Journeying around the Caribbean

Boarding a panga bound for Bluefields
In order to experience the Eastern, Caribbean side of Nicaragua, we could have done what many tourists do and simply flown to Bluefields or the Corn Islands. Instead we set off from Leon and spent 8 days travelling by minibus, old American school bus, taxi, coach, motor boat and canoe (with and without sail), exploring towns and communities we hadn’t previously seen and didn’t know much about. It was a bit more tiring at times, but overall we were very happy that the way we chose to do things let us see much more of the country, appreciate the changes in geography and ecology and meet lots of interesting people.

From the time we left the ‘end of the road’ riverside town of Rama until we returned there 6 days later, all of our journeying was by water. The semi-scheduled boats, or pangas, sat 20 people and zipped along the water powered by a huge outboard motor. You had to wait for the boats to fill and so rigid timetables went out the window and everything slows to the same, chilled out Caribbean pace. Twice we had to wait for over 3 hours. However, after sauntering on last to our first boat, when our 20 people were finally all present to board, and ending up on the seats at the very front of the boat facing to the rear squished in next to a couple of very fat people, we soon learnt that it pays to be first in line. Those seats are the bumpiest and most uncomfortable of all. When we ended up with the same seats on the next leg across the large expanse of Pearl Lagoon, the boat slammed repeatedly on the choppy water and we soon had to call for an emergency stop halt, play the pregnancy card and get everyone to clamber over to swap seats so that Rachel could sit at the rear of the boat, where things were vastly smoother. When the water was calm and the sun was low or hidden by cloud, the boat journeys were a joy, passing beautiful forested shores, swooping fishing birds, shrimping boats of varying sizes, waterside communities and even the occasional ship wreck. A commercial shrimping boat leaving Bluefields. Shipwreck in the foreground. A more humble vessel for shrimp fishing in Orinoco. This boat was carved by hand from a single trunk by villagers. It takes around six days to make and lasts for at least four years of service.Travelling up the Wawachang river with Harley, our captain, and Karleene from Pearl Lagoon. Our favourite trips were when we downsized boat to travel up the river Wawachang to a forest reserve and when we joined local guide Orlando for a trip by canoe to his farm. The breezy conditions meant a homemade plastic sail was in order to power the canoe, an alternative to the usual pole and oars; either way it was peaceful and relaxing to progress more slowly and without the noise of a motor. Of course the other extreme is bouncing perilously across miles of windswept lagoon being soaked by spray, motor roaring at one end, dreadful reggaeton and college rock blaring from speakers at the other end, all while frying under the full sun. Although at times it felt like we were travelling more than staying put and we wouldn’t want to have to travel by boat all the time, it certainly added to the feeling of experiencing a new part of the country and made our adventures feel more adventurous.