~ wander.essence ~

isla de ometepe, nicaragua: final days & a loving farewell to the family {2/2}

wanderessence1025 August 7, 2024

Monday, March 18, 2024: On Monday morning, Mike and I took a walk after breakfast down and then back up Volcán Maderas, from our bungalow at Totoco to the main road and then back up again. It was rough. After three times doing this, I decided that was it. From then on, we would take our walks on the beach, where it was nice and flat.

Mike at the start of our walk down the volcano

tropical trees

Second-hand clothes shopping & Punta de Jesús María

Monday afternoon, after Maria made us a delicious tilapia lunch, we went clothes shopping for the girls at Luna Boutique, a secondhand clothing shop. Then we drove on to Moyogalpa where Adam and Maria shopped for some housewares and a large fan for their bedroom. The whole way in the car, we wanted the air conditioning on but the girls, who aren’t used to air conditioning, wanted the windows open. We couldn’t get the bluetooth to play any playlists from our phones, but we somehow got “La Island Bonita” by Madonna, which we played on a loop during our drive the whole day!

Maria makes us a tilapia lunch before shopping

shopping at Luna Boutique

shopping in Moyogalpa

Moyogalpa

After our shopping expedition we went to Punta de Jesús María, a sandy point that stretches out into Lake Nicaragua. It was an excellent spot to see the sunset but better yet, it had impressive views of Volcán Concepcion in the waning light. We enjoyed hanging out with the family in that beautiful setting.

Punta de Jesús María

Andrea & Mia at Punta de Jesús María

Cristy, Adam and Maria at Punta de Jesús María

Mike and Adam at Punta de Jesús María

Maria, Cristy, Mike and me

Andrea makes a heart of shells

Mia, Maria, Cristy & Mike

Andrea, Mia, Maria, Cristy and me in back

me with Mike at Punta de Jesús María

Maria and Adam at Punta de Jesús María

Mia at Punta de Jesús María

a heart stone found by one of the girls and given to me

Andrea, Mia and Cristy at Punta de Jesús María

Punta de Jesús María

Cristy, Adam, Maria and Andrea

Mia, Andrea, Cristy, Adam and Maria

Mike, me Adam, Mia, Maria, & Cristy

Punta de Jesús María

Mia and Adam at Punta de Jesús María

Mike at Punta de Jesús María

me at Punta de Jesús María

Mia at Punta de Jesús María

Adam and Mike at Punta de Jesús María

It was a long day driving all the way to Moyogalpa and back, so we ended up at Café Campestre in Balgüe at 7:10 pm. The place was packed, so it took us over an hour to get our meals. This made for some very grumpy little girls.

Again, I had the green chicken curry, which was as good as it was the first time I had it. I gave a bite to Cristy and she ran around like a wild banshee fanning her mouth and looking for water because it was soooo spicy! So funny, because to me it was just right. I loved it.

Andrea, Cristy, Mia and Maria at Café Campestre

my green chicken curry at Café Campestre

Adam and Mike at Café Campestre

Steps: 13,203; Miles 5.6. Weather Hi 92°, Lo 76°. Mostly sunny.

Finca Magdalena

Tuesday, March 19: On Tuesday morning, we dropped by Adam’s house to pick him up. We found Andrea sporting one of her “new” outfits on her way to school.

Adam thought we might like to have a coffee and check out Finca Magdalena, one of the oldest coffee farms on Ometepe. The main building of the plantation is a humble affair – wooden and old, with peeling paint and creaking floorboards. Murals and artwork are painted onto the exteriors, adding charm to the place. One of the buildings serves as part of the coffee business and hosts a cafe out on the porch deck. The porch, high up on Volcán Maderas, offers sweeping views across Ometepe and Lake Nicaragua. We enjoyed mugs of hot coffee and walked around to see the drying areas for the coffee beans, the murals, and the very rustic hostel lodgings.

Andrea with one of her new outfits

Finca Magdalena

mural of Ometepe at Finca Magdalena

Finca Magdalena

view from Finca Magdalena

Adam and me at Finca Magdalena

Adam & Mike at Finca Magdalena

Ometepe meanderings

After dropping Adam at home, Mike and I took a mile walk from Santa Cruz beach toward Santa Domingo and back.

a late morning walk on the beach

We had lunch at Büstavö, a Mediterranean cafe where you order your food from the kitchen, which is in a bus, and then they serve it to you in the shady cafe. I had a falafel sandwich in a soft warm pita and a Pink Panther, a smoothie with coconut milk, ginger and pitaya (dragon fruit). Mike had shaksuka and falafel on a plate.

We chatted with a young woman from the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and she (like me) was not coping well with Nicaragua’s unrelenting heat. She had plans to go to Corn Island; a number of people we met were heading that way.

The café was owned by a young Israeli man who is expanding the café to build a large oven and a large gelato bar.

the kitchen bus at Büstavö

me at Büstavö

Mike with his lunch at Büstavö

Mike’s shaksuka and falafel

We spent all Tuesday afternoon at the pool at Totoco. It was super relaxing. We met a couple from Philadelphia, Ryan and Siobhan; he was originally from South Africa and she from Ireland. We all shared stories about our travels, and groused about the horrible presidential candidate (Trump of course) in this year’s election, and lots of other things. They gave us some ideas for our September-October trip to Bali. Then we went to our room to take showers and prepare to go to Adam and Maria’s for dinner.

At the last minute the dinner plans with the family fell apart and we had no explanation as to why. To be honest, it seemed disrespectful. All that has to happen with people is that they communicate clearly things that are going on. Later we found out that Maria had been called to an “emergency session” at church; she was called because her older sister, who she hadn’t spoken to for years, wanted a reconciliation. She hadn’t even communicated to Adam where she was.

Anyway, Mike and I had to find alternate dinner plans at the last minute. We tried Pizza Mediterránea for pizza but it was closed. We’d already been to Cafe Campestre the night before and didn’t want to arrive late and have to wait an hour for food. So we stopped at a shady little spot called Isla Bonita and I enjoyed a fish fillet with French fries while Mike had grilled pork with rice and beans. The salad and vegetables were tasty too. It was a nice atmosphere but it was a bit disappointing not to have had our family dinner plans. I think we’ll keep our visits here to 5 days from here on out; 7 days are too many especially as our presence is disruptive to the girls and their school attendance and other plans.

Mike at Isla Bonita

me at Isla Bonita

dinner at Isla Bonita

We leave the island on Thursday morning for Managua and then on to Bogotá for the Colombia 🇨🇴 part of our trip.

Steps: 10,202; Miles 4.33. Weather Hi 92°, Lo 76°. Partly cloudy.

Wednesday, March 20: After breakfast this morning, we took another walk on the beach. We found kite surfers plying the air currents over the lake.

a walk on the beach {kitesurfing edition}

a walk on the beach

We spent our last afternoon relaxing at the Totoco pool because the family makes a giant pot of beef stew that they sell on Wednesdays; María had served us some of the soup for a late lunch. There was too much fat and gristle in the meat for me, so I just ate the vegetables which were mostly starchy: yucca, potatoes, etc. The broth had a wonderful flavor. The family was busy with that all day and Mike even helped them out with some deliveries.

Maria making her Wednesday beef soup

another afternoon at Totoco Eco-Lodge

When we went by to pick up the family for dinner, we found the girls dressed up in the second-hand dresses we had bought them on our shopping trip on Monday. We would have bought them new things but there really are only second-hand clothing shops on Ometepe (so says Adam).

We took the girls in the car to Pizza Mediterránea for dinner, while Adam and Maria joined us a bit later on their motorbike.

We had a farewell dinner there, as we would leave on Thursday morning. It was a nice evening where we all shared our happiness at meeting one another. Mike and I enjoyed a delicious broccoli and chorizo pizza, Adam and Maria had a 4-cheese pizza and the girls had their favorite, pepperoni. We took them home and said our goodbyes to the girls.

the girls dressed in their second-hand clothes

Cristy, Mia and Andrea at Pizza Mediterránea

Pizza Mediterránea

Andrea, Cristy, me and Mia at Pizza Mediterránea

broccoli and chorizo pizza at Pizza Mediterránea

Andrea being silly

Another silly Andrea photo

Steps: 10,236; Miles 4.34. Weather Hi 90°, Lo 79°. Mostly sunny.

Thursday, March 21: We ate our final breakfast at Totoco and then checked out of our room.

our final breakfast at Totoco

our room at Totoco Eco-Lodge

Altagracia

Adam asked if we’d drive him to Altagracia so he could buy two 100 lb. bags of rice for the dogs, the pigs and the chickens. We stopped for fresh fruit smoothies in the colorful town.

We made another stop to get Adam some water filters and then we stopped at a bakery, Pan de Mama, for coffee and sweets. The bakery is run by Adam’s friends Rachel and Trevor who have been on Ometepe for 12 years, involved in various projects.

Altagracia

me with Adam in Altagracia

Altagracia

me with Adam in Altagracia

Adam & me at Pan de Mama

Rachel & Adam at Pan de Mama

After dropping Adam at his house, we made our way slowly to Moyogalpa. Of course, we were stopped by police on our last day (just like the last time we were here) and they wanted to see our insurance card and circulation card. We couldn’t find either in the rental car and we were in a panic until they pointed out the compartment above the rearview mirror. We kept trying to explain it was a rental car but they still wanted to see the documents.

Luckily we found the documents and they were in order, so they waved us on. We wondered if they were just trying to get a bribe out of us (we paid them one last time we were here when they wanted to confiscate Mike’s driver’s license on a Friday and keep it until Monday).

Moyogalpa, taking the ferry to San Joge, and on to Managua

On the way to Moyogalpa, we stopped briefly to take a picture of Volcán Concepcion at the end of the island’s only private runway.

We arrived in Moyogalpa early and turned in our Toyota Rush rental car. Then we ate lunch at the Cornerhouse while we waited for the 2:00 ferry. I had an omelet with cheese, tomatoes and jalapeño, while Mike had a roasted veggie and cheese sandwich 🥪 .

Volcán Concepcion at the end of the runway

The Cornerhouse in Moyogalpa

We caught the 2:00 ferry to San Jorge. Luckily we had much calmer seas today. On the hour-long ferry ride we had some nice views of the volcanic island of Ometepe.

Dani picked us up at the ferry in San Jorge. We drove with Dani for 2 hours from the ferry in San Jorge to the Best Western Las Mercedes, directly across from the Managua airport. We immediately ate a dinner of shrimp with garlic and a fish fillet so we could get to bed early. We had an early 5:25 flight to San Salvador and then another flight from there to Bogotá.

the ferry landing on Ometepe

departing views of Ometepe from the ferry

Mike in the car on the way to Managua

Dani driving us to Managua

Best Western Las Mercedes

my shrimp with garlic

Mike at Best Western Las Mercedes

me at Best Western Las Mercedes

Steps: 5,528; Miles 2.34. Weather Hi 91°, Lo 78°. Mostly sunny.

Leaving Managua for Colombia via El Salvador

Friday, March 22: We woke up at 2:45 a.m. Friday morning and took a shuttle to the Managua airport for our first Avianca flight at 5:25 a.m. to San Salvador. Lucky for us, everything proceeded without a hitch and the short (40 min) flight took off right on time.

We flew into San Salvador from Managua on Avianca at 6:10 a.m. on Friday morning. The rosy sunrise was magnificent on the surrounding clouds.

Here’s a short video of the beach in Ometepe, driving up and down Volcán Maderas to Totoco Eco-Lodge, and flying into San Salvador.

We had over a 3-hour layover in San Salvador, so we ate breakfast at a jammin’ cafe, Café Tapacun. People were lively and noisy here! We both had arepas with scrambled eggs and shared a cappuccino.

the Managua airport

flying into San Salvador at sunrise

Café Tapacun at the San Salvador Airport

me at Café Tapacun at the San Salvador Airport

arepa at Café Tapacun

At 9:30 a.m., we caught another Avianca flight to Bogotá, which would arrive at 1:10 p.m.

the july cocktail hour: sweltering heat, bathroom renovations, political upheavals & other miscellany

wanderessence1025 July 31, 2024

July 31, 2024: Welcome! Come right in for our July cocktail hour. I’m so happy you’ve dropped by. We’ll have to stay indoors for tonight’s cocktail hour because it’s too hot outdoors to venture to the screened porch. We can be pleasantly air-conditioned in the house, where I have stayed almost all of July.

I can offer you some chilled Castellana white wine, or any wine of your choice. Mike can make a delicious Vodka Tonic with lime. Or we can offer a Michelob Ultra or Hop Slam. I’ve also borrowed one of my sister Steph’s favorite cocktails: Fresca and rum. Soda or seltzer water is also available.

In the spirit of preparing for our upcoming trip to Japan (& Bali), I wish you “Kanpai (乾杯!)” which means “dry the glass” or “bottoms up.”

welcome to our screened porch

a pasta with mussels dish I made

me on the screened porch another night

A red, white, and blue concoction we made for July 4th that just turned murky

How are things going as we have so quickly moved into the second half of the year? Have you read any good books, seen any good movies, binge-watched any television series? Have you planned any adventures or had any summer getaways? Have you dreamed any dreams? Gone to any exotic restaurants, cooked any new dishes? Have you been surprised by anything in life? Have you enjoyed the simple things 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?

July’s miserable heat

The heat here has been unbearable during July. I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate another Virginia summer; I’m dreaming of where we can move when Mike fully retires. Of course, I would love to move somewhere outside of the U.S. in case a certain horrible someone gets elected as President in this year’s election. The Mexican highlands are appealing to me because of the constant cool weather. I’ve also been entertaining the idea of moving our U.S. home to Portland, Maine, where winters are supposedly harsh, but summers are lovely. In my ideal world, as of this moment, I could see summer and fall in Maine, and winter and spring in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. For now, that is my dream scenario. I’m sure it will change as we explore our options.

As much as I’m sick of summer, I did manage to force myself to get out and take my 3-mile walks, where I found some huge plate-sized flowers (Hollyhocks?) and a chalk message from Hash House Harriers, which brought back memories of my time in Egypt in 2007. I also continued with yoga and rowing.

plate-sized flowers found on a Reston walk

Lake Anne in Reston

Hash House Harrier message on one of the Reston trails

Political Upheaval

At the beginning of this month, I felt rather hopeless about our political situation in the country. With two old men running for president – a faltering Biden who is 81 years old but remains a compassionate human being versus a 78-year-old wanna-be fascist who sows chaos and hatred and wants to turn this country into a white supremacist, Christian nationalist nation – I thought for sure all was lost.

It didn’t help with the failed assassination attempt against Trump at one of his hateful rallies on July 13, which he, of course, milked for all it was worth. So predictable. I won’t say the quiet part out loud, but I’m sure many of you can guess what I thought about that.

At long last, on Sunday July 21, Biden did the right thing for the country (under pressure from fellow Democrats) by withdrawing from the race and endorsing VP Kamala Harris as the candidate for the presidency. With all the rollbacks of women’s rights to bodily autonomy in this country after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and with her strong and tough prosecutor mentality, plus her hope and optimism about the country, I feel that she offers the best hope to go forward for this country. #I UNDERSTAND THE ASSIGNMENT.

Suddenly, like Kamala’s coffers (she’s raised an extraordinary amount of money in a short time), my hope has risen. I hope she has the wisdom to choose an excellent running mate. As there are many good people to choose from in the Democratic party, she needs to be very strategic. But I really think she can win, if she projects the right image and message of hope. Only time will tell of course. Sadly there are millions of either greedy, idiot or racist Trumpers in this country; they make my skin crawl.

Assassination attempt on Trump

Biden Exits Race, endorses Kamala Harris

Bathroom renovations

Meanwhile, against this backdrop of political upheaval, we have been going through an upheaval in our house. On Friday, July 12, we signed a contract with José Montano to have our two upstairs bathrooms renovated. They were original to the house – over 40 years old – and I can’t believe we’ve lived with them for so long. We are slow to move on big projects such as these. José and his co-worker Jimber began work on the hall bath on Monday, July 15. Finding a previous repair to the toilet was problematic and had damaged the flooring underneath, they had to cut a hole in the floor, subfloor and the ceiling in the dining room and replace the flooring and ceiling drywall. They finished that bathroom by Monday, July 22. As of today, the dining room ceiling has yet to be repaired and the new toilet started leaking today because of an insufficient wax seal, so another repair to the toilet had to be done.

During that week of July 15, when the contractors started working and when the temperatures were over 100°F, our air-conditioning went out for almost two days (from the afternoon of the 16th – on a 104° day – to the morning of the 18th). It was horrible, and I felt so bad for the contractors having to work upstairs in that heat. We told them they could take the day off, but they had a schedule to meet and they insisted on continuing to work. Mike and I slept for two nights in the basement, the coolest part of the house.

Hall bath BEFORE

Hole in dining room ceiling due to rotting in floor in hall bath above

rotted floor that had to be replaced in the hall bath

Hall bath DURING

Our A/C broke for two days and then we found this article in the Washington Post about the relief offered by A/C repairmen!

Hall bath AFTER

On the same Monday that the contractors finished the hall bath, they also demolished the master bathroom. They were out for a day as they waited for parts to come in, and then they began working on the master bath on Wednesday, July 24, on the same day that Mike left for his Ohio trip. As of today, July 31, the master bathroom is almost finished except that the water isn’t hooked up for the sink or toilet and the glass shower doors, which José had to order, won’t come in for another week. In about 2 1/2 weeks, our hardworking contractors ALMOST completed the job, with a minimum of disruption.

Master Bath BEFORE

Master Bath DEMOLISHED

Master Bath DURING

Master Bath ALMOST AFTER

Japan and Bali trip planning

In between all of this renovation and political upheaval, I spent countless hours pinning down our itineraries for Japan and for Bali, reading up on where to go and what to see, booking hotels and plotting out our transportation options. This will be a 6-week trip, so it requires a lot of planning. I’ll be exhausted by the time we finally get to take off!

July miscellany

In other happenings, we tried to keep ourselves entertained by going out to eat and watching a lot of movies and shows on TV. We spent the first two weeks of the month trying to make decisions about cabinets, hardware, etc. for the bathrooms. We ate pizza at California Pizza Kitchen, sampled Lao and Thai cuisine at Padaek, noshed on flatbreads at Seasons 52, ate appetizers and salmon salad while sitting at the bar at Artie’s, enjoyed sushi at Ariake then went to Target to look for bathroom accoutrements, ate Thai food at Sister’s Thai in Fairfax and then cooled off with ice cream at Woody’s followed by a short stroll around the small city park. Finally, we went to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Enatye.

Me at California Pizza Kitchen

Mike at California Pizza Kitchen

me at Fairfax Corner

dinner at Padaek

Mango sticky rice at Padaek

me at Padaek

Mike at Seasons 52

Me at Tyson’s Corner after dinner at Seasons 52

Tyson’s Corner

me at Artie’s

me at Ariake

Mike at Ariake

me at Target buying stuff for bathrooms

me at Sister’s Thai

dinner at Sisters Thai

Mike at Sisters Thai

downtown Fairfax

me in downtown Fairfax

Mike in downtown Fairfax

Downtown Fairfax

me at Enatye

Mike at Enatye

We got some cheering up with some pictures from the kids and grandkids. Alex, Jandira and Allie spent a day at the Museum of Illusions in Atlanta. Adam, who is still in the U.S. working (we still haven’t seen him yet), sent us a picture of little Mike in Nicaragua.

Alex, Jandira and Allie at the Museum of Illusions

Little Mike in Nicaragua at 2 months old

We went to see a lot of movies this month. We saw Touch, which I loved, about an Icelandic man who goes to Japan in search of his first love; he met her in London when he worked at a Japanese restaurant that her father owned. She had disappeared with no word and he had never stopped thinking of her. We watched Find Me Falling on Netflix, where an aging rock star (Harry Connick Jr.) moves to a house in Cyprus that fronts a cliff where people often commit suicide; there he meets an old flame (predictable and a bit hokey). We also finished watching four limited TV series: Apples Never Fall, The Nurse, Midtsommernatt (Swedish), and One Day.

We didn’t go anywhere this month, or at least I didn’t. At the end of the month, Mike headed off to Centerville, Ohio for his annual five-day weekend with his close-knit high school buddies. They started this gathering in 2004 and have gathered every year except during the 2020 COVID year. They come in from Virginia, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Colorado and occasionally the UK. Golf, disc golf, backyard games, whiskey tasting contests, music listening, plain-old hanging out and reminiscing occupied the weekend.

Mike and his buddies on a golf outing in Ohio

Mike’s annual get together with his friends

Mike and his friends walked to Dianne’s Memorial bench

I stayed home and enjoyed having the house to myself (except for the contractors on Wednesday-Friday). While Mike was in Ohio, I saw two movies: Widow Clicquot, the story behind the Clicquot champagne family and business that began in the 18th century (good!), and The Fabulous Four, about four old friends who reunite for a wedding in Key West (meh).

Also, while Mike was out of town, I went out to eat at Yama Chen and at P.F. Chang. On the last Saturday of the month, I met my friend Leah at Coco B’s in Arlington, where we had bottomless mimosas and talked about politics and Leah’s social life and Mike’s and my travel and retirement plans.

drink at P.F. Chang

crab wontons at P.F. Chang

dumplings at P.F. Chang

Veggie breakfast burrito at Coco B’s

me with Leah at Coco B’s

Finally, I read 6 books this month, bringing my total up to 32/52, with my favorites being Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan, The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama (how I love books set in Japan!), Wintering by Peter Geye, and Walking with Buddha: Pilgrimage on the Shikoku 88-Temple Trail by C.W. Lockhart. I also finished Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, which was barely tolerable (so boring in the first half though it picked up momentum in the second). This was a disappointment as I usually love her books.

I hope you’ll share how the year is panning out for you, and what plans you have for the rest of your summer.

meeting adam & family in isla de ometepe, nicaragua {1/2}

wanderessence1025 July 31, 2024

Arrival in Managua and a long day of travel to Ometepe

Thursday, March 14, 2024: After taking an 8:30 a.m. flight from San Salvador, I arrived at Augusto Cesar Sandino Internacional Aeropuerto in Managua, Nicaragua at 9:10 a.m. on Thursday and had to wait there until about 12:45 for Mike to arrive from his two flights from Washington to Miami to Managua. The airport in Managua is probably the worst possible place to have to spend over 4 hours because it is small and hardly has anywhere to sit or anything to do. I did have a little breakfast at a kind of food court, but it was nothing special.

When Mike finally arrived, Dani (a driver Adam had arranged for us) drove us over 2 hours to San Jorge port where we took the 3:30 ferry over VERY rough seas from San Jorge to Ometepe.It was an hour ride rocking violently to and fro in wild seas!

Unscathed, we finally made landfall in Moyogalpa on Ometepe. Luckily we didn’t capsize. 😳😮😱 In Moyogalpa, we rented a Toyota Rush for our 7-day stay on the island 🏝️. Then we drove over an hour to Balgüe, where our son Adam lives.

the food court at Augusto Cesar Sandino Internacional Aeropuerto

Augusto Cesar Sandino Internacional Aeropuerto in Managua, Nicaragua

billboard at San Jorge port

leaving San Jorge on the ferry to Ometepe

“Please take of your personal goals…”

me on the ferry

views of Ometepe as we approach on the ferry

views of Ometepe

Here’s a short video showing our ferry crossing to the island. The noise you hear of a woman crying is from someone playing a telenovela (soap opera produced primarily in Latin America) on their phone.

Balgüe & Totoco Eco-Lodge

We arrived at Totoco Eco-Lodge, did a brief check in, then Mike drove to pick up Adam, Maria and the girls: Cristy (12), Andrea (10) and Mia (7). We all had dinner together at the lodge and though I had trouble communicating in Spanish, I was able to understand and speak some, especially with Adam and Cristy helping to translate. What a wonderful experience to finally meet Adam’s Nicaraguan family. And we were excited to find out that Adam and Maria are expecting a boy, and Adam plans to name him Michael (not Miguel, which he hates) after his father, with Christopher as a middle name (the same as his own middle name).

sunset view of Volcán Concepción from Totoco Eco-Lodge

Totoco Eco-Lodge

Cristy, Andrea, Maria, Adam, Mia, and Mike

Cristy, Andrea, Maria, Mia, Adam and Mike

Cristy, Andrea, Maria, Mia & Adam, me and Mike

pasta at Totoco

Cristy, Mia and Maria

Mia

Steps: 10,483; Miles 4.44. Weather: Hi 90°, Lo 76°. Sunny.

Friday, March 15: We arrived after dark last night so this morning we were able to wake up in the paradise that is Isla de Ometepe. We’re staying for 7 nights at Totoco Eco-Lodge, a cool lodge on the slopes of Volcán Maderas. I enjoyed a breakfast of huevos revueltas (scrambled eggs) with onions, peppers and cheese, beans and rice, Nicaraguan cheese and fried plantains (they were hard like potato chips). It was delicious and the views were fabulous. The hotel has a small infinity pool and views of Volcán Concepción.

view from the porch of our bungalow

Mike on the hammock

our bungalow at Totoco Eco-Lodge

The dining area at Totoco

view of Lake Nicaragua from Totoco

breakfast at Totoco

view of Volcán Concepción from Totoco

small infinity pool at Totoco

Totoco Eco-Lodge

After breakfast, we hung out at Adam’s casita with the family. Adam’s wife Maria made a delicious lunch of fresh lake fish, rice, salad, and melon juice. Mike, Andrea, Mia and Adam played a game of chess after lunch. Cristy went to school and then had fútbol practice after school. She speaks excellent English and loves school; she’s at the age where her friends are very important to her.

Adam gave us a tour of his property where he raises chickens, a pig and some rabbits!🐇, Lola and Rabbititte!

Cristy and Mia at Adam’s casita

Mia with

Andrea with Rabititte

Mia fooling around in the hammock

Mia and Andrea

Maria’s delicious lunch

Maria, Mia, Andrea, me and Adam

Mike, Andrea, Adam and Mia play chess

Adam’s casita

Mike, Andrea, Adam and Mia play chess

We spent the afternoon with Andrea and Mia at the Totoco Eco-Lodge pool. Andrea is a little fish in the water and has endless stores of energy. She is athletic and active and has a lot of confidence. Mia is still learning to swim but she has no fear of the water. She swims a few feet with her head underwater and then she jumps up and shakes her head with gusto while brushing her long hair out of her eyes. Both of them would be exhausted that night!

Mike had brought several pairs of goggles which he gave the girls to use and to keep. They really liked having them.

Mike patiently worked with Mia by encouraging her to swim to him and we both tried to get her to practice her kick, which is quite spastic, kind of like Elaine’s dancing on the TV show Seinfeld.

Andrea and Mia in the Totoco pool

Andrea, Mike and Mia at the Totoco pool

view of Volcán Concepción from the Totoco pool

Andrea in the pool

the pool at Totoco

view of Volcán Concepción from the Totoco pool

Adam came by to pick up the girls while he delivered cheese to Totoco. Mike and I relaxed a bit before going to their house. We caught the tail end of the sunset 🌅 from Totoco Eco-Lodge.

sunset at Totoco

We arrived at their house around 6:30. The girls, decked out in colorful dresses, performed a “folkloric dance” to music before we went out to dinner.

the girls performing their dance

the girls in their dresses

Here is a short video of the girls’ performance. I changed the music because there was too much talking and exclaiming by some very noisy grandparents!

We had dinner at Pizza Mediterránea with the whole family. The girls all love pepperoni while Adam and Maria ordered a delicious broccoli and chorizo pizza. Mike and I enjoyed our funghi mozzarella pizza, but once I tasted the chorizo and broccoli one, I regretted not having that. The girls wanted some jewelry sold by Kemal, a Turkish man who has lived on the island for many years, so I bought them each a piece. It was a fun and laid back evening. Adam says Maria loves to cook and they rarely go out so they enjoyed the special treat.

the family at Pizza Mediterránea: Cristy, Adam, Mike, Mia, Maria and Andrea

Cristy, Adam, me, Mia, Maria, and Andrea

Cristy with her new bracelet

Andrea with a new ring

Mia with a new necklace

Steps: 6,626; Miles: 2.81. Weather Hi 91°, Lo 78°. Sunny.

Saturday, March 16: After breakfast at Totoco, Mike went to pick up Adam and take him to meet with someone who was selling a used refrigerator. Mike helped him buy the refrigerator so they could store the cheese they buy and sell. They arranged to have it delivered that afternoon.

While they were doing that, I walked about 2.4 miles, first downhill from Totoco Eco-Lodge to Balgüe and then, just when I thought it hadn’t been all that bad, I had to climb back up the steep and relentless hill back to the Eco-Lodge. Then I was too hot and tired to do anything but swing in the hammock, take a dip in the pool, and take a cold shower before going out into Ometepe’s constant heat.

Walking down from Totoco Eco-Lodge

Balgüe

Cafe Campestre

Walking back up to Totoco

The Saturday Market

We then went with the family to the Saturday market. I bought a necklace and some earrings (I threw them out when we got home because they broke). Lots of expats and Nicaraguans make and sell jewelry.

We ate some delicious vegan patties of lentils, yucca, potatoes or some combo of the above called “handkerchiefs” stuffed with frijoles or queso. Each patty was served on a banana leaf and topped with guacamole, shredded lettuce, tomatoes 🍅 and piquante sauce. So yummy.

Mike went swimming in Lake Ometepe (it is more like an ocean) with Andrea and Mia. They could go quite far out and the water was still only to their knees. Adam was having the new refrigerator delivered so he arrived late.

I couldn’t tell who outnumbered who, the gringos, the backpacker crowd, or the native Nicaraguans.

As we were leaving, one of Adam’s friends named Ryan, and his little naked son, Maximus, asked if we could drive him to his home near Totoco. He had a huge bag of papayas because he said he only eats fruit. Many of the long-time gringos here mostly go around bare chested. It seems quite the thing.

Andrea had fun wearing my hat; I was surprised it fit her because I have such a huge head. She looked adorable in it.

Maria and Mia at their casita

Andrea sports my hat

Saturday Market

Andrea in my hat

Maria pregnant and Cristy

jewelry for sale at the Saturday market

the beach near the Saturday market

Maria and Cristy have lunch

Cafe Campestre

Mike went to play poker at Cafe Campestre from 2:00-5:00 with Adam, Ben (the owner of Cafe Campestre), and Luke (another expat), so I took the opportunity to relax by the pool for the afternoon. Volcán Concepcion was wearing a cute little cap of clouds. ☁️ ☁️ ☁️

another afternnon at Totoco

Volcán Concepción wearing a little cap

Volcán Concepción

another afternnon at Totoco

hammock at our bungalow

view from the hammock

Cafe Campestre was where Mike and I headed for dinner when the family wanted to go to their house and relax for the evening. We couldn’t spend every waking hour together; at times, we all needed some down time.

I enjoyed a glass of wine and the most delicious green chicken curry. It was one of those dishes that tastes so good that you want to cry when it’s all gone.

Mike at Cafe Campestre

my green chicken curry

me at Cafe Campestre

We went up to the lodge to relax and read. It gets dark every night of the year here in Ometepe at 6:30 p.m. and the sun rises at around 6:00 a.m.

I couldn’t believe it, but Mike and I both slept for almost 10 hours. My normal night of sleep is 6-7 hours, so this was an extraordinary treat.

Steps: 10,553; Miles 4.47. Weather Hi 91°, Lo 78°. Sunny.

Sunday, March 17: This morning, Mike and I walked down and back up from Totoco before breakfast. We showered and enjoyed another lovely breakfast with grand views.

Walking down & back up to Totoco

Rabititte meets an untimely end

Shortly after we arrived at Adam’s house to pick up the family for our day’s outing, suddenly the girls came out of one of the bedrooms and began weeping. All of them were crying, even Maria, and it took us some prying to find out that one of the bunnies, little Rabbititte 🐇 , had died. No one knew the cause, possibly not having enough water or eating some vegetation not meant for rabbits. Anyway, it was devastating for the girls as it was the first pet they’d ever owned. Adam immediately took charge, dug a hole on the farm, and gathered the family for a little funeral service. They paid little Rabbititte a fond and loving farewell and placed him in the grave, covering him with dirt and a few large stones as a grave marker.

Ojo de Agua

It was a sad thing to watch them grieving for their little pet. After the funeral we all climbed heavily into the car for the drive to Ojo de Agua, a public swimming pool. The waters come from the volcanoes and are supposedly rich in minerals.

It didn’t take long for the girls to jump into the water and start swimming happily around. Andrea and Cristy are very good swimmers, while Mia is happy to repeat the same strokes over and over again: head underwater while pulling with her arms, butt in the air, and legs flailing every which way.

Ojo de Agua

Mia at Ojo de Agua

Mia with her goggles

Ojo de Agua

Maria and Mia

Ojo de Agua

Cristy at Ojo de Agua

Cristy, Maria and Adam at Ojo de Agua

We three adults (except Maria who is pregnant) ordered coco locos; luckily I didn’t choke on them as I did last year. Then we ordered a huge platter of meat and seafood: beef, pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, cheeses, plantains, and French fries. We took lots of photos and used my selfie stick for silly poses.

Mike drinks a Coco Loco

Adam & me with Coco Locos, Cristy and Andrea

Cristy & Maria

Cristy and Maria

Adam, Mia, and me

Mike, Cristy and Maria

Mia & Adam and me

Mike, Cristy and Maria

Cristy, Mia and Maria

Cristy, Maria, Andrea and Mia with Adam behind

Coco Locos

Ojo de Agua

Mia, Andrea, me and Cristy

Cristy after her “race”

Adam after the “race”

our big lunch platter

Maria and Adam

Andrea, Adam, me, Cristy, Mia and Maria

Andrea, Cristy, Mike and Adam jumped off the platform on the rope swing too many times to count. Adam and Cristy “raced”’down the pool with Adam trying hard to pretend he didn’t know how to swim. Cristy “won,” and was utterly exhausted. Andrea lost and did her pouting, faux crying and sniffling. Adam calls her a “drama queen.” She definitely has the strongest personality of them all. Below is a short video of the family’s swimming escapades.

What a fun day, topped off with ice cream treats for all.

Back to Balgüe

After we returned to Balgüe, Mike and I hung out at Totoco Eco-Lodge for a bit. Later, we drove to Merida to have dinner at Playa Mangoes. That place was packed and it wasn’t really my vibe, so we drove back up to Totoco, where we ate dinner. I had a filete de Pollo and Mike had Pasta Linguine Pesto y Pollo. The dinners at Totoco were just average, nothing compared to Cafe Campestre.

We were awestruck by a beautiful sunset and Volcán Concepcion was sporting a rather fluffy sombrero.

back at Totoco

Volcán Concepción

mural at Playa Mangoes

Playa Mangoes

Ometepe sign

Volcán Concepción at sunset

me at Totoco

dinner at Totoco

Volcán Concepción at sunset

Steps: 11,217; Miles 4.76. Weather Hi 91°, Lo 77°. Partly cloudy.

el salvador: puerta del diablo, panchimalco, cihuatán, joya de cerén, san salvador, & playa costa del sol {2/2}

wanderessence1025 July 24, 2024

The southern route around Lake Ilopango

Monday, March 11, 2024: On Monday morning, Mario and I made a leisurely start and took the southern route around Lake Ilopango, heading for a rock formation called La Puerta del Diablo. We had views of Lake Ilopango and Volcán San Vicente along the way.

view of Lake Ilopango

Volcán San Vicente

fruits of El Salvador

We stopped for lunch at Restaurante and Mirador Los Llanitos. Of course I forgot to take pictures of my delicious salmon with a caper salsa and French fries because we were too busy enjoying the views of Lake Ilopango and Volcán San Vicente. Also we were happily chatting and enjoying our Modelos.

Restaurante and Mirador Los Llanitos

view of Lake Ilopango from Restaurante and Mirador Los Llanitos

La Puerta del Diablo & Panchimalco

After lunch, we drove 12 km to the south of San Salvador to La Puerta del Diablo, or the Devil’s Gate, located near Panchimalco.

The tourist attraction is renowned for the crack (I would call it a large gap) formed by two rocks on El Chulo Hill. The towering boulders are reputedly one single stone split in two. The summit offers a panorama encompassing the Salvadoran capital, the Pacific Ocean, Lake Ilopango, and the San Miguel Volcano.

During the civil war, this place was an execution point, the cliffs offering easy disposal of the bodies.

The park just completed a 5-year renovation, with numerous glass platform viewpoints and tourist concessions. We found great views of the town of Panchimalco in the backdrop between the two huge rocks.

Puerta del Diablo

Mario at Puerta del Diablo

me at Puerta del Diablo

Puerta del Diablo with view of Panchimalco

me with Mario at Puerta del Diablo

Puerta del Diablo

We then drove to Panchimalco, a town set on the green slopes of Cerro Chulo. The town is known for its religious festivals, especially Palm Sunday, when residents march through the streets bearing decorated palm fronds. Early May’s Fería de Cultura de las Flores y las Palmas features palm artistry, folk dancing and fireworks.

Inhabited by descendents of the Pipils, Panchimalco has reinvented itself as an artists’ enclave. Sadly the main art galleries were closed when we strolled through the town.

We visited La Iglesia Santa Cruz de Roma, an old church with ancient statues and carved wooden ceilings, elaborately carved altarpieces, and niches.

The Santa Cruz Church was built beginning in 1543 by indigenous people; it was completed in 1730. Currently its classic Baroque-style façade survives. The interior hull is supported by 16 balsam wood columns on a stone base that separate the central nave from the lateral aisles.

There are nine altarpieces or altars that are in the Baroque style, both the largest one and those that are supported on the side walls of the church. To date, the main altar, in Baroque style, is the only one that preserves the primitive gilding.

We stopped for a coffee under a huge old tree after visiting the church.

La Iglesia Santa Cruz de Roma

interior of La Iglesia Santa Cruz de Roma

La Iglesia Santa Cruz de Roma

we had coffee under this big tree

mural in Panchimalco

Panchimalco

We went for an early dinner and drinks at Los Boomwalos, a restaurant with sweeping views over San Salvador. Mario said they made the best pupusas around. I’d never had them before, and I agreed they were delicious. I had one with queso and aguacate 🥑 and half of another with very potent ajo (garlic). I enjoyed a limeade with a shot of vodka, while Mario had a Pilsener and pupusas with ajo and jalapeño. Most of all we enjoyed the music (including a modern version of “California Dreamin’”) and spectacular views over the sprawling capital city.

I checked in at Hotel Citlalli at around 7:00. Mario stayed nearby at his sister Sylvia’s house. I enjoyed a nice quiet evening but missed being at Mario’s house and talking until late.

Los Boomwalos

views of San Salvador from Los Boomwalos

pupusa at Los Boomwalos

views of San Salvador from Los Boomwalos

my room at Hotel Citlalli

Steps: 5,826; Miles 2.47. Weather Hi 96°, Lo 68°. Sunny.

Tuesday, March 12: On Tuesday morning, I had a nice breakfast at Hotel Citlalli to fortify myself for another day of exploring.

breakfast at Hotel Citlalli

Cihuatán

Mario picked me up at the hotel and we drove north of San Salvador to Cihuatán, a major pre-Columbian archaeological site in central El Salvador. It was a very large city located in the extreme south of the Mesoamerican cultural area, and has been dated to the Early Post Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology (c. 950–1200 AD).

Between AD 800 and 900, the Maya world was shaken by profound changes which led to the abandonment of many communities. This phenomenon is known as the “Maya collapse.” It was in this panorama of abandonment that Cihuatán was founded as a new city. It was built upon a hill which strategically dominates the great valley of the Acelhuate and Lempa Rivers.

The modest ruins here were once an immense urban area alongside the Rio Guazapa, possibly the largest pre-Columbian city between Guatemala and Peru; its remains cover 290 hectares (716 acres). The builders leveled the entire hilltop for the center of their city. A vast residential zone surrounded the city center. There are surface indications of 5,000 homes. The average number of people per house is unknown, but if the commonly used number of five is applied, this would place Cihuatán’s population at around 25,000.

Cihuatán was the capital of a realm covering the western half of the territory of El Salvador. Although the ethnic identity of the site is unknown, the architectural style of the structures outside of the ceremonial core of the city is recognizably Maya.

Around AD 1200, about 100 to 150 years after it was founded, the city was destroyed by enemies who have yet to be identified. Houses, temples, and the palace were torched, and sacred ceramic sculptures were smashed. A massive fire spread rapidly throughout the city. Excavated evidence indicates that those inhabitants that did not die in the flames fled, abandoning their belongings. Spear points were frequent finds in the burnt layers and human remains were found trapped in drains in the acropolis that dated to the time of the city’s destruction.

Mario showed me the fruit of the morro trees on the site. The seeds are edible and high in protein with a sweet licorice taste. They’re used in Central America to make a kind of horchata. Mario told me the gourd-like fruits are often hollowed out, dried and used as containers for food or drink.

Cihuatán

grounds of Cihuatán

Cihuatán with Main Pyramid in distance

Cihuatán

Cihuatán’s Main Pyramid

morro tree at Cihuatán

huge tree at Cihuatán

Cihuatán

grounds of Cihuatán

Archeological Structures here included:

Circular temple (a possible wind temple)
The Main Pyramid
The Temple of the Idols and Temazcal (sauna)
The Northern Ball Court
Small temple
The Western Ball Court
Temple

We walked all around the Northern Ball Court, excavated by Antonio Sol in 1929. Mesoamerican ball courts were used for the oldest known team game, reaching back to 1400 BC, according to present evidence. While stone markers are famous in the ball courts of Mexico, none have been found in the approximately 25 ball courts in El Salvador.

North Ball Court at Cihuatán

view of the valley from the North Ball Court

North Ball Court at Cihuatán

Me at the North Ball Court at Cihuatán

We climbed the main, and largest, pyramid in Cihuatán, built with blocks of volcanic tuff (field stone, tuff, lava, pumice, and seashells). On its summit was the city’s preeminent temple.

One of the most notable architectural styles of that time is known as “talud-tablero” (slope cornice). In pyramids, the facing of each terrace had a slope (the “talud”), crowned by a cornice (“tablero”). This style originated about 2,000 years ago in the great city of Teotihuacan, Mexico and spread, in many variants, throughout Mesoamerica. In El Salvador, it appeared at around AD900 at Tazumal and here at Cihuatán; this is the southernmost known example of “talud-tablero.”

In all of Mesoamerica, Cihuatán would be the only known city whose main temple was dedicated to Xipe Tótec, “Our Lord the Flayed One.” He was important to warriors and war itself, and part of his celebration involved people wearing human skins taken from sacrificed prisoners of war. It wasn’t surprising he was worshiped considering the strong military emphasis found in this city.

Main Pyramid at Cihuatán

view from atop the Main Pyramic

Mario atop the Main Pyramid at Cihuatán

me atop the Main Pyramid at Cihuatán

view from atop the Main Pyramid at Cihuatán

Main Pyramid at Cihuatán

The original name of the settlement is unknown as it was abandoned three centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards. During the 19th century, the word “Cihuatán” was applied to this sector of what was then a large hacienda called San Diego. It is a term from the Náhuat language and may be translated as “Place Next to the Woman.” This dovetails with modern oral tradition that the jagged peaks of nearby Guazapa Volcano resemble the silhouette of a reclining woman.

Throughout history, civilizations have originated in only 6 regions of the world. Mesoamerica is one of these “pristine civilizations.” The far-reaching territory of Mesoamerica extended from Mexico to Central America, and embraced many different cultural groups which spoke over 100 languages. Over several thousand years important civilizations evolved here, such as the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Zapotec and many others.

Despite their differences, these groups shared many basic features which served to define Mesoamerica, including the ball game, use of cacao as money, and others. The fact that the inhabitants of Mesoamerica shared these features over such an extensive area was due to ancient common roots, intensive commerce, strategic marriages between kingdoms, warfare, the formation of kingdoms, migrations, and other factors.

Archaeological studies have shown that the origin of Mesoamerican civilizations was some 4,000 or 5,000 years ago. It was then that the people of this vast region changed their lifestyle from hunting and gathering to farming and cultivated corn and other domesticated plants. Village life began, with wattle and daub houses and pottery including cooking pots and serving dishes. These peasant villages constituted the foundation for the Mesoamerican civilizations which developed over the following millennia.

Aguilares

We had a fabulous lunch of typical El Salvadoran food at Restaurante Jardin del Sabor, not far from Cihuatán in Aguilares. I enjoyed Rellenos de güisquil, pipianes en crema salvadoreños, and arroz (rice) served with with a fresh melon drink. It may have been one of the most delicious meals I had in El Salvador, although all the food has been good.

In El Salvador “rellenos de papa or güisquil” is made with two thin slices of the vegetable (potato or chayote), stuffed with cheese, wrapped in egg batter, fried and then cooked in tomato sauce. Like a Mexican stuffed poblano pepper, these rellenos are made following the same process.

After leaving Aquilares, we got caught up in another traffic jam in El Paisnal. Mario joked, “People ruin everything!”

Restaurante Jardin del Sabor

Rellenos de güisquil, pipianes en crema salvadoreños, and arroz (rice) served with with a fresh melon drink

square in El Paisnal

After lunch and making our way through El Paisnal, we headed to Joya de Cerén.

Joya de Cerén

Joya de Cerén (Jewel of Cerén in the Spanish language) is an archaeological site in La Libertad Department, El Salvador, featuring a pre-Columbian Maya farming village. It is often referred to as the “Pompeii of the Americas,” in comparison to the famed Ancient Roman ruins. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mario and me at Joya de Cerén

grounds of Joya de Cerén

It was a small Maya settlement that was buried under volcanic ash when the Laguna Caldera Volcano erupted in AD 595. Residents fleeing the eruption left behind a wealth of everyday items that provide clues about ancient plumbing, home building, and food storage. Preserved structures include the village shaman’s house and the temazcal sweat lodge.

One of the main characteristics at Joya de Cerén is the earthen architecture. Building materials like limestone were not available near the Zapotitan Valley.

The shaman’s house and ceremonial center was a divination space where spindle whorls and grinding instruments were found; these objects were strictly for female use in Mesoamerica. Here, rituals related to the corn harvest and fertility were carried out.

A temazcal is a place for purification of body and spirit. It has a flagstone floor with a box of stones in the center; these were heated and a preparation of herbs was poured over the rocks to generate steam.

We found a sauna bath replica, which was “the bath for women after childbirth and other sick people to expel the cold they had in their body.”

Authorities resolved important conflicts and situations in an important community building at the site; this use was suggested by the existence of four niches and two large benches in the front room. In the Mayan culture, this was the distribution of seats for authority.

Strolling around the site, we found a storage area for a family of Mayan farmers. It was built of wattle and daub with a fence at the entrance. Originally, it was built for housing, but it was later modified to store food and everyday objects. The space was also used to process agave and obtain fiber, as a raw material in the production of cords and rope.

We also saw the sleeping and storage area of a family. Three vessels used by inhabitants to serve food were located; one of them still preserves the finger imprints from when family members took and ate the food with their fingers.

The settlement was rich in natural resources and shows an intensive agricultural tradition. There were once extensive areas of manioc, corn, and a great variety of food plants which are a sample of the Mayan diet, rich in vegetables.

Joya de Cerén

After wandering around the grounds, we went into the museum to learn more about the archeological site. Throughout its history, the Zapotitán Valley has been affected by volcanic eruptions that have modified its geography and landscape, influencing its inhabitants directly and causing migrations and constant reoccupation of the territory.

The most relevant eruption was llopango Volcano in 535 AD, which affected most of what today is El Salvador. This eruption caused migrations of populations to the west and north of what is today El Salvador to other Maya areas in Guatemala and Honduras.

Joya de Cerén was established on top of the ash thrown by this eruption.

The village existed for about 150 years when it was covered by another eruption by Loma Caldera volcano approximately in 650 AD, The Late Classic Period. This eruption covered Joya de Cerén under 14 inches of ash.

Thanks to its excellent state of preservation, Joya de Cerén is the only archaeological site in Mesoamerica which shows evidence of the daily practices of peasant communities from pre-Hispanic times to date, through ceramics, architecture on land, the crops, and the knowledge and use of medicinal plants that tell-us about this continuous way of life.

Museum at grounds of Joya de Cerén

sample village

pottery from Joya de Cerén

San Salvador

After our visits to the two archeological sites, we went to Strikers Sports Bar in San Salvador for drinks to kill time before dinner. Neither of us likes sports but we couldn’t find other options. Even on the outdoor patio, huge screens were blasting away sports announcements. We still managed to enjoy margaritas even though we had to yell to talk.

Mario at Strikers Sports Bar

me at Strikers Sports Bar

When it finally was dinner time, we went to The Green House for dinner. We shared a bottle of red wine like in the good old days in Oman. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very pleasant with gardens and plants all around. We had a great time chatting and laughing.

I had the most delicious Avo Shrimp Cobb salad. Mario had a Churrasco Bowl with lettuce, steamed rice, roast beef tenderloin, roasted onions, roasted yellow corn, fresh grilled cheese, roasted cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and house chimichurri.

The Green House

Avo Shrimp Cobb salad with shrimp, cherry tomatoes, grilled corn, fried egg, avocado, feta cheese, honey and bacon

Mario poses at The Green House

It was a great last dinner to share. I would leave for Nicaragua early Thursday morning.

Steps: 7,195; Miles 3.05. Weather Hi 92°, Lo 67°. Sunny.

Playa Costa del Sol

Wednesday, March 13: On my last day in El Salvador, Mario took me for 1 1/2 hours to his favorite beach at Playa Costa del Sol. We got a day pass at Hotel Tesero Beach, a lovely and sprawling hacienda-style hotel punctuated with palm trees. We had a few Modelos and I ate camarones al ajillo (shrimp with garlic) while Mario had calamari rice. The wind was blowing mightily and it was hard to keep our food from blowing away.

After lunch, we sat out by the pool with a swim-up bar and an ocean view. I sat in the shade and tried to read The Woman in the White Kimono, but I had trouble getting into it.

I had a pleasant conversation at the swim-up bar with a woman named Rosana from Jersey (she’s worked for USA Today for over 20 years). She was 55 and was with her El Salvadoran boyfriend. They both agreed Bukele has been great for the country. Rosana wants to retire and move to El Salvador as quickly as possible but she has to wait until she reaches retirement age.

Mario was very quiet; I guess after five days together we were talked out. He went for a walk on the beach and picked up a sand dollar and some kind of seed that looked like an eyeball.

I also chatted with a woman from Colombia and her husband from Costa Rica. Both now lived in New York; they came to El Salvador for vacation before it became too expensive. When I told her I was heading to Nicaragua and then Colombia, she said Bogotá is fabulous, so diverse and international, with many cuisines. She said Medellín was more “iffy.” She warned that we should only go out with a Spanish speaker who knows the neighborhoods, otherwise we could end up somewhere we wouldn’t want to be. Cartagena is fabulous, she said, very colorful.

A flock of pelicans flew low overhead, their shadows gliding over us.

Hotel Tesero Beach at Playa Costa del Sol

Hotel Tesero lobby

Hotel Tesero Beach at Playa Costa del Sol

Mario at Hotel Tesero Beach at Playa Costa del Sol

me at Hotel Tesero Beach at Playa Costa del Sol

my camarones al ajillo (shrimp with garlic)

Hotel Tesero Beach at Playa Costa del Sol

flock of pelicans flying overhead

It seemed an endless day as I am always bored at the beach. It holds little appeal for me anymore. However, in the heat of these Central American countries, it’s hard to get energized to do much more. I guess it makes it awkward if one person loves the beach and the other doesn’t. Most people do love it, and even I used to love it when I was younger. Then, I could easily tan. In my younger days, I loved to lather myself up with baby oil, bake all day, turning myself over back to front like a pig on a spit. As long as I was super tan by the end of the day, that was all that mattered. It was also fun to be with good friends, drinking beer and listening to music on a boom box. I have many fond memories of beach days in Virginia in my teenage years. Later, it got to be a chore, taking the kids and all their sand toys (shovels, dump trucks, pails, etc) to the beach and then reading a book all day while baking under an umbrella.

Now, I rarely tan, no matter what. I don’t have a desire to drink beers all day. I don’t like to swim in the ocean because of sea creatures. I also hate being covered in sand. Dipping into a pool is much more enjoyable, especially if the water is cool and there is a view. I do love a swim-up bar, but I simply don’t drink as much as I used to, nor do I want to.

I asked Mario what he and his ex-wife did when she came to visit and he said basically just go to restaurants to eat and go to the beach. She loves the beach, so they have that in common.

So the day was long and slow and I was happy when Mario said he was ready to leave before 4:00. I happily packed up and we left. It was only about a half-hour drive to my hotel near the airport. The place was rather a dive and not an alluring place to hang out.

Mario dropped me off at Hotel y Restaurante Maria Ofelia on our way back from the beach. After Mario dropped me, he had to continue another two hours to get home. I stayed about 7 minutes from the airport for my early flight Thursday morning to Managua, Nicaragua 🇳🇮.

It was wonderful to spend time with my old friend again after so many years. He was a fantastic host and spent much time entertaining me and driving me all over the country to introduce me to his culture. He told me I was welcome to come back anytime. It is very possible I might as it’s really not far from Nicaragua, which I’ll be visiting often to see the family.

Hotel y Restaurante Maria Ofelia

our journey through El Salvador on Polarsteps

At the hotel, I posted photos and did my Duolingo, and prepared my things for my early flight. In the hotel restaurant, I ate three pupusas and had a beer in the empty restaurant. I read The Woman in the White Kimono and went to sleep.

What a great introduction to the now safe and secure El Salvador where everyone feels like a huge burden of hopelessness has been lifted from their shoulders.

Steps: 5,250; Miles 2.23. Weather Hi 91°, Lo 67°. Sunny.

Leaving El Salvador for Nicaragua

Thursday, March 14: I woke up at 4:45 a.m., took a shower and just missed the 5:30 a.m. shuttle to the airport. I got the 6:00 shuttle, and checked in quickly at the airport. I found an art exhibit at the capital’s new airport, Aeropuerto Internacional Monseñor Romero. The art showed the beautiful landscapes and flowers of El Salvador.

Art exhibit at Aeropuerto Internacional Monseñor Romero

Arrival in Managua, Nicaragua

I arrived at Augusto Cesar Sandino Internacional Aeropuerto at 9:10 a.m., having taken an 8:30 flight from El Salvador. Mike’s and my week-long adventure meeting Adam’s family in Nicaragua was beginning.

visiting mario in el salvador: san salvador volcano, centro historico, tejutepeque, cinquera, & suchitoto {1/2}

wanderessence1025 July 17, 2024

Friday, March 8, 2024: Friday morning, I wrapped up my packing and preparations at home and even had plenty of time to walk 3 miles around Lake Thoreau and the edge of Lake Audubon in Reston. I dropped by AAA to pick up a carry-on bag that fits over the pull-up handle of my suitcase.

Mike dropped me off at Washington Dulles International Airport at 10:30 p.m. for my Saturday morning 1:28 a.m. flight ✈️ on Volaris to San Salvador.

I’d never seen the airport so deserted! I braced myself for an overnight flight during which I’d probably get little to no sleep.

Steps: 15,644; 6.64 miles. Weather Washington: Hi 62°, Lo 43°.

Arrival in San Salvador

Saturday, March 9: I arrived in San Salvador at its new fancy airport at 5:45 a.m. after not sleeping more than two hours all night. The woman in immigration asked me lots of questions in a super friendly & casual way about what I was doing in El Salvador and I told her in my elementary Spanish about visiting my friend Mario who I worked with in Oman over 10 years ago. After the long and chatty immigration interview, the first thing I did was to go in search of a taxi.

I thought there would be a taxi queue at the airport, but instead people were standing around in a random array trying to sell taxi rides. A young Black American guy and I were talking to two taxi drivers and I had one of them call Mario about where I was to be dropped off. I asked Mario if this was safe because people always advise you not to take taxi rides from random taxi drivers at the airport. Mario said it was fine, so when the Black guy, who also seemed a bit unsure about the safety, asked if it was safe, I told him my friend who lives in El Salvador insisted it was. I was quoted $40 (El Salvador uses U.S. dollars); Mario had told me to expect to pay $35, but he said the price might have gone up.

inside El Salvador International Airport

outside El Salvador International Airport

I ended up taking an hour-long taxi drive with friendly Samuel to meet Mario at his sister Sylvia’s house in San Salvador. I chatted with Samuel in my belabored Spanish. Mike called to ask about my flight and I told him it was fine; I’d slept a bit but not much.

Samuel called Mario for exact directions, but it was a residence so he kept driving around in circles until we found Mario on the street. We met at the entrance to Sylvia’s enclosed small neighborhood called Reparto La Sultana. I ran in to use her restroom and met her briefly. She seemed very nice but Mario told me how she drives him crazy, always giving him advice as if he’s a small child. She’s always involved with this group of really old church ladies, Mario told me. Very soon, we took off in Mario’s car.

San Salvador is the capital and largest city of El Salvador, with an estimated population in 2023 of 6.5 million.

San Salvador Volcano

Mario drove us up San Salvador Volcano to have breakfast at a cool and breezy restaurant, Ikatú, with a view of the city. Sadly it was rather hazy so the view wasn’t clear. It didn’t matter though because Mario and I had a lot of catching up to do from the last 10+ years, since I left Oman in June of 2013. We enjoyed the cool mountain breezes while drinking lots of coffee and eating mushroom omelettes, fresh fruit, plantains, and sweet breads. Mostly we fell into easy conversations about our families, our colleagues at the University of Nizwa, and politics. We reminisced about all the crazy experiences we had in Oman.

He talked about how stressful the last year had been taking care of his ex-wife, now best friend, who had cancer. She spent the entire year fighting the cancer with chemo, surgery and other treatments. At that moment she was fine and she had just visited him in El Salvador over Christmas; she came from Newfoundland, where she lives. They talk every night. The doctors told her to expect the cancer to return, so unease lurks at the edges of their lives.

We talked about how much we hate Trump. Mario is in awe of El Salvador’s current president, Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez, who is not really of one political party; he’s worked hard to clean up crime and corruption. Mario says everyone in El Salvador loves him. He told me Bukele gave a speech to CPAC, which he thought was fabulous. Later, I listened to the speech; the speech made my blood boil, considering the audience – a bunch of right wingers in the U.S. Yes, he’s cleaned up crime in El Salvador by throwing gang members into high-security prisons for life; but he’s ignored human rights organizations who fear his overreach. Everyday citizens are happy though because they no longer have to live in fear of being terrorized by gangs.

Breakfast at Ikatú

Ikatú

Mario at Ikatú

me at Ikatú after a long night of no sleep

Mario at Ikatú

After breakfast we drove the rest of the way up the volcano where we climbed endless steps and stood at the mirador, looking out over the huge caldera. Unlike other calderas I’ve seen, it didn’t have water in it. Most of the walkways and buildings were recently built and Mario was as surprised by them as much as I was. Apparently the current leaders of El Salvador have done much to provide stability and attract investment, and are putting El Salvador on the tourist circuit for Central America.

San Salvador Volcano, also known as Quezaltepeque, or El Boquerón, is a stratovolcano northwest of the city of San Salvador. The crater has been nearly filled with a relatively newer edifice, the Boquerón Volcano (formed between 700-1,000 years ago, filling a former caldera). The name in the Nahuatl language translates to “the quetzal’s hill.”

Due to San Salvador’s proximity to the volcano, any geological activity of the volcano, whether eruptive or not, has the potential to result in catastrophic destruction and death to the city.

El Picacho, the prominent peak, is the highest elevation (1960 meters altitude). The other, Boquerón, is 1893m high and has a second cone within its crater – 45 meters high and perfectly symmetrical, formed in 1917. Around 800 years ago the present day crater was formed in a violent explosion. The crater, which gives it the present name (Boquerón means “big mouth” in Spanish) is 1.5km in diameter and 500 meters deep. Within the crater around the upper walls, crops (mostly flowers) are cultivated by locals who live in the volcano.

The most recent eruption in 1917 caused a flank eruption on the volcano along the NW fissure. During the eruption, the crater lake inside the Boquerón evaporated, and a cinder cone appeared, christened “Boqueroncito.”

San Salvador Volcano

Mario at San Salvador Volcano

me at San Salvador Volcano

looking out over San Salvador from the volcano

On the way down the volcano, Mario stopped to buy some fresh avocados 🥑 and mangoes.

San Salvador’s Centro Histórico

We drove down from the volcano to San Salvador’s Centro Histórico. Around the huge square, we saw the National Theater of San Salvador, the Cathedral Metropolitana, Iglesia El Rosario, and the colorful letters spelling “San Salvador.”

The Teatro Nacional de El Salvador was inaugurated in 1917 and renovated in French classical style in the mid 20th century. It sits on the Plaza Libertad, which surrounds the building and is adorned with fountains, statues, and gardens.

Dominating the square is the gleaming and spectacular new Chinese-financed library. According to Le Monde, in November of 2023, Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele inaugurated a new national library, the Binaes, which, like the maximum-security prison CECOT (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo), was called “the largest and most modern in Central America,” open around the clock and every day of the year. Bukele pointed out that these hours of operation were possible “thanks to the security that now reigns in the country” following the incarceration of nearly 75,000 pandilleros (gang members).

The maximum security prison, CECOT, was built in Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador from July 2022 to January 2023 amidst a large-scale gang crackdown. With a capacity for 40,000 inmates, it is the largest prison in Latin America. CECOT – as well as the gang crackdown as a whole – has been the subject of international media attention, receiving praise for the Salvadoran government as well as criticism of alleged human rights violations.

Iglesia El Rosario was sadly closed. It was designed by Ruben Martinez and completed in 1971. It is thought to be one of the finest church in Central America. Its nondescript concrete exterior conceals an arched roof; a rainbow of natural light bathes the altar, metal and rock. The father of Central American independence, Padre Delgado, is buried here.

Catedral Metroplitana faces the revamped Plaza Barrios, the most significant landmark in the city and the resting place of Archbishop Oscar A. Romero. In the early days of the Civil War, Monseñor Romero criticized the government from the pulpit until he was assassinated in 1980 while giving a mass at a nearby hospital. Monseñor Romero’s tomb can be viewed in the crypt below the cathedral.

We never went inside because it was hot and lunchtime.

Plaza Libertad & Teatro Nacional de El Salvador (left corner)

Catedral Metroplitana

the Binaes

Mario with EL SALVADOR sign

Iglesia El Rosario

Plaza Barrios

We ate lunch at the Cuban restaurant Cha•Cha•Cha (El Sabor de la Habana). I enjoyed a cool shrimp 🍤 ceviche with a Pilsener, the local brew of El Salvador. We were serenaded with “20 Anos (Bolero Version)” by Nova Latin Artists and “Guantanamera” by Club Havana Artists. After lunch and a beer, we were too tired to visit the cathedral but we found some lively musicians and people dancing in the square. I said we could come back another day, but alas, we never had time for that.

Finally, we dropped into Mercado Central near San Salvador’s central plaza, which mostly sells clothing and household goods, and met Mario’s half-sister.

Cha•Cha•Cha

Mario at Cha•Cha•Cha

my shrimp ceviche at at Cha•Cha•Cha

Mario’s lunch

Mario at Mercado Central

Lake Ilopango

On the 1 1/2 hour drive from San Salvador to Mario’s home in the hills northeast of the city, we stopped at the beautiful restaurant Ne-Kal for a coffee and shared dessert, Torreja en Almíbar de Limón. From there we had a sweeping view over Lake Ilopango, a crater lake which fills an 8 by 11 km volcanic caldera in central El Salvador. The caldera contains the second largest lake in the country and is immediately east of the capital city, San Salvador. Any surplus water drains via the Jiboa River to the Pacific Ocean. Sadly it was a bit hazy for the view, but Mario said it is a beautiful sight on a clear day.

Ne-Kal

view of Lake Ilopango from Ne-Kal

Tejutepeque

Finally after a long and full day, we arrived in Mario’s hometown of Tejutepeque. We didn’t have time for a walkabout that night, but we hoped to do one on Sunday. We settled into Mario’s house, where I admired his ebullient container gardens and peeked in at the doves and their chicks who had taken roost in some hanging baskets. I relaxed in one of his two hammocks, imbibed in red wine (as we often did in Oman), and nibbled on delicious appetizers of queso cheese cubes, olives and sweet fresh grape tomatoes from his garden. Too bad for Mario that I ate most of them! Mostly we enjoyed a continuation of the long and interesting conversations that we started over 10 years ago in Oman. 🇴🇲

Bienvenidos Tejutepeque

Mario’s house

a house in Tejutepeque

inside Mario’s house

Indoor/outdoor kitchen

Mario’s ebullient gardens

bathroom, shower and sink

Mario’s container gardens

painting of Mario’s father and mother

Mario’s kitchen

Mario’s house

me relaxing in the hammock

delicious appetizers!

Steps: 8,548; Miles 3.62. Weather Hi 95°, Lo 68°. Sunny.

Sunday, March 10: On Sunday morning, we relaxed and had coffee and tamales, and then took a stroll around downtown Tejutepeque, Mario’s hometown. The town was founded in 1847. However it wasn’t granted the title of “town” until 1879. In 1996, it achieved city status after years of development and progress.

Mario knows everyone in town as his mother lived here and he grew up here. Some people wanted him to become mayor because he has good ideas for developing the town. He doesn’t feel he can take on that job because he has his family obligations in Canada. He has ideas to pay artists to paint murals through the town and to join with other towns on a tourist circuit. Others support him but the old mayor didn’t want to entertain any ideas that weren’t his own ideas.

We stopped to talk to several of Mario’s businessmen friends in town. One owns a flourishing restaurant, Rancho La Rueda. They talked of plans for the town. Mario is full of good ideas.

He loves his simple life in Tejutepeque. He relaxes, writes some poetry, takes trips to the beach, which he loves, and has close relationships with his neighbors. He loves nurturing his garden and replenishing it with new plants.

I enjoyed this clean and colorful and tidy little town with its friendly people, and Mario was the perfect host.

Mario’s garden in the morning

Tejutepeque

Rancho La Rueda

Mario in Tejutepeque

Tejutepeque

Cinquera

We stopped in the town of Cinquera, which suffered much in the Civil War (15 October 1979 to 16 January 1992 — 12 years, 3 months and 1 day). Bombings abounded here, destroying everything, and killing a lot of people. Not a single home was left. Cinquera was well populated at that time, but people had to flee to the mountains and abandon everything they had; it was as if people had never lived there.

Three bombs did not explode, and those are displayed at the corner of the local church. The bombs, dropped by the Armed Forces on several cantons of the municipality, weigh 700 and 1,000 pounds.

Current residents, who returned after the war to the town, try to encourage new generations to avoid a war like the one that ended with the signing of the Peace Agreements in 1992.

Cinquera’s town park displays the tail of a helicopter on a concrete column; it is in turn surrounded by a fence. In the irons of the grating, eaten by mold and time, some AK4, M 16, AR15 and Carabina M1 rifles are welded. Now they look old and useless, but during the armed conflict they were used in combat.

The small helicopter was shot down by guerrillas in one of the cantons of the municipality. The rifles were among those left after the signing of the Peace Accords.

The UN reports that the war killed more than 75,000 people between 1979 and 1992, along with approximately 8,000 disappeared persons. Human rights violations, particularly the kidnapping, torture, and murder of suspected FMLN sympathizers by state security forces and paramilitary death squads – were pervasive, according to Wikipedia.

According to Lonely Planet Central America: “The former FMLN stronghold of Cinquera has transformed itself into a successful example of grassroots tourism. The friendly community has initiated a series of projects that have helped it rebound from the horrors of the Civil War. Ex-guerillas share firsthand accounts of the conflict at a War Museum. A little forest park is good for a short hike and waterfall swim and there’s a sustainable iguana farm.”

Cinquera

Cinquera – church with bombs displayaed

me with helicopter in Cinquera

Cinquera

Suchitoto

We didn’t stop long in Cinquera because our main destination was Suchitoto in northern El Salvador. It’s considered the cultural capital of the country. Back in the day when indigo ruled the marketplace and the beautiful Spanish church was packed daily, the town was the pride of the province. The charming town has cobblestone streets, colonial houses, an iconic church, rich cultural traditions, and panoramic views of Lake Suchitlan. Suchitoto is also a bird migration route with over 200 species.

Lake Suchitlan

It’s believed that Yaqui and Pipil people settled in the area some 1,000 years ago. El Salvador’s capital was established near here in the early 16th century. More recently, some of the earliest fighting of the Civil War began in Suchitoto, accompanied by major destruction and emigration. The town has rebounded and is now considered a national tourism spot.

We visited the beautiful Santa Lucia Church ⛪️ built in 1853. This iconic church stands in front of the city’s municipal park. It has an antique wooden interior which has been completely restored over the years. The inside of the church has hand-carved panels, six iconic columns, and antique sculptures.

Santa Lucia Church

interior of Santa Lucia Church

We wandered through the craft market after Mario bought a new plant to add to his garden. Then we went to lunch at Casa 1800, a lively outdoor restaurant with fabulous views over Lake Suchitlan. I had a hen soup, which was mostly broth, potatoes and carrots (not much hen was to be found). And of course we had cold beers on the very hot day.

Mario buys a new plant

plants for sale

Mario in Suchitoto with his new plant

Suchitoto

Suchitoto craft market

mural in Suchitoto

Mario being a hummingbird

me with a winged mural in Suchitoto

Casa 1800

view of ake Suchitlan from Casa 1800

me at Casa 1800

Mario at Casa 1800

After lunch, we drove down to the port of San Juan on Suchitlan Lake; it is an artificial lake that resulted from the construction of the nearby reservoir in 1973. Mario wanted to see about a boat ride to Bird Island but apparently some ill-conceived program had scattered the bird population. We decided to return to Tejutepeque instead.

port of San Juan on Suchitlan Lake

Tejutepeque

When we returned to Tejutepeque, we went for a walk outside of town and through a coffee plantation to an impressive overlook over a deep river valley.

In December of 2021, when Mario and a friend were walking in the valley along the river, they came upon a young man face down in the river. His body was riddled with bullets and he had been dead for 8 days. They called the police and it took some time for the police to arrive and to find the body and to sort out that the man had been a gang member and had been killed by his own gang.

an evening walk from Tejutepeque

the deep valley near Tejutepeque

an evening walk from Tejutepeque

back in Tejutepeque

In the evening, Mario cooked up a delectable shrimp with garlic sauce over rice and we drank white wine and chatted with Mario’s nephew, Ever, who had dropped by for a visit. Ever was supposed to go the wake for a friend’s mother who’d passed away, but he lingered for a long time listening to Mario’s and my stories of Oman.

Steps: 13,907; Miles 5.9. Weather: Hi 95°; Lo 68°. Sunny.

the long road home: 4 days of driving & a sisterly visit

wanderessence1025 July 12, 2024

Albuquerque to Oklahoma City

Sunday, October 29, 2023: This morning, Mike flew home so he could be at work Monday morning and I packed up the car and began my 4-day solo drive home to Virginia.

Mike had taken the Toyota RAV to Jiffy Lube while we were in Albuquerque because the service light came on and he wanted everything to be in order before I drove the four days home starting Sunday morning. At Jiffy Lube they had changed the oil and topped off the air in the tires and rotated them so I should have been set.

Less than an hour after I’d left Albuquerque on I-40, it started sleeting and I looked at the outdoor temperature. It was 29°F degrees and ice was forming on my windshield. Suddenly the tire pressure light came on, so I pulled off at the first stop I could find. There I used the tire gauge and found all four tires had tire pressure of around 35. Of course I was out in the middle of nowhere and no mechanics were to be found on a Sunday, so I continued driving. At the next couple of towns I stopped to look for a Jiffy Lube but none were to be found. Every time I stopped I measured the tire pressure and it hadn’t changed. I figured I would keep stopping and measuring and if nothing changed I’d wait till I got to Oklahoma City or elsewhere to check them. In Amarillo, Texas a Walmart Superstore was open, so I took my car there to have them check the tires. Again, after having driven for 4 hours, the tire pressure was unchanged. The mechanic said maybe the sensor wasn’t working properly, but if I wanted that checked, he’d need to write up a ticket and I’d have to wait a while till they could get to me.

All of this was very time consuming so my trip to Oklahoma City took much longer than I hoped. The wind was blowing so hard when I stopped at a gas station and opened the door, the wind almost blew off the car door! This was my drive today: sleet, wind, fog and grey skies and constant worry about having a flat tire out in the middle of nowhere. Luckily I made it with all tires intact but who knew what the morning would bring.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Oklahoma City, North.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Oklahoma City, North

Steps: 3,643; Miles 1.54. Drove 561.2 miles. Weather Albuquerque: Hi 71°, Lo 28°. Oklahoma City: Hi 40°, Lo 31°. Rain/sleet.

Oklahoma City to Murphysboro, Illlinois

Monday, October 30: It was a long boring drive today, mostly through Oklahoma and Missouri.

After driving two long days from Albuquerque to Oklahoma City and then to Murphysboro, IL, I arrived at my sister Stephanie’s house where we ate sushi she’d bought from Kroger and toasted each other with beers. 🍻

We binge watched several episodes of The White Lotus, which I’d seen but she hadn’t. It was fun to see the miniature Christmas village and the Halloween village she had created, much like what I saw at the Tinkertown Museum in Albuquerque.

Steph’s miniature Halloween village

Steps: 3,462; Miles 1.47. Drove 572.5 miles. Weather Murphysboro, IL: Hi 47°, Lo 24°. Mostly cloudy.

Halloween in Murphysboro, Illlinois

Tuesday, October 31: I spent Halloween day with Steph. We went out for a delicious lunch at Harbaugh’s Cafe (I had a delicious Earthquake sandwich). When the waitress asked which sides I’d like, I said “cottage cheese,” which shocked Stephanie. “Who orders cottage cheese?” she said, shaking her head. Hey, cottage cheese is good for you, or so I hear!

Earthquake sandwich: whole wheat bread, avocado, tomato, fresh slices mushrooms, onion, and melted smoked Gouda cheese; broiled, topped with sprouts and Ranch dressing & Cottage Cheese at Harbaugh’s Cafe

I dragged her shopping with me to maurices, where I bought 3 flannel shirts.

Later we went out to Thai Taste in Carbondale. Steph had decorated her house to the max for Halloween (even though she only gets a few trick-or-treaters) and we’d spent time in the afternoon at Walmart buying Halloween candy that she wouldn’t be tempted to eat after the night was over. However, we were enjoying our couple of beers and our meal so much at Thai Taste that we lost track of time and forgot about the trick-or-treaters. She saw on her security camera (on her phone while we were in the restaurant) one little group of trick-or-treaters ring her doorbell and turn away disappointed. Sadly she was left with all the Halloween candy since we’d missed the little action there was!

me with Steph forgetting all about the trick-or-treaters

Thai Taste

While in the Walmart, we also bought some delicious red velvet cupcakes which we downed when we returned to her house. I couldn’t eat my second one after dinner, so I left it with her, much to her chagrin.

That evening, we watched more episodes of The White Lotus, all except the last episode.

Steps: 5,783; Mi. 2.45. Drove 0 miles. Weather Hi 47°, Low 24°. Sunny.

Murphysboro, Illinois to Abingdon, Virginia

Wednesday, November 1: The next day, I drove 8 hours to Abingdon, VA, mostly through the interminably long Tennessee.

I stayed at Country Inn and Suites by Radisson in Abingdon.

Steps: 2,898; Miles 1.23. Drove 520.4 miles. Weather: Murphysboro Hi 47°, Lo 26°. Abington Hi 41°, Lo 22°.

Abingdon, Virginia to Oakton, Virginia (home at last!)

Thursday, November 2: Finally, I drove another 6 hours on Thursday and finally made it home at 3:20 p.m. after 4 days of driving on my own. My tire pressure light was on for the entire trip, but my tire pressure never changed and I never stopped again to check it after Amarillo, Texas.

Luckily I made it home in time to see the remaining fall foliage.

fall foliage at home

Here’s my Polarsteps map showing my long drive home and our entire Tex-New Mex Road Trip (+ Atlanta).

Tex-New Mex Road Trip (+ Atlanta)

Steps 5,102; Miles 2.16. Drove 344 miles. Weather Abingdon Hi 51°, Lo 24°. Home: Hi 52°, Lo 30°.

two days in albuquerque, new mexico

wanderessence1025 July 10, 2024

Arrival in Albuquerque

Thursday, October 26, 2023: We arrived in Albuquerque too early to check into our Airbnb, so we drove around checking out the old Route 66 signs. We stopped at El Vado Motel, which opened in 1937 and was one of the first to greet Route 66 travelers. The Plaza, an event space in the motel’s courtyard, hosts local musicians and art markets in summer. There is a taproom, small eateries and a coffee shop.

El Vado Motel

Route 66 signs

We then moved into our Airbnb on 11th Street. Sadly, it wasn’t nearly as nice as the Airbnbs we enjoyed in Santa Fe and Taos. We enjoyed vodka tonics and crackers with pimiento cheese next to the fountain on the patio, then we went for dinner at Asian Noodle Bar. We had our usual sake and Sapporo, accompanied by egg rolls. I had Lad Na with Shrimp and Mike had Thai Tom Yum. My fortune cookie revealed this: “We must overcome difficulties rather than be overcome by them.” I find fortunes these days don’t really predict the future but impart some kind of wisdom or advice.

Our Albuquerque Airbnb

courtyard of our Albuquerque Airbnb

Asian Noodle Bar

Mike at Thai Tom Yum (Rice noodles, shrimp, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and fresh cilantro in spicy lemongrass broth)

Lad Na with Shrimp (Sauteed flat rice noodles and broccoli in Thai gravy sauce)

me at Asian Noodle Bar

origami cranes at Asian Noodle Bar

After dinner we drove down by the University of New Mexico and Nob Hill, checking out the Old Route 66 vibes and neon signs.

Route 66 signs at night

Steps: 6,389; Miles: 2.71. Drove 180.4 miles. Weather Albuquerque: Hi 73°, Lo 47°. Sunny.

A hike on Sandia Peak

Friday, October 27: Our first morning in Albuquerque, we drove to the Sandia Peak Tramway, where we were zipped up by Swiss-made cables for 2.7 miles, or 4,000 feet in elevation, to Sandia Crest, the highest point of the Sandia Mountains (10,273 feet). The Tramway takes about 15 minutes and at the top the temperature is about 20 degrees colder than Albuquerque.

view from the Sandia Peak Tramway

We walked along the ridgeline on the Crest Trail (# 130) for about 2 hours and 40 minutes. We saw amazing views of Albuquerque, situated in the Rio Grande basin within the Rio Grande Rift, a zone of faults that has formed basins and ranges from southern Colorado into Mexico. This rift is five miles deep, one of the greatest troughs on earth. It was a gorgeous day for a stunning walk.

The Kiwanis cabin in the photos below was built in the summer of 1936 by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in an architectural style known as the “Rustic Aesthetic.” It was also meant to reflect early Pueblo building traditions. This standard guided the design of many American Park and Recreation buildings in the 1930s. The goal was to create buildings from rough, unfinished local materials which blended with their physical, historical and cultural surroundings.

The crews collected local limestone for construction of both the cabin and the road embankments. Large slabs were made for the cabin by driving two-man crowbars into rock crevices with sledgehammers. One or two men then swung on the bar to crack off flat sections of the soft stone. These were hefted by hand onto the flatbed truck and hauled to the cabin site.

The CCC men learned as they worked. While building the cabin, Forest Service technicians trained the men in masonry skills. As road crews hauled rocks to the site, the young masons sized and shaped the stones by hand before setting them in concrete mortar. Besides the cabin, the men of the CCC improved the Crest and Ellis Loop roads; built bridges and hung miles of telephone lines; planted trees; cleared campgrounds; developed ski runs, towers and lodges; and searched for lost hikers.

view of Albuquerque from Sandia Peak

me on Sandia Peak

Mike on Sandia Peak

Altitude on Sandia Peak

me on Sandia Peak

Crest Trail (# 130)

Altitude at the far end of Sandia Peak

Crest Trail (# 130)

Kiwanis Cabin

inside the Kiwanis Cabin

looking out from the Kiwanis Cabin

Crest Trail (# 130)

Here are some views of our tram ride down the Peak.

view coming down the Sandia Peak Tramway

altitude at the bottom of the Tramway

Tinkertown Museum

After hiking the Sandia Peak trail, we drove to Tinkertown Museum, founded by artist Ross Ward, a carnival and circus painter. The museum features Ward’s hand-carved miniature Old West town (Tinkertown), which he started carving in 1962, as well as a hand-carved 3-ring circus, a collection of antique wedding cake toppers, tools, vintage signs and other oddities. Many of the displays can be brought to life by feeding quarters into slots. Ward built much of the museum building himself, out of more than 50,000 glass bottles held together by concrete.

Tinkertown Museum

Here are a few tidbits from the automated displays at Tinkertown.

Ward was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in February 1998, and, since it was unsafe for him to drive, he began converting his Jeep Cherokee (on display at the museum) into an art piece covered in pennies and bottle caps. Ward passed away from Alzheimer’s disease in 2002 at the age of 62.

Ward’s converted Jeep Cherokee

A film crew from Sopapilla Productions was there talking with employees and Ross Ward’s widow, Carla Ward. They stopped me and wanted to know why I’d come to Tinkertown. I said that as soon as I’d read about it, I was determined to see it when we came to Albuquerque. After we finished walking around the outdoor grounds, we met Carla Ward and Mike took a photo of us together.

outdoors at Tinkertown Museum

odd collections at Tinkertown Museum

How to Be Really Alive!

licensce plates

odd collections at Tinkertown Museum

outdoors at Tinkertown Museum

me outdoors at Tinkertown Museum

outdoors at Tinkertown Museum

me with Carla Ward, the artist’s wife

outdoors at Tinkertown Museum

On our way back to our Airbnb from Tinkertown, we stopped in Cedar Crest to take a few photos of Burger Boy. Apparently it has one of the state’s best chile cheeseburgers, but we didn’t stop for that. The paintings of the founding owner, Green Chili Bill, were done by Ross Ward, the artist who created Tinkertown. Burger Boy also has that Route 66 vibe to it.

mural at Burger Boy

Burger Boy

Tomasita’s

Later, after showering and relaxing a bit at our Airbnb, we went out to dinner at Tomasita’s. Of course, I had to have CHILE RELLENOS, while Mike enjoyed CHALUPAS . It was a great way to end our first day in Albuquerque.

Mike with CHALUPAS (Two crispy corn tortillas topped with refried beans,melted cheese, lettuce, tomato and guacamole)

CHILE RELLENOS (Two New Mexico chiles stuffed with cheese, coated with a bread crumb batter and served with green chile, and refried beans)

me with Chele Rellenos

Steps: 13,379. Miles 5.67. Drove 88.1 miles. Weather (Albuquerque) Hi 73°, Lo 48°. (Sandia Peak Hi 67°, Lo 42°). Sunny.

Old Town Albuquerque

Saturday, October 28: Our second day in Albuquerque, we went to the Old Town after stopping at the Palms Trading Company to peruse the New Mexican silver and turquoise jewelry. The Old Town is a labyrinth of old adobe buildings that are now mostly clothing and souvenir galleries. This day, the New Mexicans were out in force celebrating Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a weeklong celebration from October 28-November 4. We happened to be here on the first day of the celebration, and there was a line of old trucks decorated to the hilt with memorabilia honoring deceased family members. It was a festive atmosphere, and we just happened to luck out being here at this time.

Dia de Los Muertos in Old Town Albuquerque

me in Old Town Albuquerque

Dia de Los Muertos in Old Town Albuquerque

Old Town plaza

Old Town Albuquerque

We visited the San Felipe de Neri Church, established on the west side of the plaza in 1706. When it basically melted in the rainy season of 1792, it was replaced on the north side of the plaza with walls made of adobe-like terrones (sun-dried bricks cut from sod) which are more than 5 feet thick. Masses here are conducted three times a day, once in Spanish.

In the late 19th century, Bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy of Santa Fe added his European touches to the church, including wooden folk Gothic spires. Jesuit priests from Naples added more non-Spanish details.

San Felipe de Neri Church

Albuquerque Museum

After our wanders around Old Town Albuquerque, we went to the Albuquerque Museum. Outdoors in the sculpture garden, we admired the sculptures of “Sonny” Rivera and Betty Sabo, “La Jornada,” which commemorated 400 years since the arrival of the Spanish settlers and their families in what is now New Mexico. Sabo and Rivera worked together to create depictions of a few of the original 400 men (130 of whom brought families), 83 wagons and carts, and over 7,000 stock animals who arrived in New Mexico in 1598.

“La Jornada”

“the Dancer” by Michael A. Naranjo 1990

Inside the museum, we perused the exhibit titled “O’Keeffe and Moore.” The exhibition juxtaposed the works of Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) and Henry Moore (1898-1986), artists who approached Modernism through the use of natural forms. Both artists relocated from urban centers to rural locations with open landscapes. They both amassed vast personal collections of animal skulls, bones, gnarled driftwood, stones and coiled seashells, which inspired some of their most important creations.

Below are some of O’Keeffe’s creations.

“Spring” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1948

“Pedernal” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1941

“Purple HIlls” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1935

“Back of Marie’s No. 4” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1931

“Hills Before Taos” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1930

“Storm Cloud, Lake George” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1923

“Black Place II” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1945

“Cliffs Beyond Abiquiú, Dry Waterfall” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1943

“Canyon Country, White and Brown Cliffs” by Georgia O’Keeffe, c. 1965

“From the River – Pale” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1959

“Grey Cross with Blue” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1929

“Red Hills and Bones” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1941

“In the Patio I” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1946

“Mule’s Skull with Pink Poinsettia” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1936

“Ram’s Head, Blue Morning Glory” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1938

“Pelvis IV” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1944

“Pelvis with Distance” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1943

“Calla Lilly in Tall Glass No 2” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1932

“Mask with Golden Apple” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1923

“Feather and Brown Leaf” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1935

“Series I White & Blue Flower Shapes” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1919

“Alligator Pears” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1923

“Red Hill and White Shell” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1938

“Pink Shell with Seaweed” by Georgia O’Keeffe, ca. 1938

“Clam Shell” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1930

“The White Flower (White Trumpet Flower) by Georgia O’Keeffe 1932

“Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. 111” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1930

“Red Cannas” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1927

“Autumn Leaves – Lake George NY” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1924

“Leaf Motif No. 2” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1924

“White Iris” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1930

“Canna Leaves” by Georgia O’Keeffe 1925

Henry Moore’s sculptures were interspersed throughout the gallery.

“Reclining Figure” by Henry Moore 1959-64

“Mother and Child” by Henry Moore 1978

“Two Piece Reclining Figure: Armless” by Henry Moore 1975

“Working Model for Mirror Knife Edge” by Henry Moore 1976

“Working Model for Three Piece No. 3: Vertebrae” by Henry Moore 1968

“Working Model for Reclining Figure: Hand” by Henry Moore 1978

“Thin Reclining Figure” by Henry Moore 1979-80

“Working Model for Upright Internal/External Form” by Henry Moore 1951

At the heart of the exhibit were recreations of both artists’ studios, featuring their original found objects, furnishings and tools.

I was fascinated by the recreation of Georgia O’Keeffe’s studio at Ghost Ranch, about 60 miles from Santa Fe, using the original furnishings and objects from her studio from around 1946. She began regular visits to New Mexico in 1929 and acquired Ghost Ranch in 1940. In 1945, she acquired her other home and studio in Abiquiú, about 15 miles from Ghost Ranch. She settled there permanently in 1949 and for decades lived and worked seasonally in both Ghost Ranch (summer and autumn) and Abiquiú (winter and spring). For more about the artist’s Abiquiú home, you can see my earlier post: the landscapes of georgia o’keeffe.

recreation of Georgia O’Keeffe’s studio

Below are some photos of the recreation of Henry Moore’s studio. Moore settled in Hoglands, a farmhouse partially dating to the 15th century, surrounded by sheep fields in Perry Green, a tiny hamlet an hour from London in rural Hertfordshire. This became his home during the Blitz in 1941 and he remained there until his death in 1986. There Moore maintained several studios, most converted from agricultural sheds or barns, one for each medium of his working practice: a drawing studio; a carving studio; a graphics studio; an enlargement studio; the Plastic Studio for working on plasters in natural light; the Top Studio, which was used for his pre-1970s work – patination of bronzes and photography; and finally the Bourne Maquette Studio, named for the creek that wound through the grounds. It was this last studio, where Moore worked routinely from the 1970s and where he housed his collection of found objects and plaster maquettes, that was created here with its original contents.

recreation of Henry Moore’s studio

The two artists met only once that is documented, during Moore’s solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in December 1946. O’Keeffe’s solo exhibition had taken place there in May of that same year.

Although many critics and observers over the years have suggested that many of O’Keeffe’s paintings were sexual in nature, O’Keeffe didn’t care for his interpretation and vehemently denied she had any intention of depicting the female anatomy.

There were other permanent exhibits at the museum. We especially enjoyed “Common Ground: Art in New Mexico.” It relates continuities in the southwest from Native American traditions to European aesthetics from colonial Spanish and Mexican settlers, to diverse contemporary aesthetic explorations.

In the photo gallery below, the painting “My Three Fates” by Dorothy Brett shows three women at a kitchen table who represent Mabel Dodge Luhan, Frieda Lawrence, and a self portrait of Dorothy Brett (the artist). Outside sitting against a tree is English writer D.H. Lawrence, who visited Taos first in 1923 at the invitation of Mabel Dodge Luhan and returned to London to recruit friends to move to Taos. Dorothy Brett was the only person, besides Lawrence’s wife Frieda, who took up the invitation to create a utopian society he called “Ranamin.”

“Pueblo Moonlight” by Howard Norton Cook 1927

“Hot Country” by Elmer Schooley 1983-85

“A New Mexico Procession” by Jerry West 1983

“Studio Bay with View of Taos Pueblo” by Robert Ellis 1974

“Ampurias” by Clinton Adams 1990

“Khwee…Seng” by Nora Naranjo Morse 1991

“Juarez” by Elaine de Kooning 1959

“Joeenie (The Sun)” by Sheldon Harvey 2010

“El Crepúsculo” by Frank McCulloch

“A Shower in a Dry Year” by Peter Hurd 1969

“Common Ground: Art in New Mexico”

“New Mexico Landscape” by Carl Von Hassler 1920

“Portrait in a White Suit” by Fritz Scholder 1983

“Pueblo Woman of Taos” by Oscar E. Berninghaus 1925

“Pueblo Girl (Juanita)” by Emil Bisttram 1934

“Star Road and White Sun” by Ernest L. Blumenschein 1920

“Artist in Studio” by T.C. Cannon 1975

“My Three Fates” by Dorothy Brett 1958

“Common Ground: Art in New Mexico”

“Only in Albuquerque” at the Albuquerque Art Museum

“Reredo” by Monica Sosaya Halford 1982

Random Albuquerque

We returned to the Old Town to do some more shopping. We continued to enjoy scenes of Día de Los Muertos.

Old Town Albuquerque

We took a drive to capture more of the Route 66 vintage signs along the old road.

The last photo is the KiMo Theatre. From its website: “The KiMo Theatre, a Pueblo Deco picture palace, opened on September 19, 1927. Pueblo Deco was a flamboyant, short-lived architectural style that fused the spirit of the Native American cultures of the Southwest with the exuberance of Art Deco. Pueblo Deco appeared at a time when movie-mad communities were constructing film palaces based on exotic models such as Moorish mosques and Chinese pavilions.”

Signs along the old Route 66

wall of signs along the old Route 66

Route 66 Diner

KiMo Theatre

For our last meal in Albuquerque, we went to Duran’s Central Pharmacy and sat on the swiveling diner stools for Duran’s Green Chile Cheeseburgers. What a classic place to end our time in New Mexico.

Duran’s Central Pharmacy

Mike at Duran’s Central Pharmacy

me at Duran’s Central Pharmacy

Duran’s Green Chile Cheeseburger

Dinner at Duran’s Central Pharmacy

Duran’s Green Chile Cheeseburger

Whichever bathroom

Duran’s Central Pharmacy

After our dinner at Duran Central Pharmacy, Mike took a walk on his own around our Albuquerque neighborhood and took some pictures in the beautiful waning light.

our Albuquerque neighborhood

The next morning, Mike would fly home so he could be at work Monday morning and I packed up the Toyota RAV to begin my four day solo drive home.

Steps: 5,620. Miles 2.38. Drove 12.7 miles. Weather Hi 74°, Low 42°. Sunny.

the high road from taos

wanderessence1025 July 3, 2024

Thursday, October 26, 2023: On Thursday morning, we started to make our way to Albuquerque, where we would stay 3 nights before Mike would fly home to Virginia. We took the High Road from Taos, a string of villages where Spanish heritage in New Mexico is most evident. Residents along this road have ancestors who settled in these towns during the 18th century.

We started by driving one more time to the end of our Taos neighborhood to see if we could see the Rio Grande Gorge in better light, but alas, it seemed the sun must be directly overhead to see it without shadows. We passed adobe houses that I could only dream of owning, if Mike and I could ever agree on where we’d like to settle in retirement.

Adobe houses in Ranchos de Taos

Taos Valley Overlook

Once underway, we took a short detour to Sipapu, an inexpensive ski resort, where we captured views from some roadside overlooks. We drove through Peñasco and Picurís Pueblo, and finally stopped briefly in Las Trampas (settled in 1751) to see the San José de Gracia Church (built 1760-1776), an example of New Mexican village church architecture and a National Historic Landmark. Vertical bell towers frame its thick adobe walls. Parishioners periodically re-mud the adobe walls, which are as much as six feet thick.

overlook near Sipapu

San José de Gracia Church

Next stop on the High Road was Truchas, where we found, tucked in a small plaza off the main street, the Nuestra Señora del Rosario de las Truchas Church, built in 1764.

overlook on the way to Truchas

Nuestra Señora del Rosario de las Truchas Church

We stopped for views near Córdova, originally named Pueblo Quemado after a nearly burned-out Indian Pueblo, which was permanently resettled in 1750 after Indian attacks.

viewpoint near Córdova

We made a stop at the highlight of the High Road from Taos: Chimayó. It was lunchtime so we went to Rancho de Chimayó Restaurante, where we sat inside the old adobe home and shared a bowl of green chile soup and a salad. We imbibed in some kind of non-alcoholic pink frozen drink.

I also bought a couple of pairs of earrings made by Native Americans. 😍😍

Rancho de Chimayó Restaurante

me at Rancho de Chimayó Restaurante

Rancho de Chimayó Restaurante

The village of Chimayó was founded in the early 18th century, soon after the reconquest of New Mexico. The village surrounded a defensible plaza, much like other traditional villages.

El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site. The pilgrimage tradition began in 1945 as a commemoration of the Bataan Death March. Before that, in 1814, it had a reputation as a miraculous spot where a local farmer, Bernardo Abeyta, is said to have dug up a glowing crucifix; the carved wood figure was placed at the altar of the adobe chapel built in 1816.

The chapel is noteworthy for its six-foot crucifix and healing dirt. In the sanctuary complex is a small antechamber that holds el pocito, the little hole where the glowing crucifix was supposedly dug up. From this pit, people can scoop up a small portion of the exposed red earth to apply to ailing parts of the body. The parish apparently refreshes the dirt each year with new dirt blessed by the priests. The adjacent room holds abandoned crutches, prayers and handwritten testimonials.

The wife of a couple in front of us was digging up some soil for her skeptical husband who didn’t believe the dirt could cure his cancer. She told him to have faith, after all, how could it hurt?

Chimayó

El Santuario de Chimayó

grotto at El Santuario de Chimayó

El Santuario de Chimayó

mural at El Santuario de Chimayó

El Santuario de Chimayó

Nineteenth-century santeros (people who make religious images) created the unique religious folk art in the altar screens. Modern-day santeros added large santos (saints) in the chapel. Sadly absolutely no photography was allowed inside the church, but I was able to buy a few postcards which pictured the interior.

We also perused the Virgil Store, a kind of trading post, and went into the beautiful Santo Niño de Atocha Chapel, built in 1857.

Virgil Store

another store in town

Santo Niño de Atocha Chapel

Finally, we made our way to Albuquerque, arriving around 3:30 p.m.

Steps: 6,389; Miles 2.71. Drove 180.4 miles. Weather (Taos): Hi 66°, Lo 32°. (Albuquerque: Hi 73°, Lo 47°)

Travel

the june cocktail hour: a week-long visit to atlanta, concerts & summer yummers

wanderessence1025 June 30, 2024

June 30, 2024: Welcome, welcome to our June cocktail hour! I’m so happy you’ve dropped by. It’s the perfect time of year to have drinks on our screened-in porch, although the latter part of June has been super hot. The entire East Coast has been hit with a heat wave that is not fooling around. It’s the time of year where I prefer to stay indoors!

I can offer you some chilled Prosecco or Cava, or any wine of your choice. Mike can make a delicious Vodka Tonic with fresh chunks of peaches. Or we can offer a Michelob Ultra or Hop Slam. I can also offer sodas or seltzer water of various flavors. Salud!

How is your year going so far? Have you read any good books, seen any good movies, binge-watched any television series? Have you planned any adventures or had any spring getaways? Have you dreamed any dreams? Gone to any exotic restaurants, cooked any new dishes? Have you been surprised by anything in life? Have you enjoyed the simple things 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?

We started June by taking a trip to Atlanta to visit Alex, Jandira and little Allie. We haven’t seen our granddaughter except through photos and videos since she was born in October and then for a few days at Christmas. As of June 5, she was 8 months old. It was fun to see how much she’d changed.

On our way to Atlanta, we stopped in Greenville, South Carolina, an adorable town about 8 hours southwest along our driving route. We ate at Society Sandwich Bar and then walked around Falls Park on the Reedy.

Society Sandwich Bar in Greenville, SC

Mike at Society Sandwich Bar

me at Society Sandwich Bar

delicious ramen at Society Sandwich Bar

Greenville, SC

me in Greenville, SC

Greenville, SC

Mike in Greenville, SC

Mike does what he loves best – riding a bike in Greenville

Falls Park on the Reedy

Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, SC

Arriving in Atlanta on Monday around noon, we went immediately to visit Alex and Allie in their new apartment in Midtown Atlanta. When our Airbnb near Piedmont Park was available, we checked in and settled in. Mike worked remotely for several hours and I relaxed until it was time to meet the family at Atlantic Station, where we had a lovely dinner at Azotea Cantina. We strolled around Atlantic Station on a cool and breezy evening.

Meeting 8-month-old Allie

Mike reads Allie a book

Alex feeds Allie

the sleeping Allie

Mike at Azotea Cantina

Jandira and me at Azotea Cantina

Mike and Alex at Azotea Cantina

Jandira, Alex, me and Allie at Atlantic Station

me with Allie at Atlantic Station

Allie, Alex and Jandira

Mike makes faces at Allie

Luckily our Airbnb was within walking distance of the Atlanta Beltline, so we went for a walk on one section of it on Tuesday morning. We walked through Ponce City Market. Later that evening, we played a game of Catan at Alex and Jandira’s apartment and ordered take-out pizza.

a morning walk by Ponce City Market

me at Ponce City Market

our game of Catan

On Wednesday, I offered to babysit Allie, so I spent the whole day at the apartment while Alex worked remotely in his office. I pushed Allie in her stroller around the apartment complex and the pool until she fell asleep; I was then able to enjoy some quiet time while she napped. Later we walked around the rooftop and I played with her until Mike came by at 2:00 to give me some relief.

babysitting duty

Mike holding the sleeping baby

sound asleep – as long as she’s being held!

On Thursday, I drove two hours to Columbus, Georgia to visit my youngest brother, Robbie, and we had lunch at a Vietnamese Restaurant. After driving back to Atlanta, in the evening, we ordered take-out sushi and played the tiniest game of Chinese Checkers ever and then a game of Code Names in our Airbnb.

Alex makes moves in Chinese Checkers while feeding Allie

Jandira playing Chinese Checkers in our Airbnb

On Friday afternoon, Jandira’s work team was doing a team-building exercise by hiking at Kennesaw Mountain. Mike and I decided it would be helpful if they had a child carrier for the hike, so we went to REI and bought a new child carrier for them. We stopped at Mike’s friend Paul’s new home nearby (he and his wife Theresa were moving in that day), and then took the child carrier to Alex. The family went on their hike and relaxed at their home in the evening while Mike and I went out to eat southern home cooking at Mary Mac’s Tea Room.

a morning walk on the Beltline

mural on the Beltline

getting a child carrier at REI

Jandira and Alex hiking with the new baby carrier

Theresa, Paul and Mike at their new Atlanta house

Mike at our Airbnb on our way to Mary Mac’s Tea Room

me with Gibson at the Airbnb in Midtown Atlanta on our way to Mary Mac’s Tea Room

me at Mary Mac’s Tea Room

Saturday morning, Mike and I visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. After, we met the family for lunch at Krog Street Market. We all strolled along another stretch of the Beltline. Saturday night, Mike and I did babysitting duty while Alex and Jandira went out for a game of pool and to enjoy some time to themselves. Allie had been mellow and easy for most of our visit, but she was cranky and tired; she wouldn’t go to sleep. She was rather inconsolable without her parents. It was tough for me; I had enough problems raising my own children and found myself counting the minutes until the parents returned home!

Mike at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum

me at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum

oval office at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum

books by Jimmy Carter

portrait of Jimmy Carter

Nobel Peace Prize at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum

Allie asleep at Krog Street Market

lunch at Krog Street Market

Mike plays with Allie at Krog Street Market

Jandira and Allie at Krog Street Market

the movie star Allie

Allie and Mike

sculpture along the Beltline near Krog Street Market

lion sculpture on the Beltline near Krog Street Market

Mike does babysitting duty with a cranky Allie

wild-haired Allie and Mike

Sunday morning, we visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden, where we especially enjoyed “Alice’s Wonderland Returns.” In the afternoon we had some soaking time with the family at their apartment pool complex.

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Alice’s Wonderland Returns

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Cheshire Cat in Alice’s Wonderland Returns

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Alice’s Wonderland Returns

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Alice’s Wonderland Returns

Mike and me at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

pitcher plants at Atlanta Botanical Garden

orchids at Atlanta Botanical Garden

Mike at Atlanta Botanical Garden

Atlanta Botanical Garden

“Shaggy Dog” at Atlanta Botanical Garden

“Earth Goddess” at Atlanta Botanical Garden

Allie ready for pool time

Allie, Alex and Mike during pool time

Allie and Mom during pool time

Jandira and Allie

Finally, Sunday night, we met the family at Cattahoochee Food Works where we had dinner together.

Mike and Allie at Cattahoochee Food Works

me at Cattahoochee Food Works

Mike at Cattahoochee Food Works

Monday we drove straight home from Atlanta to home in Virginia, about a 10+ hour drive. We drove the longer but less trafficked route through Chattanooga and Knoxville. We stopped at a Buc’ee’s for gas and snacks.

We found out while we were in Atlanta that the intense TV series we’d been watching, Okkupert (Occupied), was due to be taken off of Netflix by June 29. We had a lot of episodes to finish watching of the 3-season series, so we spent every night since we got home watching episode after episode. It’s a fabulous near-future story in which Russia occupies Norway to ensure it keeps supplying the EU with oil despite popular Norwegian Prime Minister Jesper Berg’s determination to shut down oil production and switch the country’s energy production to the more climate-friendly Thorium. With many layers of political intrigue, including assassinations and terror attacks, it is a multi-layered examination of what actually could happen in the near future. We finally finished it at the end of June, just in time!

I continued walking, rowing and doing yoga. I managed to complete 250,000km of rowing at RowHouse, a milestone for me. I was depressed to find out that my favorite yoga teacher is reducing her classes to every other week. The other yoga teachers all insist on doing yoga for an entire 75-minute session, while I enjoy winding down and having a nice long savasana, also known as corpse pose, for at least the last 1o minutes of practice. Savasana allows me to integrate the wisdom of yoga practice through deep mind-body relaxation and Susan often allows time for this pose at the end of her sessions. Now that she’s reducing her classes to every-other week, I will have to find another class to do every other Wednesday.

Adam sent us a picture of little Mikey in Nicaragua, now a month old.

me with Coach Ethan at RowHouse at my 250K milestone

Adam’s little Mike at 1 month old

I took Mike out to Nue Vietnamese for a Father’s Day dinner. It was quite a lovely evening and the food was good but super expensive (not worth the prices!). Sunday, on actual Father’s Day, we did an old-fashioned hamburger/corn-on-the-cob/baked beans dinner on the grill with Mike’s sister Barb.

Big Mike on the day before Father’s Day

Mike at Nue Vietnamese

me at Nue Vietnamese

Nue Vietnamese

me outside of Nue Vietnamese

me on our deck for Father’s Day cookout

our Father’s Day cookout

I voted in the Democratic Primary on Tuesday, the 18th. There wasn’t much choice on the Democratic ballot for our 11th district of Virginia, but Gerry Connolly is the most progressive of the two candidates; he got my vote and the nomination. I was happy to have done my small part.

On the 20th, Mike and I had a lovely sushi dinner at Ginger Thai and then went to Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts to see Wilco in concert. The concert was sold out to a relatively subdued crowd on a hot full moon night. I had caught some of Wilco’s music at various locations using my Shazam App, but I wasn’t that familiar with the 1994 Chicago-based band described as such: Wilco’s musical style has evolved from a 1990s country rock sound to a current “eclectic indie rock collective that touches on many eras and genres.” Many people there – mostly a crowd younger than us – knew all the words to the songs. I loved it at one point when one of the fans yelled, “We love you!” Lead and only singer Jeff Tweedy replied sheepishly, “Thank you for loving us!” Cute.

me with “I VOTED” sticker

Ginger Thai

Mike at Ginger Thai

sushi at Ginger Thai

me with Mike at Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts

Wilco and Cut Worms tickets

Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts

me at Wolf Trap

Mike at Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts

Wilco

On the 20th, Adam also flew back to the U.S. from Nicaragua for the first time in four years. He got offered a chance to do a job getting signatures on various petitions and wanted to raise some money for the family in Nicaragua. He’ll be working for a month or two, and hopefully we will see him at the end of his time here. We haven’t seen him yet except by WhatsApp.

We went to Cinema Arts Theatre on the 22nd to see the movie Treasure, in which a Jewish father Edek, a Holocaust survivor, and his daughter Ruth, an American journalist – both from New York – take a trip to visit Poland in 1991; Ruth wants to see the places where her father grew up, the old family business; she also wants to go with her father to the Auschwitz death camp. Edek, feeling overwhelmed by the whole endeavor, tries to sabotage the trip, making for some funny scenes. There are also some very moving and heartbreaking scenes about reckoning with Edek’s horrific Holocaust memories. We enjoyed the movie and then had Indian food at Bollywood Bistro after. On the last day of the month, we saw the entertaining movie Thelma, about a 93-year-old grandmother who gets scammed out of $10,000 and goes on a quest to catch the perpetrators and recover her money.

I couldn’t stomach watching the debate between Biden and Trump on the 27th, but I read plenty to know that Trump lied relentlessly and steamrolled over Biden. Also, Biden didn’t assuage people’s concerns about his age but made people doubt his capabilities of doing the job for another 4 years. If elected, he would end his presidential term at age 86. How did we end up with these two old men, one who is a liar and a horrible person (Trump of course), and one who is kind and compassionate and has done a lot for the country but is simply too old now? What a mess this country is in. I can’t help but feel like we are doomed.

Bollywood Bistro

Mike going into Bollywood Bistro

me in Bollywood Bistro

my delicious Malai Kofta at Bollywood Bistro

On Friday, the 28th, we went out for Nepali food (since we’d just had Indian food the previous weekend) and then back to Wolf Trap to see Shreya Ghoshal – All Hearts Tour. Ghoshal is one of Bollywood’s music megastars with a repertoire of over 3,000 songs in 300 films. Here’s one song of hers, “Yeh Ishq Hai” from the movie Jab We Met. Shreya Ghoshal is the singer, not the actor.

We were some of a few handfuls of Anglos in a crowd of nearly 7,000 mostly Indians. As I love Indian textiles, I enjoyed watching all the women decked out in their colorful saris and tunics.

me at Royal Nepal Bistro

Mike at Royal Nepal Bistro

Momos at Royal Nepal Bistro

Royal Nepal Bistro

me at Wolf Trap for Shreya Ghoshal concert

Mike at Wolf Trap

Shreya Ghoshal “All Hearts Tour”

Here is a short video of some of the songs from the concert. I don’t know who the man was who sung on his own and with Ghoshal.

Hearing all those songs took me back to the time when I was enthralled by Bollywood movies and back to the trip I took to India for 3 weeks with my friend Jayne in March of 2011.

me on the Princess Diana bench at the Taj Mahal in 2011

Taj Mahal, March 2011

Jayne and me in Agra

me in a tuk tuk

me with Jayne in Jaipur

Finally, I read 7 books this month, bringing my total up to 26/52, with my favorites being The Paradise Guest House by Ellen Sussman, All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami, and The Way of the 88 Temples: Journeys on the Shikoku Pilgrimage by Robert C. Sibley.

I hope you’ll share how the year is panning out for you, and what plans you have for the summer.

a perfect birthday in taos, new mexico

wanderessence1025 June 26, 2024

Arrival in Taos

Tuesday, October 24, 2023: We arrived at our outstanding Airbnb in Taos, an adobe casita attached to the host’s house, late Tuesday afternoon. We made vodka tonics, assembled snacks and sat outside on the private patio, walled off for guests only.

What a fabulous place! It was a big open room with a partial textured glass partition between the living room and bedroom. Apparently it was once a potter’s studio. It had a wood-burning stove with a stash of wood which Mike had to figure out how to use. It was set in the high desert landscape of Ranchos de Taos. Although I loved the casita in Santa Fe (especially the hot tub), this one was even nicer with its New Mexican aesthetic.

our Taos casita

our Taos casita attached to the main house

our Taos casita

Mike at our Taos casita

me at our Taos casita

our neighborhood in Ranchos de Taos

Our first night in Taos we went to Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe. It was a charming and colorful cafe with a line of people waiting; luckily the line wasn’t too long. We each had wine and I finally had my favorite Mexican dish that I order whenever I can, Chili Rellenos: two green chilis stuffed with Jack cheese , breaded and deep fried. Topped with choice of chili and cheese. Served with beans and posole.

The perfect way to begin our short stay in Taos.

Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe

Mike at Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe

Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe

me at Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe

Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe

Chili Rellenos

Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe

me with Mike at Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe

back at our cozy casita

San Francisco de Asis Church

Wednesday, October 25: The first stop on our one-day exploration of Taos was the San Francisco de Asis Church, completed in the early 19th century as a Franciscan mission. It sits in the middle of a quiet plaza ringed with adobe buildings and trees that cast artistic shadows over the doorway. As with every adobe structure, it must be refinished every year with a mixture of clay, sand and straw. It is then coated with a fine layer of water and sand, and buffed with sheepskin. This process is called enjarre.

Inside, the whitewashed walls hold the stations of the cross. Two Spanish Colonial reredos ( large altarpieces, screens, or decorations placed behind the altar in a church) decorate the altars.

This church has been used by artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams as subject matter for paintings and photographs.

driving out of our neighborhood in Ranchos de Taos

home in Ranchos de Taos

San Francisco de Asis Church

Río Grande Gorge

After visiting the mission church, we drove out west of Taos to the Río Grande Gorge, also called the Taos Gorge. It plummets 800 feet down into a shadowy basalt canyon as the river cuts through it. Besides the rushing water, seismic activity has also caused this rift in the earth’s surface. The crack extends north to just over the Colorado state line and south nearly to Española.

The bridge that spans the gorge was built in 1965. At that time there was no highway on the western side so it was referred to as the “bridge to nowhere.” Still, the American Institute of Steel Construction awarded it the “Most Beautiful Steel Bridge” in 1966. At 650 feet above the water, the cantilever truss was an amazing engineering feat. Today it is still the 7th highest bridge in the U.S.

Río Grande Gorge

bridge at Río Grande Gorge

Río Grande Gorge

bridge over Río Grande Gorge

Greater World Earthship Development

Of course, we had to stop by the Greater World Earthship Development visitor’s center since we were only a mile away after crossing the Rio Grande Gorge. I was curious to see it as our son Adam had spent some time here after going to Australia for a permaculture course soon after high school. Mike and I took the self-guided tour of the model of the basic Earthships: modular, low-priced homes that function entirely on collected rainwater and wind and solar power. The walls, usually built into hillsides, are stacked used tires packed with earth, while stacked bottles filled with cement, and crushed aluminum form the front walls. This architecture was developed in the late 20th- to early 21st-century by architect Michael Reynolds. Earthships are designed to withstand the extreme temperatures of a desert, managing to stay close to 70 °F (21 °C) regardless of outside weather conditions. They are designed to be “off-the-grid-ready” homes with minimal reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels.

We could only visit the model home and drive along the highway to see the Earthships from afar. The rest of the community is closed off to visitors unless they want to rent an Earthship for a night.

Greater World Earthship Development

Taos Pueblo

We visited Taos Pueblo, a village with two clusters of multistory mud-brick buildings at its core. Its claim to fame is that it, along with Acoma Pueblo, is the oldest continually inhabited community in the U.S. The current buildings are from the 1200s and are annually repaired and re-coated with mud. About 150 people (out of the community of around 1,900 residents of Taos Reservation) live here year-round. The town is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The homes, stacked upon each other and reached by wooden ladders, have no electricity or running water.

Taos Pueblo

me at Taos Pueblo

Taos Pueblo

Mike at Taos Pueblo

me at Taos Pueblo

Taos Pueblo

Mike at Taos Pueblo

Taos Pueblo

shop/home at Taos Pueblo

We wandered around and into some of the craft shops here. Mostly we loved taking photos of the picturesque village and especially the San Geronimo Church, built in 1850, which replaced the first mission the Spanish built in 1619, using forced Indian labor. The picturesque whitewashed gate to the church is a favorite subject for paintings and photographs. Absolutely no photography was allowed inside the colorful church, sadly.

San Geronimo Church

door of San Geronimo Church

San Geronimo Church

building next to San Geronimo Church

San Geronimo Church

horses near Taos Pueblo

Taos Plaza

We spent a couple of hours at Taos Plaza where I did a little shopping for my birthday. 😍😍

Taos Plaza is the center of Taos, with many touristy shops selling Northern New Mexico foods and cultural items, including products made in Taos: chile ristras (strung pods of dried red chiles that are displayed near arches, doors and windows all over New Mexico), packaged food items, Southwestern jewelry, pottery, clothing, leather work, and Native American moccasins and drums.

Taos Plaza was established in 1615 but then destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. New homes were built in 1710 but before long, fires gutted the block-style buildings. Now the structures that line the plaza are from around 1930.

Taos Plaza and the Taos Pueblo were the terminal points of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, or King’s Highway, from Mexico City.

Taos Plaza served for decades as the central meeting place in the valley and survived numerous fires that destroyed several older buildings.

We walked into the Hotel La Fonda de Taos, the smaller and older version of La Fonda in Santa Fe. We also found colorful murals in the town.

Homeland Security: Fighting Terrorism Since 1492

Hotel La Fonda de Taos

Taos Plaza

shop at Taos Plaza

me after a birthday shopping spree

mural near Taos Plaza

Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

I’d been interested in seeing Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house in Taos ever since I saw the 2009 TV movie Georgia O’Keeffe. Mabel Dodge (1879-1962) was a free-thinking woman who was a patron of the arts and held art salons in Greenwich Village, New York City and Florence, Italy. She followed her third husband to Taos in 1916. Eventually she got married again, to Taos Pueblo member Tony Luhan, and invited many famous artists to stay in her cobbled together house, where they thrived in their artistic pursuits. Her guests included novelist D. H. Lawrence, Greta Garbo, Willa Cather, photographer Ansel Adams, artist Georgia O’Keeffe, poet Robinson Jeffers, and psychiatrist Carl Jung.

Today the house operates as a hotel and retreat and it was closed for a special event when we visited. Sadly we couldn’t go inside, but we were able to walk around the grounds. I could almost feel the creative spirit wafting about in the air at this fabled place.

Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

birdhouses at Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

door at Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

birdhouses at Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

porch at Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

grill at Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

We drove to the end of the road where our Airbnb was situated and found the Río Grande Gorge Recreation Area: Taos Valley Overlook. Sadly the shadows in the canyon made photography difficult.

Río Grande Gorge Recreation Area: Taos Valley Overlook

The Love Apple

To celebrate my 68th birthday, we went to The Love Apple in Taos. Frank, the guide at the Georgia O’Keeffe house, had recommended it to Mike, who was looking for somewhere nice to take me. The Love Apple, or La pomme d’amour, emphasizes local, organic home cooking.

The restaurant is housed in what was once known as the Placitas Chapel. This little Catholic church was built around the 1800s and was in operation for 100 years.

We sat outside, but it wasn’t too cold because they had space heaters and we dressed warmly. The place had a really nice ambiance.

We began with Buttermilk Yellow and Blue Cornbread. We shared a bowl of the tomato soup of the day. I enjoyed a Homemade Baked Tamale and Oaxacan Style Mole (Local sauteed greens and sweet corn baked tamale topped with red chile mole finished with a farm-fresh fried egg and crême fraice). Mike had a Polenta Bolognese (Santa Ana Polenta with local beef & Pancetta Bolognese served with house-made lemon ricotta).

It was another memorable birthday to add to all the memorable ones I’ve enjoyed in my life. I’m filled with gratitude for every new year I get.

The Love Apple

entrance to The Love Apple

outdoor dining at The Love Apple

The Love Apple

me at The Love Apple

mural at The Love Apple

Mike at The Love Apple

Buttermilk Yellow and Blue Cornbread

Homemade Baked Tamale and Oaxacan Style Mole

Mike with Polenta Bolognese at The Love Apple

me with Homemade Baked Tamale and Oaxacan Style Mole at The Love Apple

We should have stopped when we were ahead after my birthday dinner, but we’d read the Adobe Bar at the Taos Inn was a lively spot to go. Lounge music was playing and a bunch of older folks were dancing. I know, I know, I’m old too. But I don’t want to act like I am. It really wasn’t my scene at all and I definitely didn’t need another margarita after all I’d had to eat and drink at the Love Apple. So, this place was a bust, in my humble opinion.

pretty door near Taos Plaza

Taos Inn Sign

Adobe Bar at the Taos Inn

Steps: 9,532; Miles: 4.04. Drove 79.7 miles. Weather: Hi 66°, Lo 31°.

Second-hand clothes shopping & Punta de Jesús María

Finca Magdalena

Ometepe meanderings

Altagracia

Moyogalpa, taking the ferry to San Joge, and on to Managua

Leaving Managua for Colombia via El Salvador

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July’s miserable heat

Bathroom renovations

Japan and Bali trip planning

July miscellany

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Arrival in Managua and a long day of travel to Ometepe

Balgüe & Totoco Eco-Lodge

Cafe Campestre

Rabititte meets an untimely end

Ojo de Agua

Back to Balgüe

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The southern route around Lake Ilopango

La Puerta del Diablo & Panchimalco

Cihuatán

Aguilares

Joya de Cerén

San Salvador

Playa Costa del Sol

Leaving El Salvador for Nicaragua

Arrival in Managua, Nicaragua

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Arrival in San Salvador

San Salvador Volcano

San Salvador’s Centro Histórico

Lake Ilopango

Tejutepeque

Cinquera

Suchitoto

Tejutepeque

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Albuquerque to Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City to Murphysboro, Illlinois

Halloween in Murphysboro, Illlinois

Murphysboro, Illinois to Abingdon, Virginia

Abingdon, Virginia to Oakton, Virginia (home at last!)

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Arrival in Albuquerque

A hike on Sandia Peak

Tinkertown Museum

Tomasita’s

Old Town Albuquerque

Albuquerque Museum

Random Albuquerque

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Arrival in Taos

San Francisco de Asis Church

Río Grande Gorge

Greater World Earthship Development

Taos Pueblo

Taos Plaza

Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house

The Love Apple

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