Hi everyone Hope you are well. I had a fab time in Nicaragua. Despite the torrential rain brought on by a hurrican in El Salvador, Nicaragua is definately one of my favourite countries in Central America. Its pretty, the people are really friendly and helpful and overall its just good value! I stayed for a few days in Granada which is a very pretty colonial town. Granada reminded me a little of Antigua, but slightly less touristy. Had fun here running along the roof tops of the main church in the rain, visiting the very very touristy market in Masaya (where I bought a "Yo {heart} Nicaragua" t.shirt, and eating cake in the many pattiseries around the town. After Granada we all decided to go to Ometepe island for a few night. I was packed and ready to go, when I made a horrible discovery - a mouse had died in my hiking boot. I screamed the hostel down and Phil, my room mate, had to get out of the shower and remove the evil mouse from my boot - eugh, eugh, eugh. Even retelling this tale gives me the shivers. Several treks later and following a good scrubbing with an old toothbrush, my right boot still smells of mouse - ohh the horror! Hopefully the mouse died of natural causes, but of course everyone said it was asphyxiation! Once I recovered from the mouse trauma, I really enjoyed Ometepe. I stayed at a cool, and quite remote, hacienda on the lake side for a few days. From here I did a very long and hot hike (wearing the mouse boots) up to an impressive waterfall. I Wish I could have spent longer in Nicaragua, but the torrential rain meant that trips to the other islands near Granada were cancelled and Ialso wanted to get to Costa Rica to fit in some beachside sunshine before I went to Deepest, Darkest Peru! Lindsx