Biking to the Beach
This past weekend, for the second weekend out of three, I bicycled out to the beach with my flatmate Harry and a bunch of Nicaraguan friends. These included David, his brother Leonardo, and a couple other guys from their cycling club here in León. I´d made the 20 km trip solo two weeks previously, but it was also quite fun to do it with our small group of eight.
The ride itself is hot (more than 90 degrees) and long (it takes a full hour of hard cycling). The road is not good, very bumpy and pot-holed; taking care to avoid these ditches really slows us up. We go over hill and dale out through the campo, but generally the road slopes downhill a net 110m to the waiting ocean! Leaving the city, the ride passes through various farmlands and past roadside rancheroes. There are grazing cows, large stalks of corn, scraggily hills, and, most impressively, the conical peaks of a line of volcanoes rising in the distance. There are three hills to tackle, and at the top of the last one you get your first glimpse of the Pacific.
Arriving at Playa Roca -- the hostel/restaurant where I now spend my Saturdays reading, running barefoot on the beach, playing pool, and swimming -- I immediately went for a dip in the ocean. My God, that water is so refreshing. Then I sat with the guys and hung out for a while, sliding my feet into the cool, shaded sand. They were impressed with my deep love for Reggaeton, if not my dance moves. We shared a watermelon (which I carried all the way out there on my carrier rack), a couple beers, cookies, laughs, and stories. Good times.
And coming home, there´s no need to make the long slog uphill to León, especially not after running, cycling, and swimming all day. For 9 cordobas (50 cents), I just toss my bicycle on the back of the bus.
The ride itself is hot (more than 90 degrees) and long (it takes a full hour of hard cycling). The road is not good, very bumpy and pot-holed; taking care to avoid these ditches really slows us up. We go over hill and dale out through the campo, but generally the road slopes downhill a net 110m to the waiting ocean! Leaving the city, the ride passes through various farmlands and past roadside rancheroes. There are grazing cows, large stalks of corn, scraggily hills, and, most impressively, the conical peaks of a line of volcanoes rising in the distance. There are three hills to tackle, and at the top of the last one you get your first glimpse of the Pacific.
Arriving at Playa Roca -- the hostel/restaurant where I now spend my Saturdays reading, running barefoot on the beach, playing pool, and swimming -- I immediately went for a dip in the ocean. My God, that water is so refreshing. Then I sat with the guys and hung out for a while, sliding my feet into the cool, shaded sand. They were impressed with my deep love for Reggaeton, if not my dance moves. We shared a watermelon (which I carried all the way out there on my carrier rack), a couple beers, cookies, laughs, and stories. Good times.
And coming home, there´s no need to make the long slog uphill to León, especially not after running, cycling, and swimming all day. For 9 cordobas (50 cents), I just toss my bicycle on the back of the bus.
posted by Hayden @ 2:00 PM
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