I crossed the Honduras-Nicaragua border in one hour flat! My personal best by several hours. In part, due to the help of a little angel named Darwin, an eleven year old tramitadore, or border crossing helper. The little champ saved my place at the front of the line when the border opened at 8 am and helped speed me through the mountains of paperwork necessary at this and every other border.

The four hour trip into Managua seemed a lot shorter and was certainly more lively in the company of two young ladies I picked up hitchhiking just inside Nicaragua. I was happy to have someone to talk to and they were ecstatic when I bought them lunch and sodas. And as usual, the digital camera was a big hit. I went to the airport that night to pick up my pal Scott, who will be my co-pilot for the next few weeks.

We checked out the Manangua night-life and got ready for our expedition into the Nicaraguan countryside. We enlisted a few more gringos along the way, including a German tourist traveling by herself, and two American brothers looking to import hammocks. The next day as not my lucky day. I had four encounters with the Nicaraguan Police, two of which were a little touchy with threats of going downtown and the confiscation of my drivers license. In between interrogations, the Gringo Gang had a great time visiting the active Massaya Volcano and finding a place to stay in the tiny town of Catarina that had no hotels. The town of Catarina overlooks the pristine Lake Apoyo and is as picturesque and friendly as you can imagine. Most of the Gang moved on, but Scott and I stayed another day. With a healthy dose of serenity, we are now ready for the trip to the Atlantic Coast and the Corn Islands!