Nicaragua came and went, three stops in total, the cities of Leon and Granada, and the laid back surf town of San Juan del Sur. I am still travelling with Ash & Nicki, the British lads I first met in Caye Caulker, Belize, and then have been with since we left our diving spot in Utila 2 weeks ago.

Both Leon and Granada I found reminiscent of Antigua in Guatemala; both had as much rain but were far less touristy and seemed truer for it than their Guatemalan counterpart, which I liked. From Granada we made the short trip out to Laguna Apoyo which is a collapsed volcano filled with water which was a stunning and peaceful way to spend the afternoon, and far nicer than the murky and dirty beach on Lake Nicaragua in Granada.

We then made the short trip to San Juan which was an experience in itself. We caught the local bus which must have been at 200% of its ideal capacity. Being a former American school bus the seats were designed for children not adults, but not ones to be put off by a close encounter we clambered on and tried to find a space. Fully expecting to stand for the journey, some Dutch people squished up and made room for me on the end of their seat. I then spent the entire journey sitting perched on the end of the seat made for 3 kids not 3 adults with a stranger standing in front of me, wedged in between my legs! There wasn't enough room for him to even turn round to introduce himself. A quick change in Rivas and then down to the coast to San Juan del Sur.

So finally I could go surfing and the 4ft waves were perfect for my novice surf skills. After taking to scuba diving like the proverbial duck to water, and having dabbled in the odd bit of surfing in Devon & Portugal I was keen to get back in the water and pick up where I left off. I was soon taken down a peg or two and reminded just how difficult surfing is to master, and just how far I have to go before I can play with the big boys and girls. Day two went a little better, it's all about putting in the hours, hopefully there will be plenty more to come.

Fortunately we had unknowingly timed our trip to San Juan with the national holiday for the Day of Liberation on the 19th July, and arrived just in time for a weekend of festivities and public holidays. As well as processions in the street there were lots of parties going on. The first was a party sponsored by Flor de Caña, and held at a hotel complex on the edge of town. The venue for the party was stunning, set in the open air bar, aside a swimming pool on a hill overlooking town and the sea. To the uninitiated, Flor de Caña is Nicaraguan rum, a decent enough one at that, but did mean that most party goers ended up in the pool at some point in the evening. I took the role of unofficial photographer and therefore avoided a dunking - didn't want to go to bed with wet hair. I must be getting sensible in my old age, that didn't seem to bother us at the water parties in Ibiza some years ago!!!

The second party was, to all intents and purposes, a rave on the beach. They had set up a little 'festival site' with stage, bars, and of course portaloos. Having been in town for a few days by then we knew loads of people there and although it was incredibly sweaty and there was more than enough rubbish Euro pop played for my liking, I had a great night. I also met a local who was wearing a Man United shirt, he loves football and British Music so we had plenty to talk about.

And that was Nicaragua. I'd heard some pretty scary stories of kidnappings and robberies in the capital, Managua, which I didn't visit, but was still a little apprehensive about how Nicaragua would be. However I found the Nicos to be really friendly and didn't ever feel threatened or uncomfortable. With the weather being pretty rotten in Granada we decided to give the volcanic island of Omatepe a miss as it was likely to be shrouded in cloud and therefore hiking up it wouldn't have delivered the views out to the coast that I wanted. As it happened the weather ended up being OK during our time in San Juan and so I slightly regret not going to Omatepe, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and the decision was made against a poor weather forecast. Next stop Costa Rica, one of the world's most bio diverse countries, and with beaches, cloud forests and volcanoes to discover.