Dancing Saddle

I was very grateful to be leaving Granada. I spent my two nights there staying in a hostel. I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere in the hostel. While exploring around the city, it was overwhelming to have so many guides approaching me and generally being offered promotions and tours. I had grown accustomed to quiet towns that were not bothered by the presence of foreigners. I left early on 1 November but unfortunately the night before there was a huge party for Halloween that kept me awake to 2:30 am.

Just outside of Granada was this beautiful catholic cemetery.

Once I hit the road relief washed over me. The route started with a slight uphill but the quality of the road was great and the shoulders wide. I was very relaxed even though it was another day of high heat and humidity. After a quick stop at the top of the climb I could relax and mostly coasted along the two national roads before I arrived at the long minor road that would take me to Popoyo.

I really enjoyed the roads in Nicaragua even when there wasn’t a shoulder. The stunning thunderstorm building up over Popoyo.

The road was mostly over rolling hills and constructed from bricks. There was only very light traffic as I wound my way to the coast. The blue skies contrasted with huge thunder clouds was a stunning sight to behold. This was the first long ride that I have attempted in a while and my legs felt it. I didn’t mind though, as I enjoyed the rural atmosphere and the small villages. There was a family on a scooter taking their dog for a walk. She was happily running beside them as I passed by. The pigs had three long stocks tied around their necks to stop them from breaking into gardens.

The family taking their dog for a walk while riding a scooter. Many pigs I saw along the road had the stick contraption around their necks to stop them breaking into gardens.

By late afternoon I had arrived at the last turn off for the road to the hostel. It was a mud road for about two kilometers. I set off trying my best to stay clear of the mud but by the time I arrived at the hostel, I had enough caked on myself and my bike that I felt a little self-conscious taking my bike inside. It was by far one of the most beautiful and well-organized hostels I had ever seen. It didn’t help me feel less guilty for being so muddy. Thankfully the staff were more than accommodating with me and we had a good laugh while checking in.

I fell in love with this hostel. It was so beautiful and well organized with a welcoming atmosphere. It lived up to its name of Tukasa. Delicious tuna family dinner.

After a shower I was able to join for the family dinner. There is always that moment when I arrive at a hostel where I feel like I am a stranger amongst friends, but that feeling soon fades once you realize that everyone is a stranger. Soon you are chatting likke you have known each other for years. The dinner that night was one of the most delicious hostel meals I had eaten. The tuna was perfection and I was stuffed. I spent the evening chatting and getting to know the other guests. I was right at home.

The fridge of wisdom had so many wonderful and inspirational stickers.

The next day I took it easy. The hostel had been purpose built by a group of French friends and you could tell. Everything worked well and every design decision was made by someone that had actually stayed in a hostel. I promptly signed up for some surfing classes the next day. Popoyo are one of those places that you dream of. I did a little exploring around the village and spent some time on the beach until just after an absolutly stunning sunset. That evening I had dinner with one of the other guests as we shared our travel stories.

I loved spending time on the beaches of Popoyo. The dogs in Nicaragua are by far the friendliest in Central America.

The next day was surf day and off to Beginners Bay I went to get my surf lesson. Unfortunately for me and all the other beginner surfers, the weather was not in our favor. The wind was blowing from the wrong direction and would stay like that for another week. I still gave it a good go and was able to stand up. After months of cycling and the constant pressure on my shoulders made swimming difficult. David the surf instructor was very helpful and I still had a great time.

My first attempt of surfing in Popoyo, I had a great time even though the conditions weren’t ideal.

When everyone was not surfing, we spent our time chatting and swimming in the hostel pool. The atmosphere was always friendly and I had a peaceful time chatting with the other guests and volunteers. Every Sunday was movie night and after we all had dinner, we gathered to watch Endless Summer, a surfing movie about a group of friends that spent the year travelling around the world to go surfing.

Hostel family movie night. In the movie they spent a lot of time in South Africa and its stunning surfing beaches

The next day a group of us went for another surf. The weather was still not great and so the beginner surfers didn’t have much luck. I still had another great time with the other surfers in the water and enjoyed watching the experienced surfers catch wave after wave. Some of the other guests went for an afternoon surf and we went to go watch and share a beer for sunset. The next day I was riding onwards to Rivas and I felt truly sad to leave such a beautiful and positive place.

One of my favourite moments was watching the surfers at sunset and enjoying some beers.

Back at the hostel we ended up having a small game night playing Spot It. I also had a hilarious chat about cricket with an Australian couple. Some hostels just have the ability to create an atmosphere where you feel welcome and at home. This was such a place and huge relief after the previous hostel in Granada. It ended up raining through most of the night and I fell asleep a little concerned about the road the next day ride.

My last beautiful sunset in Popoyo. A game of very competitive Spot It.

The next morning I took my time leaving. I wanted the road to dry as much as possible but I knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference. I just didn’t want to leave. One last delicious breakfast and then a morning beer with some of the other guests and then I knew it was time to go. It was another sad goodbye and another place where I wish I had stayed longer.

Every morning we had the most delicious breakfast. Final beer before departing for Rivas.

I decided to walk and ride barefoot until I reached the main road. The entire distance was just one giant muddy puddle. I am so glad I kept my shoes off. The muddiness didn’t change once I got to the main road as the next stretch was mostly under construction. I decided to continue as I was and I made quite a sight. Progress was slow and my bike and I were covered in mud. When I finally got to the end of the road works, I washed my legs and feet as much as I could and set off again. A little later I stopped at a local tienda and bought a big bottle of water so that I could make a spray bottle. I spent the next thirty minutes using the runoff water from the rain to wash as much of my bike and bags as possible. It was shocking to see how much mud I had collected.

Just a small sample of the mud I had to go through. It is hard to tell but there is a lot of mud on the underside of all my bags.

I got myself a hotel room in Rivas for two nights, to rest up before making my way to the next country of Costa Rica. There wasn’t much to say about Rivas as It rained a lot but I could watch the square from the café. I was sad to be leaving Nicaragua. I didn’t know much about it before I arrived but I feel so lucky to come to this beautiful country and will definitely return.

Rivas town square. Drinking coffee while watching the rain pour down.