Herbs and hostels

Yo soy en Managua. 

It took a bus and two planes to get here. I took the 7am bus to Cancun airport from Tulum. The first plane was Cancun to El Salvador. You’d never know El Salvador is a dangerous country from the airport that’s for sure. 

Then from El Salvador to Managua. Through customs no problem. I had to check with the cabin crew that soup is not a fresh food haha. My naivety does not decrease with every day. 

My hostel here is so chilled out. Small, but not as small as my last one in Tulum. There’s music playing thoughout the hostel through speakers. The kitchen is big enough and stocked with water and beer that you can buy. In the garden there are rocking chairs and herbs growing in plant pots. 

I’ve booked two tours so far for while I’m here - volcano boarding and Ometepe Island. I want to get the most out of this country as I can. I will also look into going to Leon and Granada as day trips. 

I was sad to leave Tulum. I want to go back, and stay in the hotel zone like a rich tourist. Lounge on the beach all day. One beach was enough for me this time - I hate sand, but if you’ve got a nice hotel room and hot showers it’s not so bad. 

It’s overcast here; current temperature at 6pm is 27 apparently. I’m watching hostel staff trying to put up lights in the back garden and smashing bulbs in the process. There’s a breeze, but I’m not cold. There are red ants sniffing my can of pop. I’m probably going to get bitten out here. I’m watching a fellow Londoner’s book of Central America dry out and making sure no one else takes it. I thought I just caught a mosquito on my arm, but it was some fluff. The other Londoner has moved from a chair to a beanbag. 

The last big trip I did was Topdeck, and we were all together, all the time, all headed for the same destination. It’s so different this time - people 3 months, 6 months, a year into travelling. People are jealous when I say I’m at the beginning of 6 months. 

6 months feels like a long time, but also not long enough. I don’t want to blink and wake up on my last day, headed home.