Bo 'n' Louise

How lucky can one girl be.. or two
people.. Planning to leave Nicaragua I just happened to see a short
paragraph in the guidebook saying that turtles were laying eggs on a
beach close to the border. When we checked is was actually the season
and there had already been some turtle-activity at the ”Refugio de
Vida Silvestre La Flor”. So of we went – down another dirt road
towards the area. The choice of accommodation was a little limited –
expensive resortish cabins or camping at the ”Refugio” which was
also very expensive! Hmm – we found a great place further up the
road with a family in a small village. Being very sweaty we headed
for the local beach for a quick dip. Instead we had a nice surprice;
Pelicans! Fishing alongside the local guys and smaller sea-birds. Wow
– they fly over the water, then suddenly tug their wings in and
plunge into the sea. Sometimes just one sometimes ten at one time.

Sunset and Pelicans – and one happy camper

Having enjoyed the fishing and sunset scenery we headed for the
”Refugio”. Went to the beach – and right there they were –
lovely ladies – Olive Ridley turtles – crawling up on the beach
in the moonlight (lucky again – almost full moon and clear skies).

Very close.. wauw!

Digging is hard work when your limps are made for swimming..

We saw about 10 turtles edging their
way up the sand to find that perfect spot were they would then dig a
big hole and lay their secret eggs. Then she covers everything and
pads the sand with her hind fins and evens out the sand completely.
What an effort for an animal that normally enjoys a weightless life
under the surface! All done she crawls back into the waves and never
looks back..

Unfortunately the local dogs also find
this very interesting and some turtles have only just turned their
back when the eggs are dug up again and make a protein snack for a
hungry dog.. hard to watch but it is all Darwinism I guess..

When we drove into Granada late in the
day after a trip in the mayhem of Managua rush hour and no signs we
were pulled over – this time not by a police officer..

Are you Danish? – that was the question
from inside the car. We couldn’t really deny that – with our large
Danish flags on the bikes 🙂

It turned out to be a Danish family who
had moved to Nicaragua for 3 years. After some introductions we were
invited to come by their house in Granada. Wauw! They had build a
fantastic house inspired by Scandinavian and colonial architecture. A
house without walls and lots of special details. We were offered a
shower (much needed) and since we had arrived just when the family
was to have dinner we were also offered lovely home cooked food, beer
and insight into the life of a Danish family in Nicaragua. It was
almost like being in Denmark for a little while. A big thank you to
the Winther family.