the last blog; costs and tips

Im back now and just been looking over accounts to get a breakdown of the costs over the past 5 months in Central America, written some tips too. Boring unless you're going to go.

Flights were $900 for round trip to Managua(nicaragua) from Edinburgh.

I took $350 to Nicaragua on January the 7th [new year rickshawing monies] and that lasted until the 26th of feb when I took out another $100 and started travelling north to Guatemala,. With 7 weeks of free accomodation at Casas de la Esperanza, I must have spent the rest on food for communal dinners, spanish lessons[10 hours,where i learned nothing because it was too hot] and rum. Then I booked a couple of hostels online [hostelbookers.com or hostelworld.com are decent sites] one in Leon, and in Esteli and Somoto we just found a place that looked good or near the bus station. In Somoto we decided on a price before trying the beds in the hostel, turned out we were sleeping on what felt like tables covered in sheets.

In Tegucigalpa Honduras we stayed in a couchsurfers accomodation and in with Copan ruinas I took out another $100. On the 8th of March I took another $100 in Guatemala taking it to about $650 for the 2 months in Nicaragua and traveling to Guatemala with some sightseeing.

In Guatemala I stayed in a homestay and had spanish classes for a Month, which was about $160 for a week, and including rum smoothies and travelling a bit at weekends, I spent about $900 that month, so starting to loosen up a bit there.

In Honduran Mosquita most of the money was spent on transport because the builders gave me free accommodation and food in Tuntuntarra. Wampusirpi was $5 a night in a clean private room, although no electricity. The flight cost $55 one way and I was cutting it fine for getting back to Managua the next week.

It cost around £2300 for the 5 months including return flights to central america.

Contacts - The only reason I went to Casas de la Esperanza was because I knew someone who had been there before. Although I don't know how he survived for 6 months without speaking much Spanish, I only managed 7 weeks. The reason I went to El Nuhal in Guatemala was because it was recommended by a friend I met in Nicaragua. The Mosquita I only knew because my uncle had been there in the 90's and told me to go. I would never have gone on a whim, because there is not a tourist set-up at all. MOPAWI told me how to get there and gave me suggestions for how I could spend my time.

People - Its important to speak a little spanish so I would have started in Xela if I had known this. Its cooler there and easier to learn. I had vitually no spanish in Nicaragua and it was futile going to the School there as it was too hot to learn. I also think they have a different meaning to non-profit at the school I went too, so I lasted about 10 hours. In the other school El Nuhal in Xela, it was really well organised a they cared a bit more about their students. I got 80 hours there, which is a good base for basic vocab and grammar. The people there are and good bunch. In Honduras I recieved a lot of generosity in terms of free accommodation and a lot of the time the builders wouldn't let me pay for food. I didn't really get to know any Nicaraguans but they seemed a good bunch.

Money - Dollars are weaker than Sterling , Xetzals weaker at about 7 to a dollar, Lempira even weaker at 18 to a dollar, and Cordobas at about 21:$1. But depends where you go. Really touristy places like the Bay Islands Honduras, and really remote places like the Mosquita region will still be expensive because they have an economy disconnected from the rest of the country. My visa debit card worked everywhere and only charged about 5 quid every time, which is fine if you're taking $200. Any trouble and you can use money sending companies, but not Western Union because they charge 20%!

Products - Guatemala has some of the best hand-made stuff you can buy and if you pay a little more you an get quality belts and fabrics. Try and buy it off the people that make it as opposed to the middlemen in the market. Theres plenty of cheap stuff too, my cheap belt is falling apart after 3 months and im wishing I hadn't been so tight fisted, because the good products are really quality. You can get cheap good string hammock from Nicaragua but I didn't see much else.

Food - Lots of fried stuff, beans, tortillas. Theres no olive oil though its all palm oil or from maiz and that was kind of sickly towards the end. You can get some good fish and shrimp on the carribean cost and a fresh lobster (if its not between breeding season feb-may). The thing I will miss is communal cooking in the casas de la esperanza charity, because you got the day off and had to make an effort it usually ended up being delicious. And Italians and Spanish are generally awesome cooks.

Transport - Its good to talk to people to find the best ways to get around. Chicken busses [old US school busses with new paint jobs] are safe and great for getting around and theres faster shuttles too. But that was in Nicaragua and some places in Guatemala, I wouldn't take one in the capital cities of Honduras or Guatemala as theres more crime there. A collectivo[Taxis with multiple fares] in Nica around town can be as little as 50 cent but sometimes its a crush if theres a few different people in it. I started getting little planes around the mosquita region as boat travel was just as expensive and it was close to my flight home.

Accomodation - There are decent hostels in the main towns and cities and plenty of nasty hostels to so just ask to see the room first. Paying around $5 for shared accomodation. I prefer to stay in one place and have a base than keep moving around constantly. That way you can get to know people a little better rather than just passing though countless hostels.

Animals - If i had a better camera with a decent lens I could have taken some more decent photos. I did see a spider monkey in the end.

Hygene - Talcum powder is the solution to sweaty feet.

http://www.casas-de-la-esperanza.org/
http://www.languageselnahual.com/
http://www.mopawi.org/