On our return trip to Costa Rica, we took the advice from our friends that have traveled the country and decided to visit Tortuguero, a northern caribbean coastal town reknowned for being home to turtle watching and referred to as the 'mini-amazon', and Tamarindo, known for its beaches and first rate surfing.
To travel to Tortuguero from San Jose, you have to take two buses and a boat. Since the area is protected, there has been no development to reach the town, therefore, the only way to reach the coastal town is by boat. The bus rides are unspectacular, but the boat ride was pretty sweet and we were able to witness several wildlife animals along the way, including Ami spotting the famous green iguana.
Our main purpose of going to Tortuguero was to hopefully spot a leatherback turtle coming to shore and laying it's eggs. These turtles are GINORMOUS, and the best time to witness them is during the night. Therefore, we signed up for a 10 pm to 12 midnight walk along the beaches in hopes of observing the leatherback doing its thing. The beginning of the hike was amazing. Just imagine, pitch black, but your vision is aided my the salt filled waves gently breaking against the shore and the bright stars lighting up the sky, coupled with a gentle breeze to combat the warm night air. The rest of hike was more of the same view, and unfortunately for us, a lack of spotting a leatherback. So basically we hiked up and down the beach and saw nothing. There were some grumblings in the line that we were moving too quickly and with the guide using his flashlight sparingly, many were wondering could we be walking past a turtle. Anyways, the thoughts did not change the fact we did not see anything, and the guide did explain the chances were 50/50.
We also explored the town by foot in about 15 minutes, as it has that small town, everybody knows everyone else feel. The town is flanked by a river on one end and the ocean on the other. As far as excursions, there also is the opportunity to walk through or take guided tours through the preserve. Our main draw was the leatherback turtles on our excursion to this town, but we left with a great impression of the town itself.
After a detour and a night in San Jose, we traveled north to Tamarindo, a popular pacific coast destination for locals and tourists. I have to emphasize the popular part, as the location not only well-known for great surf breaks, but the development going on in this town is ridiculous. The condos, the resorts, the shopping malls, etc.....this place will be different in a number of years. The town itself is small, set alongside the ocean. The beaches seem never-ending.
Ami and I found a hostel nestled in the middle of town run by a french couple. The hostel was on the beach, therefore we did not hesitate to the hit the beaches once we had a room. The main reason we came to Tamarindo was the draw of the Pacific coast, especially in Costa Rica, and the desire to try surfing. As I mentioned, the town was picturesque, and the surfing was world class. We opted to rent boards to give it a try. We watched some ameteurs give it a go, and thought, eh, why not? So, we rented boards, and spent our brief experience either in the water or paddling along on the board. When waves came, we either were eaten up and knocked around or basically rode the waves lying down, which was pretty sweet! I got a couple of squats in there, but never stood up. Ami took a liking to riding the waves to shore laying down. Next time we will make sure to get lessons, but nonetheless we enjoyed the experience.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
For the first time in 13 years!!
I don't mean to bore those who could care less about basketball. So, if you don't care, you do not need to read the attached link. But, for those who care, my goodness, the Warriors actually made the playoffs!!!!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Panama
Our stay in Panama was brief, but superb. We crossed the border on the Caribbean side through a small border town called Sixaola. As with all of our border crossings, we first have to clear with the departing country, and then clear with the entry country. But, in between, there is about a 10 minute walk. This particular border walk was beautiful, as we had to cross an old bridge set over a river with nothing but trees surrounding the area. In the distance, you might even catch a glimpse of the ocean. I say glimpse because as you attempt to inhale the surrounding beauty, you have to watch your steps in between the wooden boards, as nothing but air was between you and the river!
After clearing the border, we took a brief taxi ride through Chinguinola (home of the Chiquita banana, where we saw thousands of banana trees with blue bags of pesticides attached) to Almirante, another small town, mostly known for it's speed boat connection to Bocas Del Toro. For $5 a person, you enjoy a fascinating speed boat ride, never dull on the scenic aspect, as we zipped by locals living in elevated homes (for rain purposes, as it rains 9 months out of the year in Panama) off the river banks with their dogs barking at us and children waving to us, and views of ocean and surrounding shores as we left the river and entered the bay/laguna. The total ride time was 45 minutes.
We ended up only staying in Bocas Del Toro for one day, but we easily could have spent more time. Ami and I were pretty beached out during a recent stretch of water activities in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, therefore we spent our one day relaxing in town. We found a hostel in town, that appeared relatively quiet, but in reailty we did not fully learn from our experience in Antigua (El Gato Negro). Given it was Semana Santa, we figured it was better off to have a place and begin to enjoy exploring the town. I can't tell you how many times we have 'shopped' for a place (which is good to have for a more thorough selection process) and been exhausted by the time we decide on a place, primarily because we are lugging our heavy bags through the entire process....back....and forth. Nonetheless, let me leave the night in the hostel at this.....the smell of weed on the front deck, which was next to our room, seeping through the window cracks, the out of nowhere sound of guitars and singing going on, again on the front deck outside our room, the drunken roommates coming back from an '80's party at 4 in the morning. It's all good, what you expect from an affordable hostel.....we just fell prey to it a second time. No more, that is for sure.
After our short stay in Bocas Del Toro, we were off to Panama City via air, as we wanted to avoid the 12 hour bus ride and spend more time in the city. I don't know why, but I was extremely excited to see this city. We went back and forth on whether to skip Panama this time around and focus our time in the northern countries. But, in the end, we decided to focus on a couple of highlight spots in the country, including Panama City. Perhaps it was the Panama Canal that initially attracted me to the city, but in the end, the city was amazing for several other reasons. Here are the highlights:
1) Panama Canal (Miraflores Locks): An informational, touristy viewpoint for the Canal was opened in 2000, after the U.S. turned over operations to Panama. The site gives you awesome views of ships (both large and small) working their way through the locks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. There are a total of three locks in the Canal that are open 24 hours for ships to go both ways. Including wait time, it takes a boat approximately 24 hours to cross the 50 miles of the Panama Canal. There also is a great museum, providing a historical construction breakdown, an operations breakdown, and an impact on the wildlife living in the area. A brief movie brings to life the ongoings of the Canal from the beginning to present day operations.
A couple of interesting notes:
a) The Canal officially opened on August 15th, 1914
b) The fee for passing through the Canal is based on weight. One gentlemen, Alfred Brown, swam through the Canal in 8 days for 36 cents!
c) According to our taxi driver, the U.S. does not pay for any ships passing through, as part of the agreement in turning over control to Panama. Panama officially took operations control over on December 31, 1999.
For more information, here is a site on the Panama Canal.
2) The Amador Causeway: this stretch of road connects 4 small islands, creating magnificent views of the ships entering the canal, and of the downtown skyline in the distance. The area has been somewhat modernized with several restaurants, and construction in process for stores, condos, and perhaps hotels in the future. The main strip of road however has bodies of water on both sides, with a wide strip of sidewalk perfect for jogging, biking or walking to take in the views. We went each evening because the views combined with the slight breeze made it one of our favorite spots in the city.
3) Casco Viejo (the old city of Panama): The downside to this area is passing through two of the most dangerous areas of the city, but by taking a taxi you avoid the shady areas. Casco Viejo is where the President, Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino, resides. The particular area he resides in is blocked off to locals, but foreignors can procede. So we did. His house overlooks the city skyline on one end, and the Causeway on the other. We got a glimpse of him, by chance, while being 'detained' by a security guard. The guard came over and mentioned the President was coming out briefly and we had to step back, waaay back. We didn't care, as we weren't looking to see him, but the situation was funny, as we walked back until the guard said that was enough, and he just watched us until he felt he could leave us.
So, this area has a lot of security. However, beyond this, the area is set on a area of land that juts into the sea, with the Causeway on one side and the skyline of downtown on the other, both only separated by water. As you can tell, the city had plenty of areas for great views, which added to the attraction of the city for us.
4) Hindu Temple & Sikh Gurdwara: You know you are getting older when you stop seeking out the best nightlife spots in town and start looking for temples. But anyways, the Hindu Temple was simple yet elegant, perched upon a hill. The Sikh Temple, also elegant and simple, was set within the city. The Baiji was extremely polite, including providing us a light snack. On a side note, it was very very interesting communicating with the priests at both temples in Spanish, although Ami was right at home at the Hindu Temple conversing in Gujurati. Both priests indicated that there are approxinmately 3 to 5 thousand Indians in Panama City.
5) Parque Natural Metropolitano: This park is a national park, protecting a wild area of tropical forest within the city. We spent 40 minutes (we hired a driver and we were on a time limit) in this park and that was more than enough time to climb to end of the trail and take in views of the city and Canal. We also witnessed a titi monkey, anteaters, white tailed deer, numerous trails of leaf cutter ants with leaves on their backs and the famous Morphis Butterfly.
6) Downtown is entertaining as well, littered with casinos for the gambling types.
7) Another notable landmark which catches your eye, especially at night when it is lit up, is the Bridge of the Americas, which you can see easily from the Causeway, Casco Viejo, and a viewing platform dedicated by China.
Overall, a city we both enjoyed!
After clearing the border, we took a brief taxi ride through Chinguinola (home of the Chiquita banana, where we saw thousands of banana trees with blue bags of pesticides attached) to Almirante, another small town, mostly known for it's speed boat connection to Bocas Del Toro. For $5 a person, you enjoy a fascinating speed boat ride, never dull on the scenic aspect, as we zipped by locals living in elevated homes (for rain purposes, as it rains 9 months out of the year in Panama) off the river banks with their dogs barking at us and children waving to us, and views of ocean and surrounding shores as we left the river and entered the bay/laguna. The total ride time was 45 minutes.
We ended up only staying in Bocas Del Toro for one day, but we easily could have spent more time. Ami and I were pretty beached out during a recent stretch of water activities in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, therefore we spent our one day relaxing in town. We found a hostel in town, that appeared relatively quiet, but in reailty we did not fully learn from our experience in Antigua (El Gato Negro). Given it was Semana Santa, we figured it was better off to have a place and begin to enjoy exploring the town. I can't tell you how many times we have 'shopped' for a place (which is good to have for a more thorough selection process) and been exhausted by the time we decide on a place, primarily because we are lugging our heavy bags through the entire process....back....and forth. Nonetheless, let me leave the night in the hostel at this.....the smell of weed on the front deck, which was next to our room, seeping through the window cracks, the out of nowhere sound of guitars and singing going on, again on the front deck outside our room, the drunken roommates coming back from an '80's party at 4 in the morning. It's all good, what you expect from an affordable hostel.....we just fell prey to it a second time. No more, that is for sure.
After our short stay in Bocas Del Toro, we were off to Panama City via air, as we wanted to avoid the 12 hour bus ride and spend more time in the city. I don't know why, but I was extremely excited to see this city. We went back and forth on whether to skip Panama this time around and focus our time in the northern countries. But, in the end, we decided to focus on a couple of highlight spots in the country, including Panama City. Perhaps it was the Panama Canal that initially attracted me to the city, but in the end, the city was amazing for several other reasons. Here are the highlights:
1) Panama Canal (Miraflores Locks): An informational, touristy viewpoint for the Canal was opened in 2000, after the U.S. turned over operations to Panama. The site gives you awesome views of ships (both large and small) working their way through the locks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. There are a total of three locks in the Canal that are open 24 hours for ships to go both ways. Including wait time, it takes a boat approximately 24 hours to cross the 50 miles of the Panama Canal. There also is a great museum, providing a historical construction breakdown, an operations breakdown, and an impact on the wildlife living in the area. A brief movie brings to life the ongoings of the Canal from the beginning to present day operations.
A couple of interesting notes:
a) The Canal officially opened on August 15th, 1914
b) The fee for passing through the Canal is based on weight. One gentlemen, Alfred Brown, swam through the Canal in 8 days for 36 cents!
c) According to our taxi driver, the U.S. does not pay for any ships passing through, as part of the agreement in turning over control to Panama. Panama officially took operations control over on December 31, 1999.
For more information, here is a site on the Panama Canal.
2) The Amador Causeway: this stretch of road connects 4 small islands, creating magnificent views of the ships entering the canal, and of the downtown skyline in the distance. The area has been somewhat modernized with several restaurants, and construction in process for stores, condos, and perhaps hotels in the future. The main strip of road however has bodies of water on both sides, with a wide strip of sidewalk perfect for jogging, biking or walking to take in the views. We went each evening because the views combined with the slight breeze made it one of our favorite spots in the city.
3) Casco Viejo (the old city of Panama): The downside to this area is passing through two of the most dangerous areas of the city, but by taking a taxi you avoid the shady areas. Casco Viejo is where the President, Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino, resides. The particular area he resides in is blocked off to locals, but foreignors can procede. So we did. His house overlooks the city skyline on one end, and the Causeway on the other. We got a glimpse of him, by chance, while being 'detained' by a security guard. The guard came over and mentioned the President was coming out briefly and we had to step back, waaay back. We didn't care, as we weren't looking to see him, but the situation was funny, as we walked back until the guard said that was enough, and he just watched us until he felt he could leave us.
So, this area has a lot of security. However, beyond this, the area is set on a area of land that juts into the sea, with the Causeway on one side and the skyline of downtown on the other, both only separated by water. As you can tell, the city had plenty of areas for great views, which added to the attraction of the city for us.
4) Hindu Temple & Sikh Gurdwara: You know you are getting older when you stop seeking out the best nightlife spots in town and start looking for temples. But anyways, the Hindu Temple was simple yet elegant, perched upon a hill. The Sikh Temple, also elegant and simple, was set within the city. The Baiji was extremely polite, including providing us a light snack. On a side note, it was very very interesting communicating with the priests at both temples in Spanish, although Ami was right at home at the Hindu Temple conversing in Gujurati. Both priests indicated that there are approxinmately 3 to 5 thousand Indians in Panama City.
5) Parque Natural Metropolitano: This park is a national park, protecting a wild area of tropical forest within the city. We spent 40 minutes (we hired a driver and we were on a time limit) in this park and that was more than enough time to climb to end of the trail and take in views of the city and Canal. We also witnessed a titi monkey, anteaters, white tailed deer, numerous trails of leaf cutter ants with leaves on their backs and the famous Morphis Butterfly.
6) Downtown is entertaining as well, littered with casinos for the gambling types.
7) Another notable landmark which catches your eye, especially at night when it is lit up, is the Bridge of the Americas, which you can see easily from the Causeway, Casco Viejo, and a viewing platform dedicated by China.
Overall, a city we both enjoyed!
Costa Rica
We saw and experienced some amazing locations in the country, and here is quick recap of the places we visited and the experiences we had:
1) La Fortuna is built for tourists. Everyone we encountered, whether at hostels, hotels, tour agencies, restaurants and even the streets spoke English. Also, outside of Antigua, we probably saw more tourists here than anywhere else on our travels. Our full day of exploring here went rather quickly, but we decided to spend it participating in new activities. We chose to try repelling, which involved repelling down several waterfalls. The area offered ATV, whitewatering rafting, bicycling, horsebackriding, all of which we have done elsewhere, and all of which were pricey to repeat on a backpacker´s budget. So repelling offered us a new experience, and boy was it sweeeet! Cascading down in the waterfalls was a rush, and the hikes through the streams, falling in and out of water brought smiles to our faces. Afterwards we went to lunch and ate some great local food on behalf of the tour agency. The restaurant was set looking out over a river, where there was a backlog of cars, SUVs, and large commerical trucks trying to drive across the river because the local bridge was shut down for repairs! When we arrived, every vehicle attempting the cross got stuck midway through and had to be towed/pulled out by a tractor. This added to the backlog, as well as vehicles from both directions had to rotate turns since both sides could not cross simultaneously. Eventually, after some large construction trucks brought in and laid out some more rocks within the river, vehicles passed much more easily. A large crowd gathered to take in the scene. Why not? It was entertaining! It was more entertaining when the vehicles got stuck.
In the evening of the same day, we traveled to Tabacon Resort, that is famous for its natural hot springs set in a rain forest setting. You can enjoy an evening session for 4 hours and kick back in any of the many many hot springs. The springs varied in temperature, but most were approximately 41 degrees celsius, or about 106 degrees fahrenheit. The springs are set below an active volcano, Arenal. The temperatures for the springs are generated by the volcano. We spent the full 4 hours at the springs before returning to our hostel. We were the very last ones out of the hot springs!
The next morning we opted to take a ´Jeep, Boat, Jeep´tour to travel from La Fortuna to Monteverde. This route took less than 3 hours, which is much shorter than traveling by road, which is around 6 to 7 hours. The jeep wasn´t a jeep, but rather a microbus, but we were only interested in saving time, which was also the purpose of the service. Once we arrived in Monteverde we found a place to stay for the night and decided what activities to partake in. We had to decide quickly, because we were leaving the next afternoon to travel to San Jose, on route to the Caribbean coast. We could have spent more time in Monteverde, but since it was Semana Santa, traveling was a little tougher when relying on public transportation. Transportation was limited on Thursday, and there was no transportation on Friday. Since we arrived in Monteverde on Tuesday, we did not want to stick around for 4 days, nor did we want to be stuck in San Jose for Friday. So, we opted for the following activities with our limited time:
- The Frog Pond: a local museum housing several species of frogs and toads
- Santa Elena Cloud Forest: Monteverde is famous for its cloud forests, so we signed up for a guided tour of this cloud forest. The area is obviously muddy and dripping wet, adding to the appeal, and of course, cloudy. We were able to witness several rare birds, such as the queztal (however only a female/the male is ordinately much more beautiful) and the bellbird.
By early afternoon on Wednesday, we were off to San Jose. On Thursday morning we caught a 6:45 am bus to Cahuita, our home for 2 nights while public transportation was shut down countrywide. Cahuita is a small town on the Caribbean coast, with not much to do other than kick back and relax. Therefore, we opted to stay at Cabinas Jenny, a hostel/hotel right on the ocean. We stayed on the upper floor with an unobstructed view of the ocean, and the sound of the water hitting the shore drowning out any other noise the small town could produce. Our room had windows that opened up out over a balcony with lounge chairs and hammock. We spent much time sitting back and soaking up the relaxed atmosphere and studying our spanish.
The town is also home to a National Reserve, set along the coast. There is an area of beach accessible to the public, but a further area stretching out into the ocean not accessible to the public. The shores were large enough to relax on, but set right up against a forest. The proximity of the ocean to a forest was a rare sight for us, and we thought it was great. There also was a pathway through the preserve which allowed you to take in the sights of local animals residing in the forest, such as slothes.
After two extremely restful days in Cahuita, we were off to Panama! We will return back to Costa Rica in order to travel back up north, and we are planning on exploring Tortuguero and Tamarindo on the way.
1) La Fortuna is built for tourists. Everyone we encountered, whether at hostels, hotels, tour agencies, restaurants and even the streets spoke English. Also, outside of Antigua, we probably saw more tourists here than anywhere else on our travels. Our full day of exploring here went rather quickly, but we decided to spend it participating in new activities. We chose to try repelling, which involved repelling down several waterfalls. The area offered ATV, whitewatering rafting, bicycling, horsebackriding, all of which we have done elsewhere, and all of which were pricey to repeat on a backpacker´s budget. So repelling offered us a new experience, and boy was it sweeeet! Cascading down in the waterfalls was a rush, and the hikes through the streams, falling in and out of water brought smiles to our faces. Afterwards we went to lunch and ate some great local food on behalf of the tour agency. The restaurant was set looking out over a river, where there was a backlog of cars, SUVs, and large commerical trucks trying to drive across the river because the local bridge was shut down for repairs! When we arrived, every vehicle attempting the cross got stuck midway through and had to be towed/pulled out by a tractor. This added to the backlog, as well as vehicles from both directions had to rotate turns since both sides could not cross simultaneously. Eventually, after some large construction trucks brought in and laid out some more rocks within the river, vehicles passed much more easily. A large crowd gathered to take in the scene. Why not? It was entertaining! It was more entertaining when the vehicles got stuck.
In the evening of the same day, we traveled to Tabacon Resort, that is famous for its natural hot springs set in a rain forest setting. You can enjoy an evening session for 4 hours and kick back in any of the many many hot springs. The springs varied in temperature, but most were approximately 41 degrees celsius, or about 106 degrees fahrenheit. The springs are set below an active volcano, Arenal. The temperatures for the springs are generated by the volcano. We spent the full 4 hours at the springs before returning to our hostel. We were the very last ones out of the hot springs!
The next morning we opted to take a ´Jeep, Boat, Jeep´tour to travel from La Fortuna to Monteverde. This route took less than 3 hours, which is much shorter than traveling by road, which is around 6 to 7 hours. The jeep wasn´t a jeep, but rather a microbus, but we were only interested in saving time, which was also the purpose of the service. Once we arrived in Monteverde we found a place to stay for the night and decided what activities to partake in. We had to decide quickly, because we were leaving the next afternoon to travel to San Jose, on route to the Caribbean coast. We could have spent more time in Monteverde, but since it was Semana Santa, traveling was a little tougher when relying on public transportation. Transportation was limited on Thursday, and there was no transportation on Friday. Since we arrived in Monteverde on Tuesday, we did not want to stick around for 4 days, nor did we want to be stuck in San Jose for Friday. So, we opted for the following activities with our limited time:
- The Frog Pond: a local museum housing several species of frogs and toads
- Santa Elena Cloud Forest: Monteverde is famous for its cloud forests, so we signed up for a guided tour of this cloud forest. The area is obviously muddy and dripping wet, adding to the appeal, and of course, cloudy. We were able to witness several rare birds, such as the queztal (however only a female/the male is ordinately much more beautiful) and the bellbird.
By early afternoon on Wednesday, we were off to San Jose. On Thursday morning we caught a 6:45 am bus to Cahuita, our home for 2 nights while public transportation was shut down countrywide. Cahuita is a small town on the Caribbean coast, with not much to do other than kick back and relax. Therefore, we opted to stay at Cabinas Jenny, a hostel/hotel right on the ocean. We stayed on the upper floor with an unobstructed view of the ocean, and the sound of the water hitting the shore drowning out any other noise the small town could produce. Our room had windows that opened up out over a balcony with lounge chairs and hammock. We spent much time sitting back and soaking up the relaxed atmosphere and studying our spanish.
The town is also home to a National Reserve, set along the coast. There is an area of beach accessible to the public, but a further area stretching out into the ocean not accessible to the public. The shores were large enough to relax on, but set right up against a forest. The proximity of the ocean to a forest was a rare sight for us, and we thought it was great. There also was a pathway through the preserve which allowed you to take in the sights of local animals residing in the forest, such as slothes.
After two extremely restful days in Cahuita, we were off to Panama! We will return back to Costa Rica in order to travel back up north, and we are planning on exploring Tortuguero and Tamarindo on the way.
Spring Break in Nicaragua
Before I begin, thank you to the UCLA MBA students who warmly accepted Ami and I as part of their Spring Break trip. The trip was well planned and an amazing experience.
We met up with the group in order to visit and travel with our good friend, Sonali. Along the way, we were able to get to know 18 other individuals, all of whom were fun to visit with. Here is a quick recap of the places we saw and the experiences we had:
First, we met the group up in Managua, spending one night in the city before making our way down to San Juan Del Sur. What an amazing little town. The town is set on the Pacific Ocean and offers some great beaches and views of the Pacific Ocean; a small group of us split off one day and spent a few hours at Playa Majagual swimming and baking in the sun. We spent a lot of time just relaxing here and looking out over the ocean. It felt a lot like home, minus the fog and obviously minus the cooler weather; looking out over the ocean and listening to the waves crash against the shore were the real reminders of home. We spent two days in this town and on both evenings we watched gorgeous sunsets, one from a resort, set up on the hillside overlooking town and the other from the beach itself. So, the first day was spent swimming and chilling in the sun, splitting our time between the beaches and the resort pool, where you use the facilities at a $5 per person fee. During our time in San Juan Del Sur, we were also introduced to Flor De Caña, a great Nicaraguan rum. If you see it available in your area and enjoy a nice rum, I would recommend giving it a try.
During the second day Ami and I traveled a bit north to San Jorge and visited an orphanage, NPH, where one of my mom's close friends is actively involved. Unfortunately she was visiting family in the states during the time of our visit, but nonetheless we enjoyed it. There are 41 children at the site we visited in San Jorge. All of the children in this location are ages 7 or younger. They basically live here, eat here, are educated here, grow up here. On the Ometepe island (a short boat ride away and set within Lake Nicaragua) is a location for children ages 7 to 18, where the concept is the same. They are cared for and educated until the age of 18. The children in San Jorge move to Ometepe when they turn 7. It was great experience to see and play with the children briefly, and we are looking forward to return for another visit and hopefully help out where we can. We hope to learn more about the organization, but for now this the key information we extracted with our Spanish.
The next destination was the island of Ometepe, but we had to opt for an alternative location because of a worker's strike going on with the boat conducters to Omet
epe and the bus drivers on Ometepe. So, our alternative location took us to a hotel, La Abuela´s, set on Laguna de Apoyo. We spent two nights at this place. The hotel was set on a hill overlooking the lagoon. Closer to the lagoon, about 15 feet above water, but still over land was the hotel restaurant. A deck extended out from the restaurant over the lagoon to a 15 foot high platform to relax on, and more importantly to jump into the lagoon. Some did not hesitate and jumped in as soon as we arrived. Everyone jumped at least a few times, as it was nothing challenging at all, but a good rush. The water was not salty and was a very very comfortable tempature, great for swimming.
During the free day at the lagoon, Ami and I opted to join some on a day trip to natural thermal baths. The hot springs contained pools with varying degrees in tempatures with which to relax. We also received massages and grubbed on some good BBQ! After enjoying the pools, the massages and the meal, we laid out in hammocks...some may have even got a nap in there! Afterwards we returned to more the of the same at the lagoon...jumping into and swimming in the lagoon.
The next stop was Granada, a more touristy location, up the shore of Lake Nicaragua. We spent one night in this town before spiltting off from the group and beginning our travels south into Costa Rica and Panama. The town had a great feel, but honestly we did not do anything super cool to write about.
We met up with the group in order to visit and travel with our good friend, Sonali. Along the way, we were able to get to know 18 other individuals, all of whom were fun to visit with. Here is a quick recap of the places we saw and the experiences we had:
First, we met the group up in Managua, spending one night in the city before making our way down to San Juan Del Sur. What an amazing little town. The town is set on the Pacific Ocean and offers some great beaches and views of the Pacific Ocean; a small group of us split off one day and spent a few hours at Playa Majagual swimming and baking in the sun. We spent a lot of time just relaxing here and looking out over the ocean. It felt a lot like home, minus the fog and obviously minus the cooler weather; looking out over the ocean and listening to the waves crash against the shore were the real reminders of home. We spent two days in this town and on both evenings we watched gorgeous sunsets, one from a resort, set up on the hillside overlooking town and the other from the beach itself. So, the first day was spent swimming and chilling in the sun, splitting our time between the beaches and the resort pool, where you use the facilities at a $5 per person fee. During our time in San Juan Del Sur, we were also introduced to Flor De Caña, a great Nicaraguan rum. If you see it available in your area and enjoy a nice rum, I would recommend giving it a try.
During the second day Ami and I traveled a bit north to San Jorge and visited an orphanage, NPH, where one of my mom's close friends is actively involved. Unfortunately she was visiting family in the states during the time of our visit, but nonetheless we enjoyed it. There are 41 children at the site we visited in San Jorge. All of the children in this location are ages 7 or younger. They basically live here, eat here, are educated here, grow up here. On the Ometepe island (a short boat ride away and set within Lake Nicaragua) is a location for children ages 7 to 18, where the concept is the same. They are cared for and educated until the age of 18. The children in San Jorge move to Ometepe when they turn 7. It was great experience to see and play with the children briefly, and we are looking forward to return for another visit and hopefully help out where we can. We hope to learn more about the organization, but for now this the key information we extracted with our Spanish.
The next destination was the island of Ometepe, but we had to opt for an alternative location because of a worker's strike going on with the boat conducters to Omet
epe and the bus drivers on Ometepe. So, our alternative location took us to a hotel, La Abuela´s, set on Laguna de Apoyo. We spent two nights at this place. The hotel was set on a hill overlooking the lagoon. Closer to the lagoon, about 15 feet above water, but still over land was the hotel restaurant. A deck extended out from the restaurant over the lagoon to a 15 foot high platform to relax on, and more importantly to jump into the lagoon. Some did not hesitate and jumped in as soon as we arrived. Everyone jumped at least a few times, as it was nothing challenging at all, but a good rush. The water was not salty and was a very very comfortable tempature, great for swimming.During the free day at the lagoon, Ami and I opted to join some on a day trip to natural thermal baths. The hot springs contained pools with varying degrees in tempatures with which to relax. We also received massages and grubbed on some good BBQ! After enjoying the pools, the massages and the meal, we laid out in hammocks...some may have even got a nap in there! Afterwards we returned to more the of the same at the lagoon...jumping into and swimming in the lagoon.
The next stop was Granada, a more touristy location, up the shore of Lake Nicaragua. We spent one night in this town before spiltting off from the group and beginning our travels south into Costa Rica and Panama. The town had a great feel, but honestly we did not do anything super cool to write about.
Robbed!
On April 1st, we were robbed! We arrived at the local bus station in San Jose, Costa Rica in the morning and waited like everyone else to purchase tickets to our destination. The place was buzzing, and while waiting in line, a lady picked up one of our small backpacks and walked off. We saw nothing. It all happened literally within a few seconds from us visually seeing the bag to it being gone and us not being able to see any sign of it. We knew it was a lady only because Ami saw a lady sitting nearby, but she did not get a decent look at her.
I immediately jumped out of line when Ami mentioned the bag was missing and we asked a couple of people in the area if they saw anything. They responded no. One idiot taxi driver said with a smirk he saw a lady run off with several bags. I immediately ignored him because I had a strong feeling he only wanted to drive me around the area - I felt like he would rip me off in a taxi rather than really help us out, so I just decided to run around a few of the neighboring blocks and see if I could see anything. After around 10 to 15 minutes, and seeing nothing, we resigned to the fact the bag was long gone. You realize that these guys probably have done this 100 times and have a way of concealing the act within seconds, and my efforts running down a few streets were more out of ´just in case´ rather than really expecting to see anything. Ami found a policeman relatively quickly as well and mentioned the situation. He shrugged his shoulders and said you need to watch your things.
Not knowing the area around the bus station very well, we decided it was in our best interests to get on our bus and resolve the situation when we arrived in La Fortuna. We took inventory of what was in the bag and realized nothing lost was super costly. The most important item was the camera, and primarily because we procrastinated in posting our pictures on-line, therefore the majority of our pictures were gone. But, we realized we have the few pictures we have posted on our blog, that with digital you end up with a lot of pics you never do much with and that we have been fortunate to share many of our travel experiences to date with some very cool people. Luckily we exchanged contact information, and we sent out an email asking them to share their pictures with us. This is one of those situations where it helped to have 10 digitals and 10 of the same pictures taken! Everything else in the bag was replaceable and not a huge issue. We lucked out in the big picture.
Speaking of the big picture, we talked a lot about attachment, especially attachment to things. There are emotions that seem pretty prevalent after something like this occurs. We felt annoyed and frustrated for most of the bus ride after the theft. Annoyed at ourselves for not being more careful, and therefore frustrated that we allowed it to happen. But, the situation was done, and we could only learn from it now. But, we quickly removed ourselves from attachment to the things in the bag because it would only prevent us from moving forward.
So, we are now surviving on disposable cameras until the end of this month when, lucky for us, my parents are visiting us in Central America. We will have a new camera and will be ready to capture our last two months digitally. Look out for a picture blog as well in the future!
I immediately jumped out of line when Ami mentioned the bag was missing and we asked a couple of people in the area if they saw anything. They responded no. One idiot taxi driver said with a smirk he saw a lady run off with several bags. I immediately ignored him because I had a strong feeling he only wanted to drive me around the area - I felt like he would rip me off in a taxi rather than really help us out, so I just decided to run around a few of the neighboring blocks and see if I could see anything. After around 10 to 15 minutes, and seeing nothing, we resigned to the fact the bag was long gone. You realize that these guys probably have done this 100 times and have a way of concealing the act within seconds, and my efforts running down a few streets were more out of ´just in case´ rather than really expecting to see anything. Ami found a policeman relatively quickly as well and mentioned the situation. He shrugged his shoulders and said you need to watch your things.
Not knowing the area around the bus station very well, we decided it was in our best interests to get on our bus and resolve the situation when we arrived in La Fortuna. We took inventory of what was in the bag and realized nothing lost was super costly. The most important item was the camera, and primarily because we procrastinated in posting our pictures on-line, therefore the majority of our pictures were gone. But, we realized we have the few pictures we have posted on our blog, that with digital you end up with a lot of pics you never do much with and that we have been fortunate to share many of our travel experiences to date with some very cool people. Luckily we exchanged contact information, and we sent out an email asking them to share their pictures with us. This is one of those situations where it helped to have 10 digitals and 10 of the same pictures taken! Everything else in the bag was replaceable and not a huge issue. We lucked out in the big picture.
Speaking of the big picture, we talked a lot about attachment, especially attachment to things. There are emotions that seem pretty prevalent after something like this occurs. We felt annoyed and frustrated for most of the bus ride after the theft. Annoyed at ourselves for not being more careful, and therefore frustrated that we allowed it to happen. But, the situation was done, and we could only learn from it now. But, we quickly removed ourselves from attachment to the things in the bag because it would only prevent us from moving forward.
So, we are now surviving on disposable cameras until the end of this month when, lucky for us, my parents are visiting us in Central America. We will have a new camera and will be ready to capture our last two months digitally. Look out for a picture blog as well in the future!
Latin Music mixed w/Hindi
We have heard a lot of great latin american songs during our 2 months of travels. But, to our surprise, we have also heard many latin songs mixed with hindi music. One of the more popular songs is called Flow Natural. Check it out! If anyone has heard of any others, let us know.
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