A Nicaguan Christmas

Got taken to a Sunday cockfight on a small farm. The fights are set up so that the most likely outcome is that one of the cocks will run away before it is killed. To challenge another owner you have to wager the equivalent of a month's wages. The owners offset their risk by taking bets from the spectators. So if your bird isn´t fancied you can't offset the risk but of course if it wins it becomes a champion. They love their birds and we saw men cry when they died.
Kiss of life

I got in trouble for talking about the guy in the white vest. I couldn´t understand why he was allowed to do what he liked and intimidate the ref and owners - he was the local gangster

A old retired bird with an old retired bird

Christmas Day

Christmas Day

Christmas Day with the locals at the lake

We realised we were knackered after 5 months traveling so spent a few days on an island half way up volcano

They ran out of milk because the cow had wandered off

Feliz Navidad

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Bad Good Horrible

BAD

Every post in the country is painted in these colours

El Salvador is the first country we have been nervous about visiting. Only 20 years ago the Government was bombing its own cities and massacring whole villages in the vicious civil war.

Just what they need more guns





We met two gringos who live in El Salvador and their advice was don´t go and especially don´t go to San Salvador or San Miguel because -

The official murder rate is 10 a day but the real rate is around 40.
The Government are cracking down on gangs by having shoot outs in the street.
Buses get hijacked by gun toting, trainee gang members---´If this happens stay very calm because they are more nervous than you´.
Always carry a wallet with mugging money.
There are hardly any tourists and you will be an obvious target.
Very few people go out after dark in the cities.
GOOD
The reality couldn´t have been more different.

The surfing beaches are beautiful and you can get surfing lessons.
Spot the beginner with a boat instead of a surf board

Away from the beaches we didn't see a single tourist and we got smiles and offers of help all the time. We think they were just delighted to have anyone visit their country.
At one place we had trouble finding a cash machine that worked. A taxi driver heard us asking for help and took us to a working one, for free. A Dutch couple had a similar experience the next day but their ride had a gun on his lap and his lighter under a seashell heating up some sort of drug.
San Salvador


There are massive shopping centres in the suburbs full of American fast food places and big name designer goods. All this in one of the poorest countries in Central America.


What happens when you ask for twin beds in San Miquel
Visited many of the civil war sites which we remember from the 80s.

The Cathedral where Archbishop Romero was assassinated, the event that really kicked off the civil war.

The house in where 6 Jesuit Priests and their house keeper's family were shot, the event that marked the beginning of the end of US support for Government.
The mountain area where the FMLN hid out and the government forces massacred a village of woman and children.

Everything comes to you on the chicken buses, hot meals, fruit, toys, extension leads etc
Firework street
HORRIBLE
The bus to Managua, Nicaragua was so late that we had to stay the night. Nicaragua is one of the safest CA countries but Managua, the capital, is the worse place we have been.
Getting off the bus we are besieged by taxi drivers and scary looking touts. The taxi drivers tell us that the hostel we want doesn't exist, the touts say its just around the corner. We go with a tout only to be taken to a completely different place. We are stuck because we are not going to walk back down those streets by ourselves. They looked like a third world version of the streets in The Shield.
The tout says he will take me to an ATM because he wants immediate payment for the room. We go 7 blocks down the street past groups of men hanging around on every corner, the tout seems to know them all. When we get back the tout gets aggressive and demands an ridiculously large tip. I get aggressive back and refuse. When he eventually goes I get paranoid and imagine him coming back in the night, so end up barricading us in our room.
The next day the guy in the hotel says it too dangerous to go out in the street to get a taxi and that he will get one for us. He comes back with his mate in a beaten up old car and demands about 5 times the proper taxi fare.
We were very glad to get out of that place. We are now in Leon, Nicaragua which is delightful and safe.

More volcano action

The morning we left Antiqua one of the volcanoes errupted. No-one seemed very excited except for us gringos

Two things I have learnt in the past few days -

1. Don't take off your buoyancy aid and hand it up to the boat while still wearing 18Ibs of diving weights

2. Don´t put on a jumper while standing under a ceiling fan going at full pelt - you tend to lose bits of finger

Volcano Land

Ever since I was a sweet little boy I have wanted to climb an active volcano and see molten lava flow.





Antigua is a beautiful colonial town surrounded by volcanoes. Used to be the capital of Guatemala until it was all but destroyed by several devastating earthquakes. Nowadays it is a pleasant, touristy oasis from the rest of Central America.

Everyone burns a devil in the street to start Christmas
The meat counter in Antigua's main supermarket

Cooking marshmallows


Clambering over 12 week old lava and peering into the red hot lava below is exciting. But afterwards it seemed a bit dangerous especially as we passed a scientific team with full breathing equipment.


Lago de Atitlan is a stunning lake surrounded by volcanoes and villages with strong Maya culture. Just to make it perfect there is one town geared up for backpackers with bars, happy hours and movies. Met some really nice Brits, Aussies and Canadians who were great company. A pleasant change from some horrible Germans on our shuttle bus who thought they had reserved their seats, got really aggressive and nearly started a riot- it was the Central American equivalent of Germans putting their towels on sun loungers in Benidorm


Diving in a high altitude lake was interesting rather than mind blowing especially as some idiot has introduced Black Bass that have destroyed the indigenous fish and along with them most of the bird life. But putting your hand into bubbling hot mud underwater was fun. Had to stay for 18 hours after a ´high altitude´dive because you cant get out of the area without crossing mountains

Very sad to leave but next stop is El Salvidor


What happens when you build your cathedral in an volcanic zone

Dangerous Coffee

Most Central American countries have very high levels of violent crime. Its mostly fuelled by a mix of the drug trade and criminal gangs so isn´t directed at tourists.

Honduras doesn't feel dangerous but there are guys with guns everywhere. Even to get into a bus station you frisked by a guy with a metal detector and shotgun and every shop has an armed guard. There is a coffee shop in San Pedro Sula that is trying to be a Starbucks. It has armed guards outside and inside. While we were there the guard inside needed to go to the loo so he locked the door presumably because it is too dangerous to leave a cafe unguarded even for a few minutes. No one could get in or out, even people who had only dropped in for a quick take away.


We spent a couple of days on a beautiful coffee farm.
My Brokeback Mountain moment

They use water to grade the beans and to drive the machinery. Went horse riding, ate tropical fruit straight off the trees and had a night time visit to hot springs. On the way back we got out of the truck and were suddenly covered in biting red ants. Millions of them had created a path round our cabin to a dog bowl at the back. By morning they had disappeared and the bowl was completely clean

Got fed being part of the corruption and having to bribe border officials to let me into the country so this time I asked for a receipt. No problem says the guy and sends his mate to get the `receipt book'. I have to stand there waiting while they processed everyone else. I then have to go to another hole in the wall to pay but suddenly they don't have any change and will not accept Honduran money. By this time the whole bus is waiting for us so I go back to first guy and tell him I submit and that I don't now need a receipt. He pretends to be upset but accepts my money. As I turn away he stands up and does a high 5 with his mate - another gringo beaten

Back in Guatemala now