SJDS

                                             Finally settling back in to life in San Juan Del Sur!

We have found ourselves a lovely apartment right in town, The Irish House is an Irish Bar with a couple of apartment rooms for rent. The pub is not particularly glam and although, in the photo below, I have managed to make the apartment look like a prison cell it is actually rather delightful and the owners are ridiculously pleasant, friendly and helpful.

We have been informed that on Monday we might be able to actually pay for our land and therefore get started. Until then I have been a little bored and I have found myself getting a little creative...

Painted my nails...

Tried my hand at designing clothes, knitted some more...

Tried out my hand made bikini at the beach...

 Coloured my hair purple...

And...

Found a plug...

I pulled the plug, the ocean is still there and we now have a free plug for our house...!

One epic journey...

Leaving Mexico City at 11.00am Wednesday morning we then spent;

• 17 hours on one bus
• Waited one hour for our next in Tapachula
• Got on our second bus and went for another 14 hours, did some knitting

• Slept in an actual bed in El Salvador
• Got our third bus at 4.00am
• After 15 hours we arrived in Managua, Nicaragua.

I had planned for an evening in a hostel, soak in a tub, wash my hair, perhaps paint my nails but instead we were whirl wind into a two hour taxi ride to Rivas with a Swiss and a German and to top things off we all spent the night together in one tiny hell hole room with an 'en suite' who's door was merely a flimsy piece of material-and all to save ourselves two dollars!!!

In fairness to the two strange men not a fart, snore or a shit was shared and we parted ways having had an agreeable evening together.

The morning of our departure led to a half an hour taxi ride with 3 other locals, it was a tight squeeze and a mighty relief once we 'finally' arrived back in San Juan Del Sur!

For the past two days we have been staying at Hostal Elizabeth, a cheap and nasty place full of cheap and nasty people. However, the owner is wonderful, super friendly and hard to say no to...

I am reluctantly enjoying our second evening now but we have been weighing up our options for a more long term rental;

• Chale's House  Peaceful, small, no TV but it does have a tiny dog.
• Casa Tadeo Has a tiny pool and the owner is super friendly.
• There are also some apartments for rent behind Pan de Vida but I can't locate their website. I have yet to see inside one but anything behind this wonderful bakery can't be bad!
• MersellaValley This last place is a little closer to our land and therefore a little out of town but the rentals look amazing and the owner seems like a good sort.

My always optimistic Australian is putting up with my moaning ways but I have politely requested a change of location for Monday.

We moved to Casa Tadeo this morning. It's a bloody big improvement but a little out of our budget. We need to save all our pennies for door frames, bricks and toilets these days!

I am happy to be back but a little overwhelmed with it all, I think I had best just buy myself a small dog...

The How and Why

So, I currently find myself sitting in a rather spacious room in Mexican B and B watching Fashion Police, bleaching my roots, having cut all my winter clothes to adjust to the future heat and packing.

Tomorrow morning at 11.00am my Australian Man and I are embarking on an epic three day bus ride to Nicaragua, our new home...

Rewind two years and I was meeting my man for the first time in a cold and rainy London. Whilst falling in love was fun doing it in a depressing and over priced East London was certainly not. We both worked hard, paid our taxes and dreamed of warmer climates...

For the past eight months we have been fortunate enough to explore Mexico. We have made some amazing friends, aprendido un poco de español and I have even learnt to crochet! But after taking a cheap flight to Nicaragua in December we have fallen in love with San Juan del Sur and have purchased a little plot of paradise by the beach. The plan is to build two small casas, one to live in and the other to share...

So, that's my history and this is my diary...