After an easy four-hour crossing of Honduras we entered a beautiful cowboy region of Nicaragua. Despite the very frequent stops by traffic police and one half-hearted bribe attempt, we enjoyed our time exploring jungle-covered volcanoes, watching talented surfers tackle big waves, playing disc golf in one of the few courses in Central America, and celebrating the 4th of July with overlanding friends.
Volcán Concepción from Finca Magdalena.
We tend to make travel plans only a few days ahead of time. We like the freedom and sense of adventure that comes with an open itinerary. Thus, somewhat intimidated by the very high crime statistics, we weren’t sure whether we were going to even set foot in El Salvador until a day or two before we crossed the border. It turns out that our ten days in the smallest country in Central America were full of beautiful scenery, delicious food, and incredibly kind and generous people. El Salvador delighted us with mounds of delicious pupusas, a VW parade through the capitol city, and wonderful new friends.
Caravana por el Día Mundial del Escarabajo
For two weeks we basked in the sun (sol), dug our toes into the sand (arena), and played in the waves (olas) as we traveled over 1000 miles down the Pacific coast of Mexico from Mazatlán to Puerto Escondido.
Our first stop was near the little town of Teacapán, where we had a lovely campsite right on the beach. Alas, there were no waves, but the water was warm and we were visited by some egrets and treated to a lovely sunset.
Camping on the beach near Teacapán.
In Baja California Sur we mostly stuck to paved and well-graded roads, on which we weaved back and forth between the Pacific coast and the Sea of Cortez, met some VW buddies, woke up to a red tide, and experienced the beginning of Semana Santa madness.
The long and not-so-winding road, the Mex 1.