Shannon in Wanderland: A Listicle of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

Whew! Sorry team, it's been a whirlwind. There's been a lot of movement, and when I'm in the hostel I'm usually either sleeping or making friends.

I'm currently in Costa Rica, but first things first - San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. I intended to stay here for two nights and ended up staying for five. No plan, no problem! Here are some random things:

1. This town is different from the others because it's a surf town. The way of life is much more relaxed and chilled out. Even more so than the other Nica cities - which is saying a lot. When the surf is good, shops are closed. There is a guy who surfs by day and tattoos by night.

2. Lots of the people here are gringos (white people) who enjoy the laid back lifestyle and just decided to up and move here.

3. Therefore, the food here isn't typical Nica food, it's much more "gringo". For example, I ate pizza and poutine and a bagel breakfast sandwich (not all in the same sitting).

4. Nica food is gallo pinto (rice & beans mixed together), tortillas, and meat. Sometimes there is also salad involved, which is shredded cabbage on lettuce.

5. The town is so small, that after five days I could wander around the streets and find people that I've meet before. Literally. Someone called "Shannon!" out the window of a restaurant.

6. Our hostel provided a shuttle to the various surf beaches. When going to Maderas, there was a crew of us going but I was the only one returning to the hostel because they were staying on the little beach (not a town - there were three buildings - a restaurant, a bar, and a hostel). So the hostel told me they'd be back to pick me up at "maybe 3:30 or maybe 4:30 or maybe 5p". The shuttle was a old, green Toyota pick up truck with benches along the inside of the trunk. So basically I kept an eye out for this green truck that rolled in around 5. When we left I was in the front seat, but on the way back he picked up so many friends and hitchhikers who hopped into the bed of the truck that people were standing in the back.

7. There are tiny green parrots and monkeys in the trees. While both a cute, both are loud! Howler monkey calls were used as part of the dinosaur roars in Jurassic Park.

8. The power went out in the entire city for the entire day. Apparently this is relatively common as many restaurants had generators. Shops and hostels did not.

9. I went surfing! Surfing is not zen. Surfing is hard. I have a new understanding of why surfers are so fit. I do NOT yet understand why their hair is so long - seems like a lot of work to deal with in the water. And the tangles! I received a lesson from a guy named Baldos who teaches surfing and repelling and has lots of patience.

10. Not all the ATMs work. Sometimes they run out of money, sometimes they just don't like the cards.

11. I wasn't the only one to get sucked into SJDS, one of my hostel roomies from Washington state had been there for five weeks and gotten five different impulse tattoos. She returned to the states when I was there and she left me her face wipes. Boom!

12. Pancakes have been served as the free breakfast in all the hostels that I've stayed at!

13. Even if it's not a club, all the bars play bumping club music. Often, people take off their shoes or just show up without them.

14. While my stomach has certainly gone through a transition period, so far it's nothing horror story worthy (knock on wood). And travelers certainly have the horror stories.

15. SJDS has some of the most lovely sunsets I have ever seen. The light stays changing in the sky long after the sun is gone. And it's red!