This is my Nicaragua. This is the place where you show up with the t-shirt on your back. You kick off your shoes to go barefoot and two months later ask what day it is and consider the time left on your Visa and then contemplate if you stay one more day or get your visa extended Welcome to Playa de Popoyo and welcome to Camping Luna.
It goes like this….5:00am I didn’t want to get out of bed. I rolled over to Kevin and snuggled up hoping he would still be sleeping. He rubbed my back and asked if I needed cuddles. Without hesitation I shook my head and nuzzled my nose into his armpit and despite the smell enjoyed his cheek kisses. He got up and asked if I was ready for the light and then turned it. It was go time. Coffee prep, throw in the veggies, he cooked the eggs and I chopped the pineapple and packed our containers. Breakfast was good and we loved Casa Lula so it was a tough goodbye but it was time. We walked out the door and 35 minutes later we found ourselves at the bus station on a microbus to Managua.
After Managua we made our way to Rivas where we decided to stop and get coffee which ended in us splitting a delicious brownie the same one we had in Leon so we knew it was fate and we should capitalize on the opportunity while we had it since the next bus wasn’t for 2 hours. We used the wifi, got money from an atm, and bought water before walking to catch our last bus of the day to Popoyo. Down a dirt road and the bus dropped us at a junction where we began walking down the path to try and find Luna Camping. After about 15 minutes I was waving down every car which passed. Kevin didn’t like it and asked why I was doing it and in my defense I said well I might as well try and if they don’t stop we keep enjoying this walk with no harm done with my trials. He laughed and said ok I wave down this motorcycle and we laughed because his joke turned into reality the guy stopped and we jumped on with both our bags and got a ride the rest of the way right to the front gate of Camping Luna.
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Paradise. We put up our tent and went and walked the beach. It was stunning. A friend had told me about Magnificent Rock which is a nicer hotel up the road. We went there for sunset and it did not disappoint. Thank you King your recommendations have made surfing in Nicaragua a dream come true. We both were starving and neither had the energy to negate that we paid $35 for dinner which was delicious but way too expensive for our typical budget. We argued about this later in the week…why? We enjoyed the meal had the experience and that is that.
We were both starving so we ordered way too expensive food and just enjoyed the sunset and each other’s company promising to save money the following days camping and surfing and cooking all our meals.
It was 19:30 and we got into the tent and I looked up and just smiled from the inside out because the stars were brighter and I couldn’t help but be thankful for the entire world. We stayed not one, not two, not three but sic nights and probably would have stayed a month if we didn’t have flights to Colombia to catch as well as a place in Costa Rica we wanted to check out. We bought groceries and cooked a giant meal to have for the next three or four meals. Rice mixed with veggies, cheese and spices. We compromised that we cook because we have been going over our budget and truly Kevin was just angry because I made him reconsider buying wine for $7 and using that for food as wine was a luxury. More on this later as I will reveal the blow up. We worked out and after a guy with fresh caught lobster stopped by, so we splurged and bought a large lobster to put on our grill that evening over a fire. The day went on and we ate fruit, drank coffee and went surfing. As the sunset we decided it was time to go in for a snack and we quickly cut pineapple and ate it before going back out to catch the last of the waves for the evening. Once we got back to the tent it was showers and then time to start the fire and grill the lobster. We ate like celebrities and didn’t go to bed hungry. We shared the lobster and ate it with our rice and veggies mix we made for lunch. The whole time in this place our conversations were in depth. We didn’t have wifi at the campground, we didn’t worry about what time it was and we didn’t stress. We took naps in hammocks if we felt like it. I went to bed at 19:15 and Kevin stayed up and read and no one’s feelings were hurt. We surfed and crashed waves sharing one board and no one got mad at the other for taking longer if they wanted during their turn. We took bikes to the salt fields and grabbed some to use when we cooked. Every night I looked up at the stars and wished our families were with us to enjoy some of these moments. To take a step away from life and just be in each other’s company looking at the stars, listening to the waves and feeling pure happiness and gratefulness for all that we have.
One of the days I was out for a walk and upon my return Kevin was translating for a French couple, Audrey and Mic. They wanted to know about surfing and camping and food. Ultimately he said he was productive working but we made friends and walked to the market up the dirt path chatting. Then we heard it…the veggie truck was passing by and Kevin ran and waved them down. We bought fruits and veggies and then hitched a ride back with them after grabbing salt for cooking.
We quickly became friends and loved their easy going attitudes and made plans to surf together and have meal exchanges for the next three nights. The first night we cooked at their kitchen and made delicious salad and what we named nicraclette. Potatoes and beets sliced in the oven with cheese. We had drinks and listened to music and just enjoyed the company of others exchanging conversation.
The second night we had a beach bonfire and made chicken on the grill with an avocado, rice, tomato and cheese salad. That night our Italian travel buddies with the RV joined us for music making and rum.
The next day we argued, we cried, we literally sat on the beach unhappy about bottled up emotions. We have such different visions on how our trip would look. I missed biking, I missed doing things and being active all day and meeting locals. He liked working on his book and just seeing whatever we saw. He was negative and pushing me away and I wanted more time just doing things with him exploring the world. We chatted and found a middle ground moving forward and exchanged emotions and hugs and kisses and dodged the waves laughing and coming out stronger together with a plan moving forward with our travel itinerary and budget. We surfed the evening away with the french and italian couple and then made our way to camping Luna for homemade brick oven burritos ala Kevin and CJ.
The night ended with friend plantain chips in the oven and banana+egg pancakes and Kevin and I decided to stay longer and catch a ride with Manuel and Sandra in the camper van to Costa Rica that meant we needed money and the ATM was not close so the next morning we woke up drank coffee and hitchhiked to the airport, we saw the French couple waiting for the bus and picked them up dying laughing, at the airport the atm only accepted visa cards so we walked then caught a second ride to the hotel with another atm and got our money and started walking back then caught another ride and eventually caught our final truck back with the same guys who took us to the airport and we were back in no time to enjoy the day and had money to camp, surf and eat.
Last night we went surfing. I took the body board and Kevin went first with the surf board. We would trade on and off. I went out further and caught a wave body boarding and out of the corner of my eye on my left I see Kevin getting ready to catch my wave so I steer left and start yelling Kevin with the biggest grin on my face hoping not to mess him up. He stood up and looked over and we were filled with life and we surfed the wave together all the way to the beach ending in the sand. He grabbed me by the waisted and planted a giant kiss on my lips we hugged and fist bumped and both knew this was a moment we would never forget. A story we would tell for years to come. It was the best surfing session for both of us as we caught waves and finally learned to drop in and stand up. Practice pays off.
T.I.N. = This is Nicaragua
We stayed with the locals and ate with the locals or cooked and shared with friends. We seriously will make our way to South France to hang with Audry and Mic again I truly believe that. I will drag my children to this dirt road camping spot and teach them to surf here if my way allows. I have been contemplating what can I leave behind or how can I make a difference in the life of Omar and his family who each morning greet us with a smile and look after us dya and night and seem like the most giving and thankful people who are happy to have tourist come to stay and surf because it means they don’t have to fight to survive by working on a farm and making only enough to feed themselves each day whereas now they can hire locals to help them work and can enjoy little things in life making twice the amount of a day’s work on the farm from one surfing lesson.
I am grateful. I love the people here. I am joyful and Kevin and I are better people and surfers after staying in Popoyo.
BrokeonBike 