Life as James knows it

Playa San Juan del Sur, a beautiful fishing village turned tourist town boasts surfing, fishing, affordable hotels and good food variety enveloped by natural splendour. Ceviche and mojito time ..... yet again!

Maderas With a height of 1,394 metres, Maderas is the smaller of the two volcanoes which make up the island of Ometepe, situated in Lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua, Central America.  Unlike Concepción, the other volcano on the island, Maderas has not been active in historical times. Its crater contains a crater lake. The slopes of Maderas are one of the few places on the Pacific side of Nicaragua where cloud forest grows.  Cloud forests are characterized by a rich plant and animal life, made possible by the high levels of humidity in the climate.  Prehistoric petroglyphs have been found at the Maderas volcano. Myself and 3 Swiss friends decided we'd take the 10 hour climb up and down Mederas.  These guys liked hiking (they're Swiss), and they were all in their 20's .... so I was looking forward to a steady paced climb.  We were all advised to bring at least 3 litres of water each ... I packed 4.5 litres! Departed at approximately 5:30am.  At about 100 metres elevation

Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua The largest island in Lake Nicaragua, Ometepe is formed by two volcanoes rising from the lake.  Its name derives from the Nahuatl words ome and tepetl, meaning two mountains. Boarding what can only be described as a boat that looks like a refugee vessel I see in the news sometimes. Approaching the Island, looking quite spectacular. Sunset at night ... Fire by the water edge ...

Granada Founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, ostensibly the first European city in mainland America.  Granada was not only the settlement of the conquest, but also a city registered in official records of the Crown of Aragon, and the Kingdom of Castile in Spain. Laguna Beach Club, Laguna de Apoyo - Warm fresh water swimming.

Islets of Granada Located in Lake Nicaragua, just southeast of the city of Granada. These waters contain crocodiles (apparently), locals don't seem too concerned. Monkey Island ... Sunset ...

Probably the strangest border I crossed yet.  Line up for a temperature check, cash can 'help the process move alone quicker'.  Receive a small hand written piece of paper with what looks like a temperature value.  Go to another building, fill out some forms.  Wait around for an official to become available - about 30-40 minutes.  Hand in the forms, pay some entry/exit fees.  No need for a passport stamp, move on .... while looking back I think the forms were 'filed' in what looked like a rubbish bin.  I still have the small hand written piece of paper with the temperature value, no one has requested this during the process(es). Vehicle fumigation ... It can sometimes be a waiting game at this border crossing.

Comayagua, a city in Honduras - ~ 80 kilometres northwest of Tegucigalpa.  Beautiful little town, but a heavy presence of military.

Roatán, located between the islands of Útila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan. It is approximately 77 kilometres long, and less than 8 kilometres across at its widest point. A good way to explore the Island, hire a scooter and trip around the secluded beaches. Plenty of opportunities for snorkelling.