February 28, 2025: Welcome to our belated February cocktail hour. We managed to escape 28 out of the first 40 days of our despicable current regime’s term by leaving the country. Of course our escaping didn’t stop things from happening, horrible things, but at least we felt a step removed from it all. We spent 8 days of the month in Nicaragua visiting Adam and his family. The remainder of February we spent in Mexico: Mexico City, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende (our time there spilled over slightly into March).
Let’s have a Michelada today in celebration of our time in Mexico, which we loved. A Michelada is made with tomato juice, beer, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and hot sauce. And lots of spices around the rim of the glass. 🙂
I also have a variety of beers, soda or seltzer water if you are extending dry January into February. Or if you are generally dry. 
How did your February go? Did you have a happy Groundhog Day/Valentine’s Day/President’s Day? Have you welcomed any new additions to your family? Have you read any good books that can inform your worldview, seen any good movies, binge-watched any television series? Have you planned any adventures or had any winter getaways? Have you dreamed any dreams? Have you gone to any exotic restaurants, cooked any new dishes? Have you been surprised by anything in life? Have you learned anything new, taken any classes or just kept up with the news? Have you sung along with any new songs? Have you undertaken any new exercise routines? Have you marched or otherwise participated in political protests? Have you been battered, or alternately, uplifted by any news?
We were only in the U.S. for five days before we took off for Nicaragua on the 6th of the month. Before leaving, we were busy preparing for our month-long trip. I had pack and to wrap presents for Adam’s kids, as we planned give them their belated Christmas gifts.
On Saturday, February 1, Mike and I went to dinner at Ariake; this was another of our daughter Sarah’s gift certificates to us for Christmas.
Virginia > Managua > Ometepe > Managua
We spread our trip to Ometepe over two days this time, leaving home late in the afternoon on Thursday the 6th, arriving in Managua at 10:30 p.m., and then traveling the next day, Friday, with a driver from Managua to Rivas, a ferry to Ometepe and a rental car to Balgüe. This was easier than our usual method of leaving at 3:00 a.m and arriving at 6 p.m. all on the same day.
The biggest highlight was of course meeting our newest grandson, Michael Christopher Dutchak Hernandez. We call him “Little Mikey” to differentiate him from his grandfather. Mikey turned 9 months old the day after we left, on February 15. He was a joy to meet; he looks just like Adam did when he was a baby. We spent the first afternoon bringing Andrea and Mia to the pool at Totoco to swim. Later the whole family had dinner together there, while we watched little Mike scoot across the cool tile floor chasing after his toys.
On Saturday morning, we gave Christmas presents to the girls and Mikey at their casa. Last time we didn’t bring anything and took them to a used clothing store to buy things. This time I was happy to give them brand new clothes from the U.S. Luckily everything fit except Andrea’s shoes, which she’ll grow into. After our gift-giving, we took the girls to the Saturday market where we bought them each a piece of jewelry and some ice cream.
I was included in the Saturday afternoon Texas Hold’em poker game at Cafe Campestre. It was a blast with lots of joking around. I was happy to be part of it and to get to know some of Adam’s expat friends. After the poker game, Maria and the kids joined us for dinner there.
Totoco has built a new yoga pavilion overlooking the lake so Mike and I did a yoga class with Robin from Montreal on Sunday. Despite it being the dry season, the lake was still high because of the previous rainy season and some unusual rain during the dry season. It actually was much cooler than it’s ever been in Nicaragua during our visits; we hardly felt the need to swim in the pool at all. One day we had downpours off and on all day.
We had a set of bunkbeds in our room, so we had all three girls over to our room for a sleepover Sunday night. Before bed, we played about 5 rounds of Kings-around-the corner in the Totoco lodge. Of course competitive Andrea won the most games.
We took the family to Ojo de Agua on Monday for a fun day outing. It was Mikey’s first time in a swimming pool, and he loved it. Mike, Adam, Andrea and even Cristy jumped off the Tarzan swing, while Mia hung out on the more sedate swings. I swam around, got stung by a wasp and dropped my phone into the water when I slipped on the wet pavement.
The family got a little stressed out by us being around and we went Tuesday and Wednesday without seeing them at all. We were supposed to celebrate Maria’s birthday on the 12th, but she got angry at Adam for something and wasn’t speaking to him so we left them alone. Mike and I managed to entertain ourselves, as we always do. We went to a special healing session with biofield tuning forks led by Crissie at the Totoco yoga pavilion. I fell asleep and starting snoring so Mike had to nudge me awake. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon despite high winds and rain coming sideways into the pavilion.
Mike and I drove to Moyogalpa on Wednesday to try to buy some furniture for the family, but sadly we couldn’t find anything. We did buy Maria a couple of dresses, as well as some toys for Mikey.
The most helpful thing we did, or I should say Mike and Adam did, was to disassemble and reassemble a playpen/crib which their midwife had given them, to fit their needs. I did my part dusting off the cobwebs, no small feat because of all the slats. Adam introduced us to the cow he and Ben own together; they keep her on Ben’s property at Finca Campestre. Later, we brought Andrea and Mia to the pool again, where they had fun splashing around with Papacito.
Our last night going to dinner at Pizzeria Mediterranea was ruined because as soon as we arrived, little Mike started throwing up all over the place and Maria felt she should take him home. Thus we had our final dinner with Adam and the girls, all of whom were fidgety because they were worried about their mom and little brother.
When it was time to leave on Friday the 14th, we drove the car an hour to Moyogalpa, took the ferry for an hour, and had our driver Dani drive two hours to Managua on Valentine’s day. All the seats in the dining room were booked for Valentine’s Day at the Best Western, so we ate dinner outside by the pool. The next day, Saturday the 15th, we were up at 3:00 to catch an early flight to San Salvador and on to Mexico City.
Mexico City
We loved our stay in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City for six nights. We spent Sunday doing a self-guided walking tour of Roma Norte. What a colorful and charming neighborhood.
We spent Monday, when most museums in the city were closed, taking an excursion to Teotihuacán, once the largest city in ancient Mexico known for its impressive pyramids and mosaics, and capital of a pre-Hispanic empire.
On Tuesday, we spent the day in Centro Histórico, visiting the Catedral Metropolitana and Templo Mayor, a temple complex that was the center of the universe, according to Aztec cosmology. We also visited the Palacio de Correos de México (Postal Palace), the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), the Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles), and finally the Museo Nacional de Arte. We topped off our day with dinner at Páramo, a “hip” restaurant in the Roma Norte neighborhood. We were by far the oldest ones there.
On Wednesday, we ventured to Polanco to see the Museo Jumex and Museo Soumaya. We went from there to the expansive Museo Nacional de Antropologia, which took us several hours. In the beautiful Condessa barrio, we walked a circular route around the leafy Avenida Amsterdam which took us around peaceful Parque México, the oval shape of which reflects its earlier use as a hippodromo (horse-racing track). We stopped at Butcher & Sons for happy hour drinks.
On Thursday, we visited the southern neighborhoods of the city, San Ángel and Coyoacán, visiting the Templo & Museo del Carmen and the Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo. Sadly we didn’t buy tickets far enough in advance to see the Frida Kahlo Museum; they were sold out until mid-March. What poor planning on my part, especially considering it was the primary place I wanted to visit in Mexico City. In Coyoacán, we visited the interesting Museo Casa de León Trotsky. Finally, we dropped into Romita, a small colorful plaza in the midst of Roma Norte; we walked home, stopping at a sidewalk cafe along the way for cold cervezas. We later had a delicious dinner at La Chicha Roma.
On Friday, the 21st, we rented a car and drove 7 hours (it was supposed to be 4 1/2 but more on that in another post) to Guanajuato, where we stayed for four nights. We stayed in the most wonderful apartment, Hotel Terra Vista, on a ridge overlooking the colorful city. Guanajuato sits in a valley with a network of 28 tunnels running underneath it.
On Saturday, the 22nd, we strolled through the Jardín de la Unión, went inside the Teatro Juárez, ate lunch near Plaza de la Paz, and then walked aimlessly around the colorful and charming town. To get back to our apartment, we took the Funicular Panorámico up the hillside to the rose-colored El Pípila statute.
On Sunday, the 23rd, we tried for the second time to climb to the top of the Universidad de Guanajuato but we were told it was closed until Monday. Instead, we visited the Museo Casa Diego Rivera, the birthplace of the famous muralist. We also visited the Alhóndiga de Granaditas (public grain exchange), now the regional museum of Guanajuato City. It is important for its role in the Mexican War of Independence.
On Monday, our last day in Guanajuato, we wandered around to the kissing street, where two balconies across a narrow lane from each other are so close that a couple can kiss each other from the two balconies. Finally, we visited the Mercado Hidalgo and had lunch at a small joint called Mariscos del Mar.
We had many political discussions with other guests and the Canadian owners of Terra Vista, and luckily, since none of them were Trumpers, we found we were mostly on the same page in our disgust with the current administration. And it had only just begun!
On Tuesday the 25th, we drove over scrubby high chaparral to San Miguel de Allende, making stops at Santa Rosa de Lima, known for its pottery and majolica, and for its jams and salsas sold at Conservas Santa Rosa.
We also stopped in Dolores Hidalgo, named a Pueblo Mágico (Magic Town) in 2002. The town’s hero, Father Miguel Hidalgo, led the charge in 1810 from the town’s church, Nuestra Señora de los Dolores parish church, for Mexico’s independence from Spain.
We arrived in San Miguel de Allende on the evening of the 25th, tossed our bags into our Airbnb, and promptly went out to eat at La Doña San Miguel.
Mike’s 71st birthday was Wednesday, February 26, so I asked him to choose the day’s itinerary. We went on a day-long excursion where we soaked at La Gruta hot springs, enjoyed lunch at Nirvana, visited Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco to see its fantastic murals, and then went to Tres Raíces Winery. The only negative to the day was the hour-long wait to get back into San Miguel due to major road construction.
On Thursday, the 27th, we wandered around San Miguel de Allende, visiting its plethora of churches: Templo de San Francisco, the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, the Templo de la Immaculada Concepción & Oratorio San Felipe Neri, with a lunch at Los Burritos (a hole in the wall with no expats in it). San Miguel is overrun with retired, white-haired expats, and even though we were certainly as old as most of them, we weren’t that enamored of the sheer numbers of them.
On Friday the 28th, we had another out-of-town excursion, this time to El Charco del Ingenio, a beautiful botanical garden set near a reservoir just out of town. Then we drove over an hour northeast to the “ghost mining town” of Mineral de Pozos. After a pleasant rooftop lunch in the town, we drove about 15 minutes north on dirt roads that felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We were in route to the Mine of Santa Brigida, the mine responsible for the economic boon in the region as it had gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and mercury. The excursion reminded me of all my explorations of ruins with my friend Mario when I lived in Oman from 2011-2013. We enjoyed dinner at Hank’s, a New Orleans-style restaurant that was all decked out for Mardis Gras.
Overall, we had a busy and fun month as we tried hard to ignore what was happening in the U.S. In March, we continued our time in San Miguel de Allende and then went for three nights to Querétaro, returning home on March 5-6.
While traveling, we read of the complete and utter chaos of the FOTUS/Elon administration: dismantling government agencies, including USAID; threatening our allies with high tariffs or annexation (or war??); treating Ukraine’s President and war hero Zelensky with utter disdain and rudeness; handing the U.S. and its long-term interests over to Putin; and threatening all the alliances we have built up over decades. It made me sick to have to return to the U.S. Upon our return, we hope to set in motion long-term moves out of the U.S. We are utterly and completely disgusted with what is happening in our hijacked country.
I finished two books in February, bringing my total to 7/48. My favorite was Berlin Poplars by Anne B. Ragde. We didn’t watch any movies since we were traveling, but we started watching several series including The Åre Murders, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Thank You, Next. We finished watching Maestro in Blue (we were so sad to end that one!) and we continued watching Pachinko, Lincoln Lawyer, Nobody Wants This, Unforgotten, Virgin River, Paradise and Modern Family.
I hope you’ll share how the year is panning out for you, and what plans you have for the spring and the rest of this year.
~ wander.essence ~ 
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