Las Penitas: 6th - 8th October 2025
6th October – Monday
I am now in Las Penitas, it’s pouring with rain and I’m holed up in my very miniature cabin, which is not actually much bigger than my garden shed was, perhaps a little wider, but certainly not longer. It what you would call cosy, I’m just glad am on my own in here. The guy, I can’t remember his name, told me not to leave anything on the floor, I am so glad I took his advice as there is now a little river flowing through the cabin. To get to the loo, they didn’t have any en-suit rooms, I have to put on my raincoat as there are absolutely no covered walkways, and then on returning dry my feet before slipping under the mosquito net. In saying all of this however, it actually quite a cute little hostel and it’s right on the beach, which I love, and the guy mentioned helping the baby turtles tomorrow, which is one of the main reasons why I came here – so overall I’m a very happy puppy.
Before leaving Leon this morning, I put my packed rucksack in storage and went for food. On route a woman came shouting and chasing after me. Curious I got out my translator, she had chased me in the hope that I would buy some formula milk and nappies for her baby. I refused, I am not sure if that was mean of me, but she didn’t look that poor and I actually didn’t appreciate her approach. I am happy to give money, like I did yesterday with the guy rummaging in the bins, he wasn’t begging but was in obvious need of a little handout. Anyway, I found this very nice comeda about 10 minutes walk from my hostel and had a delicious brunch of rice, stewed chicken and plantain, for £2. The cheapest I’ve had yet. By the time I got back to the hostel I really wasn’t in the mood for navigating bus stations and chicken buses, I’d also read that the
one I needed only runs once an hour and at what time I couldn’t find out. Instead, I treated myself to a taxi, it was £10 so it didn’t break the bank and I got to practice my Spanish with the driver.
When I got here it wasn’t raining so I spent a very chilled afternoon in a hammock, overlooking the beach, reading my kindle, something I haven’t done for such a long time. I really enjoyed it. This evening I sat at the bar and had a fish burger and plantain chips, which was delicious, it was made with a sourdough style bread, and the fish was fresh and not coated in batter. I also had a couple of mojitos which are only £2 each during happy hour, 5 – 7 pm, but not half as strong as the ones in ViaVia. I could have easily downed a third but had to consider my bladder, the rain and getting up in the middle of the night for several toilet visits.
Several very loud young people turned up and, in the rain had a swim in the pacific. I was quite concerned for them as the waves were humongous, surfing waves and it was also very dark, but I worried in vain, they were fine and had a whale of a time. I was quite glad to find out that they were not actually staying here as after their swim they all got quite drunk and even louder, I think they must be in one of the hostels down the road.
So as you can see, I didn’t put my laptop into the repair shop. Just before I left to get food, I got a message from Titus, he is currently moving house, but said he will try to help me fix it. So I will hold out for his help before I resort to a repair shop. And last night Blake responded to my messages and sent me the activation code. I’m currently on a 10 day trial, so hopefully will have it fixed before that is over and then can reload my software and continue working on my website.
I had a lovely surprise message from Em at Westgate just now. It was lovely to hear from her. I’ll never forget her wedding, she looked so stunningly beautiful, like a true princess. Em was always so lovely to me, I do miss her and Tida, can’t say that about Steve or Maylin though. As Blake said that place became toxic and draining – I feel so much more relaxed and happier now that I don’t have to deal with their games. It’s such a shame it all had to end on such a sour note as I really did love living in Cambodia – miss you Jay 
7th October – Tuesday
I am so bored. It is very lovely here but there is absolutely nothing to do. This morning I went two walks, one way and then the other way along the beach. To the left there is an estuary where there is conservation area, which I will explore tomorrow morning, I read that it is best done at low tide, it was high tide by the time I learnt this.
Other than eat and drink all I have done is read. This evening a group turned up to watch the sunset and then left. It was quite fun to watch all the local lads arrive just before the sunset group arrived, I must admit they are very handsome fit young lads, however they disappeared once the sunset group had gone. There are other people staying here, including an older couple, he sits at the bar and drinks all day, she seems to stay in their room.
I am not sure where everyone has gone. The bar here shuts at 8 pm and I now feel like I am the only person, bar the guard, one site. I know there are a couple of bars down the road, I suspect everyone is in one of them, but my god it is a long dark road and I am not sure I want to walk it on my own and then walk into a bar this late on my own not knowing what the bar is like and if the others from here are actually there or somewhere else. This is one of the hardest things about travelling on your own, if I was with someone it would be easy, but venturing out on your own at night down quiet long dark roads is not so safe and I don’t seem to be as brave as I used to be – old age must be setting in I have no problems with venturing out during the daytime, it is just after dark, especially in very quiet areas such as this.
I am also very disappointed as it doesn’t look like I will get to help the baby turtles. Today there was a young guy on reception, and he said the turtles weren’t hatching tonight but I genuinely got the feeling he couldn’t be bothered to arrange anything for me. I did some research, it is true that they don’t hatch every night, so who knows. I can also do the same activity in Costa Rica, so maybe I’ll have more luck there. Anyway, I am now really looking forward to going to Managua, the capital, on Thursday. I have booked what looks like a fairly decent hotel with a swimming pool and hopefully there will be a bit more life to the place than here. Just one more day and evening to go 
8th October – Wednesday
Another lazy day, I won’t saying boring because today I was prepared. I spent the morning sorting out Microsoft office and left my cabin by midday a very happy puppy and then spent the afternoon in a hammock reading. I didn’t go to the nature reserve, in fact I haven’t done anything that I came here to do; no turtles and no mangroves. But I did get my laundry done As much as this is an amazing hostel, the clientele and the local lads are all young enough to be my grandchildren. Not there is anything wrong with that, but you could say that I am invisible to them. I had this problem before when I was at a young hostel and hated it. I’ve not hated it this time, in fact it has been quite amusing watching them, especially the surfers today, but I really do need to find people more of my own age, give or take, and that just doesn’t seem to be happening
Right on queue the party bus arrived at 4:30pm, this time with quite a few very loud and drunk young British lads and, unlike last night, the girls were very much more reserved. I asked one guy if they were from ViaVia, they are actually from Bigfoot, which is across the road from ViaVia, I didn’t go in there while in Leon because each time I passed it they were playing heavy metal music, which I am not really in to.
Anyway, I’m out of here tomorrow and will Chicken bus it to the capital. I was hoping to extend
my stay in Nicaragua, I have emailed and sent a WhatsApp to the bus company and they have not replied. So now I am thinking that perhaps I will hotfoot it to Costa Rica on the 20th and try to get myself of this young backpacker route that I seem to be blindly following. Although, thinking about it, I did meet more ‘me’ people in Mexico and El Salvador, it’s really only been San Pedro and here that I have run into this problem, so maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill?