The secret diary of a green coffee buyer aged 40 and 1/4

 A trip around Central America Day 13/14 and the 6th country Nicaragua 

Like the rest of this trip Honduras has whizzed by. 24 hours later I’m trying to leave and waving good bye.

Its taken me a little time to write this last post up. Its a kind of denial trying to make believe its still fresh and new, and that its not so long ago I was on this amazing journey. But it does and has to come to an end.

So we leave Honduras in the direction of Nicaragua. I’m loving all this driving across borders thing so much easier than clearing customs and waiting in airport lounges. Or so I thought

We arrive at the Nicaraguan border and both Erwin and Alejandro are telling me it the easiest and best border to cross. They are always happy to see people visit. After all I’m there with a Nicaraguan what can go wrong ? Although Erwin tells me a story of a few months ago he was at the border and found one guy that was unhappy Erwin had folded a photo copy of his Harley Davidson documents (yes it screens of mid life crisis to me too). The guy was insistent that he goes and gets a new photo copy and Erwin was insistent that he would not. So the chain down he just drives off. He gets stopped in a town about 10 miles away by armed police and gets taken back to the border, where he gets thrown in Jail (sounds friendly right). But he’s been through loads of times since then and everything has been fine.

So we clear the first part, filling in documents on the Honduras side. We then go through to a fumigation part where they spray the inside and outside of the car. We then move to cross the border, and there we are, the man who Erwin had drove off from months before. But were ok, we have everything in order, theres no way we can possibly not go through. But the guy rips everything apart to try and find something. The part of the story Erwin forgot to tell us was he phoned a friend who ended up springing him from jail and the guy got a roasting from his boss about the folded paper thing. So he was going to find something.

And he did, Alejandros Insurance had been renewed recently, but he only had the old documents, so we were not going anywhere. Much deliberation went on. At this point normally an offer “to help” the police fund will make everything better, but our man had a score to settle. So we hit a road block. Many phone calls were made, offers to re insure the car in Nicaragua were made (there is a sales man on the border you can buy from), but no go. So more phone calls get masse, and three and a half hours later we get waved through much to our friends annoyance. So were on our way with Nicaraguan car insurance and all legal. But the day had gone, the visit to Limoncillo looked very much in doubt. We arrive at the mill “Don Estaban” as the sun is setting, just as my chances to visit the farm had set. But we did have a chance to cup and catch up with Dr Mierish and Eleane his sister. They are the most amazing family and I love their company so much.

After cupping and we go to dinner, and lots of members of the extended family join us, each as lovely as the core family. I’m talking to one of their cousins and he suggests and early 6 am start up to the farm, be out of their by 9:30 and at the airport by 12 midday is all do able. I have many hours to try and go to sleep ahead of me so I think this is a fine Idea, and we slowly convince Erwin too.

5:30 am after the few days we have had is seen as a lie in, but I’m up and packed and ready to go. Day 14 and the last day before 24 hours of travelling home.

The drive to the farm is around 45min — an hour, with 30 mins of road and 30 mins of off roading. We come off the highway and it all comes back to me. I begin to remember thins I have seen, and remember things I have seen on the map bit when doing that for the in my mugs.

Theres a possy coming Alejandro, Dr Mierish and Eleane and many of the group from last night. I love it when theres a big group as they stop trying to entertain me and start talking in Spanish. My Spanish is awful, but I hear it much better than I speak it, and I love the little insights I get in to each conversation. We whistle stop tour around the farm, and at 9:30 Erwins trying to get me in the car. I’m torn but wave off everyone. We get back to the mill at 10:30am, I need to be at the airport by 12 midday, and its a 2 hour drive. I’m not amazing at maths, but I see a problem. Erwin puts his toe down, and I mean puts his toe down. If we get pulled by the police I hope he has his friends that got us across the borders number on speed dial.

We arrive at the airport at 12:15 and I have not had time to be worried about getting on the flight (I’ve been more worried for my life thrashing down the road from the farm to airport).

I run in the airport with seconds to spare before they close and Erwin follows me in with bags, like everything I have done its been rushed and to the wire this year.

And here it all turns into airport lounges, American Airlines flights and glasses of wine to stop me being petrified in the air. I arrive home shattered but happy. Its been a great trip, and probably the last time I cram so much into one trip. Two weeks away from home is not fun, but when you spend it with such amazing people then it seems all worth it. It seems a life time since I left, and so much has happened, but its good to be back.