Everybody's going surfing

Leon, Nicaragua lies near a string of volcanoes known as the Cordillera Los Maribios. The youngest is Cerro Negro and is just over 700 metres in height and we decided to surf it and it was super, super fun! What this means is:

• You hike up the volcano, with a sled in hand to the top - which ends up being around 500m

• You check out the volcano, the craters and the awesome view from the top

• You discover that if you dig up the black ash below your feet about 10cm deep, which is like gravel, you can feel the heat radiating from beneath you

• You suit up - elbow pads, knee pads, canvas suit, goggles and gloves

• You walk to the edge with your sled

• Sit on the sled and go!

Discovering Nicaragua through the Northern Highlands

Ok, so we are in the Northern Highlands of Nicaragua and it is absolutely stunning. Gorgeous mountains with pine trees you would see in North America but intertwined with a tropical landscape - palm trees and lush green colours, all fed by the highly nutrient soil in the area. You go outside and the air smells of roasting coffee beans - you almost can't escape it. Even being a non coffee drinker, the smell is devine.

There aren't a lot of tourists in this area. As you drive along the brick or dirt roads, many small towns are driven through. The maps we have access to aren't entirely accurate - even the most recent National Geographic maps aren't 100%, and there isn't a lot of tourist information available - so we have been lost a few times but found our way out again. The trick is if two or more of the maps we have access to match, then it is a safe bet that the roads exist.

Many people stare as we drive by; while everyone stares, especially at the ginger, when we walk by. Even photos are taken of us in some instances. When we spent some time up in Jalapa, the owner of the property said on average about 2 tourists stay in the area a month...which explained a lot to us.

It has been interesting seeing how the locals live in the smaller towns. All seem to have electricity, even satellite dishes placed outside their small shacks, with wells out the front. Horses are regularly used as transport, oxans used for pulling carts, chickens, pigs and other livestock roam around the streets looking for food - like many other Central American towns, but somehow here it all seems quaint. Maybe it is the remoteness and small populations, perhaps it is the stunning landscape used as a backdrop? Or it could even be that we feel a little bit safer in this area, and I don't have the emergency beacon sitting on my lap as we drive along any more.

As we have travelled through the US, Mexico, then onto Cuba, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras we have seen the changes from first world countries, to second world countries through to third world countries gradually. Now in Nicaragua, it feels like there is money around again, and it is shifting into a second world status - this can obviously be explained based on the funding provided by the UN. Who knows what additional funding will create? And how long will this gorgeous country continue being relatively untapped for?

One of the small towns we passed through, Ciudad Antigua - where, erm, Jesus was a pirate

The island of pirates...well their descendants anyway

Utila, one of the bay islands in Honduras and this is where I got the chance to do my advanced open water diving course and Dan got to dabble a bit with enriched air and wreck diving.

All I can say is - the diving is cheap, cheap! The wreck is awesome and the phosphorescent nightlife was amazing.

Here is a short clip of me, under the sea, in an octopus's garden - having a bit of a play...

You better Belize it!

We didn't spend a lot of time in Belize but we did make the most of it. We went to a small town called Placencica located on a long, thin peninsula. The town was perfect from the Caribbean feel, Bob Marley accents, jerk chicken, gelato, beach side accommodation to the most amazing dives!

Beachside accommodation

Abres Los Ojos

While in Mexico, we decided to do a cenote dive (a sinkhole from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath) as we had heard so many good things about them.

We headed off to a place called Los Dos Ojos to see what everyone was going on about. On our briefing we found out that part of the dive would be quite dark as there were areas of the cenote where no light can penetrate. At this point I was a tad nervous. Anyway once we were in the water, and had our flash lights on, it was amazing! We were diving in fresh water and it was crystal clear. We saw stalagmites growing, surfaced up into a bat cave and saw the most amazing rock formations. I would definitely do that again!

Our photos didn't turn out really well, but this will give you an idea...

Thoughts on Cuba

Whilst in Cuba museums were visited, and many propaganda messages were read that it made it so easy to support the revolution. However talking to people about how life is now compared to earlier years, especially the years where support from the Soviet Union was provided, makes for a very different story. When Cuba was opened up to Tourism in the 90s's to substitute the lack of funding from the Soviet Union, that is when things began to change.

The average weekly wage for Cubans equates to around $US25 to $US30 a month. Education, health care is all provided, and other necessities are either rationed or subsidised.

Those who deal with tourists, get to charge tourists in tourist money. Casas often charge around $US25 for one nights stay. A taxi from the airport can charge $25 for a lift into town. A private car for the day with a driver can be $60. Meals which are bought in the local currency for a $1 are then sold onto tourists for $30...and this is when things don't add up.

Cuba, as beautiful as the old colonial buildings, classic cars (despite the smelly exhaust), lush green landscapes, the vivacity for life, dancing, cigars and rum are, does show it's ugly side. Touters are constantly at you in the towns, hustlers trying to get you into some deal, it is often hard to know when people are genuine and want to chat, especially if they are sporting some kind of gold bling.

Most Cubans are well educated and can see what is happening around them. Pedro, a Cuban who we met when buying some bus tickets said he studied to be a Nuclear Physicist however after he completed his studies, there were no jobs available where he could utilise his new found knowledge. Frustratingly he gave up that dream and sells bus tickets and earns around $US10 per month. He like many other Cubans, can't make a difference, not yet anyway.

It seems as the Castros are decaying, so to are the foundations that modern day Cuba was built on. The ideology which Che fought and died for is long gone. Who knows what Cuba will be like in five or 10 years time. It seems that many Cubans are now in it for themselves.

UNESCO Fever

Cienfuegos...
A UNESCO town with lots of colonial buildings by the water, interesting but nothing amazing.

Just one of a number of colonial buildings

Trinidad...
A UNESCO town with lots of colonial buildings by the water, a little bit more interesting than Cienfuegos as they had lots of sugar cane fields and mountains to explore nearby.

We headed off to Topes de Collantes for a walk through the mountains were coffee is grown and a swim at the waterfalls.

Waterfall time!

Then it was off to Valle de los Ingenios to check out a 44metre tower where slaves were watched from in the early 1800's and were shot at if they tried to escape...there were nice views of the sugar cane fields from there.

The view looking up from half way up the tower