Last Stop Before Honduras – Ocotal
Like I said, I don’t like to do all day bus trips. Not knowing how long the border crossing at Los Manos would take, I decided to spent a night in the Nicaraguan town closest to the border. Ocotal was also praised in the lonely planet for the botanical garden in its square and for being a nice, typical northern Nicaraguan town. OK – this will be a nice way to say good bye to Nicaragua. A goodbye I fortunately felt I was ready for.
Ocotal is at the base of the Sierra de Diplito, Nicaragua’s highest range, and the climate here is lovely as well. I found an awesome $10 room at hospedaje Llamarada del Bosque and headed out to walk the town. The square and adjacent church really are lovely. A little later I met Sarah, a Nicaraguan guide who spoke decent english and wanted to practice with me. We chatted for a long time and I agreed to go visit her home so I could take a digital picture of her, in her guide shirt, to send to her to be used in the guidebooks she is frequently mentioned in – footprint, lonely planet, etc. she even has her pic in the back of one. Despite being molested by her dusty dog (there was one outfit retired a day earlier than i planned) it was a lovely evening.
Tags: border, central america, los manos, Nicaragua, ocotal, Travel
Peggy Rehm