spent xmas in Granada in Nicaragua after 2 days mad rush through honduras to get there. a nice place to spend xmas, quite a few travellers, but just enough to have fun and then move on quickly. saw michael again, just bumped into him on the street, the guy who I met on the bus coming from the USA 5 or so weeks ago.

xmas day was spent eating and drinking, the hostel Cocibolca had an oven and kitchen we could use, so we went out to buy a chicken to roast, almost bought a live one, but we chickened out...

after Granada, took a 4 hour boat trip through lake nicaragua and the islad of Ometepe, a beautifull island with 2 volcanoes on it. arrived at night, and moved to Merida, a village with a great guest house and Kayaks and horses for rent. Kayaked over to a small island with monkeys on it (unfortunately they had been put there!) and got swept out by the current trying to come back, after a long struggle we made it back, there were 3 of us in the Kayak but Rosie swam back leaving me and Jeremy. we made it back after changing direction and heading for a different coast accross the current. we collapsed and watched the sunset, after which hundreds of fireflies came out, I have never seen such big fireflies and so many, incredible, then had a big buffett prepared by the hostel, played guitar and watched the stars, the best view of stars I have seen , so little light pollution here.

next day climbed the smaller of the 2 volcanoes and got very wet and muddy, bt had fun. at the top you can go down inside the extinct crater and there is a very cool lake there. the cloud cleared long enough to see it...

headed off the next morning, leaving Rosie to relax for a few more days before she goes to costa rica to teach and work, we had travelled with her for 2 weeks, and still with jeremy now, we are legging it back up to Mexico City in time for me to start university around ythe 8th, and him to fly to the uk to see Europe. still hitchiking, and we have been quicker than the bus for the last two days, stoppping in Leon the first ad Teculcigalpa in Honduras again tonight. heading for Guatamala and the Myan temples at Tikal before heading back through San cristobel and Palenque in Mexico.

New year looks like it willbe a small event, but not fussed as the last 5 weeks here have been awesome...
Hsppy new year.
John