Canyoning Down The Canon De Somoto

So after an unusually easy double border day and entering Nicaragua at 2.08pm we found the canyon guide Bayardo Soliano who is an amigo of Mario from El Salvador.

Although he was out his good lady phoned him up and he was back in a flash.

After a quick discussion we established he has accommodation on site, can feed and water us and provide breakfast, perfect we didn’t even need to ride to the next town as they have everything in hand, it couldn’t get any better.....or could it?

The park



So off with the bikey gear and into canyoning lite weight stuff and we were off.



A 30 minute walk into the canyon, along the way Bayardo showing us the river that splits one way into Honduras and the other way into Nicaragua.



The first view of where we were heading too...



Down to the waters edge, on with the life jackets, out with the camera and a quick brush of the hair we took the plunge. 





There was an assortment of rapids, smooth sections, rocks that were high enough to hit yer bum (sorry Mike ..but is wasn’t damaged) and torrents that would send you straight into rock faces as well as a coupla jumps from heights into ponds below. 





Decent wee waterfalls



Smooth patches to relax



ADV salute just for you guys, this is commitment taking time out to remember you guys in times of hardship 



The canyon is 200 metres vertical in places with huge rock faces looking back down at you.



The boss (well most of him) diving into one of the ponds from the rocks above



The whole trip was about 3.50 hour return back to home, on returning home they served up coffee and a great feed.



This food produced in their basic kitchen, these guys are fantastic cooks ... forget masterchef these are the real deal !!!



Even time for a quick smile before two hungry kiwis dived in.. 



After tea I uploaded the photos to the lappy and the whole tribe sat around and checked out the afternoons shenanigans with Bayardo and the two foreigners, it was great fun. 



We packed it in not too late after having been in three countries on the day and done the canyoning, couldn’t fit much more in!!!

The following morning was a hearty breakfast that set us up for the day which was to travel to Leon and Bayardo said my parque impossible handle was inadequate and made me a new one, this dude is a machine.

From this



To this



Finally leaving from Bayardos house we set off to Leon.



Bit of a corny picture 



So for any fello travellers wanting to do this go for it you will love it, here are the GPS Coords to their front door



These are his contact details.



Finally a short vid going down one section, I hope you have enjoyed reading cos we seriously enjoyed the afternoon out and writing about it.

Honduran Double Border Day And The Expected Torment

... that never happened!!! 

For me I had been reading horror stories of the dreaded double crossing including corruption, lies, unnecessary hold ups and photocopying beyond belief, helpers who will torment you mentally and basically just a day out of your life.

So we are not far from the border filling up at the service station when a guy comes up and says hello where are you from ..... I can help you, Ellen says New Zealand and where are you from, he replied El Salvador, I work at the border .... ah ha ... we know you!!! ... the famous Jose ... at the service station!!!

No gracias, we can do it ourselves and that was the end of the chat with smiles etc.

On our way to the border a small bike fizzes past us, it was him.

Leaving El Salvador was easy except we missed one photo copy which we soon rectified .... then across to the dreaded bridge to the Honduran side ready for WW3.



We were greeted by the “officials” Jose and Ronnie, they were telling us what we needed to do, we still said no gracias.

Then we were greeted by the real officials in proper clothing and formal shirts.

They took us to customs and aduana offices and I was swamped by money changers, again I just replied no gracias with a smile and they almost went away.



Ellen was doing all the paperwork and running around / photocopying, Jose and Ronnie were standing there only 1.5 metres away like two loyal puppies and realising after about 20 minutes they were not going to get any money they left and even waved goodbye to me....too quick for the camera unfortunately.

I was having fun with the money changers with roars of laughter from both sides and at one stage I grabbed a huge wod of money off him after he was talking about quetzales (Guatemalan currency) where he said did I need 5 Q? and I swung it around on 5 Q! for the whole wod of cash .... funny enough that deal didn’t work for him and as quick as a bolt of lightning he realized I was pulling the piss and he said no I offer you 5Q for your Moto, ... I said I didn’t have the heart to rip him off .... again followed by roars of laughter from both sides, handshakes and away he went.

Maya waiting outside patiently

 

All in all apart from the ridiculous amount of paperwork the crossing went very smoothly and took 1 hour and twenty minutes and was almost enjoyable.



Into Honduras and across the country to the next border at El Espino, passing through we took in the sites and to be fair it was much nicer than we imagined and the roads actually not to bad other than a couple of biggish potholes here and there.



The last part of the road heading up to the border was stunning with beautiful winding road in great condition (shown above), we arrived at the next border at 12.30 pm and everyone was at lunch, ..... so lunchtime it was.

Again an official came bounding up keen to help, I asked him if he worked for customs or was a helper, he showed me his official helper badge which I was throughly impressed with, again he said you pay me, we just said with a smile no gracias no dinero and as quick as a flash he ran off, maybe we just smelt bad.

So realizing we had entered lunch break mid ship we just joined in picking up some chicken and rice to munch on, it was soon enough 1.00 pm and the wheels of industry started turning again.

Ellen set off to do the paperwork while I guarded Maya, the helper came back over and we had a chat about life for a while (about 20 minutes) that was great cos I had nothing else to do, I did make sure he knew there were no consultancy fees on our chat and he was happy just to sit and chew the fat.

Leaving Honduras, easy, done in half and hour, then off to the Nicaraguan side.

We snuck down past all the trucks and Maya had a bubble bath of something useless, we exchanged $3.00 dollars for that then headed to the Nicaraguan immigration to do the usuals.

The insurance man was there as were money changers and more helpers, insurance being mandatory I set to and started getting that done while Ellen got us clocked in to Nicaragua, Maya the mighty monster was creating interest with the locals which was cool. 

Very friendly and very helpful we were done in another half and hour plus our half hour lunch in Honduras.





After exiting El Salvador at 9.00am and entering Nicaragua home free at 2.08pm, across Honduras NOT one policeman in sight, no corruption or anything stupid so what I had been stressing about for months turned into a very pleasant day indeed, so much so we had enough time to find Vallardos house and get out canyoning for the afternoon ... that next. 

Our experience for the day was excellent however Dick and Diane Hubbard from New Zealand had a gun pulled on them by officials but at the lower border.

El Salvador - The Volcan Coatepeque Ride And The Final Night

Saturday morning, was a little gloomy but still rideable, after a quick chat with Mario we put the trip back one hour and it was improving by the minute.

We rode a combo of beatutiful main roads and some interesting back roads that looked like patchwork in corn paddocks





Destination and half way point was Lago de Coatepeque, a crater lake, this was decided because I had an urge for #2’s and they had great coffee so that was that.



This is a bit fluffy sorry guys



Part of the lake from the view point



We bought coffees and a small cake each shouting Mario for his kindness and generosity.

Two fine young gentlemen 





The lake is absolutely stunning, although the sun wasn’t out the views were outstanding and the water very calm.



A short day out with a nice amount of riding in and another nice look around El Salvador.

The previous afternoon we did some photos with the kids and we had two printed out for the family which was cool...plenty of room on Maya for more 



Thanks again to Mario, local knowledge is something you can’t buy with maps and GPS.

Now ..... The Final Night

That evening Mario had organized with the family to come up to Finca Tepeyac which is Marios plantation and we were going to have a feed and drinks.



It started off with a round of Sushi washed down with Rum and various treats





Sunday lunch was treat with Mario cooking up a storm with tacos, here he is masterchef San Salvador.



Mario took us up to his other coffee block which was a 4WD expedition in itself.

We all went for a short walk and looked at the coffee trees so a relaxing day all round.





That was our final night and day to spend it with Mario and his family was great.

Now Mario owns and runs Motorider in San Salvador, he has most things RTW travellers need and want including Heidenau tyres, Touratech gear, oils, filters, brake pads, chains and sprockets etc and large workshop area. He got the 15 - 50 Motul in for us no problem at all and allowed me to do the change (cos I like doing it).

So this is a shameless plug for a truly great guy who has helped out hundreds of travellers / bikers, if in El Salvador and needing stuff contact him and he can sort you out in a land where things are hard to find, again local knowledge is not something you can buy on maps and GPS. 

Here are Motorider's coordinates to find the shop directly.
13°41'43.49"N
89°15'0.28"O

Next day was our trip to San Miguel to get close to the border in prep for our double border day which has seen me stressed over the reports and info coming back with people getting hammered. 

The final descent down Mario hill ... unscathed 



A waterfall, not the usual type 



Horrible roads



KTM bridge 

 

Adios to El Salvador, a fantastic place with fantastic people and thoroughly recommended to RTW travellers ... don't just ride straight through as you will miss a lot.