I asked around and did online research, and the only way to get to Matagalpa was two and a half hours on the chicken bus. So I made the plan to take the bus but barely slept on Friday night because I was so nervous about the morning bus ride. I worried about many things, including but not limited to getting a seat, losing my bags, missing the bus, and getting robbed. You know what? It was awesome! And now after my experience in Matagalpa solo travel fears are much smaller.
Leon to Matagalpa
bus trip from leon to matagalpa
I got to the bus station early so I could get a good seat, and it worked. The bus driver gives out assigned seats! I got a window seat (score) near the back door (double score!). I was able to put my bags above me and a woman sat next to me and that was it for the whole trip. Easy peasy. Nothing like Rivas! I had worried for nothing.
The time has really been flying and now Lyna is on her way back to Toronto. The Melyna adventure has ended, but we did have some good times, and some interesting ones. There are a few tales I have not yet told about our adventures! Sometimes the funniest stuff happens when you’re traveling with a friend! As I move on to my solo Nica travels, here’s some of the good, the ridiculous, and the funny of the 10 days of “Melyna on the Go.”
Meeting other Canadians
There are a lot of Canadians in Nicaragua. We’ve met many from B.C. and Toronto and even a backpacker on the Ometepe shuttle bus from College and Ossington, but the best meet cute was in our hotel in Granada. The hotel included breakfast, but no matter how few or many people they were, the cooks couldn’t keep up with the demand. Lyna was wearing her Toronto Blue Jays shirt and went up to the counter to look for her pancakes. A tall man approached her carrying a plate and as he was asking her if she was from Canada, she asked him “Are those my pancakes?” Yes, she was from Canada, as were he and his friends, and no, they weren’t her pancakes, they were his. April, Lyna said you would appreciate that story. Her pancakes did come shortly after but included the wrong ingredients. Nicaragua!
Yesterday we moved from Ometepe Island to Laguna Apoyo on the mainland, and we are very happy with the change. Just the natural beauty of Laguna Apoyo makes you feel peaceful and relaxed, plus we are staying at a yoga resort which is lovely.
Drive from Ometepe to Laguna Apoyo
Leaving Ometepe
We left Ometepe yesterday via taxi, lancha and another taxi, and 3-4 hours later we were at Laguna Apoyo. It may only be the resort we selected, but what a difference those few hours made.
bad hotel in ometepe
Let me tell you why we were so happy to leave Ometepe – the only reason was our hotel. I struggled trying to get us a room on the Island to begin with – we did have a few parameters, but it shouldn’t have been that difficult. Wanting 2 separate beds in a room in Nicaragua seems to be a challenge for the hotels here. Be forewarned. Anyway, I found this place on booking.com and it was a great location and had decent reviews and was cheap.
When we arrived, they tried to hold our air conditioner hostage. Seriously. They took the air conditioner remote with them and left us in this windowless basement room and walked away. I followed. Good thing I took Spanish lessons because now I knew how to call them liars. I still don’t know Spanish for scumbag. Need to ask around. I showed them our booking. Apparently, they tried to claim that it was $20 more to get air conditioning and that I hadn’t booked it with air conditioning. They had clearly not given an option on the online listing, and the listing said it included air conditioning. I showed them.
Lyna and I sat down to lunch and debated leaving right then, but before we could decide, the receptionist seemed to realize her mistake, apologized to me and gave us the cherished air conditioning remote. It was unbelievable. First time I’ve had a hotel ransom the air conditioner remote. How about you? So that left a terrible taste in our mouths about that hotel and we were happy to leave.
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