Incredible Nicaragua Adventure // Hasta Alaska // S02E04

Those of you that have been following the journey will know that we've had a lot of problems, especially in Costa Rica. This was the first country that we didn't have to go hunting for parks. Nicaragua was 100% fun. Here's how it went down. Nicaragua is the largest and poorest country in Central America. With over 80% of the population living on just $2 a day, it was almost another world from Costa Rica. There's a variety of new experiences and adventures on offer, and all in a country the size of New York State. We couldn't wait to go exploring. Tourism is yet to dominate and the country is still far from developed. We had a rare opportunity to immerse ourselves in this traditional Latino culture. The Nicaragua surf scene is still finding its feet. Foundations are yet to be laid, but some houses are being made from nothing more than driftwood. The waves have been here for thousands of years, but the surfers are just arriving. Alaska had the chance to make some unique friends, as every house had different pets. The south of the country is a network of dirt tracks with no gas stations. Every house is like a mini farm, where we had to stop and ask for fuel. This is a great country for a surf expedition. I met the Kombi crew in Costa Rica, then we randomly met up again in Nicaragua. It was at this point that I decided to hop aboard and search for epic surf along the Nicaraguan coastline. Perfect, thank you! I love my life! Another day living the dream. One year ago, our serial traveller friend Sean joined the Kombi crew in Argentina, and stayed with us for more than two months through Bolivia and Peru. Our most important contribution? Helping us find Alaska. She spent the past 12 months working and journeying through 15 countries in order to rejoin Astra Alaska. I couldn't wait to start a new adventure. I have gained so much more knowledge about culture, people, and myself through my travels than I ever expected. To me, travelling is education. It's an empowering emotion and a necessity, no matter how great the small the journey. I love having a mobile home, and new neighbours every day. On my second day in Nicaragua, we met these twins and their fisherman father. They couldn't afford 50 cents a day for school, and at 10 years old they can't even write their own names. This made me realise that I'm a world away from my own. The best thing is just the pure freedom to come and go as you please. You know, if the swell dies down, there's lots of other stuff you can do with the Kombi. Every day we wake up in some of the best and most unusual places on Earth, and with 19 volcanoes crammed in this tiny area, it would have been rude not to wake up on one of them. So we set out across the Black Ash Desert in search of boards so we could ride the youngest at the base of it, and then wake up and go volcano boarding? Nicaragua in the dry season doesn't usually give you too many opportunities to bath, so when you find one, you usually score. We came to Nicaragua expecting the unexpected, and we weren't disappointed. The opportunity to explore this little known land is here, right now. The only advice we can give you is, the sooner you get here, the more rewarding your experience will be. Until we're further north, happy travels. Sian Harrington here reporting from Capito, at the base of Cerro Negro in Nicaragua. We've just spotted some flowing lava on the nearby mountain and we're on our search to find it. Hi, Sian Harrington here reporting from the base of the lava. We've just met the family that live at the bottom. Not scared at all. No fear. Let's go in for a closer look. We've now reached our destination of hot flowing magma. Had a little chat with our local resident that lives at the bottom of it, only to discover that it's not hot flowing magma. He's just burning off his field for some room for his animals. Hey babe, how do you feel about living at the bottom of hot flowing magma? Babe? Babe? Babe?