9.02.-11.02.2017 Malpaisillio 34,4km///1875,28km

Leon was first capital of independent Nicaragua. When I compare present capital, Managua, with that place, I wonder why they changed it! Managua didn’t have so much interesting places, but Leon yes! Old Leon is on UNESCO List. And if You don’t know that, tourists with dollars in pockets who are taking pictures of everything around like workers of Google Street View, gonna remind You that. All time sellers of water are hanging around, and praising in few languages theirs happiness in liquid. Icemans are ringing with bells in theirs trolleys, and street’s cooks are putting next pieces of meat on grill covering street with fumes of fat.

Definitely most eye-catching thing on main street is obscenely white, as on Nicaraguan standards, cathedra. Inside nothing is changing – white. From white pedestals white monuments are watching with theirs white eyes. But what is most interesting is happening on roof. I climb up in narrow stairs, where guard with funny written on paper rules told me, what I can do, and for what I can pay 20$ fee. On world there is few cathedrals where is possibility to walk on roof. But that in Leon is probably only one where before enter on white roof it’s obligatory to put Your shoes off 😀 Roof is still in renovation and shoes can destroy it. But true is, that after so many hours on road more dangerous were my sockets than shoes, but if they want it… 😀

I met few backpackers who sold artesanales (it’s incredible that in Nicaragua I met only few of them), two guys from Netherland, which they gave me extra 10$ when they heard my story, and international group “Artist without borders”. It’s international group of volunteers who use art to work with kids from local communities. In that case circus art 🙂 Well done job!

 

I walk out of city to find place to camp. Petrol station always were good place to hide butt, but in that place butt was in aim of many hookers hanging around. And it’s not a secret, that where are whore, besides venereal disease, always are strange guys, so walked further to search other place. I found field, where was only wind and scarecrow. I walked before 6am with fear that someone gonna plow there. I went out my tent, but already I saw someone who looked for potatoes in ground! How big calmness they need to have here when they see some gringo with tent on theirs field. Probably they think “Well, another beet”.

I walk further and feel like I’m inside oven. From one and other side empty fields, and in my face blow hot wind like from deepness of hell. Step by step I dried more, sun is serving me acupuncture with rays, but most difficult is that hot wind. I feel that I looked into end of heating cool. Trees without leaves, dried rivers, empty fields. Only thing what You can do here is to lie down and mummify.

where is water?!

I reached Malpaisillo, where Jimmy have his own bar and as a host from Couchsurfing he let me to stay two nights. Two long nights, because we could stay in his bar 😀 Atmosphere was so cool that I would stay there much more longer 😉

12.02.-15.02.2017 Estelli 109,8km///1985,08km

One night I spend with my tent inside gate on soccer field, where found me Wilihan. We talked all morning, and he went somewhere on motorbike. After few minutes I knew where he went – to his home for food for me! He gave me bag so big that I didn’t had place on my trolley to put it on! That’s example how beautiful people You can found on road 🙂

In environment is necessary to be equality, so next night was terrible. Never camp near to rye field. Or only when You wanna meet hundreds of mosquitos! And never do that when You have broken zip in Your tent, and You can’t close it completely! I felt like pillow for needles. Dozens of stings. Even I couldn’t say any bad words, because when I opened my mouth in few second was fulfilled with that monsters! I done to them mosquito type of holocaust, and whole my tent was in blood. Well… still my blood. I was worried about, if they didn’t had any illness, but if so many days passed from that accident and I still have hands and legs, I think that means that needles of that buzzing monsters where sterile.

Finally I came to Esteli, city where Susy waited for me, another host from Couchsurfing. Susy was for me like aunt – he gave me everything what I needed to. She gave me place to sleep in her organization fighting against violence in families. So we had enough time to talk about that problem. She’s only host who I met, who have so strict evidence of couchsurfers who she hosted. Table with names, countries and cities with different colors which means different things. And obligatory picture! Full classification 🙂

16.02.-18.02.2017 San Pablo 109,3km///2094,38km

I had only few days more in Nicaragua, so I walked as fast as I could. And I needed to have a lot of power, because once again mountains came on my road. I completely sweat, but like dunk beetle I push my treasure. In entrance of Ocotal I met police officers who I asked about highest point in Nicaragua – Pico Mogoton. It’s something like 50km from that city, so I though that they will know something about road which are leading there, and which I didn’t found in Maps Me or in Internet. But they didn’t knew anything even that Pico Mogoton exist! Later was only worst… Everyone who I asked gave me different answer. I asked even in pharmacy, there need to be someone with better knowledge, but I found only emptiness. Most clever was Josue who sold poncho on main square – hot beverage on base of hot milk with eggs, sugar and a little bit of alcohol. But even he told me about trail who started far far away from place where we were, and even much more far away from peak.

Josue

 

Finally i believe in map from main square, which should be prepared with GPS. Map showe different direction than 60% of respondents. I remembered guys, who gave me “good” advise about road and later I pushed my trolley 35 km on something which even I couldn’t name road, so that time I believe in map. In city Mozonte once again – everyone gave me different advises how I can reach peak. I’m not sure if I walk in correct way, but what can I do? I walk! In small shop “Los Angeles” I met Marie, who let me left trolley on time when I gonna hike. It’s 10am. Finally I found sign with information that I have 15km to peak. Local folks said that I should be around 2pm on top. But my story with that mountain was completely different…

First part was really nice. Fields and forests like from polish mountains. I done 10km on good road and I reached enter to reserve park. I took picture of map, which show only in part true terrain, but later that picture safe my life. Trail was ended next to some home. I passed next to women which are washing hairs and kids with spoon in middle of road from plate to mouth. I slide down catching small coffee trees and… my trail disappeared! Next was only river. Map showed that I need to walk to source, but… how?! Where I looked I saw only wet stones, big bushes, felt down trees and hectoliters of running water. If I would felt inside in some place I could die there!

Trail should be marked with some small, yellow poles. Who for God sake had that idea?! Most of them covered with bushes are invisible even when You are close. And what is worst they put them few hundreds from each other, so it’s impossible to see one from other. I hike through that bushes and search rode. I lost and found. And I wondering why nobody gonna care about that trail. I have answer. Government don’t want to invest cash here, and local community is happy because gringo can hire them as a guide. I didn’t wanted pay to anybody, so I spend a lot of time to searching trail, passing bushes and jumping over clefts where waited for me dangerous water. Finally I stopped looking for trail, put coordinates to GPS and… I walked on azimuth 🙂

Accidentaly I srumbled on another yellow pole, and thats how I found covered trail leading up. As I saw I changed river of water for river of mud. I never hiked in so deep puddle! Draw in my feet above ankles. That was funny, that before I cared to not have wet shoes. I done 1km/h of road, so on top I was around 5pm. I wasso tired that wanted to stay there for night. I was fear that gonna lose trail in night, or that I gonna collapse on wet stones. Decision – I gonna stay for night in small home on top.

It’s gonna be darker and with every moment colder. Wet shoes I put next to me, and bare foots I put inside backpack to make them a little bit warmer. After 6pm temperature was under 13 degrees. I’m shaking because of wind which blow through opened windows, and I thought about possibility that I gonna die there. I change decision – it’s better to walk step by step than wait and freeze.

I was so scared that some nigh animal will want to check what I have under my skin. I feared that I gonna lost road, because in fog which covered whole hill, and which I didn’t had in my plans, and with burning out flashlight finding passing was much more difficult. My main goal was to reach river! I’m sliding and falling down on muddy alide. I hear water, it’s closer and closer, but why on GPS my position is changing so slowly?! I walk step by step covered with lianas. My imagination play with me, and I hear some sounds. But finally there is – RIVER! I walked on felt down trees over water, I walked down on wet stones and almost let them when bats started to hit my face. In one moment I done circle! But how it’s possible?! Maybe during day it can be nice fun to look for trail, but during night that was terrible experience! I was scared if I gonna find any passing. Everything looked like computer game, but I had only one life.

Last pole!

 

Finally there are bushes! Plantation! I hiked up to last home, and now I walked more or less on normal road. But I was so exhausted that after every 2-3km I needed to rest or even sleep a little bit on side road. After 5am I was in front of shop where I left my trolley. I sat on chair and almost I lost lucidity because of tiredness.

19.02.2017 Ocotal 16,3km///2110,68km

Next day Marie treat me like her kid. She gave me breakfast, place to wash, and even bed to rest! Wonderful women 🙂 But I need to walk, because of expiring date of my visa. I came back to Ocotal where I found Cipriano, another host from Couchsurfing. Cipriano manage with her girlfriend videogames center with television screens so big as windows. I never slept in place with view to so many virtual worlds in same time. But because of noise I couldn’t rest well. We make hug, I bought new shoes for around 15$ (I’m sure that I will not walk in them even 500km) and I head to border with Honduras.