Adventuras Acuáticas: Capitulo Dos - From San Carlos to El Castillo

[continued from Capitulo Uno]  Taking the fast boat got us to San Carlos with just enough time to hustle down to the other dock in town to catch the boat to…

El Castillo.  Seriously, we made it to the dock just minutes before the boat headed downriver.  Perfect!

Ceci n'est pas our boat - but ours was very similar.

Just a short distance downriver from San Carlos we passed under the huge new Japanese-funded Puente Santa Fe, linking Nicaragua with their 'friends' to the south.  It's interesting that Ortega built this $30 million dollar bridge without full buy in and cooperation of Costa Rica.  The idea is good - the bridge offers another route to the ports in the Caribbean, maybe get some truck traffic off the Pan American highway to the west and hopefully bolster the economy in one of the poorer regions of the country.  

What's that?  I thought we were in the middle of the wild and wooly jungle.

But it only works with cooperation between the two countries and there is a long history of bad blood.  Hell, the exact position of the border itself along the Rio San Juan is constantly in question.  Time will tell.  If and when the bridge is put into use, it may just replace one of the coolest border crossings ever, a border crossing that we would be making in a few days.  More on that later.

As we made our way down the wide slow Rio San Juan, we realized that these boats are just like the one we took to the Solentinames, in that they stop anywhere.  On several occasions, we would cut toward shore, gently nose right up to the bank at some random point and pick up more passengers or drop people off.  The pilot is very good, too.  He nudges the boat right up close and the people moving on/off barely have their feet clear before he reverses the boat to continue on our journey.

Ten hut!  Another boat stopped at this Nicaraguan military dock.

The boat made an official stop in the small town of Boca de Sabalos.  Man, this place looked cool!  Our boat left the Rio San Juan, just barely, heading up the Rio Sabalos no more than 50-75 meters to get to the municipal dock. Again, if we only had more time, we would have loved to stay here a night or two to explore.  Situated where the Rio Sabalos enters the Rio San Juan (boca means 'mouth') this bustling little place looked very interesting.  Just like at the dock in San Carlos, there was military presence here, too.  The soldier asked the pilot about us - we could tell because he gestured and looked right at us.  Just wanted to know where we were from.  It must be my honest face because there was no delay and we were soon leaving.  Good thing they didn't check the wife's passport. (ahem)

Cruisin' río-style

While we were waiting at the dock, people and goods being unloaded, we saw a little skiff, a water taxi, bringing people back and forth across this river.  This costs a few cordobas and adds to the charm of this little river town.  As we checked out Boca de Sabalos from the river, we saw one cool lodge with a neat restaurant and rooms overlooking the river.  We made a mental note for our next trip here.  From what we could see, the town also has a market as well as a few bars and restaurants.    

As we continued downriver, the river narrowed a little and the water was moving a little quicker.  A short time later we arrived in El Castillo.

One if by land, two if by sea.  How many if by river?

We stayed two nights in this cool little river town and would have stayed longer had we known how enjoyable it would be.  We've talked about it since the trip and we agree that the most interesting part of El Castillo was that there are no roads.  No roads = no cars.  Everyone and everything moves by boat.  In fact, we arrived midday and, after checking in at Hotel Tropical and dropping our packs, we walked about town to find lunch.  

With no roads, getting around town was difficult - NOT!  There are nice stone-paved pathways all over town.  The one that runs parallel to the river is wide enough for a horse drawn cart and the side paths are spacious, as well.   Again, we were visiting during the slow season, so we had many invitations from anxious and excited staff at the hotels, restaurants, bars to come in and enjoy.  We continued to explore until we were plenty hungry.  Bex! still wasn't feeling 100% but she was also in need of food, as was I.

We ended up eating at Lara's Planet, which is the restaurant at the hotel of the same name. The place looked pretty new and polished.  It has solar panels on the roof, beautiful tiled floors and a lot of bamboo in the decor - railings, furniture, trim work.  Pretty awesome place, overlooking the river.  

A 'panga', typical transportation in all the river communities.

I mentioned that boats are used for everything.  While we were waiting for our food, we saw a man on the opposite bank get in his panga (a type of long skinny boat), scoot across the river, and tie up.  He was gone a few minutes and came back with a bag of ?? (groceries?) and hopped back in with another guy to head back across the rio.  The second guy was his neighbor, by the looks of it - each heading to neighboring houses.  River life!  'Just jumping in the panga to run a few errands, honey!  Need anything?'  'No, but don't forget to pick up Carlos!'

With no roads in the area, we're not sure where this truck was headed.

We enjoyed watching the boats and people go by for a while, then lunch was served.  And the food was fantastic!  The proprietress was friendly and engaging.  The cuisine leaned toward Italian, so I had the river shrimp pasta and Bex! had a tasty bolognese, each served with a delicious, freshly-made pico de gallo salad with fresh-picked baby spinach.  We knew we were in good hands when the hostess came out of the kitchen to snip herbs from her garden for our dishes - fresh basil garnish!.  And the fresh grated parmesan was a treat.  It was a little spendy but the freshness and authenticity were worth it.  Plus - you know - real cheese.

Cosmopolitan food in a sleepy river town.

After some more time exploring the town, it was chill time at the hotel.  We played cards (I was still leading) and read, watched the boats going up and down the river and generally relaxed.  I walked to a nearby pulperia where I bought a few beers and a soda for my still-not-feeling-great spouse.  The rooms at the Hotel Tropical are all on the second floor and all share a big deck overlooking the river and, even better, the rapids.  It was nice to have the white noise of the water.

It was dinner time but Bex! still wasn't feeling well.  She was a trooper - two boat rides, lots of walking and, darn it, trying really hard to feel better just took it out of her.  It had been a long day.  So I wandered out to find some food while she napped.  When we first arrived, as we got off the boat that brought us to town, the proprietor of a cool looking little bar with a great location and great music playing from the boom box had called to us to visit his establishment.  I had made note of this and so I headed straight there to have a few beers, some food and chat with the locals.  Mingling, having fun and making new friends is something I excel at thankyouverymuch even with my limited Spanish.  Hell, maybe because of my limited Spanish!  I'm not afraid to try and locals appreciate that, actually.  

I walked in and the place looked dead.  I found the owner sleeping in a rocking chair.  He woke up and seated me.  I ordered a beer to start and he said 'Lo siento, pero no tengo cerveza.'  'En serio?!'  'Si.'  Hmmm… no beer, no other customers to chat with.  I said good night, walked around a little, then ended up back at our hotel.  The ground floor of the hotel is home to Restaurante Vanesa, so I ate there.  I had a decent chicken dinner and a couple of beers as I watched boats navigate the river, in the dark with no lights.  Pretty amazing considering the rapids they were cutting through.

A river boat lining up to approach the rapids on the far side of the river.

Please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times.

Safely on the way to the Caribbean

I checked on my patient when I got back upstairs.  She was doing okay, just resting.  We sat up for a bit, then decided to watch some TV, a luxury when we travel.  Yeah, except the cable was disconnected.  It seems the hotel cuts the service during the low season to save money.  Smart move, but we felt they could have maybe mentioned that.  In fact, we kinda put up with a fair amount of 'low season' inconvenience here.  The doorknob to our room was loose.  In fact, so loose that if I didn't hold it just right when we closed it from the outside, it would just fall off.  The door would be secure but there would be no attached knob to open it!  Also, the water was turned off during the day.  We came to discover that this was village wide, a way to preserve water.  Again, that would be something to mention to the guests, right?  Nope, apparently.  No water meant no toilet flushing, and I got caught in the shower the first day, all soaped up and no water to rinse.  Bex! had to go downstairs to get them to flip some valves and that got me just enough of a trickle to rinse off.  The price was okay, though, which is why we stayed.  If we had planned a longer stay in El Castillo, however, we would have moved to a different place.

As we finished up breakfast the next morning, we saw our Israeli friends, Joseph and Eran.  We called them over and they joined us to have coffee.  We each shared our adventures since we'd last met up in San Carlos.  They were heading all the way downriver to the Caribbean and were trying to figure out which boat would take them.  Our server told them there was one leaving, um, now so they hurried off!  It was great seeing them again!  Joseph owes me ice cream, though.  

We walked down through the other area of town, a section we had not explored the previous day.  More hotels, some restaurant potential for later - and Nene's Tours.  One of the things on our to do list while in town was to ride the Raudal de Diablos - the Devil's Rapids.  The very rapids that run through town and past our hotel, in fact.  We stopped in Nene's to inquire about the possibility of doing the trip this afternoon.  The proprietor stepped out on the porch, yelled across the way to a young man to see if he could take us later.  The guy, Ernesto, told us to wait a sec.  Then he walked over to check the river.  It must have been okay because he said yes and we arranged a time to meet him.

Perhaps a short prayer before hitting the river?

Google street view Guagin painting anonymous mural of El Castillo

After setting up our rafting excursion, we hit the fort.  And what a fort it is!  Wow!  Originally called the Fortress of the Immaculate Conception  it was a vital protector of Lake Nicaragua and Granada, as Spain established their dominance in Central America.  The link (above) takes you to a 1988 article from the New York Times that gives a good description of the history.  The only difference between the 1988 El Castillo described in the article and the El Castillo we experienced is that the town has definitely been discovered.  Granted, it's still far off the beaten path and takes a commitment of time and prior scheduling to get to, but the town has embraced tourism and seemed to be thriving, for the most part.  

As I mentioned before, the Spanish chose this very spot on the river because of the rapids.  Invading British and pirate ships had to unload downriver and very slowly navigate their ships through the rapids, with people pulling ropes from shore.    A perfect spot for a fort with lots of cannons.  It wasn't foolproof, however.  The fort itself was taken a time or two.  So, yes, there is much history here.  We paid the small fee to enter the grounds and visited the tiny museum.  They had many of the original cannons on display as well as a chronological history of the town and the fort.  It was extremely interesting and a good way to work on our Spanish, as we read the posters.

You want me to use this little tiny cannon ball to hit that little tiny ship?

Wait, I thought the British came from that-a-way?!?

The museum is cool but the real attraction, of course, was the fort itself!  Impressive, to say the least.  It's not a huge complex but as you'll see in the pictures, it's situated on a bluff with great views up and down river as well as providing the perfect spot to take pot shots at invading ships.

Rampa de accesa

"Hi, welcome to Taco Bell.  Can I take your order?"

Great views!  Shaggy monster!

A view through one of the many rifle ports

Bex! must be feeling better - she found the room where the soldiers stored their food!

Views up and down river - perfect for spotting marauding British ships

Booby and Beauregard Honeysuckle Hedgehog III - travel buds!

And the other travel buds.  Man, do I need a haircut!

When we left the fort, we passed the local primary school.  We heard drumming as we approached and then saw the kids practicing.  Their drums were made of recycled tubs and cans!  But they had them rigged up around their waists or hanging around the neck and were rehearsing and marching.  It was pretty awesome to see.  [Note:  Ian F - come give lessons!]

You say school, I say escuela

We took the long way around town, visited the house where Horatio Nelson holed up while he planned the British attack on the fort, then skirted the high school.  We ended up taking a path that led us to a bridge that had washed out.  D'oh!  In fact, we had to scamper across the only remaining part of it, a 6"x6" support log.  We got back to the main drag and I decided to get a haircut here.  In our earlier wanderings we had passed a 'barberia' and so, what the hell, right?  Sorry, Samantha at Hair M!  This establishment might not offer hot towels and beers, but it did have pay by the hour video games.

Haircuts, photocopies, and video games - a match menage-a-trois made in heaven.

Pre-cut mug shots

Edwin was great!  We communicated through language and gestures about what I wanted (Bex! helped, of course) and he went to work.  He asked where we were from, then commented that it was funny I was from the US getting my hair cut by a Nicaraguan in El Castillo who was using electric clippers manufactured in the US.  Ha!  

First under the axe - the burns.

Now, a little off the top, please.

Post-cut mug shots.

Gracias, amigo!

After my spiffy new 'do, it was time for lunch.  We went to Borders Cafe, a new-ish place in town and one known for their coffee.  I had a latte and Bex! had a juice.  The manager bragged about how his restaurant recently won an award and how popular they were.  The drinks were great, the food was average.  Neat place, though.  We went back later that day for micheladas, in fact.  As you may recall, a michelada is a beer served in a glass with a salted rim, and mixed with lime juice, sometimes even a little tomato juice, maybe a dash of hot sauce or black pepper.  Poor man's Bloody Mary.  I like them quite a lot.  They are refreshing and drinking plenty of them prevents diseases like this one.  It's like the 'apple a day' theory, only with alcohol.

After a stop back at the room, it was rafting time.  We didn't really know what to expect.  Ernesto was waiting for us.  On the porch at Nene's was our watercraft - a raft that looked maybe a little too small.  Hand made paddles, cut from planks, and - thankfully - real honest-to-goodness life jackets.  As stated, the rapids run right through town.  So we walked along the main path upriver to the municipal dock (the one we had arrived at the previous day), and put in there.  We got plenty of looks walking through town.  We half-expected to see locals lined up along shore to watch the crazy gringos.  

(ring ring)  "Hello?  "Did you hear the news?!  Some gringos are actually going rafting!"  "No way!  Seriously?"  "Yes!  Hurry!  They just went by my place on the way to the dock!"  "Okay, okay.  I'm on the way!"  "Bring beer!"

Our guide, our raft, Bex! with one of the homemade paddles heading to the dock for the first of five runs.  This is the 'main street', by the way.

Ernesto is doing all the work, obviously.

Then we paddled out toward the middle and let the current take us from there.  We ended up making five runs in an hour - cruising through the Raudal de Diablo, making for the bank, walking back up through town to the stares of the locals, launching from the dock, paddling up river to get a good angle and then doing it over again.  Ernesto was great, increasing the excitement level each time until the 4th and 5th runs were right through the heart of the big stuff.  It was fantastic fun and it cost all of $15.  We tipped Ernesto on top of that and walked away with big smiles.  

We were getting tossed pretty good while snapping pics, so I left this picture cock-eyed rather than leveled out.  That would be cheating!

And… back to Borders Cafe for post-rafting micheladas!  We relaxed at the hotel for a bit, checking out the rapids below with a newfound perspective.  With Bex! feeling better and after a full day of adventure and exploring, it was dinner time!  We went to Cafe de Huesped Chinandegano and were not disappointed!  This place had the perfect blend of location (right on the river, of course), service (the owner was extremely friendly, helpful) and food (it was fantastic!).  Bex! had her favorite dish - pollo jalepeño.  I had arroz con pollo and it was dee-lish.  We also found the BEST micheladas in town Central America thus far.  Minimally salted rim, nice blend of lime and tomato juice, hot sauce and a little pepper, all mixed with the Toña.  Perfect blend of umami and beer.  They have rooms here, as well, and it's top choice for our next stay.  At the very least, we will for sure dine here again!

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed the rest of the evening on the deck, visiting with some other tourists and listening to the rapids below.  One of the staff asked Bex! to translate between her and a young man who was traveling with his mother.  They were from the US (or maybe Canada?) and were trying to make arrangements for an extended stay after a brief excursion downriver.  Anyway, they didn't speak Sapnish.  And Bex! does!   She rawks. 

We slept well that night, after a big day, a great meal and a few beer cocktails.  The next morning, we ate breakfast and caught the morning rapida back upriver.  The river was clogged with floating debris, mostly wood and logs of various sizes, from El Castillo to Boca de Sabalos.  We're guessing the big rains washed this stuff down river.

River monster!

The boat again stopped in Boca de Sabalos and, yes, we still very much want to come back to explore this town.  And to see El Castillo again, of course.

But for now, our border run adventure would take us to…

[continued in Adventuras Acuáticas:  Capitulo Tres]