My first stop in Nicaragua is the country's "favourite beach town" according to its own tourism publicity, and who I am to argue? With a reputation as a great surf spot, and with a definite position on the "gringo trail" I figured it would be a good place to begin my Nicaraguan adventures, plus I had dragged a couple of young English fellas (Andy and Olly)along from La Fortuna as they were not sure where to head next. The beach within San Juan itself is nothing to write home about, so I won't bother. There are however some much nicer beaches nearby... although most were not accessible whilst I was there due to a series of "Survivor" being filmed!

Initially we went to stay in the hostel that is recommended by everyone, but as is often the case with these hostels, it was not very nice. Therefore we sought out a nice bed and breakfast and crammed the three of us into one room. The Secret Cove is owned by an American ex-pat called Ray who has a story for all occasions. He also has the cutest dog I have seen for a long time (Bear) who looks just like a toy I used to have when I was a kid. There was also a kitchen that we could use, so we had loads of great homemade meals. The kitchen was even equipped with not just one, but two whisks, so I got to make some chocolate mousse pudding which I had been craving for ages!

Unfortunately I was not feeling too well during my stay in San Juan due to a nasty throat infection that I picked up somewhere, therefore, for my own well-being I gave the surfing a miss and stuck with sunbathing on the beach instead. It was nice to get a chance to sit and relax with a book, which is something I've not really allocated time to recently. This was all going so well, until one day when the local crazy man showed up to spoil everyone's day. We had seen him around a few times doing the usual crazy man things: rummaging in the bins, running around like he was possessed, cutting up his clothes and strutting about naked. However, one day when I was alone on the beach minding my own business and trying to read, his craziness peaked, as did my weariness of him.

Out the corner of my eye I saw a flash of flesh streaking past me... there he was crazy naked guy back to his old tricks. Only this time he was picking up rocks from the beach and throwing them at people - mainly children, who were quickly grabbed and sheltered by nearby adults. He was also throwing rocks at the cars parked in the nearby road and galloping through the waves to get a better shot at the kids! I picked up my stuff and moved away slowly to try to avoid any unwanted attention/rocks at my head. Until this point we had been under the impression that crazy man was some kind of gringo-gone-wrong as he has blonde hair and his skin looks like it is only brown due to a tan rather than a natural colour. So, I took this opportuntiy to ask some of the locals exactly what the deal was with him. Apparently he is from Rivas (nearest big town to San Juan del Sur) and has been hanging around the area and pulling his stunts for over a year. He has no home, and even the other homeless people try to give him a wide berth. Andy was particularly intrigued by him as he is a medical student with a special interest in mental health, but I did not fancy playing translator and he wasn't too keen to get all that close either! Just half an hour later I saw him again wearing yet another outfit (each day averaged about four changes if you exclude naked); I don't know where he got them all from :s

Other than being "entertained" by crazy guy, there was not a lot else going on in San Juan del Sur. The only nightclub had been shut down the night before we arrived due to a drugs raid, and the bars did not stay open all that late. Therefore after a few civilised days of reading and cooking I made a move to my next destination and left the boys behind.