I’m writing this blog entry from Costa Rica as I’ve just left Nicaragua after an incredible 5 weeks. I miss it already! Here’s a video I took on my last day that captures a fraction of how amazing La Mariposa is:

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And one of the parrot playing hide and seek with me just for fun:

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Last week I celebrated my birthday in Nicaragua and it will be very hard to beat. Starting with kisses from my favorite furry friends who were waiting to greet me 😀

My new BFF Madeleine made me a card and little Emily must have sung Happy Birthday ten times.

Next my teacher Jenny brought avocados with her so we could go and buy fresh tortillas from an old lady down the road during our class.

At lunch the lovely people at the school organised a huge cake with my name and Gigi performed a surprise traditional dance in my honour. This meant a lot since she hates to wear dresses!

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Everyone went to the Laguna de Apoyo for the afternoon and we floated around on inner tubes in the lake drinking beer and cocktails. 

I was so reluctant to leave this place that I extended my stay again until the day I absolutely had to be in Costa Rica to meet my travel companions for the next two weeks. And the last weekend here was amazing – two near death experiences, one on a horse and one in a microbus 😎

I’ve rediscovered my love of horse riding and gone out with Princesa on every opportunity. Until now I’d been fairly cautious but I’m trying to adopt more of a ‘live each day as if it’s my last’ approach – letting Princesa loose to gallop could very well have been my last day on earth!! One moment I’m cantering calmly, next minute another horse has caught up and we are racing neck and neck. These are beach horses and they love to run – they were picking up speed and now flat out galloping on the trails. I realised Princesa was not going to lose. ‘Can you slow your horse down?!’ I screamed – ‘I can’t!!’ came the response from the other girl. I can still hear the thundering hooves. Just when I thought this is only going to end when I fall off, no helmet of course, we approached a sheer drop – of course the horses knew this was their rest stop and casually came to a halt leaving us in a daze waiting for the others to catch up ten minutes later.

Madeleine and I also took a trip to Masaya to look for a t-shirt I was after and experience the bus. The minivan arrived with the muchacho shouting “Masaya Masaya Masaya!!” through the open door. Sat with our back to the driver with heads bent due to being a foot taller than everyone else and the man opposite guarding  his crown jewels as if I’m about to kick him. We explored the local market which was huge and and hot and selling everything from live chickens next to hair clips and shoes (I got a pair of sandals for $2). We waited for the bus home for a long time at the front of the queue but suddenly everyone started running and throwing their bags through the windows to grab a seat – I was somehow last to get on. Madeleine physically dragged me on and a lady made everyone squash together to fit me in ‘because you are thin’ – when I got off I had cramp in my stomach.

I made some amazing friends here who I already miss after spending every day together, not to mention the animals. Madeleine and I have had so many laughs – I’m going to visit her mum in Texas! 

I’ve discovered that the saying “90% of communication is non verbal” is rubbish – there have been some hilarious misunderstandings like me asking ‘are you married?’ instead of ‘are you tired?’ and accidentally cutting short a ride by saying ‘nah I’m not bothered’ instead of ‘I don’t mind ‘.

I’ve also discovered that in Nicaragua if a man suggests ‘going for a walk’ it does not in fact mean going for a walk – as I found out when I accidently went on a walk 😳

I doubt there is anywhere else quite like La Mariposa and I wish I had several more months there. I’ve discovered that Nicaragua has many more places to visit so I’ve decided to travel the country after Costa Rica and Panama 😎 For now it’s time to say Hasta La Proxima!