Saturday, August 29, 2015

The Good Times Are Killing Me

If we could compile a list of things we've learned over the past six days, it would be this:
1. Flexibility and the absence of time constraints is priceless. Our initial plan of 2 nights in San Juan del Sur morphed into 5 nights, because.... why not?
2. We are old and fragile humans. For those 5 days in SJDS, we did very little, except care for our owies.
3. Remember to familiarize yourself with a country's immigration laws, or it may take you an hour and a few extra bucks to leave Nicaragua.

Allow me to elaborate.

Our day of travel to SJDS on Monday was a typical Central America travel day. The bus that picked us up in front of our hostal in Ometepe was 45 minutes late, but delivered us 1.5 hours later to the ferry at Myogalpa. We waited at the bus stop with an older lady from France, traveling on her own for 8 months, and enjoyed being the experts on travel through Honduras and Mexico as she asked for advice. At the ferry, we ran into another solo female traveler who we had bumped in to the previous day on the trail to the waterfalls. The four of us boarded the ferry heading to San Jorge, threw our bags on the top deck and climbed down to take our seats at water level. The 30 minute ride was rockier than we expected, every few minutes swaying 30 degrees to the left, then returning upright before swaying 30 degrees to the right. You could look around and pinpoint the travelers who had casually flung their unsecured bags on the top deck, as we were all wide eyed and nervously watching for our backpacks to dive off the side of the boat. Luckily, the four of us with all baggage made it off the ferry in one piece. We ignored the lying taxi drivers that told us it cost 15 cordobas to take the bus back to Rivas and happily paid the bus driver the 7 cordobas we owed. The bus driver and his helper seemed adamant in informing us our next bus, from Rivas to SJDS was "over there", hand signals indicating OVER, like keep walking. We thanked them, got off, and immediately saw a bus for SJDS leaving in 10 minutes. Although it wasn't "over there", we figured we just got lucky and found one quicker. Wrong. What should have been a 45 minute ride turned in to a 2 hour ride. After about a half hour on dirt roads with small scattered villages and no sign of ocean, we realized we got on the local bus that takes the long route with multiple stops. We had nowhere to be and the scenery was beautiful, so we didn't mind.

                                                          A similar ferry to ours

As soon as we departed the bus in SJDS, a gringo man stopped us and told us he had an apartment available to rent, if we were interested. The place was $25/night but if we stayed 3 nights, he'd give us a deal at $20/night. We opted to check it out, and with a promise that we'd have the whole place to ourselves, we quickly shook on it and paid the man. The apartment was 2 bedrooms with a bathroom curtained off in each bedroom, a full kitchen with a combined living space that had a cable TV, plus a small patio out front. The kitchen sink was being repaired, so Oscar (the gringo helper) offered to give us a tour of the town while the repairs were completed. I was a bit skeptical of leaving all of our belongings in the apartment with the workers, and equally concerned we'd come back to find other occupants in the second bedroom. 

        Although weird, the set-up was functional

Oscar led us on a quick tour, pointing out the restaurant where all items are $3.95, the Pali grocery store, the market (where he said he doesn't eat after seeing the lack of sanitation in the kitchen), and the Eskimo ice cream shop that we shouldn't go further than at night. Despite being one of the most dangerous towns in Nicaragua for petty pick pocketing, etc, SJDS is a stunning town. High, dramatic cliffs surround a perfect shaped cove with a flat beach, ideal for kids playing soccer, an afternoon beach volleyball game, or a happy hour drink under one of the many palapa restaurants. The most elaborate and massive houses we've seen were also decorating the cliffs and hills of SJDS. As beautiful as it is, there really isn't much to do there. Hence, the following few days were a blur of minimal activity for us.

Monday afternoon, once we returned to our little home and found our belongings untouched and no roommates, we went in search of our first real meal of the day. One of the two meals we ended up eating at the market that Oscar advised against (we like a challenge), Micah had his favorite dish- jalapeño sauce slathered on a piece of meat, and I ate delicious breaded chicken. We made our way to the Pali grocery store and purchased the makings for a few meals, anxious to take advantage of our kitchen. That evening, we caught up on internet stuff. This included Micah googling "poisonous plants in Nicaragua" and I webmd'ed "abscess". Since our waterfall hike on Ometepe, Micah had noticed a rash on his underarms, elbows, and scattered around his legs. Our best guess is that he came into contact with a poisonous plant of sorts during the hike; how I avoided it is a mystery. What I got instead was another abscess, although I'd take a hundred of this type over the previous one on my leg. A small but firm lump in my armpit with little pain and no signs of infection, we started monitoring it Monday night and looked up where the Centro de Salud (government health center) was in SJDS, just in case.

Tuesday we did our laundry in the outdoor sinks. The set up of the sinks in developing countries is rather genius. There was a lower sink to the left, ideal for soaking clothes in. Then, at the large "double" sink, the shorter sink in the middle has a concrete washboard and the full sink on the right is where the clothes are rinsed. This efficient system combined with the constant sun to dry your clothes really makes a person rethink the expensive and energy sucking machines we use back home! We found a cute spot for lunch where we split another jalapeño beef, which was quite possibly the best to date, before picking up a few forgotten items at a small local store, produce at the market, and the classic Nicaragua shirts we've been waiting to purchase till we leave the country. I attempted to make my mom's delicious fettucini alfredo recipe for dinner, which I've been craving ever since she announced she was making it just days after we left, but without half and half, Italian sausage, or mushrooms being found in any of the stores we checked out, it ended up being a creamy chorizo pasta that we still managed to clean our plates of.

                                                        Laundry time
                                           Definitely not fettucini alfredo

Wednesday morning, we decided it would be best to continue our research on Nicaraguan health centers. The abscess wasn't growing much, but was slightly more red and I wanted to decrease the odds of earning another scar. We waited for almost 10 minutes in the ER before we found out that we should walk in and tell the nurse why we're here. I did, lifted my arm, pointed and said "tengo absceso" and he pointed down the hall to the regular offices. We sat down in the large waiting area with about 15 other people, another 20 in the adjacent waiting room. The doors were labeled with different specialities but we weren't sure what any of them said besides pediatrics and OBGYN so we steered clear of those doors. After another 10 minutes of sitting, I got up the courage to ask another patient if we were suppose to register ourselves to see a doctor. She pointed to a room and we hesitantly walked that way, still unsure what exactly we were doing. Once we told the nurse my name, age, and nationality, we returned to our seats. A few minutes passed before a male doctor called my name. We spent about 5 minutes with him; he asked how long I'd had it (3 days), if it hurt (not really), he poked it (still didn't hurt and sorry I haven't shaved, didn't think I was suppose to), and said it was likely an infected hair follicle from my razor. He prescribed antibiotics and Ibuprofen if needed for pain. We filled the prescription at the pharmacy down the hallway, again receiving all services and Rx for free. I almost skipped out of the hospital, thankful both that he didn't seem too concerned about it and that he didn't want to slice it open.

                     Yay, more antibiotics!

We also went to a different farmacia that day to pick up some Calamine lotion for Micah. His rashes weren't necessarily better or worse, but did itch. We also both noticed his legs were swollen, likely part of the allergic reaction. Between both of us feeling under the weather, and our fabulous lodgings, we found Oscar on the street and told him we'd like to stay at least one more night. Micah made his famous stir fry ramen noodles dish for dinner, and we tucked our broken bodies into bed.

                                              Kitchen, dining and living room

Thursday was uneventful; in fact, I'm not sure we left the house until evening. We made our way down to the beach, watched a doubles sand volleyball game and enjoyed the sun setting behind the clouds. For lack of many food options, we made mac n cheese with vegetables and hot dogs, and it was glorious.

                                                     Sand volleyball
  Christ of Mercy Statue, one of the tallest in the world, is visible on the highest point of the cliff

When Friday morning rolled around, we knew we needed to pick up our game. Midday we set out for some street food and, after eyeing the 25 meter tall Christ of Mercy Statue that overlooks the town from the cliffs, we began our hike up to it. We made it only a short way before a sign informed us that we would be required to pay $2 per person to enter the area around the statue. We continued the steep climb but made frequent stops for pictures of the view, since we were unsure how far we could continue. Turns out, we were able to walk right up to within throwing distance of the statue. That was good enough for us, so we admired the view from there, and then turned around and headed back down. Despite not wearing our swimsuits, we stopped for a swim in the ocean to cool off before returning to our home. 

                      Ordering a hamburger and quesadilla for lunch, $4.00
            Looking north from the top of the cliff, a beautiful and peaceful view
                                                    San Juan del Sur bay

This morning, Saturday, we ate the last of the food in our fridge, pulled the last of our clothes off the clothesline and said a farewell thank you to the home that served us well the past 5 days. By 11am we were on the first of 4 buses heading towards Costa Rica. We disembarked the first bus at the Interamericana highway and 5 minutes later jumped on a bus heading to Peñas Blancas, the border town. We again avoided all the taxi drivers trying to grab our packs, men trying to sell us the immigration form that in two minutes we'd be handed for free, and finally made our way to the Nicaragua immigration office. We paid the $1 municipality fee and then stood in line to get our exit stamp. Once we were finally to the front with our forms filled out, the officer flipped through pages of my passport and asked to see Micah's at the same time. Without a look of concern or annoyance and no words spoken, he took our passports and went behind a door marked authorized personnel only. Since he didn't seem flustered, we wondered if there was a problem. If you recall, when we entered Nicaragua in June, the officer was a bit incompetent and couldn't figure out previous dates of travel along with neglecting to give us the correct paperwork. I've wondered if this would present an issue when we tried to leave. That, and oh yeah, remember the immigration law that you can't stay here longer than 90 days? Micah and I nearly smacked ourselves on the forehead for realizing we forgot this. It's an unusual policy that lumps Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua into one "area" known as CA-4. Almost treating all 4 as one country, the CA-4 regional policy states that if you stay in the "area" for more than 90 days, you will be charged a fee at $2/day. We hoped our recollection on the hefty fee was wrong, but once the officer returned, he informed us that we owed 1,100 cordobas per person, or roughly $80 total. He seemed apologetic as he showed us on the calculator what 17 extra days were going to cost. We had to go across the street and make photocopies of our passports and then return in line to hand him the photocopies and the money. We realized this was our fault and our ignorance, so were willing to pay, although we weren't expecting this additional cost. As the officer was scribbling our information on the photocopied papers, he nonchalantly side nodded to Micah, indicating Micah to walk to the side of his booth, away from the other officer and those waiting in line. He whispered a few words, of which "solo uno" stood out, and we said ok. We paid him $40 instead of $80, thanked him and told him to have a nice day. Our assumption is that he feels this policy is unfair to those traveling between the four countries who are blessed with an abundance of time, and meant to target those possibly living and working in a country as an immigrant (i.e. my sister :)).

An hour later, we finally walked away from Nicaragua and onto Costa Rican soil. We breezed through immigrations, loaded up our passport with a few more stamps, and caught the next bus to Liberia. After a quick transfer, we were on our final bus for a 45 minute ride to Playa del Coco. Knowing that this is a popular destination for local Ticos and that we arrived on a Saturday, we were turned away from multiple full hostals before finding our current habitation. We are in a large, warm room with a private bathroom, but no sink, above a small shopping center and apparently, very close to some discotheques. On the pricier side of what we're use to, $30/night reminds us that we're now in Costa Rica.

                   Country #8, Costa Rica

We spent the last few hours searching for a place to eat that was under $15 and catching the sunset down at the beach. We plan to spend the majority of the next few days at this long beach with unusually beautiful views of tall rocky islands out in the ocean. Walking a few kms south of here, rumor has it that there is a beach ideal for snorkeling. Since its been a couple of months since we've snorkeled, we are both content letting the water and the sun take up most of our time for a few days.

                                                Welcome to Costa Rica







Sunday, August 23, 2015

On The Road Again

After 7 weeks of a somewhat sedentary lifestyle living with family at Gran Pacifica, we are back on our own. Julia's wound is fully closed and my head has been fully shaved. We have packed on a combined 8 extra pounds for the road ahead which is offset by the fact our bags are much lighter than when we last carried them. I would also like to take this time to say "welcome back" to those of you who got tired of Kaiden stories and only want to read about the backpacker adventures. Let's get started. 
                                                             Ready or not

It begins with us on Tuesday morning, saying goodbyes and loading into the Explorer with a couple bags and Julia's parents. One of the workers was heading into Managua to buy stuff so we got a free ride to the bus station for a straight shot down to Granada. The parents were also looking for some adventure, so they joined us for the first 2 nights in this colonial touristy town that is always a delight. We rode a chicken bus, crammed into a taxi, and found a decent hotel close to the action. Everything went smooth as we strolled the central park, ate food, and checked out shops. 

Later that afternoon, we did the customary horse carriage ride around the city before taking advantage of the cheap happy hours and outside dinning options. After some gelato, we returned to the hotel for pinochle in which Julia tried to get me to cheat in order to beat her parents. She is very competitive. 
              Chicken bus ride to Granada
                            Cheap drinks 

Wednesday, we awoke with a list of things to do and amazingly did them all. Free typical breakfast at the hotel was followed by a short walk toward the lake. The previous night, we had looked at booking a boat tour of the islands through an agency, but the prices were too high. Instead we figured we could find a guy on the street, which ended up working really well. After about 2 blocks, a guy with a horse carriage walked up to us and we agreed on $30 for transport both ways and a customized 90 minute boat tour for the 4 of us. 

Faithful readers may remember that last time we were here with Megan and Brock, we did a kayak tour  of the islands. Well the boat tour was a lot easier and more relaxing. We saw the monkeys again and got a better look at some of the fancy houses. Ninety minutes was the perfect amount of time and we were back at the hotel by noon. This is important because also on the agenda for the day was meeting up with Angela for lunch as she was rolling through town on a visa run to Costa Rica. Again, all was smooth as we joined up and ate at one of the kiosks in the parque central. I had Vigorón (mashed yucca topped with coleslaw and pork rinds) and others had fajitas and fruit drinks. Anytime you eat outside in Granada, you will be hounded by venders and beggars. One man was selling pottery and Mama Smetana asked if he had a certain design. He plopped his large bag of bowls down on our table and said he would be back in 5 minutes. When he returned with the requested pieces, the table was now covered in pottery and the negotiating began. As this is unfolding, other sellers circled around us, either waiting to get a crack at this apparently high-rolling group of gringos, or just curious what was going on. In the end, fine items were bought for discount prices.

Later that afternoon, we walked to a small cigar manufacturer in town for a peak at the process. Four men and women sat at desks with headphones on, grabbing tobacco leaves and rolling them into a shape that is easy to smoke. It was fun to watch and they were very informative and kind. We took pictures and purchased variety packs. 
                                                            Cigar rolling 

Next stop was Iglesia de La Merced, an old church with a bell tower you can climb for a small fee. We didn't get a chance to climb this last visit and it was high on my list. The views over Granada are amazing, especially with the central cathedral rising up and the lake in the background. While at the top, a man walked up and gave everyone a brief warning to cover their ears. He grabbed 2 large ropes and tugged with all of his might. The bells rang loudly. Afterwards we laughed. 
                            View of Granada from the bell tower of La Merced
                                                    Surviving the bell ringing

That night, more happy hour drinks with breakdancers for entertainment and los padres (the parents) treated us to what will probably be our last big feast for a while. Tasty onion rings, a steak sandwich, cajun chicken alfredo, and boneless chicken wings. Angela made it back from the border just in time to help us leave no food behind, and we all retired to the hotel. 

Thursday could be considered the actual start of our 2nd big backpacking adventure. We ate one final free breakfast together and hugged goodbyes as the parents and Angela made their way back to Gran Pacifica. Julia and I took our time getting things in order before the 11am checkout. Our destination was Isla de Ometepe and this is how we got there:

30 minute walk to the bus station. Hopped on bus and got the last seat in the back. Bus was packed with more gringos than any other bus we have been on all trip (other than Cuba). We arrive in Rivas after 1.5 hrs and men are climbing in the window trying to get people to ride in their cabs. The story they say is that the next bus to the San Jorge ferry dock isn't until 3pm and the next boat to Ometepe leaves at 1:30pm. We halfway believe them but being the last ones off he bus, are unable to find another couple to split a cab with. One man quietly says to me that the bus we want picks up across the street and will be here shortly. This is what we had thought and we walked away from the chaos. After a few seconds on the side of the road, a bus rounds the corner with San Jorge written on the front. We smile and laugh. Instead of paying 100 Cordobas ($3.66) for a cab, we roll to the ferry for 14 Cordobas ($.51) and better yet are the only gringos on itNot bad for a couple of kids just getting back on the road. 

We board the first boat we see and it takes off 5 minutes after we sit down (about 2pm). Not 100% sure at this point where it is going but there are other travelers on it and the possible destinations are limited based on boat size and strength. One and a half hrs later we arrive on the island formed by 2 volcanoes. It is quite visually stunning. If you looked down from above it would look like a mishapen old school barbell. After disembarking, we follow the other travelers and get on a bus that was going somewhere. It drops us at an intersection where another bus is eager to grab our bags. We ride on that bus for a while with our maps out, trying to determine the best place to exit. We had pinpointed 3 potential hostals and got out at a point we thought was close to our destination. We were wrong. Our guidebook maps aren't always accurate and this was one of those times we paid the price. After walking for about 5 minutes in the heat, we realized that the next hostal may not be for another mile or 2. A little embarrassed that we got off the bus way too early, we laughed and tried not to get frustrated. We were just saying how our travel had been seemless all day. I guess our first real day shouldn't be too easy. 
                                                         Boat to Ometepe
                                           
    Walking, looking for a place to sleep

After about an hour of walking, we stumbled upon a hostal that was a little too pricey. We walked more. The next one was cheap but we thought we could do better. The 3rd was 300 meters off the road and up a hill; a 4 hectacre banana farm with a large garden, hammocks, and volcano views. With the effort we had put in, we hesitantly paid the high $33 per night price and dropped our bags. As night fell, we grabbed headlamps for the dark, walked back to the road and found a burrito place for supper. 

That first night it rained heavily, but in the morning the skies were basically clear and sunny. Friday was a relaxing day with me suffering from a cold and sinus issues. We found a cheap place for lunch on the water and proceeded to swim in the lake water. The eastern side of Ometepe, between the volcanoes, is a long wide black sandy beach. The water is warm and free of garbage. It is very shallow and smooth, with amazing views back up toward Volcán Concepcíon. That night we ate at a place called Comedor Los Cocos and enjoyed some good jalapeño beef and crispy tacos. That about sums up Friday.
                                     View of Volcán Concepcíon from the beach
                                                     View from our hostal restaurant

Saturday, we decided we couldn't afford to stay any longer at the nice hostal and switched to one just down on the main road for $17 a night. We had hopes of biking to a waterfall, but the skies were dark and cloudy, and rain fell most of the morning. By noon it had cleared slightly and we ventured up the beach about an hour to the next little grouping of lodgings and restaurants. Rain began to fall as we entered the village and we quickly found a place to eat with an easy to remember name, Comedor Julia's. The food was decent and cheap but the important part was it had a roof and windows that kept us dry. A thunderstorm rolled through and it rained sideways for over 30 minutes. At this point we cancelled plans of walking further to a natural pool area and made the walk back home as the rain dissipated. For supper, we returned to Los Cocos where we played with a puppy and Julia had some of the best grilled pork she has had all trip. It was seriously good, especially in the jalapeño sauce. 

Sunday (today), we set the alarm so we could get up and check the skies and make decisions. It was clear and sunny so it was time to see more of the island. We rented bicycles across the street for $3.66 a day and made our way to the southwestern shores for Casacda San Ramon (waterfall), on the south side of Volcán Maderas (the shorter of the 2). The paved road quickly ended and the last 12 kilometers were over rough roads and through small villages. We reached the settlement of San Ramon after about an hour and paid the entry fee. With our tired quads, now all we had to do was hike over 3 kilometers uphill to see the 40 meter high falling stream of water. This was a tough slog. We haven't been very active lately and it showed. We also didn't eat very much and near the end felt a little light headed and nauseous. We would also like to point out that there is no way that the hike is only 3 kms as they say. It has to be around 4+. 

In pain, we finally reached the top in just over 90 minutes. Rain began to fall lightly but it was mixed in with the mist from the giant falls. Then we heard the loud crack of thunder reverberate through the canyon and it began to pour. We threw on our rain jackets and stood there for a minute eating cookies, watching others undress and walk into the water. This actually seemed like a good idea since we were already drenched. So we dropped our coats and bag and strolled in. Not needing to take shoes or shirts off, we walked right under the heavy flow that nearly pushed us down. The pool at the bottom was surprising shallow and not that cold. We took turns taking pictures with a couple from Scotland that didn't have a waterproof camera. They told us their email address and we promised to send them on. It was jolly good fun. 
                                 The payoff
                      Cookies in the rain
                         In the middle of it

After a few minutes, we threw the coats back on and made our way back down, carefully navigating the slippery rocks and the stream that had now doubled in size. Feeling a bit reenergized, we reached the bottom in good weather and prepared ourselves mentally for another rough 13 km ride. After a short stretch we found a local house with a comedor sign, and we stopped for lunch. The menu was hand written on notebook paper, little kids took our order, chickens and puppies ran around us, and a 5 yr old girl sat with us at our table and drew squares or outlined circles. At one point she went and brought her Barbie doll to the table, seemingly setting it down in front of me. Julia asked what doll's name was and the girl said "Barbie". Julia smiled and nodded. 

A little later, 2 men walking down the road paused near our bikes and one of them walked in and talked to the owners. The man then walked out and made his way toward us. He introduced himself and sat down. In these situations, we normally use the "no hablo mucho español" line, hoping to avoid a long awkward conversation or sales pitch. It didn't really work, the man kept saying things about the island and asking questions. I always get protective in these moments and had two theories; he was either distracting us while his friend tried to steal our bikes, or he wanted us to buy them lunch. Though  we aren't certain exactly what he said, pretty sure he asked if they could eat with us. We politely said "no" and luckily our food came out at that moment, so he said goodbye and walked out to talk with his friend, before coming back in to chat with the proprietor again. It was raining hard at this point and the man's friend had now run away from our bikes and into the woods for shelter. We relaxed a bit and happily ate our food, paid, and hopped on our bikes as the rain still fell. 
                                                       On the way back

The ride home was tougher, as standing water and slick roads made us a little more cautious. The downhill portions were scary with wet brakes and we gripped our handlebars tightly and hoped we didn't crash hard. We finally made it back to our casa close to 5pm and immediately went to the beach to swim in our muddy clothes and wash them in the lake like a local. We now have wet clothes strewn about our room in hopes they dry somewhat before we pack them up tomorrow morning. We also hope we will be able to walk after thoroughly testing our muscles limits. 

Monday (tomorrow), we will make our way to the touristy beach town of San Juan del Sur. We don't surf so this will be a short stop. Hopefully the weather is a little better. In a few days we will cross over into Costa Rica and try to see how much we can do there on a backpacker budget. 

Monday, August 17, 2015

So Much To Say

Today is the day we pack our bags and prepare to return to the road and the life of backpackers. Our last week at Gran Pacifica has been full of adventure and first time experiences, some more enjoyable than others.

Last Saturday afternoon, Micah and I were lucky to FaceTime with Tarah and Lucas during the reception of Jess and Julia's wedding. We were able to congratulate the beautiful brides, and then were taken on a walking tour of the grounds and waved hello to all our friends. It was the best we could ask for and seeing all our friends faces was icing on the cake. That evening, we drove the 11 km dirt road to Big Bob's Restaurant for dinner, happily eating pizza and drinking in honor of those back home.

Sunday we decided to hit the beach. All seven of us piled into the explorer and drove 10 minutes to the North Beach, where the waves are smaller for beginner surfers and the sand is flat and perfect for play. We brought only the body board and had one plan in mind: teach Kaiden to surf. For his first time, and for being two and a half, he rocked it. Osman would take him out to where the water was a few feet deep, position him on his belly, and let him go when a wave would catch him. The assembly line of family was ready to push him slightly if his direction began to veer, or scoop him up by his life jacket if he went under. He rode waves for over half an hour and even after wiping out two times, told us he wanted to go back out. The rest of the week, he would tell us that he went surfing and he even went out again a few days later with his mom and dad. We were thrilled to be witnesses to his first surf lesson.

                                               The team, taking their places
                                                     A boy and his surfboard

On Monday, Micah and I made our way down to the resort pool to discover we had front row tickets to the Miss Mundo Nicaragua contest. The girls were being filmed as each one would walk down a slight hill directly in front of the pool, get wacked in the face by palm tree fronds, contort her body into a pose, and then walk in a circle. Apparently this event isn't as much a beauty pageant as it is a reality show; we were told this was the prelimaries for the real Miss Nica contest, and three girls were eliminated each night after certain competitions were held throughout the day. It will air for four- one hour shows in September. We left the pool when the storm clouds started to roll in, and wondered how the girls faired while we watched a beautiful lightening storm from our back patio. 

                                                           The set up
                                      The sky lit up for hours, two nights in a row

With Kaiden in hand, Micah and I headed back down to the pool on Tuesday afternoon to catch more of the action but didn't see the girls around. We spent two hours in the pool and then went for our typical sunset drive in the golf cart.

Wednesday morning, I was woke up by Micah and Kaiden asking if I wanted to see what was in the pool. During the rainy season (now), it's not uncommon to find crabs or cute frogs going for a dip in the pool. Although the size of a frog, the tarantula in the pool was not as pleasant of a site. I steered clear while Micah had tarantula duty for over an hour, attempting to drown it by trapping it under the net. It seemed to enjoy the game, every few minutes scrambling quickly up the pole, seeing its chance to get on to dry land. Micah would run frantically to the pole and shake it, causing the spider the size of a grown mans palm to fall back in. When my sister's boss informed us that tarantulas can survive under water for hours, we needed a new plan. Micah carefully lifted the net up and over the planter into the driveway, Angie nonchalantly (she's done this before) brushed the spider off the net to the ground, and my dad viciously beat it to a pulp with the back of a shovel. My self appointed job was to videotape the well executed plan. This less than desired first time experience has left us slightly more alert when walking and prompted our discussion of when we would leave property.

                                 Sorry, Micah made me put this picture in the blog

Kaiden woke Thursday morning with another bug bite that was becoming red and swollen, similar to how mine started. Osman and I took him back to the Villa El Carmen hospital to get more antibiotics and cream and I was able to show two of the nurses that worked with me how my leg has healed. We returned to the house late morning to find Micah power washing the planters and patio. My mom and dad have a few more DIY projects around the house, including draining the pool for some maintenance work and painting it. Seemed like the right time to power wash everything, so Micah and I spent the better part of the day working on our tans while playing with the strong hose. The excitement peaked when we found another less than desired creature in the planter. The 6 inch scorpion tried to escape but Osman took care of it with a rock. After the work was completed, mom and dad thanked us with a few happy hour drinks down by the pool.

                                              Everyone working outside 
                                Even the little one is expected to carry his weight

Angie surprised my dad and Micah with a retirement/birthday present of deep sea fishing on Friday morning. Although it required getting up at 4:30am, Osman, mom and I decided we wanted to tag along. Our guide was Dan, a good friend of Angie and Osman's that moved from California with his family five years ago to work on a boat all day instead of wearing a suit and tie. On the boat by 6am, we rode 6km from our starting point at Masachapa to begin trolling for fish. Within 45 minutes, we had caught three mackerel and a needle fish. We sat for the next hour with Toñas in hand, waiting for the next bite. She was worth it; with a bit of help, my mom spent nearly 10 minutes reeling in a 20+ pound snapper. We ended up with three more fish after that, for a total of nine fish (4 mackerels, 2 barracuda, 1 needle, 1 tuna, 1 snapper). The trip was complete with spottings of Dolphins and turtles mating.

                                                              7:00am
                                                        A three-person job
                                       Micah's second catch, a beautiful tuna

Still recovering from an early morning the previous day, Saturday was a quiet day around the house. I fixed my backpack's broken zipper with some shoelace and the boys watched golf. We had some friends over for a BBQ that evening and feasted on snapper, mackerel and piña coladas.

Yesterday (Sunday) our groups split up. Micah and my dad headed out to golf with two other guys that live here, devising a competition in which the loser (not Dad or Micah) had to purchase drinks for the others. The girls + an intern temporarily working here drove the 90 minutes to Léon for a day of shopping. We also caught a movie in the air conditioned theater for the afternoon before returning home.

Today, we have an agenda. Besides laundry and packing, I am in the process of applying for a PT license in Washington for some temporary work when we return and I'm hoping to finish the application. Tomorrow we will head to Granada, bringing my parents along for a taste of public transportation in Nicaragua. We've carefully planned this with Angie and if all goes smoothly, she will meet up with us on Thursday after a bus ride to Costa Rica to renew her visa, and will safely escort my parents home. From there, we'll head south, and it'll be three more months of backpacking for Micah and I.

                      Packed and ready to go











Saturday, August 8, 2015

Carry On

Not much has happened this past week, so I will keep this short:

On Sunday, we had a retirement party for Grandpa Smetana. I used this as an opportunity to make BBQ pork ribs that I have been craving. They don't have a slow cooker so I had use the rice cooker instead. With only "high" and "warm" settings, I had to switch back and forth between them throughout the day in order to get the slow cooking temperature necessary for fall-off-the-bone ribs. I cooked them in a Jamaica BBQ sauce that I made and Osman finished them off on the grill. They were good but not perfect. The rice cooker doesn't heat as consistently as a regular slow cooker and I would have preferred to finish them under an oven broiler if we had one. Julia made a delicious carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting and we had ourselves a feast.

                         Retirement feast 
                                                   Julia, Kaiden, and Grandpa 

Monday, I played golf with Papa Smetana. 

Tuesday, we finished putting the garden beds into the ground. 

                           The homemade garden beds installed in the backyard 

Wednesday, with Angie and Osman spending the night in Managua, Kaiden stayed at the rental house with Julia and I. Fortunately he slept peacefully.

Thursday, enjoyed watching the final episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Convieniently it comes on at 9 PM down here. 

Friday, Julia and I played golf with Ma and Pa Smetana. I chipped-in for birdie on the toughest hole on the course. 

               Kaiden got a new bike helmet 

Saturday (today), is a day of celebration in Portland and we are sad to not be there. Our friends Jess and Julia (also known as J1 or Jubes) are having their wedding celebration at a park where there will be much revelry. We briefly looked at tickets back home but the high prices combined with the Smetana parents being here just made it not feasible. I was honored to be there last year when they officially got hitched and there was an impromptu reception at a local restaurant which Julia (J2) was also able to attend. A small consolation that doesn't really lessen the sting of missing the joyous gathering of friends. We wish them all the best and use this as a reminder of what we are missing as life continues on back home. We can't wait to see them and all of our friends and family when we return in December. 

A preview of the coming week: We will golf more and potentially help with another major house project. The next backpacking adventure should begin in just over a week, around the 17th or so. Studying up on Costa Rica and Panama will continue. Plus, I may pop down to the pool area over the next few days as there is a rumor that they are hosting the Miss Nicaragua pageant and I am very curious to hear the contestants views on world politics. 

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Watching The Wheels

We're back to a more mundane lifestyle this past week, but it's welcomed after the draining two weeks of medical care. My leg continues to heal and is less of a focus, although it still requires daily cleaning and bandaging. Micah has become a master bug murderer, smashing anything that comes near me since I'm likely to squirm in fear of another bite.

I promise, this should be the last picture. Taken yesterday.

Getting back to the routine, we spent one long day painting Kaiden's room/the spare room/where we sleep. Micah has spent a few afternoons destroying grass with a shovel and machete to make space for the raised garden beds. On Tuesday, I forced Micah to go golfing and offered to be his caddy but once we were told it cost $10 to ride along, I decided I'd rather pay a few bucks more and just play. I ended up playing the best golf of my life, even out-scoring Micah on two holes (both par 3s). He has threatened to burn the scorecard. Thursday, there was a small birthday get-together for one of the guys that works with Angie. We met ~10 people at the employee house after their work day was done and drank some Jamaica Rum in his honor. I happily drank an extra glass to celebrate the completion of 16 days of antibiotics.

Now every big wall in the house has been painted


Celebrating two and a half years old!

Yesterday (Friday) afternoon, Angie and I drove to Managua to buy groceries, spend the night and pick up our parents at the airport this morning. We had high expectations of our girls night out; there was talk of massages, hair salons, movies. Detours and traffic burst our bubbles a bit, and after finishing the grocery shopping at 9:00pm, we nixed all ideas and crashed early in our air-conditioned hotel. My parents red-eye flight arrived an hour late this morning, and our car full of Smetanas, luggage and food arrived back on property a few hours ago. 

Speaking of the property, and since you're all caught up on the weeks highlights, I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you more about this little place we call our temporary home. Angie has lived here at Gran Pacifica for six years and has seen the property grow, especially recently. This gated surfing community is 100+ acres of property and almost 4 miles of Pacific beach. Of all that land, about a third is developed; mostly homes owned by Westerners, a 30 unit condominium and a 9 hole golf course. The property fills up on the weekends, but during the week it's pretty peaceful, with few cars around and long walks without seeing another soul.

Our day to day here at "home" differs slightly, but overall the routine is the same. Since Kaiden was 3 weeks old, Angie has had Sara coming to the house to help out. Sara comes six days per week to play with Kaiden, cook lunch and clean. It is often Kaiden yelling to her in Spanish or singing that wakes us around 7:30am each morning. We're able to drift in and out of sleep until 8:30am when he begins banging on our bedroom door yelling for us to wake up and then yelling in annoyance that we locked the door. Guilt forces us out of bed shortly after and our comfort breakfast usually consists of peanut butter and banana covered toast or yogurt.

Once we're ready to tackle the day, we do one of two things: play with Kaiden or work on a house project. Or the third option: golf. Kaiden is obsessed with tractors and throwing things, so often we're either chasing down the tractor on property for him to sit on, or he's playing frisbee or soccer with us. This allows Sara time to make lunch for the six of us. We love this because it's always a typical Nica meal: rice and beans, served with chicken or beef, sometimes includes a cucumber & tomato salad or fried plantains. Often the meat and veggies will be thrown together into a soup served over rice. Angie and Osman meet us at home for their lunch break around noon and we all eat together, coaxing Kaiden to eat food that is not chocolate.

This is followed by singing and rocking in a hammock before Kaiden falls asleep for his nap. I'm envious of Kaiden's young life for many reasons, the obvious being the ocean to play in and all the land that he can run freely on. But everytime he falls asleep swinging in a hammock, I know he's got it good. With him down, we've got two hours to complete our house projects. Or be lazy and watch TV. Once Kaiden is awake, tradition the past few weeks is that he and Micah will spend the next hour or two in the pool at the house. Micah deserves credit for the unusual children songs that Kaiden knows, farting with his armpit, and fake shaving his "beard." Once my wound is more closed, I'm looking forward to more afternoons at the beach to build sand castles and collect seashells. 

Rinsing off after pool time

Angie is home from work often around 5, and our evenings are spent together like a family. Kaiden always goes for a sunset ride in the golf cart, requesting different company each time. Those not looking for snakes and skunks in the golf cart often make dinner, which tends to be more Americanized than our lunch. Micah leans towards Asian cuisine when he cooks, Osman does a mean hamburger, Angie likes her salads and burritos, and there's often pasta or salad when I cook. I've realized I miss baking, which isn't very common here, so there's been more desserts and breads to spoil ourselves with lately. After dinner, the TV is on while Kaiden burns off the last of his energy and usually ends up being our live dodgeball target. It is a good life.

With my parents here, we were kicked out of the spare room and we are now renting a bed in the empty house next door. We have plans for a family BBQ tomorrow night to celebrate my dad's retirement and there's been talk of golf. Micah and I plan to stay another two weeks to catch up on life and prepare our bodies and minds to return to the road in the future.