San Juan Surfers

We spent Thursday at Madera Beach. We rented 2 surfboards and a boogie board. We also paid for a few hours of surfing lessons. It was great! Brad was a natural. Katie and I needed a little more practice!

'Da Flying Frog

'Da Flying Frog is San Juan Del Sur's Canopy Tour company. I took Mom and Dad ziptrekking too, but this time--after 2 1/2 months of rain--everything was beautifully lush and green. Katie and I did the Superman (no hands, face down) and the Butterfly (no hands, face up). We had to do so "attached" to a guide since the brake system is not so sophisticated (the hands). Brad didn't care to be attached to the guides...

Never a Dull Moment

Brad likes vehicles of any kind...so we rented 4-wheelers late one afternoon. We didn't have a guide which was maybe a bad idea since that made me the guide and Nicaragua doesn't believe in direction signs. On our way out of town Katie's 4-wheeler stalled....right in front of a bus that kept honking until she got out of the way. I'm really sorry that I don't have a photo of that! After that we got lost trying to find a beach. We went up a laneway to ask directions and got the foreign owner piping mad for coming onto his property (geesh). Finally we found the beach and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset. We took some photos and decided that we'd better get going in order to get back to town before dark. Well, the fun didn't end there. One of the 4-wheelers kept stalling on us. We got it going but ended up struggling to find our way in the pitch dark... and rain! We did make it back finally...a bit late, wet and muddy...but otherwise intact.

Fishing in San Juan Del Sur

After climbing the volcano, we ferried back to the mainland and took the bus to San Juan Del Sur. In SJDS we went on a fishing trip. It was my lucky day...I caught 2 fish (a Mackerel and another -- I don't remember what it's called). Katie had the big one that got away, and Brad didn't even get a nibble.

Climbing Maderas Volcano

I was very, very excited last week to host more visitors! My cousin Katie and her husband Brad arrived on June 16 and spent an action-packed week on Ometepe Island and San Juan Del Sur. Straight from the airport we went to Pochomil, the closest beach to Managua, with Serge and his girlfriend (who arrived June 15). On Sunday we headed to Ometepe Island via bus. Traveling by bus here is always an interesting experience. The Nicaragua transportation system is made up of old North American school buses. They often become full to overflowing (ie, passengers hanging out the back doors). You never need to worry about getting hungry or thirsty because vendors get on and off at major stops to sell you water, pop, cookies, chicken and salad with coleslaw, sandwiches, deep fried sweets...you name it!

On Ometepe Island we stayed at the Charco Verde, located inside a natural reserve and on a nice beach. On Monday, we decided to climb Maderas Volcano. Maderas is almost 1,400 meters high. What a feat!! What sore feet!! It took us 4 hours to climb to the top. At first it was very hot and humid, but it gradually became cooler as we climbed into the cloud forest. It was a challenging climb because Maderas is very muddy. Part way up we saw Howler Monkeys and an endangered White-faced Capuchin monkey. After reaching the summit, we climbed down to the crater lake. The volcanic soil makes the water bottom very mucky...entering the lake puts you knee-deep in mud. We rested for a bit and then started the descent. When we started out we met a bunch of other hikers going down into the crater lake. One climber told his guide that he would pay for a helicopter to come fetch him...we were liking that idea too! It took us 3 hours to get back down. Descending was the harder part in my opinion. About halfway down I thought my legs were going to give out on me. We walked funny for days afterwards....but WE DID IT!

Futbol

Last weekend I went to a futbol (soccer) game. MiCredito's lawyer, Pedro, coaches a team of young guys who live in a rough barrio of the city. Some of them were into drugs and petty crime...so of course Pedro wanted them to channel their energy into something more worthwhile. MiCredito sponsors the team so I was asked to go and take photos (to put on their website that I'm in the process of creating). It was a close and exciting game. In the end our guys lost in overtime, and therefore are finished for the season.

Isla Ometepe

Last weekend, Serge and I visited the beautiful Isla de Ometepe. It is the biggest lake island in the world...placed inside Cocibolca lake. It features 2 large volcanoes - Conceptión (1610 mts high) and Maderas (1394 mts high). There are about 45,000 inhabitants, who for the most part work in farming (volcanic ash has made the soil extremely fertile).

We stayed at a hotel called Charco Verde (Green Puddle). Like most places in Nicaragua, it’s a largely undiscovered treasure. Peaceful...secluded...lovely.

On Saturday we took a tour with a very friendly local tour guide named Daniel. We enjoyed a hike around the coffee farm Finca Magdalena, visited the beautiful beaches of Santo Domingo and then stopped in the city of Altagracia. On Sunday we hiked around the beach at Charco Verde and took advantage of the ubiquitous Nica hammocks!

Katie and Brad are coming for a visit in mid-June so the plan is to return...and maybe climb Maderas!