Nica update #5: Masaya Market & Volcano

View from the craters edge of Volcan Masaya...
Amazing scenery as we walked the rim of this crater...
Stairs took us to a viewing point above the active crater and the third crater...The Spanish placed crosses at the edge of all craters when they arrived in the Americas because the believed that volcanos were the entrance to hell...makes sense...
Sulfer or something else toxic burning out my nose and sinus cavities...
Snake crossing??

Heading to Masaya via Expresso bus...the best way to travel! Sights at the bus depot...gotta get a chicken home? What's a girl to do?
Looks calm enough...should have added a video of this scene to give you a real taste...with smells too...2.5hours of torture...'POLLO! POLLO! ARROZ! ARROZ! GASEOSAS! AMIGA! AMIGA!
Mercado in Masaya...pinatas are huge at Christmas...
Hmmm...rice or beans?

We ended up visiting the area of Masaya twice on our trip-once on our way to Las Penitas and once on our way back to the airport. Masaya is a pretty big city of over 150,000 and offers the best markets in Nica-for locals and tourists alike. You can find absolutely anything you need and plenty of stuff you absolutely don't need in these markets:) We brought a few key souvenirs home but none of them are dust collectors and I am sure they will all be eaten or drunk before we are too far into 2008...In addition to the lively (and stinky) markets we checked out a lively (and stinky) volcano- Volcan Masaya which is within a national park and contains...get this...3 craters!! With one very active crater, this was a must see...burnt the inside of my nose and I am still dealing with the painful aftermath...but it was definately worth it! We were pleasantly suprised by the high standards of protection, staffing, signage and information presented in this park-just like a national park at home! Except for the snake and armadillo crossings! No bears or elk here...

Nica Update #3: SJDS and the night of the Turtles!

San Juan at sunset...soccer game on the beach...

She was massive...
Brad gets up close and personal with the video camera on night shot...stay tuned for the u-tube video...
Her eggs...they are the size of golf balls with a flexible leathery shell...
This would never happen in a protected area in Canada...

Filling in her nest with sand...
Back to the sea she goes...

Unreal national geographic experience in San Juan Del Sur (SJDS)! Came from Ometepe to this beach town that is probably the most touristy that we have seen in Nica so far...but that really isn't saying much as we have not seen more than a handfull of travellers. The cruise ships stop here and wisk away cruisers to local markets so this spot is hitting the raidar with Americans. Surf town with a few surf beaches in the surrounding areas and your basic needs are met including internet, good accomodation, good food options and even a bar or two. We only stayed one night as we are not here to party or rub shoulders with yankees and we were only here for one reason...the Tortugas!! The turtles come to shore to lay their eggs each year at a protected beach area-La Flor which is about an hour on a bumpy dirt road (which road aren't bumpy). So we hired a guide with another couple-brother and sister from Colorado and made our way at night on a crazy safari truck to the park...the visit was from 8:00-12:00midnight as this is the only time to view the turtles in their natural habitat...to avoid predators. Stay tuned for a little video of the action...amazing experience and not one we will soon forget...Only this past year have the turtles been protected as they have entered the list of endangered species. But, the harvesting, selling and eating of turtle eggs has been a way of life for the Nica people for hundreds of years and there is much conflict regarding this current situation. Tough one... Here are the highlights of SJDS:

• El Puerto-good accomodation, patio view of town, clean, coffee and cookies in the morning! $25per night for private with bath...


• Tortugas for sure! Check out the pics of this amazing national geo experience...After making it all the way to shore, digging a deep nest, laying 100-150 eggs, packing it back up with sand, struggling back to the sea the eggs incubate for 45-60 days and the babies break free to the surface...only the strong survive and the lucky ones make their way to the sea for a shot at life...

Even more pics from Ometepe

Map of Ometepe Island...
Volcan Conception...had been active and blowing ash for 4 days!
Rush hour on Ometepe...

Brad and our guide Felix on the way up Volcan Maderas...local petroglyphs...
Frijoles plantations (red beans)...
The best view of Ometepe...looking down from Maderas over to Volcan Concepcion...
The jungle mist...
Brad goes for a dip in the crater lagoon!

More pics from Ometepe

Papayas the size of...
Volcan Maderas-view from El Encanto...the grassy looking area was where we walked through the frijoles and arroz plantations...then went into the jungle to make our trek straight up to the crater over the top...
When it rains in Nica it pours...check out the gal in white jeans and high heels under cover...she managed to stroll to the bus when it came by...and didn't get dirty! They have a strange ability to stay clean in the mud...we couldn't quite get it...

Flowers in the garden at El Encanto...
Our front yard...
The hammock workout...I swear I did push ups nearly everyday!
The start of our Nica bike ride...
Through the banana plantations to Agua de Ojo...

Agua d Ojo...

Nica Update#3: Ometepe Island

Volcan Conception-view from El Encanto
The 'Ferry'...wish you could see the dude swimming to shore with the rope to tie her up...
R&R at El Encanto on our front deck...
View of Volcan Maderas...

From Granada we bused to Rivas and then to the port of San Jorge to catch a ferry to Ometepe Island...check out the pic of the Nica ferry...not quite BC Ferries...but what the hell. Ometepe is a remarkable and very special island...the largest island on a lake in the world. And lake Nicaragua is the 10th largest lake in the world! Check it out next time you are on google earth cause it really is massive. This place was on my list the first time I travelled in Central America in 1999/2000 however, I didnt make it there the first time. So I was thrilled to finally make it there with Brad on our trip. We felt at home on Ometepe somehow...maybe it was the water surrounding us or the temperate climate but we really loved this place. It is shaped like a peanut with a massive volcano on either end...originally it was two volcanic islands but they became one when the lava flows connected them many years ago. The land is very fertile and farming is the main industry which supports most of the islanders. Their main export is plantains and their main customers are other central american countries whos crops were damaged from hurricane Mitch in 1998. We stayed on Ometepe for 4 days and could have stayed longer if we had the time...highlights:

• El Encanto- a finca (farm) and hotel with only 4 rooms and a small restaurant. One of our favorite places to stay-beautiful grounds filled with flowering shrubs, birds, butterflies, fireflies, views of the two volcano's and the lake below (situated on a hill). Perfect accomodation only a couple of years old, clean, private rooms with bath- $25.
• Chatting with Carlos and Helena over mugs of steaming coffee about life in Nica...politics, social issues, water, weather, local issues...
• Feasting at their restaurant on delicious local dishes...
• 7 hour bike ride around the south part of the island and to the middle of the 'peanut'...on the crappiest nica bikes you have ever seen...at first it was funny. But by the end of the ride I was nearly in tears from the searing pain on my tailbone, my wrists and hands...got a weird twitch from nerve damage in my hands...red and raw on all of our soft spots...but it was definately worth it all as we got to see some areas of the island that very few people have visited. Tiny villages dot the lower part of the island along a rough, rocky dirt track...young children ran to greet us and chased us up the hills while old folks watched us pass and had a good laugh at us climbing hills.
• Agua de Ojo- eye of the water- aqua marine pools in the forest that are filled with natural spring water and sparkle and shine in the sunlight...the perfect way to soothe our sore bodies after the big bikeride.
• Hiking Volcan Maderas- 1600meters from sea level right to the top in 3 hours 20minutes...through bean/rice/corn plantations...then into the jungle on a straight up, stick to your gumboots goey muddy trail...led by our fearless guide Felix who chopped down vines and killed snakes with his machette...butterflies (mariposa's en espanol) in the jungle...MONKEYS!...petroglyphs...misty jungle scenes...crater lagoon at the top! 2hours 20 on the way down...we hauled trying to keep up with Felix and he was wearing gumboots.
• Risky dining experience at a local comedor...that didn't turn out to be the best choice...10 tanked Nica men...moonshine over the counter...filthy cook...rancid Gallo Pinto...all made for a quick exit and a mandatory rum disinfection!
• Ferry of course...the dude jumps overboard to swim with the rope to shore to tie up the boat...classic central america!

Nica Update #2: Granada City

After 4 days on a 1.5km sqd island we got...well...bored...suprise suprise! And we started thinking that we should probably hit the road and explore more of Nica as there is plenty of land to see. So we travelled back to Managua and then made our way to Granada...the oldest colonial city in the America's! We really enjoyed Granada and ended up spending 3 days there during our trip to take it all in. As in all spanish influenced cities the centre of all the action was at the 'Parque Centro' which is always situated directly in front of the main cathedral (which, we learned always faces the west- important fact when you are lost in a foreign city). Granada's central park was really the most happening and beautiful that we came across in Nica. Lined with colonial buildings, churches, hotels, restaurants and horse and carriages the park attracted locals and tourists during the day and really got going after dark. Musicians, vendors and food stalls appeared after the sun dropped and we got our fill of entertainment by sitting and taking it all in on a bench in the park. Highlights:

• Oasis Hostel/Hotel was fantastic with a classic indoor courtyard filled with lush tropical plants, banana trees and flowers...hammocks to laze in, free internet, free 10 minute phone call home, free coffee and tea all day, pool, and a breakfast restaurant with all meals less than $2.50...private room with bath only $25!
• Mystery doors...classic central american/spanish designed buildings that reveal absolutely nothing of their interiors by looking at their doors and black iron gates...hidden within could be a hairdresser, cafe, fish monger or even a luxury apartment with a carport and pool inside!
• Central Park...classic, entertaining and full of life.
• Outdoor Markets...our hotel was right in the thick of the marcedo so we were thrown into the insanity of it all every time we went outside. LOUD music from every corner...packed road - 1 lane but somehow there are 3 rows of traffic...bikes, cars, buses, motorbikes, and people weave in the Nica flow...sidewalks are non-existent with vendors wares spilling out over them-oranges, christmas toys, blackmarket cds/dvds, glasses, watches, shoes, lunch, dinner, snacks and what else do you need? it is all there! I am hoping to post a video clip of the action once we put it together cause pictures just don't do it justice.
• Pali-we discovered the local supermarcedo and exploring the shelves here was an adventure in itself...beer and rum is the cheapest here! $8 for a litre of rum!
• Outdoor restaurants- very cool strip of outdoor cafe/bars/restaurants that serve delicious food from all over the globe. Downside...the most begging I have every experienced. Children as young as 5 in tattered dirty clothing come right up to your table and beg for you food or for some money. No one stops them or tells them to leave and you see people giving them handouts which keeps them coming back for more...sad but reality where tourist $$ are starting to flow...

More Pics from Little Corn Island

Hermana's selling their mums sweet coconut balls...
A conch shell garden at Elsa's Place...
The Little Corn 'ferry'...
Casa Iguana's path and sign...read closely for a laugh...
Yes, it really was just like the photos!

Nica Update #1: Little Corn Island

We arrived in Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua (Nica for short) after a long day of planes trains and automobiles. We crashed at a Best Western hotel across the street from the airport and eased into our Central American adventure with some local cervecas- Tona or Victoria are the 2 national beers of choice...and at .50cents to $1 a bottle they ARE cheaper than water! First thing the next morning we hopped back onto a plane (but a little wee one) and took off to the Atlantic coast for 4 days of sun, sand and snorkeling on the carribean island of Little Corn. The photos above summarize our lazy days. The Island is only 1.5km squared so we had pretty much covered every corner by the end of our first day there. Here are the highlights:

• Stayed right on the beach in a little green hut at 'Carlito's'. Power, private bath $15/night.
• Coconuts right from the tree every day. Brad mastered the machette and we enjoyed many fresh coconuts with rum and lime on the beach.
• Fresh fruit for the picking everywhere you turn- coconuts, noni fruit, bananas, limes, oranges, papayas and starfruit! Sadly the mangoes were finished before we arrived.
• Miles of caribbean white sandy beaches sheltered by swaying palm trees...
• Shallow reef surrounded the island on 3 sides creating a snorkeling paradise! No need to pay for diving as the snorkeling was just as good. Little angel fish, jack fish, big baracudas and even an up close encounter with a 3 or 4 foot shark!!
• No cars, or motorized vehicles on the island as there are no roads and islanders get around by foot or bicycle on dirt paths that criss cross the island.
• Breakfast at Casa Iguana high above the sea perched on a cliff...Gallo Pinto (typical Central American meal of rice and beans and sometimes coconut milk) plantains, huevos, Ilzano green sauce (we got so addicted to this that we brought home a 1 litre bottle) and of course a giant bowl of fresh fruit and local Nica coffee....mmmmm a daily ritual.
• Nightly seafood feasts caught fresh from the sea that day- conch, lobster, snapper, crab, shrimp, tuna and more!
• Climbing to the highest point on the Island-the radar tower- for a 360 view of the entire island...dizzing and a wee bit scary to say the least...
• Cribbage and cuba libre's every night...
• Walking the jungle paths and covering every square inch of the island on foot...discovering remote beaches, fruit trees, local colour and paradise in general.
• The 'ferry' trip back and forth to Big Corn...when the locals put on life jackets you know it isn't good...