Goobye Nicaragua. Hello Costa Rica and Panama!

What better time to travel than now? After completing Peace Corps service, Peace Corps rewards its volunteers with a "readjustment allowance," to help them with the transition into life after PC, which is a little money that can go toward an apartment not made of mud, clothing that is rat-bite free, or for a bit of traveling before returning. On top of this,  I am used to developing-country standards regarding transport, housing, and convenience (amongst other things)  and therefore am apt to handle any travel conditions. (Is air-mail the quickest and cheapest way to get to Peru? I'm in! I'll pop out of that box refreshed and ready to go.) Also, I can speak spanish and have been living in a Latin American country for two years From my experience so far, language is one of the most important factors for being accepted into a culture, and basic communication is essential for not getting stuck in tourist traps with other gringos the whole time. Natives seem to appreciate when a foreigner makes an effort to learn the language of the country they are visiting, and it can make a huge difference in one's visit. With those factors in mind, I decided to buy a plane ticket returning stateside from Peru on July 19. Let the little adventures abroad continue! 

-Being a tourist in Nicaragua for the first time: 

It was liberating being freed of work, with nothing but exploration on my horizon. I took Frances on her final death bus ride from Managua to the southern department of San Jorge, the port city, and took a ferry to the famous Ometepe. It's incredible how Nicaragua's finest tourist attractions and still so raw. It is a beautiful yet extremely underdeveloped country, which can be off-putting. Only the most hardcore tourists deserve to enjoy the beauty of this country, and must be prepared to take cold showers, sleep in hot rooms without air-conditioning, or take a ride in a taxi that would pass car safety standards (but 99% of the time, it's fine!). To enjoy Nicaragua, one has to be prepared to break the rules, because we just kind of make them up as we go. With that being said, Frances and I were able to rent scooters after a 5 minute tutorial (as neither of us have ever driven them), and cruise the roads that figure-8 the two volcanoes, I highly recommend renting dirtbikes or scooters on the island, as there is so much too and visit, and being the boss of your timetable allows you to enjoy activities more. After Ometepe, Frances and I went to the infamous San Juan del Sur, one of the most world-renowned spots in Nicaragua. In my opinion, Nicaragua has so much more to boast than bars full of drunken surfers, but if one has the time, might as well check it out, there are several beautiful beaches near that area. It was an appropriate way to start my non-PC time in Nicaragua by visiting one of the most gringo-y places in the country after renting scooters, something prohibited by PC policy. Whoo, rebel!!

Scooters on Ometepe with the active volcano Concepcion in the background

-From a chicken bus to the Tica Bus: 

Stop number one- Costa Rica! To get to Costa Rica from Nicaragua, one can fly, or take the much cheaper, 7 hour bus ride from Rivas, Nicaragua, to San Jose, Costa Rica. The bus is air conditioned, takes bathroom breaks, and has enough seats for passengers; therefore it was already classified as luxury status in my book. Frances, Blake and I begin our dream team travels the morning of Monday, June 10. Border crossing wasn't hard for us, although I hear that Costa Rica wants to see that people entering their country have a definite plan to leave it. Therefore, if your plane or bus ticket is only one way, you NEED to show them that you have a flight or bus out. Plan accordingly. If this doesn't get in your way, the border crossing is relatively painless. We took Tica Bus, there is also Nica Express and Trans Nica, all air-conditioned, and therefore wonderful. Note: pack a parka for the buses. 

Clothing necessary for buses

-San Jose for the night:

Alas! After a smooth ride, Frances, Blake and I arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica. It was cold!! When we first arrived, I actually had no idea that were had actually reached our destination (I hadn't been to San Jose in over two years) but got off the bus because everyone else was doing it. San Jose, Costa Rica, we had arrived! We saw clean streets, and people forming lines to get on the public transportation. Blake had tears of joy in his eyes as he watched passengers orderly wait in line to get on the bus. We only had the afternoon in San Jose, as the next day we had a shuttle arranged to take us the the beautiful Bocas del Torro, a Carribean archipelago of Panama. My friend Frances had come and roughed it with me for a week in my Nicaraguan territory, and now it was time for her to show me Bocas, where she lived and worked for 7 months starting May 2011.Therefore, we spent our one day in San Jose walking around the central area, which has a beautiful national theater building. We stayed at the same hostel I'd stayed at before with Frances and Matt (shoutout Matt Straney!) when we came 3 years ago, Pangea, which was actually the first hostel I'd ever stayed in (the first of many!). The hostel had hot water! Development at its finest...

-From Costa Rica to Panama

DIY is definitely the way to go for cutting out extravagant tour agency fees, but is oh-so-worth-it sometimes to not have to think about 3 bus transfers and the logistics of a ten-hour trek, which is what we had ahead of us to get from San Jose, Costa Rica, to Bocas del Torro, Panama. In this case, Frances had worked for us us a $45 deal on a  normally $70 dollar trip so we said "done!" We got picked up in a sweet micro-van and cruised through Costa Rica to it's famous Puerto Viejo. On the way in, I noticed that the country was incredibly lush, and the country was so vibrantly green. I hope it's started raining in Nicaragua....

Isla Zapateria

Spelunking

Starfish on Starfish Beach 

After lunch Puerto Viejo (San Jose-Puerto is 5-6 hours, depending of labor strikes and traffic, which we encountered), we hopped on another bus to Changiola, the Costa Rica border town. Crossing the border consisted of walking a decrepit bridge over the Sixaola river while Panama waited on the other side.        

-Panama fever

The border to Panama

If someone asks you to go to Bocos del Torro, Panama, do it! It is one of the most unique places I have ever been. We stayed in the rainforest hostel with the resort where Frances used to work on Isla Bastimentos (the main island is called Isla Colon), and every day had the option of adventure or leisure. I liked that although caters to tourists, the culture of the native people is still present, as we saw when we went to Bastimentos town for lunch with a few of France's family friends. "Mami" welcomed us in her home and served us a whole fish, with huge side of coconut rice, spagetti, and salad and it was one of the most enjoyed meals I'd ever had. On top of a great culture, these islands have spelunking in secret caves, pristine rainforests, sloth-spotting, starfish beaches and water-taxis as the main method of transportation. Who wouldn't want to take a boat to the bar?   

After losing Frances in Bocas (sad face), Blake and I were destined for Panama City. From Bocas, it is a short ten hour bus ride, which we had reserved tickets for a week in advance. Therefore, it was a little disheartening as we got to our water taxi to take us to the mainland we were given back our money, without bus tickets, and told that "our reservation still existed at the bus station." We got to the bus, and both night buses were full. Thankfully, our new friend Canadian Bill told us about a city 6 hours away where buses left for Panama City at more frequent intervals. David, Panama, here we come!

Frances and I being exhausted after vacationing too hard

We arrived at David around 9:45 pm, just in time for the 10pm bus. Which was also full. Who knew that so many people would be traveling to Panama City the Monday night after Father's Day? There was a 12 am bus that still had availability, so Canadian Bill, Blake and I signed right up. Panama has great buses for long distance travel, and I got my first double-decker bus experience, it was sweet! After a red-eye ride, we role into Panama City around 7:30am with our mochilas and a desire to see the famous canal. 

Boat crossing Panama Canal

I learned a lot our day in Panama City. Number one: that is canal viewing area of Miraflores Locks doesn't open until 9 am. Also, the interworking of the canal is incredible, and speaks volumes of mankind's power to manipulate nature. Just look up how to locks of the canal work. We were lucky enough to get there right ships were crossing the Miraflores Lock, and got to see the system in action. Panama City is a neat place; it has the part of town comparable to Miami with towering skyscrapers, but also the beautiful "Casco Viejo" (or old town) that has cobblestone streets and a wonderful ambience. Not to mention a "mercado de mariscos" where you can get $2 ceviche of any flavor and a huge plate of red snapper or sea bass for $6 bucks. I am going back to Panama City just for that one day. There is also a beautiful walkway along the water that connects the old city with the skyscrapers, highly recommended for those who wish to run off that fried snapper and patacones the next morning.

Panama City Fish Market 

A little ketchup.

Por fin, after over 2 and a half years of living in Nicaragua working as a PC Volunteer, I have completed my service and am moving on. Since March, I had been tying up loose ends by ending projects and preparing myself, townspeople and other friends for my departures ("Yes, I am leaving.. Next month actually! No I won't be coming back the next week. I could never for you!". When the majority of my group of Nica 58 left (of the 15 to complete service, 3 extended for a year, 11 left around March 28, and I was "held back" for a few months), I was by no means prepared to end my PC service. I still had projects to finish, best friends (and mothers) to visit, lots of items to give away, and people to say goodbye to. It was advantageous to have my friends in Nica 58 give me advice on how to prepare my delayed COS, what signatures are the hardest to get or what is the hardest get done in the office. Thanks to their advice and lots of prep time, when June 4 came, I was ready to go.

As those of you who have moved know, it's not easy. It amazes me how many possessions I had accumulated in my two years, they must not have been essential nick-nacks either, as I was still living out of a suitcase in year one. It was quite liberating ridding myself of unnecessary goods, which I had more of than I'd like to admit (sometimes, kids would come into my house, look at my shoes under my bed, and ask if I had a store). It's amazing how much stuff we think we need to have, and how many things we actually need. I want to keep this lesson in my mind when I return to the States; there is a balance between having too spartan a lifestyle and distracting ourselves with excessive goods. That balance is different for everyone but we must always take a second to step back and evaluate ourselves (not others!). I suppose I will always myself a real coffee maker when I get back to the states, this sock-filter-thing is starting to look a little drab. I will not however, buy 3 coffee machines for myself to eliminate having to walk to another room for coffee. It's all about balance people.

With this in mind, I was able to give away enough things to pack up my past two years of life in 3 bags, which I sent back with my incredible mother. She had graciously agreed to visit one last time to soak in the glory of San Fernando, and to smuggle coffee, rum and other essential items back into the states. I couldn't have brought back the wild chicken mask that I won in my first half-marathon, ceramic gifts from friends, or authentic Nicaraguan hammocks without her help, and I will be forever grateful for her presence in my final weeks. It was also amazing getting to share my life here with her (as it has been with everyone who has visited me, I have the best friends ever!!); she got to experience the wonderful (and not so great) sides of Nicaragua, a simple (yet beautiful, as my friend Caro told me after roughing it with me) way of life, and now understands a new perspective. Therefore, it was necessary for her to experience cold showers, ungodly amounts of smoke, and latrines.

Now to goodbyes... Two years is ample time to form many relationships and friendships. I have met incredible people here and made of my best friends. Yet I had to say goodbye. It was a little sad, but not the worst. In this day and age, many "goodbyes" are in reality, not goodbyes at all, but instead a "let's keep in touch" on facebook, instagram, or whatever you kids are doing nowadays. I am going to have to get a smartphone when I get stateside; I don't think my razor can download WhatsApp. It's incredible how technology allows my brother to talk to my parents face-to-face from Istanabul, Turkey, or how I can call my friends to catch up from the wifi at my neighbors house (who now have a classy NC coffee mug as a token of my appreciation.) In this day and age, going to live far away from a person doesn't have to mean goodbye, but instead, see you later. (One of my favorite cheesy lines.. Also see: HAGS, LYLAS, BFF)

On June 5, 2014, I did the ceremonious "ringing of the best." It is when a PCV, after doing their final medical reviews, submitting their official description of service, completing their exit interviews with bosses, and obtaining clearance signatures,  triumphantly rings a bell in the middle of the PC office to symbolize the completion of their service. To prepare for this, I left my site on June 4 on the 6:30 am bus, which was of course, packed well beyond capacity. Thankfully, after two years, I had established a friendship with the bus crew, and was able to get 3 seats reserved for my mother, my visiting friend Frances, and myself. Our luggage was delicately thrown above, and we were squeezed inside. Even with seats, the strong smell of humans packed in a small space like cattle was palpable, and I was pleased by the fact that this was to be my final San Fernando-Managua bus ride, as was Frances. My mother seemed to have found her zen. When I glanced over 2.5 hours in on the 5 hour bus ride, she seemed to be unfazed by the puking babies in the seats in front and behind her. I was so proud of her. Wednesday afternoon was my final medical interview, and medics were very proud of me for having serviced my service without having contracted dengue, scabies, and only a few cases of stomach amoebas or parasites. In my two years, I´d only had a skin fungus, one ant bite to the eardrum, and no major medical emergencies. Heck, I was a golden volunteer! Since PC is funded by the US government, there weresome bureaucracies     to address, so it was nice having Wednesday to finish beaucratic obligations, such as verifying that I have no outstanding debts, saying that I would only fly American Airlines, and yadda yadda. So, when Thursday morning rolled around, I was ready! I turned in my cell phone chip to Eynard, PC Nicaragua's techie, and I ran to the stairwell where the bell hangs. I gave a big shout, grabbed the bell, and clanged away. All PC staff and volunteers in the office rang outside to clap and congratulate me, it was a very special moment. This was it The end of an era. I had been preparing for this for a very long time, and at last the moment came. After over two and a half years of living in Nicaragua, I had successfully completed service as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and now I was done. Was I sad? I suppose a little, as it is always a little bit sad to end an era of your life that has been good to you, but more so than sad, I was excited and ready to begin the next era. My time in Peace Corps has allowed me to form unforgettable relationships with natives and other US citizens, prepared me for the next phase of my life, allowed me to grow up, and taught me invaluable life lessons that I will forever cherish.

Sideways picture of me ringing the bell

Note: Next posts will be from various countries, as I travel Latin America for a month before heading stateside!