pics from it. In that moment could see that my idea of the fisher boat was totally wrong. The boat I was going to go on wouldn’t have a cabin where I could stay watching the storm. It was a simple motorboat (9m*1.8m) which would serve for 4 to 5 people. Now with that in mind I looked at my trip from a totally different perspective – a rather unpleasant. Having Dave not with me on board made me feel even less enthusiastic. But once I decide to do something there is no way I back out.
I arrive at Poneloya just before 4pm and meet Santiago, ”The Dude” around here, who owns the fisher boats. He is fixing a net while we are chatting and our conversation helps me feel better again about the trip. He introduces me to Omar, the captain of the shift, and shortly after I get on the boat with two other Nicas – Mario, a 15 year old boy and Alfonso, a guy who looks way older than his 33 years (thanks to his love for alcohol as Omar tells me). Before we get out on the open sea we have to go past the waves on the coast. Omar waits for the right moment before he accelerates and gets us under way. The boat takes the first waves with style but then we crash with full speed against one of them. I am sitting in the middle of the boat, just like the other two guys, and grab my hands in the net under me so that I don’t fall outside. Shortly after we are past it and Omar is bringing us to the first stop 10km out on the ocean.
Santiago has told me during our conversation that tonight we will only go for Mackerel which doesn’t require the net to be too deep in the water. Omar measures the way to the ground and after we find a spot deep enough they guys start dropping the net in the water. When I get ready and start wrapping my fingers with tape (blister protection) Omar informs me that I will not need to help them tonight and just need to sit where I would not disturb them. I do as told and watch the guys doing their prep. I am thinking about the trip and realize that I will be paying $25 to sleep on the ocean and nothing else. The weather is gorgeous and the water calm. My adventure has turned into something boring for a moment since I don’t expect anything exciting to happen. But on second thought I feel very good about it. Frankly speaking I wouldn’t want to be on that boat during a storm. So many times we don’t get what we want in life but once in a while its only to our best!
When the net is in the water the guys clean the boat and prepare our beds. When I got on the boat I couldn’t believe that I will be sleeping in a hammock on it but after Omar spans it around the boat I see that it is possible. I lie down and realize that its not that bad although my feet looks over the edge. Darkness has already taken over this part of the world and after having dinner the guys fall quickly asleep. While they are used to this schedule for me this is way too early – we have 7pm – and I am only left with one thing which is watching the stars. Last time I took time to do this is already a few years ago back in Ukraine at my family´s house. Every time my eyes get lost in the universe and I start dreaming. This time I dream about my journey and the places I am going to see and things I will be able to do. I see a shooting star but don’t wish anything – right here right now I live my dream and there is absolutely nothing what could make it better. I fall asleep just before 9pm and a few minutes later Omar is waking us up to bring in the first catch. It takes around 45 minutes to collect the net. I sit groggy in the corner and take pictures from the catch. After the net is in we drive to another place and drop the net again in the water. When the job is done we all go to sleep again. This time, its around 12pm, I fall asleep quickly even though I don’t manage to sleep very deep. The movement of the boat doesn’t affect my stomach but it sleeping on the open water in such a small boat requires experience J At 4am we collect the second time the net with less almost no fish in it. While I feel sympathy for them the guys take it as it comes without saying a word.
The country of whores and thieves
Instead of returning to the lodge after my fishing trip I go to Las Peñitas, the next town after Poneloya, to use the internet. The walk takes 40 min and on my way I see a man sitting in a café drinking coffee. It is the same guy who directed my driver to the lodge when I arrived here 1 ½ weeks ago. It is around 7am and I ask him if he already serves coffee which he does. I sit down and when he comes back after 5 minutes I can smell an excellent aroma. Delicious Nicaraguan coffee hmmmmmm! So far I didn’t have the chance to talk to someone about Nicaragua and I can feel that this guy will have some stories to tell. I don’t get disappointed. After spending 8 years in this country this Canadian has a clear opinion about this place and its not a charming one. David says that every 3 years he needs to leave this country for a while just to make him realize what he loves about it and forget the negative things that come with it. When he first told his friends he is moving down here they told him this country is full with whores and thieves, something he didn’t want to believe. Today, he tells me, this is exactly how he sees Nicaragua. Nowadays when he gets something stolen he only blames himself for not taking care about his stuff instead of confronting the person even if it is obvious. He describes the Nicas to me as opportunistic. On the first sight they are friendly while in fact they are waiting for a moment of carelessness. This description makes me feel wary. The guys in the lodge told me that things have disappeared and I realize that once in a while I have left my locker open with my cam and my money in it. I tell myself this wont happen again. I ask Dave how it comes that Nicaragua is said to be the second safest country in all Americas after Canada. The reason for that, David says, is that after the civil war, unlike in Honduras, Guatemala and San Salvador, almost all weapons have been confiscated. Also, Nicaraguans and Costa Rican don’t get along with each other. The Nicas say the Costa Rican are hypocrites, they invite you home but don’t give you the address. Rightly so says David. When you invite a Nica to your home he will definitely show up and also come back. After a while he will bring friends and family as well and at the end or even the first visit he will steal from you. Nevertheless, he will continue to show up and find it irritating if you get upset and let him know not to come back. When you tell him that he has stolen from you he will tell you that this was last time and has nothing to do with today. I cant stop laughing when I hear that but I know I could not be able to live here and deal with this sort of people.
One day David´s employee came around telling him that her daughter has turned 15. He thought at first she is asking for a contribution and was about to give her money when she interrupted him. She didn’t want the money he tells me, she wanted to set up her daughter with this guy at the age of around 60. At 15 girls in Nicaragua are by law able to get married which was the only intention of that woman. Disgusting!!! But seemingly common in this country. Already after a few days at the lodge I have a feeling that hooking up with a Nica is much easier than it would be with a Guatemalan girl. Kevin, manger at the lodge like Dave, told me half as a joke when he met me that we just need to find me a girl and I can stay here. Nina, a woman who runs a hostel here in Nicaragua for 5 years , told us one night that incest is nothing unusual in her community where she lives.
With regard to the political situation, Nicaragua has a so called communist regime under President Ortega who has been elected 3 years ago. Since then investment, especially American, has dropped significantly as David continues. Now this is certainly not the worst that a country is not invaded by the Americans and “destroyed” like Costa Rica. But Ortega is no man who is interested to give up power very soon and has just changed the Nicaraguan constitution by which it was forbidden for a president to be reelected. Apparently he used $1 billion received from Chauvez to pay of the right people. His official argument that the constitution discriminated the President. Next year he will be reelected, most likely unanimously, and David expects the aggression against foreign investors increase. Ownership in Nicaragua means nothing and the government can take your property away whenever they want. David has been dispossessed once during this 8 years was not reimbursed and he has no illusions about that it could happen in the future. He hopes to find someone who buys his restaurant he just opened up and can move on in a dryer climate. Under this circumstances I wonder how people can invest big money without being actually in Nicaragua, just like it is the case with the lodge. Their 7 investors all live in Toronto and don’t even know each other personally. Well, I guess there are people out there who just have too much money or don’t have a clue what they are doing. In both cases there is no need for sympathy.
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