We packed our bags to leave Little Corn and waited for the 4pm panga to Big Corn where we were to catch the overnight boat. When it never arrived, our worst fear was realized.
At 7pm, we finally gave in; we had to take the same boat “Isleno” that we nearly died on, back to Big Corn. It was somewhat satisfying to realize that we could handle it for an hour in calm seas—to reclaim the boat that kicked our butts previously.
Stepping foot on to Big Corn for the first time, we headed straight to “Captain D” which is an old Coast Guard ship that makes the journey back across the ocean and up the river. We booked a bed (for extra comfort) and the boat sailed only 2.5 hours late. Once we saw the size of our bed, I regretted thinking we could share. We both fit, barely. Every move was calculated, every breath was shared, every inch of space was negotiated as we slept(!) through the trip back to Bluefields.
In Bluefields, we picked up a speed boat to El Rama. There we jumped on a long bus to Managua with only one switch after 4 hours. Roughly 24 hours after leaving, we arrived at a small, dirty bus stop in Managua where we took a cab to the area by the Tica Bus station. We found a hostel quickly. It’s not a place you want to hang out. The guard of our hostel told us we could only walk one block in one direction to find food or it was incredibly dangerous…we laughed until we saw how many keys he used to open the door. In that type of situation, it’s almost worth skipping dinner, but not with Joshua.
The 6am bus was full, but we sat in luxury on the 7am Tica Bus. It’s like a first class airline flight compared to the buses we had been taking. The bus company organizes the paperwork at the border for you, so all Joshua had to worry about was spending our last few cordobas on trinkets and snacks at the border. And with we said goodbye to Nicaragua.
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