P for positively surprised 

Some travelers tried to dissuade us to go to San Juan del Sur as it was ugly, overcrowded and dirty but we decided to head there anyway to relax for two days – read: do (absolutely) nothing to avoid spending money before crossing into Costa Rica. At first, we were not sure of our decision as we couldn’t find any hostel that was matching our needs. I mean… We only needed something cheap cheap, quiet, with hammocks and a pool. How hard could it be? We ended up walking a lot (lot lot lot) through town to find our perfect place; needless to say that we got to know San Juan pretty well. It is a cute town with many hostels, restaurants and gringos. The latter were unfortunately loud, arrogant and thought they owned this country (shame *sigh*). This was definitely a negative point for us. 

We had almost given up on finding our perfect hostel and were debating on leaving San Juan when we saw Jesus (I haven’t completely lost my mind yet, there was a statue on a hill). It must have been a sign; we followed his lead and we finally saw it: a hostel that was away from the town center, with hammocks AND a pool, plus offering a free breakfast. Our experience in San Juan was actually quite positive (after we ignored the gringos) but the off season phenomenon surely helped. You gotta love traveling during low or shoulder seasons! It does have its perks! 

We were grateful for this downtime as I was able to recover from hiking this bloody volcano (you know what they say: it is all downhill after 30). We could also catch up on administrative tasks (yeah my favorite… NOT) and do some research on Costa Rica because even if it is hard to believe, after over 3 weeks in Nicaragua, it was time to discover our 6th Central American country. We somehow weren’t ready to leave Nicaragua. Who would have thought we would have a hard time leaving Nicaragua? Certainly not us! With the time and thanks to wonderful encounters, we have grown fond of this country with its breathtaking landscapes, gorgeous weather, cheap way of life and beaches that came straight out of our dreams. While it was difficult to accept that our Nicaraguan adventure had come to an end, we were looking forward to crossing into Costa Rica as one of our friends was joining us for two weeks! Exciting times ahead! 

Next stop: Liberia. 

Happy trail and remember: Carpe Diem!