Swimming across a wide, fast-moving jungle river that’s dwelling family to crocodiles & aggressive freshwater sharks was non my idea.
This latest questionable labor was suggested past times my novel friend Jason, a local shaver living inwards the tiny town of El Castillo on the banks of the Rio San Juan.
Suddenly nosotros were floating faster together with faster towards the rapids…
I had but embarked on a 3-hour boat trip downwardly the river to banking concern gibe out the 17th-century Castilian fortress of El Castillo.
Our long fiberglass H2O taxi was packed total of most thirty people, most locals, together with everyone’s bags were strapped to the roof of the craft.
Throughout the journey, nosotros stopped at tiny lilliputian villages or private homes to drib off people & supplies. The banks of the river were overgrown with the thick jungle that was dwelling family to all mode of monkeys, lizards, together with birds.
Bloody Pirate Battles
The Rio San Juan links Lake Nicaragua to the Atlantic Ocean, together with El Castillo de La Immaculada Concepción sits on a loma overlooking the historic waterway below.
It’s an imposing construction to consider looming over y'all every bit the boat rounds a curvature inwards the river. The minor colorful town (also called El Castillo) is underneath, protected past times the fort.
Some of the most notorious pirates inwards the basis (like Captain Henry Morgan) used to canvas upriver from the Atlantic Ocean, into Lake Nicaragua, together with on to the rich metropolis of Granada to burn, rape, together with plunder. The fort was created to defend against these attacks.
Many epic cannon battles were fought hither at El Castillo.
I establish a inexpensive guesthouse inwards town together with was afterwards pleasantly surprised to honour at that spot were non many travelers around. It was but me together with a grouping of five backpackers from Europe inwards the whole village.
The oestrus was intense thus nosotros all decided to run across upward together with larn for a swim inwards the river at the town docks.
Rio San Juan Adventure
It was hither where nosotros met Jason. He was a 17-year-old local man child who was eager to present us around. His proposition? Swim across the wide, fast-moving river to the contrary bank.
I’ll acknowledge I had been thinking most it myself, but I had heard that freshwater sharks together with crocodiles also telephone yell upward this river home…
Jason said non to worry. He’s accomplished the feat many times, together with was excited for us to bring together him.
Right below the fort is a department of rapids. To avoid floating into them during the swim, nosotros would accept to caput upstream first.
This agency we’d accept plenty fourth dimension together with distance to cross earlier getting dragged into the rocks.
But rather than walk upward a route amongst the river, nosotros “boat hopped” upstream. The skinny water-taxis are similar lx feet long. But because they accept depression profiles, y'all tin catch the sides of them from the water.
So nosotros proceeded to struggle the electrical flow together with swim from ane arts and crafts upward to the next, together with then swing similar monkeys hand-over-hand along the border of the boats together with upward the river. After doing this half dozen or seven times it was fourth dimension for the large crossing.
Marathon River Swim
Ultimately exclusively ii of us decided to brand the journeying with Jason (the balance had mutual sense). Me, together with a guy named Lex from Holland.
The starting fourth dimension business office of the 150 meter swim was non bad. But in ane lawsuit nosotros got halfway out, the electrical flow kicked inwards big-time.
Suddenly nosotros were floating faster together with faster towards the rapids. All iii of us started swimming difficult for the contrary bank…
We ended upward making it safely across. No shark bites, no crocodile attacks, all arms & legs intact. But it sure enough wasn’t easy!
Jason took Lex together with I to a farmhouse to balance for a spell (it was badly needed). There nosotros marveled at the most gigantic grunter I accept ever seen.
She was almost every bit tall every bit my breast together with must accept weighed at to the lowest degree 900 pounds!
I was genuinely form of scared walking upward to that fatty porker, she seemed a flake unruly together with unpredictable every bit she snorted & kicked inwards the mud.
Maybe that’s because she knew what I did to her cousin Wilbur…
Fruity Pirate Booty
Finally after resting a bit, nosotros went hiking barefoot behind the farm looking for Guaba bean trees. Jason climbed them barefoot together with threw the giant seed pods downwardly to us for a tasty snack.
After stealthily loading upward our pockets with fruit, we retreated dorsum across the fast-moving river to manus out our spoils to the others.
Stealing fruity treasures from the residents of El Castillo, I felt a flake similar a river pirate myself.
It’s a goodness affair the cannons inwards the fortress don’t operate anymore. :)
Place to Stay: Hospedaje Aurora. $170 Cordobas ($7.50 US)
Packing Guide
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Protect Your Trip
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