Somoto Canyon

Tania's mom rented a car and we drove to the town of Somoto (about a 2.5 hour trip) to see the Somoto canyon in the North side near the Honduras-Nicaraguan border. We made a stop in the town of Pueblo Nuevo on the way to buy some Rosquillas (small toasted crackers made out of corn and cheese). We went to a small local "factory" where they were being made and we bought a few bags that had just come out of the oven.

Tied cock

We drove up the curvy road and enjoyed the green hills and the cool air. We saw a sign that read "Somoto canyon 1.7km" and we felt pretty confident that we would have a smooth car ride where we could see the canyon as we drove by. It was our mistake to think that this canyon was anything like the Grand canyon in Arizona, where one doesn't have to get out of the car to see the grandiosity of these types of natural wonders.

Well, as we mistakenly drove up to the Honduras-Nicaraguan border check point, we realized that we had gone too far north. We quickly asked one of the officers to guide us back in the right direction. He told us it was about 20 km back from where we were and we turned the car around. This was one of the first signs that the trip would be anything but ordinary.

We drove back and saw a sign which read "Somoto canyon." Actually, there were two entrances but they were not paved. We all started to wonder whether we would actually have to leave the car and walk (which would not be a very good option being that Tania's grandmother has a severely hurt foot) or if we had to drive through the muddy and uneven road in the rented Toyota Yaris.

Hint #1 when touring Nicaragua: never underestimate an unpaved road.

We turned into the muddy road and reached a group of men who were standing in front of a touring post. They explained that there were various ways to tour the canyon: all which required that we parked the car and walk. The tour guide, dressed in typical "vaquero" (cowboy) attire, told us the walk would take approximately 15 minutes to see a part of the canyon. Daniel (Tania's uncle), Tania, Vince (Tania's cousin) and I decided to take this "short" walk to see a little bit of the canyon. Tania's mom and grandmother decided not to go, simply because Tania's grandmother could not undertake such a walk. We took some water bottles with us and started on our way.

Hint #2 when touring Nicaragua: when a guy wearing boots and a cowboy hat tells you it's a 15 minute walk, he really means it's an hour. Also, his boots should give you a hint that wearing sandals is inappropriate footwear on the so-called "walk."

Here is our tour guide.

Here is a series of photos describing our "hike." First, we had to cross a river barefoot (Vince is riding on the back of the cowboy tour guide). The guide took off his boots and pants and helped us walk through the river.

Women washing their clothes in the river while we crossed.

Along the way we saw some cows.

Ominous paths abound...

After a few minutes of walking we went on a boat ride....

To get to.....
(you ready for this?)

Middle Earth!!!!!

So here is the update: We are leaving for Costa Rica tomorrow and will be back on Monday. We will take a 9 hour bus to get there and we will probably update the blog some time during the weekend. Pray for us...