Okay so this morning we are leaving our hostel here in the town of Leon and
we're heading north east of here to Matagalpa, which is the coffee region of
Nicaragua and we've got a couple of buses to get.
We're not sure how we're going get there yet, but that is part of the adventure
We're on a bus.
We are indeed on a bus
and we're on the bus trying to get to Matagalpa.
We don't think this bus goes all the way ,so we need to change buses but we're not
actually sure where we change buses. So we're hoping somebody's going to tell us
but we think it's about two hours away they changed
it's not we're on till the end
oh shit
so you can see has been thriving
I think where we going
so we've arrived in matagalpa and we left the bus station try to find a taxi
but the problem was we didn't know exactly the address where we were going
because we needed the Internet to get the address so the taxi driver wouldn't
take us so we've walked probably for about 20 minutes and we found this
wonderful coffee shop which is within a couple of blocks we think whoever is
supposed to be staying and so we've taken advantage we stopped to use their
Wi-Fi I've ordered a nice big plate of nachos because I'm absolutely starving
and reduced their toilets which is always that's variance paper being like
just a lunch character one coming back how good do
those natural swagger
I'm a little bit jealous
the cookie basin
and it's raining
pouring
raining so it's our first morning waked up in the town of matagalpa and Marianne
has managed to get some hot water so we're starting the day with a cup of
coffee instant coffee and we're about to go to a tour to find out all about how
hard they work so yeah we're gonna go and actually see how beautiful so first
I need some caffeine to wake up so one of the things that matagalpa is famous
for is its coffee plantations and here in the town of matagalpa they actually
have a museum showing the history of coffee so we've come down here today to
try and have a learn a little bit about coffee and have a look around and even
better is that it's free to get in and anything
Coffee is absolutely fine by me absolutely I've had my coffee now so I'm
buzzing so did you know that coffee first started in Ethiopia and actually
here in Nicaragua Coffee is the biggest export of the country it's really
interesting to hear the history of coffee and in the early 1990s the coffee
price increased a lot and what happened was farmers invested heavily in
machinery and things to make the farming process more efficient unfortunately
when the coffee price later dropped they were unable to pay back their loans many
of them and as a result there was a lot of people that suffered from starvation
and in fact over a hundred people in the areas around matagalpa actually died
from starvation
so one of the things in matagalpa is they've got loads of shops fashion
galore for every age sex requirement anything there is everything shoes
clothes loving it I wish I had remember trucks my room so
one of the things that we are finding in matagalpa
like the rest Nicaragua due to the problems that they have last year
tourists are not here and it's a real struggle and we feel such sympathy and
empathy for the people of Nicaragua and in that account where they have one tour
operator that specializes in data like all the tour groups if you're gonna fill
a boat that's gonna go whitewater rafting they need ten people and we are
just two but Matt's matagalpa tours based here in matagalpa is the longest
standing and main if not mean only tour operator in the town well something was
absolutely blown away by matagalpa is that there are so many beautiful modern
restaurants bye-bye lovely beautiful shots there are
literally designer shops and fashion outlets everywhere this is clearly is or
possibly was or still is a very affluent area
the cross but we are living so we're just leaving a hostel here in method
Elva and we're gonna try and find where to get the ticket for the ticket bus to
El Salvador because apparently there is an office here in town
the sir
O'Town is the bus guy
five o'clock in the morning we found the office to buy the tickets and it's going
to go from samoto to San Miguel in El Salvador and it apparently leaves at
five o'clock in the morning it costs $50 per person so normally when we've been
taking transport we've been taking the chicken buses however because we're keen
to get to El Salvador timewise and there's two border crossings that we've
decided to go a little bit more upmarket like we did from Panama to San Jose and
to actually take the nikah bus which is an air cond direct bus that crosses both
with the borders so watch this space we should be getting that from the Leafs a
motor so today we are leaving matagalpa and we are currently walking to get the
chicken bus to samoto hopefully so yeah it's about 20 minute walk to the bus
station couple of chicken buses and we should be in samoto by early afternoon
hopefully
I just think it's really helpful and funny when the guys shout out where
they're going it's just really cool and great fun
so we think we have to change in Australia if ever we know we have to
change in Australia so we're trying to get the bus to Australia as stage 1 of
the journey today we're on the back these bus drivers are phenomenal people
what was entertaining or just listening to the cheese grater on the car big pork
making music
hello hello hello muchas gracias so we're just getting a
taxi a short distance so we can get the bus the next bus system on tow so the
last journey to go out two hours but yes so far so good
everybody's been super helpful
so it made it on to the next bus to samoto and all good so far so good is
very hot the sellers are on the bus again and we just bought a couple of
pouches before because we're really thirsty so if you're on the chicken
buses and you're claustrophobic it's probably best not to come on the six of
us it's a bit busy it's very busy we're a bitch we wearing samoto
sensational looking facilities through the same Oh we're nearly there
after a five hour bus ride and 15-minute walk we've arrived at a samoto hostel
it's or anybody in somebody's coming
it's the subpoena my Jindo cat or something minami-osawa a local moisture
free recording
amazing so one of the things about traveling on the school buses is there's
no toilets so when you need to go you need to cross your legs we're taking
pictures of you you taking pictures of us
ordered a strawberry drink and around the top of the glass they've sprinkled
what has to be the most sourest thing I have ever tasted in my life
Marianne is volunteering to lick it so you can see her reaction
we're both doing it now Mariusz we're both doing it now apparently
hold on
oh yeah
and there is an office here in
don't lick the glass Sumerians just gonna call hurt that for his birthday
Chris actually had somebody sitting on his shoulder at one point that was quite
funny actually I think Chris has issues with his personal space