Continued from Nicaragua: Pre-Departure Details

Staring at the twin propeller Cessna from the inside of Managua's domestic terminal sent shots of adrenaline up and down my spine like an electric current getting stronger and stronger. I knew as soon as I had found out about the Corn Islands in Nicaragua that it was meant to be.

Admittedly, there was a point before purchasing my tickets when I had doubts about the entire trip but, as I said before, the difference between traveler and tourist is that critical first step into the unknown. The rush I got clicking "Purchase Tickets" was but a fraction of what I was feeling as soon as I was airborne.

The night before was spent in Managua's night life area which consisted of six or seven bar/restaurants/clubs, they were primarily US themed which was an immediate turn off except for the $1 liter of beer special one bar was having. Needless to say it was the best way to indulge in my first sip of Nicaraguan beer which goes fantastically well with Conchas Libres (live Conch with lime and diced veggies). My travel mate was not the least impressed with what I was eating but I credit her for trying one anyway.

While in the air I thought for a moment that the live conch had cursed me with a bad stomach but it was just the rush of the morning combined with the butterflies in my stomach. Our flight was at 8AM and we were instructed to check in at 7AM. We had informed the owner of our hotel, Manfred (German guy), that we would need a ride to the airport at 6AM to which he assured us was no problem. By 6:15AM the driver had not shown up and by 6:25 it was crunch time so we sent a wake up call to Manfred who within 3 minutes came screeching around the street corner to race us to the airport.

The entire process of getting to the airport quickly became very much like a military exercise. The boot opened before the car came to a halt, my pack was in along with camera gear and tripod within milliseconds. Before I had a chance to finish saying "Gutten Morgen Manfr...." we were off.

Zigging and zagging between cars, buses, stray dogs and street vendors in a Central American capitol felt very much like riding a roller coaster without that safety bar to hold you down. I was all smiles though. Maybe it was the combination of random beeping, the smell of exhaust fumes early in the morning, the pseudo-stop at a red light and then running through it or the fact that our driving was 'driving normally' - but the foreign sense of home settled in; it reminded me of driving in Asia.

Looking down at the landscape thousands of feet below re-confirmed that we were in fact not in Asia. A volcano in the background smoked continuously as we flew by it and eventually the brown and green Nicaraguan earth gave way to deep blue Caribbean waters flashing a green here and there revealing the coral reefs that were not far from the surface.

Our landing was something less than graceful and woke me from my sleep. I realized that we had landed in Bluefields, a stop over and the largest town closest to Big and Little Corn Islands. More passengers arrived and coffee was served along with a selection of biscuits and crackers.

Within 30 minutes we arrived on Big Corn and were zipping along in a taxi towards the dock. At first it reminded me of the Virgin Is., it definitely had a Caribbean feel. We ate lunch at a cafe by the dock and awaited out boat. We had been told by Manfred that it had been raining in the Corn islands for 12 days straight. I was not impressed and I found my spirits begin to sink the moment I noticed dark clouds quickly forming and light ran drops began falling on my arm. I fought hard to fend off the negativity that was about erupt. Our boat was ready, it only gets better from here. Right?

Little Corn Is. is north of Big Corn Is. The winds blow south and given the high winds during the tail end of the rainy season you also get big swells. Since our pangan (boat) was going against the wind this meant that we were riding against the waves. It was a lot of up, down and SLAM!! The front of the pangan took the brunt of the blows and that is where yours truly was happily positioned. During the entire ride I was unable to open my eyes due to the sea water which was continuously splashing in my face. I was completely soaked and the sun's rays were magnified onto my skin turning it red very quickly. Since I was unable to see properly I was also unable to gauge the swells and brace for impact. Instead I was tossed up off my seat numerous times only to be greeted by the unrelenting section of wooden board that I paid a spot for. I instantly had an image of what it would have been like for me to have attended Catholic school in the 1950s.

Seeing Little Corn Island on the horizon provided an inkling of hope and I could not wait to step onto the dock and walk straight into my casita.

to be continued...