From Pacific to Atlantic

This past weekend Margine, Celtina and I drove across the width of Nicaragua, from Managua to Pearl Lagoon. The trip was part adventure seeking but mostly to get Celtina and Margine to a wedding of a close friend of theirs', Yali. The route was described to us as treacherous. We took Peter up on the offer of a GPS and satellite phone but we ignored the repeated suggestions that we bring a gun or find ourselves a man to be a bodyguard on the trip. Some people even said it was too dangerous to go. I'm glad we didn't listen to the naysayers.



The first four hours or so of the drive, from Managua to El Rama, is on a paved highway and a nice paved highway at that. It takes you through the more mountainous terrain of Nicaragua's interior and reminds you how beautiful the countryside really is.

What we called Nicaragua's "Pan de Azucar":


Cows are a common sight through the Juigalpa/Chontales area as the large ranches form the backbone of the local economy.

Just passing through:



El Rama, the last outpost until the rocky trail to Pearl Lagoon, was surprisingly small, a blink-and-you-missed-it town. The major feature is the large rushing river that connects Rama to the coast. We took a wrong turn and ended up more or less in someone's front yard. The resident was decidedly calm about the situation, as if travelers often turn up on his door step. He even pulled out the only three chairs he had so we could eat the lunch that Celtina brought: roast chicken, quesillos and Kola Shaler.

Margine on the porch:



Nica lunch:



After El Rama, the road was rough. It was not nearly as treacherous as described though. It was a well-marked path. The surface was incredibly rocky and, though we never had a flat, I was exceedingly glad I had all of my tires checked out before we left.



After an hour we reached the large African Palm plantations that literally stretched on for miles. It took us two hours to get through the many plantations.



We got a bit turned around as every road appears to be the same and row after row of trees are identically planted. We attempted to rely on the GPS but later took the more Nicaraguan route of finding a local and having them hop in the car and direct us to the correct route. A most effective solution in almost all cases.

Celtina and the GPS:


We arrived after eight hours of driving to Pearl Lagoon as the sun was dipping into the horizon and the shore breezes were damping down the temperature, the end of the long and winding road.