I can’t believe it’s been a month already! My concept of time has become completely twisted and unreliable. This month felt like it flew by in the blink of an eye, but at the same time also felt 3 months long. It’s like I’m living in Inception. But despite that, I’ve definitely learned some things in this first month, that I will share now:

THINGS I SHOULD HAVE PACKED, BUT DIDN’T:

  1. Flashlight. I really kicked myself for this one, because I literally need a flashlight every day. From entering my dorm room after other people have already gone to bed, to when I had to brush my teeth in the dark at the outdoor sink at my “eco-hostel”, to quickly needing to see what insect just bit the crap out of my feet at the beach (fire ants, by the way.) So far I’ve been getting by the with one on my phone, but I will be buying one ASAP.
  2. Spanish-English dictionary. I literally had one on my shelf at home and just didn’t bring it – like an idiot. My first stop at the language school was a small town and there was nowhere to buy a dictionary. Luckily I found one in San Juan del Sur for $3 and I’m back on track.
  3. A second bottle of repellent. More repellent. All the repellent in the world, please. Because mosquitoes are vicious assholes and my blood is their crack. I should have brought more, and I learned the hard way that there’s no guarantee you can find good strong repellent with 30% DEET where you are. I’ve been rationing my supply of Muskol until I make it to Panama where I’m told the repellent gods may smile down upon me and my poor itchy skin.

THINGS I DID PACK THAT WERE LIFESAVERS:

  1. CampSuds. You can get a small bottle of CampSuds at MEC for under $8. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s basically a one-stop-shop soap, so you can wash your body, hair, clothes and dishes with it. It’s super concentrated so it lasts forever and replaced so many clunky plastic bottles I would have been carrying around instead. I can basically wash my entire body and hair with one full cap. Lifesaver. Love this stuff.
  2. Travel towel. I loved my travel towel – in all it’s water-absorbing, instantly-drying glory. I say this in the past tense because I forgot it at one of my hostels – and it broke my heart. In a climate that’s always humid something that actually dries is a dream. Now I just have a normal towel I bought from a nice lady in San Juan – but it is sorely lacking. I miss you Pack Towel!
  3. Mosquito net. I bought my mosquito net for about $20, and it’s already worth it weight in gold. Not because it saved me from mosquitoes, but because it saved me from bed bugs. I was staying at my hostel in Moyogalpa when a couple of girls were complaining about how badly the mosquitoes were attacking them at night. One of the other travellers – who had worked at a hostel before – quickly saw the bites and knew they were from bed bugs. Unluckily for me, one of the afflicted girls was sleeping in the bed above me. I thought I was doomed – until I put my mosquito net under her mattress and let it flow to protect my bunk underneath. I didn’t get a single bite over the next two nights and it got a point that I was second-guessing whether there were bed bugs in the first place. When I was packing to leave I removed my net from under the mattress above me and it was filled with evidence – and by evidence I mean bed bugs. I had to soak my net in soapy water and pick every single dead carcass out of there. #RealTalk. But, I’ve been in love with my mosquito net ever since – my bed bug-protecting superhero.

FAVOURITE MOMENTS:

  1. Bollywood in Nicaragua. I loved watching a Bollywood movie with my homestay family in Nicaragua. It was such a cool culture-clashing moment for me. My Indian roots colliding with my new adventure, and becoming a common thread to help me relate to strangers I was living with, in a country I’d never been to before. Very cool.
  2. The Roof of the Leon Cathedral. As I mentioned, I was feeling quite cynical about touring yet another church but all of my preconceived notions were told to shut the f*ck up once I laid eyes on the roof. Sometimes it’s good when the world smacks down your arrogance and reminds you that you know absolutely nothing. If I had given in to my apathy I wouldn’t have had that amazing experience, which was a great lesson to learn.
  3. Finding Yankee Beach. When I was asked to join along with some other travellers who were renting motorcycles to explore San Juan, I had no idea what to expect. The first beach we tried to visit was Yankee Beach. When we initially drove up there was a fence claiming Private Property, and we couldn’t see to the beach. Instead of leaving, we found a fence-less area and walked in. I’m so glad we did, because once we reached the beach it was stunning – and there wasn’t a single other soul there. It was like a private oasis. My first instinct was to run around screaming at the top of my lungs because it seemed so surreal. The feature picture for this post was taken there.

BONUS:

Hiking to the San Ramos Waterfall on Ometepe Island. This day trip was meaningful because it was a reality check for my physical abilities but it also gave me hope. Leading up to my gap year I wasn’t sleeping properly, eating properly, or working out. I was stressed, having panic attacks, and basically wasn’t myself. The hike up to the waterfall was an eye-opener. I had to confront head on what not putting myself first had done to my stamina and my health – but on the other hand, I made it. I finished the hike, I frolicked in those cold and powerful waters and it was glorious. I can’t wait to keep putting myself first and see what my body is capable of.

What a month. Bring on the rest!

I will also be posting a “by the numbers” post for Nicaragua with rough costs, to help out anyone thinking of travelling here and wondering what kind of budget they need. I hope to do a breakdown on a country-by-country basis. Stay tuned. 

 

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