Tag: Isla Ometepe

the july cocktail hour: a trip to ometepe, nicaragua; a beach getaway to tamarindo; & homebody activities

wanderessence1025 August 3, 2025

Thursday, July 31, 2025: Welcome to our July cocktail hour. Let’s have some Flor de Caña 12-year-aged rum with Fresca, a drink easily made at home here in Costa Rica. We can congregate on the balcony and enjoy breezes and views of Lake Arenal. If you listen carefully, you can hear the grunting of the howler monkeys and you might even see a toucan fly clumsily by. You can visit our resident hummingbird, who has recently built a nest in a flower bush outside our kitchen window. You can even come along vicariously on our getaways to Ometepe, Nicaragua and to Tamarindo on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Sunset is at around 6:00 every night of the year; twilight brings with it lots of mosquitoes, so be sure to slather on the mosquito repellent.

I have a variety of soda, seltzer water, or bebida de aloe for those of you who don’t drink. Thanks for joining us in our escape into a peaceful corner of the world, not a place completely free from danger, but safe from certain things we cannot abide, like living in a police state under a fascist government.

July marked our second month in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It was in some ways a busy month and in other ways a laid-back, homebody-type month.

Our exercise & personal care routine

Three days of each week, we get up just after dawn (around 5:30), have breakfast and soon go to Monster Gym for our workouts. On Wednesdays we go to Living Forest for a yoga class. The remaining days of the week, we go on walks through hilly terrain, mostly to and around Tronadora or to the top of San Luis. Only once this month did I do an online Pilates class. Mike goes to swim in the cove near our house at least once a week.

I finally found a beauty salon where I got a pedicure and asked about hair straightening.

Dining out with a few musical interludes

We tried a lot of local restaurants during the month. At Soda La Macha, we found delicious tilapia and a pleasant setting. We went to Taco Tuesday at Lake Arenal Brewery where we danced to Jimmy Loop while playing handmade musical instruments. We ate out at Guadalupe, La Pradera, and Paseo del Viento (a food court near Monster Gym where Mike got a hamburger at 506 Snacks and I got a tostada cup filled with shrimp ceviche). We drove to Nuevo Arenal one evening for a nice dinner at Moya’s Place. We had ice cream treats at Pop’s in Tilaran. We enjoyed a lunch mid-walk at Soda Doña Chila’s in Tronadora. We had ceviche at Cevichera La Pasadita in San Luis. And finally, on Sunday the 27th, we went to hear Smooth Jazz on the Lake by Eureka at La Tortuga, on the north side of Lake Arenal.

Other events

We looked at and pretty much decided to rent a condo at Lake Arenal Condos for our second six months here. We went to a Blessing of the Boats at the cove.

A visit to the family in Ometepe, Nicaragua

We took a trip to Ometepe, Nicaragua to visit Adam and family for 6 nights in the middle of the month. It was stressful crossing the border with our car from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, but we managed to survive it and the ferry ride across to the island. We had a great visit with the family as the girls were out of school for the entire week plus Adam and Maria closed their business for the week so we could all spend time together. We saw Cristy, who was voted Queen of her school, march in a parade in Altagracia. We watched Andrea and Maria practice for a gymnastics competition coming up in Managua at their neighbor Manja’s gymnastics pavilion.

Mike and I took a chocolate tour at El Pital Chocolate Paradise and drank ceremonial doses of cacao. We walked on the beach most mornings and on the road to Santa Domingo two mornings. We swam in Lago Nicaragua and played at the beach with Adam, Maria and the kids. We ate meals with the family: takeout pizza from Pizzeria Mediterranea, lunch at Ojo de Agua, and dinner at Libélula (Dragonfly) Café and at Xalli. Mike and I ate on our own at Xalli, Cafe Campestre, El Pital, Bûstavö, and Pan de Mama. It was the best family time we’ve ever had in Nicaragua and we loved it all.

Soon after we returned to Costa Rica after our visit to Nicaragua, we heard that Andrea won the gold medal for her floor exercises at the gymnastics competition in Managua. We are so proud of her!

Tamarindo: a beach break

Finally, the last two days of July, we took a trip to Tamarindo, one of the most developed beaches, known for its surfing culture, on the Pacific beach. We hung out at the beach and at Langosta Beach Club, ate meals at Cha Cafe, Fish & Cheeses, Little Lucha and Kabuto Sushi, went shopping, and took an Estuary Boat Tour through Parque Nactional Marino Las Baulas de Guanacaste. It was hot, humid and sunny, quite a difference from our weather near Lake Arenal.

IsVeranillo here?

Apparently July to August is considered the “little high season” (also known as veranillo or “little summer”) with pleasant weather with minimal rain, moderate crowds and lower prices. We definitely lucked out in Ometepe with Veranillo, as we had near-perfect weather. In Costa Rica, it was a mixed bag.

Homebody stuff

I finished 3 books in July, bringing my total to 28/48. I especially enjoyed Speak, Silence by Kim Echlin. I learned a lot about the Panama Canal in the fictional The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez. We watched two movies: The Life List, which I enjoyed, and Nonnas, which was predictable and mediocre. We started watching a couple of new series: The Survivors and Letters from the Past (Gelecege Mektuplar). We finished watching Thank You, Next, The Secrets We Keep, Istanbul Encyclopedia, The Manny and Sara: Woman in the Shadows. We continued watching Younger, North of North, Seinfeld, Togetherness, Pernille, Tuiskoms and Severance.

On my Costa Rica blog, you can find my weekly recaps of our lives in Costa Rica:

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

How did your July go? Did you have any special family gatherings? Have you welcomed any new additions to your family? Did you celebrate any birthdays or anniversaries? Have you read any good books that can inform your worldview, seen any good movies, binge-watched any television series? Have you planned any adventures or had any summer getaways? Have you dreamed any dreams? Have you gone to any exotic restaurants, cooked any new dishes? Have you been surprised by anything in life? Have you learned anything new, taken any classes or just kept up with the news? Have you sung along with any new songs? Have you undertaken any new exercise routines? Have you marched or otherwise participated in political protests? Have you been battered, or alternately, uplifted by any news?

Please share your July with me by giving me the plot below, or a link to a post in your blog that tells about your month.

moving to costa rica for a year

wanderessence1025 May 31, 2025

Wednesday, May 28, 2025: We are moving to Costa Rica for a year. The primary reason for our choice to live in Costa Rica is to visit our youngest son Adam and his Nicaraguan family at least 4-5 times over the year (June 1, 2025 – May 31, 2026). They live on Ometepe Island in Nicaragua, just over the Costa Rican border. From where we’ll be staying on Lake Arenal, it will be about a 4 1/2 hour trip one way by car to Ometepe. That of course is assuming a smooth and fast border crossing and the ability to get a car on the ferry to Ometepe in a timely manner.

We have rented a house in a gated community near Tronadora on Lake Arenal for the six-month period from June 1-November 30. We have an option to extend the lease to March 15, 2026. We can then opt to rent somewhere else in Costa Rica, or possibly stay in the home’s casita for the time when the owners are visiting the house. We wanted to see how we liked it before deciding to stay until March 15.

Tronadora to Balgüe, Ometepe, Nicaragua

Tronadora on Lake Arenal

I had told Mike before the election that if the worst president on earth was elected, that I would absolutely want to live outside the country for at least 75% of his four-year term.In other words, we’re boycotting the U.S.A. It became immediately clear that billionaires would be corruptly lining their pockets and that a massive wealth transfer would take place from the poor and middle class to the upper 1%. I became determined that I would not stay in this country to pad those greedy bastards’ pockets. Also, all it takes is reading the book On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder to see that this country is headed to autocracy. That is the main factor that nudged us to make the move now.

The deadline we gave ourselves to move finally pushed Mike to retire. He’s 71, so his retirement has been long-promised and much delayed. As of May 1, he went on an hourly schedule (as needed) and as of May 30, he’ll be officially retired. He has arranged to be able to do some consulting with his company from Costa Rica, but it will be a small amount of time.

We have a general plan of where to move after our first year abroad, but as that may change, I won’t reveal full details now. All I know is that I hope it will involve at least some time in Europe and then a possible permanent move to Mexico or a part-time home in Greece or Spain. I definitely don’t have any plans to travel within the U.S. in the next four years. If our government continues down the path of outright fascism, I hope to sell our house and never return here to live.

It is Mike’s choice to live our first year abroad in Costa Rica, which adjoins the southern border of Nicaragua. I’m personally not that thrilled about it as heat and humidity are not things I enjoy; neither are bugs, poisonous snakes, bullet ants, and other unpredictable wildlife. Costa Rica is a different ballgame altogether with all of its adventure sports and active volcanoes. It is also one of the more developed of the Central American countries, and in some ways it seems rather Americanized. The sovereign state is a presidential republic. It has a long-standing and stable constitutional democracy and a highly educated workforce.

Costa Rican Colones

According to Wikipedia: Costa Rica: The country performs well in comparisons of democratic governance, press freedom, subjective happiness and sustainable well-being. It has the 36th freest press according to the 2025 Press Freedom Index (the U.S. is now 57th). With uninterrupted democracy dating back to at least 1948, the country is the region’s most stable. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4% (The U.S. spends 5.9%). Its economy, once heavily dependent on agriculture, has diversified to include sectors such as finance, corporate services for foreign companies, pharmaceuticals, and ecotourism. It is also a major tourist destination in the continent.

Costa Rica experiences a tropical climate year-round. There are two seasons. The dry season is December to April, and the rainy season is May to November. March and April are the hottest months in the country, while December and January are the coldest. However, there are rainy days in the dry season, as well as weeks without rain in the wet season.

Last time we went in January of 2023, we opted to try numerous adventure sports such as ziplining, tubing, and superman ziplining, as well as walks over hanging bridges and guided wildlife walks. I’m at the point in my life now where I don’t feel the need to do any more ziplining, but I’m still game for river tubing and hiking.

Superman zipline at Diamante

Playa Hermosa

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin

Mike ziplining at Hacienda Guachipelin

waterfall at Hacienda Guachipelin

Rio Celeste at Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio

Nacional Volcán Tenorio

Monteverde

San José

After having been there before, and especially after having fallen in love with the Tilaran area near Lake Arenal, I feel excited about the move. Of course seeing the Nicaraguan family is the main reason for the choice, and it will be wonderful to visit more often as the children continue to grow over the course of a year.

Lake Arenal

Mike at Lake Arenal Brewery

Lake Arenal

me at Lake Arenal Brewery

view from mountain in Tilaran

Mike, Carol and Carlos in Tilaran

view from mountain in Tilaran

In addition to visiting Adam and family numerous times, we plan to fly home for less than 2 weeks in early October for our granddaughter Allie’s second birthday. Other than that, I don’t intend to come home at all. Mike may consider coming home to help his sister clean out their parents’ house in Vienna in February or so.

In addition, we would like to visit Panama in the fall of 2025, and Guatemala and Belize in the spring of 2026. That will allow us to completely explore the remainder of Central America other than Honduras, which I have no desire to visit. Our plan is to return home on May 31, 2026 and then leave again within two months, hopefully to the Scandinavian countries of Finland, Norway and Sweden. Our goal is to be home again in November and December of 2026, to vote in the midterm elections and to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with our adult children who are stateside. We hope to take off again for most of the entire year of 2027.

While we’re gone, our son Alex and his family will live in our house. Thus whenever we come home, we’ll be able to visit that family. If at some point they decide they no longer want to live here, we will consider selling our house.

We hope that both our daughter Sarah and Alex & family will come to visit us in Costa Rica. Of course, whenever we return home, we’ll make sure to see our daughter Sarah who now lives in Richmond.

Here are some posts about our previous trip to Costa Rica.

I may start a new blog about our year living in Costa Rica, so stay tuned for more information.

ometepe, nicaragua: ojo de agua, shopping expeditions, crib assembly & family time {2/2}

wanderessence1025 March 26, 2025

Monday, February 10, 2024: On Monday morning after the girls slept over, the power went out in Totoco from around 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. It didn’t matter too much because there isn’t much electricity in there anyway. The three interior lights are so dim, we need to use our phone flashlights to see anything.

We all got up and the girls played around in the yoga pavilion until breakfast time. We all had breakfast together. While Andrea, Mia and I gobbled down pancakes, Mike and Cristy ate a traditional Nica breakfast. I showed the girls pictures of my dad (now deceased), my nephew Seth, and my siblings, Joanie and Robbie. I said Joanie was the beauty of the family. Andrea said the beauties in her family are Mia, Mikey and Johnny (Maria’s oldest son who is 20 years old). I said, “No, you all are beautiful.” Andrea said, “I don’t think I am.” I think she’s beautiful, especially because of her unique and lively personality, but I guess she knows, like we all do, where we stand on the beauty scale. I think Cristy is also very pretty, but Andrea didn’t mention her. I’ve never met Johnny, so I don’t know about him.

I didn’t know Maria was born in 1989, meaning she’d turn 36 on her birthday, Wednesday, February 12. The girls spilled the beans about her birth year. I’d always thought she was closer to Adam in age; he will be 33 in December.

Mia, Cristy and Andrea at the Totoco yoga pavilion

view from Totoco

the girls doing yoga poses

view from Totoco

the girls in the yoga pavilion

more yoga poses

We took the girls home and I realized I’d left my glasses behind. Adam needed to make a chicken delivery to Totoco, so Mike and Andrea drove back up to deliver the chicken for Adam and Mike picked up my glasses.

It always takes a while to get everyone going, but finally we were on our way to Ojo de Agua, arriving there around 10:00. We had a fun and relaxing morning and afternoon. This was little Mikey’s first time in a swimming pool and he seemed to love it, even dipping his head into the water on his own volition. We shared a giant fish and meat platter, and Mike, Adam, Andrea and even Cristy jumped off the Tarzan swing.

I walked around the edge of the pool to take photos and videos of them jumping. Some of the rocks were slippery and I lost my footing about halfway along the length of the pool. My phone flew out of my hand and landed at the bottom of the pool. Adam swam over to retrieve it, and I was surprised to find it was still working. I was able to continue taking photos the rest of the day. Adam insisted phones are made to be waterproof these days.

Mia liked hanging on the more sedate swings and I just swam around and got stung by a wasp 🐝! A South African guy started chatting with me and introduced his girlfriend who was Welsh/Italian. He wanted to know why it wasn’t as hot there as he expected and what we were doing there. I’ve met many South Africans and I like most I’ve met, but I wanted to say, “Why did you send that Nazi Elon Musk to the U.S.?” Of course I didn’t say that and I had no idea about this guy’s political inclinations. I did say we planned to spend as much time away from the U.S. over the next four years and he said, “You should! Sounds fantastic!”

Of course, Mike, Adam and I had to have coco locos after lunch.

Mike napping in the hammock at home

Maria, Mike and Adam at Ojo de Agua

Maria & Mike at Ojo de Agua

Mia and Andrea at Ojo de Agua

Cristy at Ojo de Agua

Maria, Mike and Adam at Ojo de Agua

Mia on the swings at Ojo de Agua

Mike at the Tarzan swing at Ojo de Agua

Ojo de Agua

Cristy at Ojo de Agua

Ojo de Agua

Maria & Mike at Ojo de Agua

lunch platter at Ojo de Agua

the family at Ojo de Agua

Mike with Adam & Maria at Ojo de Agua

Cristy and Mia with ice creams at Ojo de Agua

Adam, Maria & Mike at Ojo de Agua

Mike & I with coco locos at Ojo de Agua

Adam with Mike at Ojo de Agua

We dropped off the family at 1:30 and headed up to Totoco where I showered and relaxed a bit. When I tried to charge my phone, a message popped up that said moisture was detected in the charging port and it couldn’t be charged until it dried, which could take several hours. I only had 5% charge left, so I turned it off and put the port facing the fan in the room. I guess there IS a drawback to letting your phone fall into a pool.

I finally got my green chicken curry at Cafe Campestre on Monday night. It was delicious as always.

me with chicken curry at Cafe Campestre

Mike’s meal at Cafe Campestre

Mike at Cafe Campestre

Steps: 6,187; Miles 2.62. Weather Hi 83°, Lo 75°. Sunny.

Tuesday, February 11: On Tuesday morning, Mike and I went for a walk along the road from Playa Santa Cruz, past Xalli, an Ometepe Beach Hotel, and then toward Playa Santa Domingo. We couldn’t walk on the beach of Lago de Nicaragua this year as we did last year because the lake’s water was so high that there was no beach. It wasn’t an exciting walk, although we did look around the grounds of Xalli in case we ever wanted to stay there.

Lago de Nicaragua,also known as Cocibolca or Granada (and many other names) is the largest freshwater lake in Central America, the 19th largest in the world (by area) and the tenth largest in the Americas, slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca. The intermittent Tipitapa River feeds Lake Nicaragua when Lake Managua has high water.

The lake, despite being a freshwater lake, has sawfish, tarpon and sharks. The sharks are synonymous with the widespread bull shark, a species also known for entering freshwater elsewhere around the world.

Lago de Nicaragua

Playa Santa Cruz

Kite School in Santa Cruz

Kite school in Santa Cruz

Xalli in Playa Santa Cruz

Playa Santa Cruz

There seems to come a point in every visit to the family when the family gets super stressed out by our presence despite the fact that we try to give them space. When that happens we find our own activities and try to keep our distance. It seemed Tuesday and Wednesday were those days.

We had lunch at an Israeli restaurant, Bûstavö, and then stopped at El Pital, the Chocolate Paradise, where we thought we could take a chocolate tour. However the tour wasn’t offered on Tuesday so we sat at the very pleasant deck that juts out over the lake and had iced cold spiced cacao: Chocolate Vanilla with coconut milk and vanilla. It was pleasant with a nice breeze coming from the lake and soothing music, including “Agitations tropicales” by L’Impératrice, “The Conservation of Energy” by Vanishing Twin, and “Television (featuring Ilhan Ersahin)” by Oceanvs Orientalist & idil Mese.

We went up to Totoco for a special healing session with biofield tuning forks led by Crissie. It was super relaxing! I fell asleep and started snoring, so Mike had to nudge me awake. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon despite the high winds and rain coming sideways into the pavilion. We also met a nice couple from South Carolina, Rochelle and T.J., who have built a house on Ometepe they call Casa Mariposa. We also met another young woman from Netherlands, Irene.

Our Toyota Rush rented for our week in Ometepe

Bûstavö

lunch at Bûstavö

Mike having a falafel sandwich at Bûstavö

view from Totoco

Al Pital

Mike at Al Pital

me with chocolate drinks at Al Pital

Mike at Al Pital

Mike, me, Rochelle & TJ at the Totoco yoga pavilion

Mike and Crissie, our healing session instructor

view from the Totoco yoga pavilion

We took some afternoon shots of our lodge at Totoco with the sunlight streaming through the blinds.

our lodge at Totoco with afternoon sunlight

our lodge at Totoco

me on the porch of our lodge at Totoco

our lodge at Totoco

We enjoyed a magnificent sunset view from Totoco on Tuesday night and dinner of fish fingers on salad.

the lodge at Totoco

view of Volcán Concepcion from Totoco nearing sunset

me outside the Totoco lodge

Mike outside the Totoco lodge

Totoco lodge

view of Volcán Concepcion from Totoco at sunset

Toña beer at Totoco lodge

view of Volcán Concepcion from Totoco at sunset

sunset from Totoco Lodge

fish fingers for dinner at Totoco

Steps: 1,056; Miles 0.45. (This is incorrect because my Fitbit wasn’t working). Weather Hi 83°, Lo 75°. Windy.

Wednesday, February 12 (Maria’s birthday): Wednesday was a super boring day in Ometepe. We drove to Moyogalpa, a one-hour drive, to try to find some furniture for the family but we came up empty-handed. We bought a couple of dresses for Maria because it was her birthday, and we got some toys for little Mikey.

morning view of our bedroom in Totoco

Volcán Concepcion as seen on our drive to Moyogalpa

me in Moyogalpa

Moyogalpa

We drove back to Balgüe and had lunch of bruschetta and falafel at Bûstavö and then went up to Totoco to relax. We couldn’t see the family for the second day in a row so we weren’t able to celebrate Maria’s birthday with her or the family.

Apparently, Adam had hung out with his friend Jon on Tuesday night and had gone off with him to get ice cream for the family. Maria got mad at him for not spending time with her on and around her birthday and not giving her any special treatment. She was freezing him out by not speaking to him. Thus we couldn’t go out with them on Wednesday night for her birthday.

Mike at Bûstavö

bruschetta at Bûstavö

me at Bûstavö

Later we went to dinner at Cafe Campestre where, once again, I enjoyed the green chicken curry and Mike and I shared a warm brownie with ice cream. We always love the music and vibes at this place, with songs such as “Les chibanis” by Zebda, “Le dimanche autor de l’église” by Zebda, and “The Fix (feat. Richard Hawley)” by Elbow.

This was the second year in a row where we’ve felt 7 days was too long to stay here. The weather wasn’t even warm enough to hang out at the pool.

me with green chicken curry at Cafe Campestre

Mike with our shared brownie at Cafe Campestre

view from the Totoco yoga pavilion

Steps: 6,132; Miles 2.6. Weather Hi 84°, Lo 75°. Sunny.

Thursday, February 13: Our last day in Ometepe, on Thursday, we went to Adam’s casa and Mike helped him disassemble and reassemble a playpen/crib, which their midwife had given them, to fit their needs. The crib had a ton of dust on it, so I helped by dusting off all the slats. Now little Mike has a safe place to play where he won’t hurt himself. I think it will make the family’s life a lot easier to have a place to put him while they are busy.

breakfast at Totoco

morning view from Totoco

nature at Totoco

Totoco lodge

Abuelito & Mikey

little Mike

this is the surface on the porch that little Mike has to crawl on

Mike & Adam

Adam and Mike

Mia goes to school

Adam’s Nica house with the crib on the porch

Mikey in his new crib/playpen

Cristy, Mia and Mikey

We went with Adam to see Finca Campestre, where he has been clearing the land and planting grass for the cow that he and Ben own together. We met the cow and then had lunch with Adam at Isla Bonita. One of Adam’s friends stopped by and gifted me a flower to put in my hair. She looked like she was in a happy place! 🙂

the cow at Finca Campestre

me at Isla Bonita

Mike at Isla Bonita

me with a flower gifted me by one of Adam’s friends

We picked up the girls, Andrea and Mia, and took them up to the Totoco pool, where they wore themselves out splashing around with Abuelito.

We chatted quite a while with a Canadian couple who seemed very worried about the US threats of high tariffs and making Canada the 51st state. We found ourselves embarrassed and ashamed to admit we were Americans and said we supported them fully in their Canadian sovereignty. All of us felt strongly that we needed to boycott America and we told them we were hoping to relocate elsewhere for 75% of the next four years.

Andrea & Mia at Totoco

We had plans with the family to go to Pizzeria Mediterranea for our last night, but just as we arrived, little Mike threw up all over himself and Adam. Maria was worried about him so Mike drove her and Mikey back to the casa. We enjoyed our pizzas with Adam and the girls but it was disappointing not to have Maria be part of our last dinner, especially since we weren’t able to celebrate her birthday on Wednesday. The dress she’s wearing in the picture is one of two we bought her in Moyogalpa.

The restaurants that we frequent on Ometepe are usually outdoors and rather rough, with dirt floors and compost toilets, but somehow they always manage to have great music. Tonight we were serenaded with “Je So’ Pazzo” by Pino Daniele, “La Fama” by Aloy, “Milonga” by Ibu Selva, “Almarita” by La Rue Kétanou, and “Gipsy Valley” by N.O.H.A.

Maria, Mike and Adam

Maria in her new dress with Mikey

Cristy with Mike

Mike & Adam at Pizzeria Mediterranea

Cristy, Mia and Andrea at Pizzeria Mediterranea

Below is a short video of our last days in Ometepe.

Steps: 4,134; Miles 1.75. Weather Hi 84°, Lo 75°. Sunny.

Friday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day): This morning, I got a text message from Maria: “I’m sorry for not being here with you. I want to be better next time. Thank you so much for all your love for the girls and me. I loved your gifts.” I was happy to get this message and let her know it was okay; I know they are under a lot of pressure as a family to make ends meet. I know also that Adam can be a challenge in general.

Friday was a long travel day. We dropped by Adam’s to say goodbye to the family. Andrea was in time-out for something she did and was rather grumpy, at first sitting in her chair facing away from us and refusing to say goodbye, despite Adam telling her she could come out of time-out. Finally she came and gave us hugs. Little Mikey woke up just in time to burst into tears when he saw our faces, but we hugged and kissed him anyway.

Then we picked up Alberto, who had rented the car to us, in Santa Cruz; he drove us to Moyogalpa so we wouldn’t chance getting stopped by police (which has happened to us on both of our previous visits). We made it to Moyogalpa without any police interactions, thank goodness.

We took the 12:30 1-hour ferry to San Jorge where Alberto’s cousin Dani picked us up and drove us 2 hours to Managua. There we stayed overnight again at Best Western Las Mercedes directly across from the airport.

final breakfast at Totoco

view of Volcan Concepcion on Ometepe from the ferry back to San Jorge

We sat by the pool for dinner as the entire dining room had been reserved for Valentine’s Day. I had shrimp with garlic and butter, mashed potatoes and veggies. We went to bed early so we could get up at 3 a.m. for our 6 a.m. flight to San Salvador (again) and then on to Mexico City.

me by the pool at the Best Western in Managua

shrimp with garlic and butter, mashed potatoes and veggies

Mike at the Best Western

Steps: 5,607; Miles 2.38. Weather Ometepe Hi 83°, Lo 74°. Weather Managua: Hi 90°, Lo 74°.

ometepe, nicaragua: family time, the saturday market, poker, yoga, & a slumber party {1/2}

wanderessence1025 March 19, 2025

Virginia > San Salvador > Managua

Thursday, February 6, 2025: Thursday morning was hectic as there was an ice storm overnight which caused the power to go out for most of the morning before we left home. We left home at 12:30 pm, with the power still out in the house; we were worried that when the power came back on after we left, some electric device might come on that we didn’t want to leave on. We unplugged as many things as we could and then took an Uber to Dulles, where we caught a 3:50 pm Avianca flight to San Salvador, El Salvador.

Avianca must have the smallest leg and seat space of any airline we’ve flown, but at least it seems efficient, always loading everyone quickly and taking off exactly on time (I’d change that statement by the end of our trip!). The seats are crowded, uncomfortable, and don’t recline, and nothing is free, not even a bag of nuts, but I do appreciate the business-like efficiency they bring to their flights.

On my flights, I finished the book I had been reading, The Lover, by Marguerite Duras.

We arrived early in San Salvador at around 6:50. While waiting for our 9:20 flight to Managua, Nicaragua, we enjoyed some vodka tonics at Cafe Tapacun, a cute airport cafe where we stop every time we go through the San Salvador airport. We also perused the small art gallery at the airport which has a rotating collection of El Salvadoran art.

Mike on Avianca heading to San Salvador

me on Avianca heading to San Salvador

Leaving Virginia

approaching San Salvador

Art gallery at El Salvador International Airport

Cafe Tapacun

vodka tonic at Cafe Tapacun

We finally arrived at 10:30 p.m. in Managua, Nicaragua and checked in at Best Western Las Mercedes Airport hotel, directly across a busy road from the airport. At least we didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn the next morning.

Best Western Las Mercedes Airport hotel

Steps: 8,441; Miles 3.57. Weather in Oakton: Hi 45°, Lo 33°. Managua: Hi 91°, Lo 75°. Partly cloudy.

Managua > arrival in Ometepe & meeting our newest grandson

Friday, February 7: Last year and this year, we had Adam’s friend Alberto arrange a ride for us with his cousin Dani from Managua to Rivas, about a 2-hour drive. Adam was in Rivas picking up his corrected passport; the U.S. Embassy had accidentally misspelled his middle name as “Cristoper” without the “h,” which has caused him all kinds of hassles, including his misspelled name being on both his marriage certificate and Mike’s birth certificate. Because of poor cell phone reception and miscommunication, we missed meeting him in Rivas; we got on the 11:00 ferry to Ometepe.

The ferry was crowded mostly with a school group from Quebec. One of the boys sat on the floor of one of the bathrooms during the entire crossing, retching into the toilet.

We arrived in Moyogalpa on Ometepe at noon and rented a Toyota Rush from Alberto for the week, handing over hundreds of U.S. dollars in the parking lot with no contract of any kind. We ate lunch at the Cornerhouse while waiting for Adam to arrive on the 12:00-1:00 ferry. I had a roasted vegetable and cheese sandwich and Mike got two chicken salad sandwiches, one for Adam. After Adam arrived and we finished lunch, the three of us shopped in Moyogalpa for a fan for the girls’ room and some birthday and Valentine’s Day gifts 🎁 for Maria. We then began our drive to Balgüe, about an hour away.

Mike on the ferry to Ometepe

leaving Rivas on the ferry

approaching Ometepe with Volcán Concepcion on the right (In the distance you can see Volcán Maderas)

me at the Cornerhouse

Cornerhouse

oasted vegetable and cheese sandwich at the Cornerhouse

Mike at the Cornerhouse

me at the Cornerhouse

We took Adam to his casa in Balgüe and we finally met our newest grandson, Michael Christopher, who would turn 9 months old on February 15. He’s an adorable little boy with a sweet and curious disposition, although he didn’t initially react well to his newly arrived grandparents. When we tried to hold him or kiss him, his face scrunched up and he started screaming and buried his face into Maria’s shoulder.

We checked out the house projects Adam had started in the last year, including a bamboo partition around the shower (providing privacy), a new sink and countertop in the kitchen, and an unfinished bodega, where Adam’s friend Jon had pitched a tent. Jon wasn’t there at the time because he was in San Juan del Sur investigating the suspicious death of a friend’s father who married a Nicaraguan woman. The father seemed to have changed his will but never signed it.

We met Adam’s little cow named Rocky who is now tethered in his yard. Adam is hoping to increase his property holding to give the cow free reign, but so far that hasn’t happened.

We played a little game at the house where I said Spanish words for parts of the body that I’d recently learned (rodilla [knee], cuella [neck], cuerpo [body], garganta [throat]) and the girls had to tell me the English words. I asked Cristy what she’d like to do with her life. I suggested maybe university in Managua? She doesn’t have any specific ideas, but I know she is smart. I hope we can somehow help her to get a real education off the island. It seems any possibilities in the U.S. will be off the table as long as Trump is in office. Adam has an idea to get her involved with the orders online for their business to give her some business skills.

Adam seems happy. He likes doing the food supply business he can do on a small scale, which wouldn’t be possible in the U.S. He said he couldn’t do anything with cows, for instance, on a small scale in the U.S.

We brought Andrea and Mia to Totoco with us, where we checked in to our lodge, called ECHECATL, and then let them swim in the infinity pool. Abuelito swam with them while I sat in a chair and watched them while enjoying a glass of white wine.

Little Mikey & Adam

view of Volcán Concepcion from Totoco

Totoco Eco Lodge

view of Volcán Concepcion from Totoco

Mia and Andrea at Totoco

Andrea at Totoco’s pool

Andrea at Totoco

Andrea & Mia at Totoco’s pool

Dido with Andrea & Mia at Totoco

view of Volcán Concepcion from Totoco

The family joined us at Totoco for dinner. As always, it took forever to get our dinner, and the girls get antsy waiting. Little Mike, who sported an adorable hat that said “Little Man,” sat in his first high chair and later enjoyed scooting over the cool tile floor chasing after his toys. The girls gobbled down their chicken fingers and grilled chicken, accompanied by jugos & Canada Dry Ginger Ales, their new favorite drink. Mike and I shared samosas and vegetable curry, while Adam and Maria shared a hummus platter and a plate of chicken pesto pasta. The food was decent but bland.

Andrea and Cristy both told us their favorite subjects were English. Mia serves as her class’s English translator, although she hardly says a word to us in English. I have a hard time understanding Maria because she speaks so fast and my Spanish, after nearly 1000 days of Duolingo, is still pathetic.

Maria and “Litte Man” at Totoco

Totoco dining area at night

Cristy, Mike and Mia

bland chicken dinner at Totoco

another meal at Totoco

me with Adam at Totoco

Steps: 8,127; Miles 3.44. Weather in Managua: Hi 92°, Lo 75°. Partly cloudy.

A morning walk, howler monkeys, the Saturday market, a poker game & dinner with the family

Saturday, February 8: Saturday morning, Mike and I walked down from Totoco to Adam’s house and back, about a 3-mile very steep round trip. We found a troupe of howler monkeys jumping from branch to branch in the trees above our cabana.

path to our cabana at Totoco

howler monkeys in the trees

a monkey in the hammock

We then drove back down and took our belated Christmas gifts to Maria, the girls and little Mike.

Mia unwraps her gifts

Andrea upwraps a Christmas present

Mike and I took the girls down to the Saturday market where we had vegan burritos on banana leaves, I bought a piece of jewelry for each of the girls and we enjoyed ice cream cones at a heladería. Adam showed us some of their food production, including a large piece of beef he would grind and sell as hamburgers on the island.

Andrea, Mia and Cristy at the Farmer’s Market 2025

the lady who makes the banana leaf lunches

vegan burritos on banana leaves

Andrea, Mia and Cristy at the Saturday market

me with the girls at the Saturday market

Saturday market

the heladeria

Helado time for the girls: Andrea, Mia and Cristy

Andrea, Mia, me, Cristy and Mike at the heladería

Adam with the meat he’ll grind into hamburgers and sell

We dropped the girls at home then Mike and I joined the Saturday afternoon Texas Hold’em poker game with the expats at Cafe Campestre from 2-5. There was a big crowd including Ben (owner of Campestre), another Ben from UK, Ash, Jon (Adam’s friend), and Luke (U.S. Navy retired guy). Lucie (Ash’s partner) was the dealer.

Mike ended up ahead in the end, but Adam and I lost everything, going all-in on the last hands as the game was closing. I had started out strong with three 3-of-a-kinds and raked in the chips. Slowly I frittered them all away. We had some hilarious moments where an Austrian guy named Robin, who joined the game midway, said he left Austria to return to Ometepe because of the weather (foggy and cold) and he didn’t like the “v(w)ib(v)es” (“vibes”) there at this time. I said, “You don’t like the the wives? Just how many wives do you have?” That got big laughs from the table. Love how those German v’s, b’s and w’s sound alike! Robin hadn’t had time to go to a cash machine and kept asking everyone at the table to front him some money, but no one stepped up to do so. When the song “Stayin’ Alive” started playing, Adam bobbed his head to the beat and said, it’s the “Bee Gee boys!” I said, “It’s either the Bee Gees or the Beach Boys, not the Bee Gee Boys!” That also got laughs throughout the game. Ben told us a very funny story about some people he knows.

I couldn’t keep up with the complicated betting after a couple of Tonias and people had to keep reminding me how to stay in the game. Ash said he was serving as my advisor. When Robin joined and sat between us, Ash said, “How will you survive without your advisor?”

Adam and me playing poker at Cafe Campestre

my poker chips when I was ahead

the poker crowd at Cafe Campestre

After the Saturday poker game, Maria and the kids joined us for dinner at Cafe Campestre. I was disappointed they were out of my favorite Green chicken curry. I ordered Aloo Paratha (Indian flat bread filled with a mild potato curry and served with yogurt raita & chutney), but I didn’t care much for it and ended up giving away much of my meal and eating bites of Adam’s delicious and enormous chicken burger. Everyone else enjoyed their meals, especially Andrea who has an outsized appetite and gobbled down a humongous plate of chicken fingers.

We were serenaded at Cafe Campestre by their fabulous playlist, including some favorites such as “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye and Kimbra and “Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Maria and Mike at Cafe Campestre

Mia, Andrea and Cristy at Cafe Campestre

me with Adam, Maria and Mike

Adam, Maria and Mike at Cafe Campestre

Cristy, Mia, Mike and Andrea

dinner at Cafe Campestre

the family at Cafe Campestre

I was feeling exhausted and grumpy from all the beers on top of all the activity and I couldn’t wait to get back to Totoco and go to bed. I wanted to curl up and read Berlin Poplars about a very dysfunctional Norwegian family featuring three brothers: a pig farmer, an undertaker and a window dresser.

Steps: 9,782; Miles 4.15. Weather in Ometepe: Hi 84°, Lo 75°. Partly cloudy.

Yoga, a rainy Sunday, and a sleepover

Sunday, February 9: Sunday we ate an early breakfast so we could do yoga in the new pavilion at Totoco. I ate yogurt with homemade granola and Mike had oatmeal with fruit. At least we started our trip on a healthy footing.

Only Mike and I showed up for the 8:00 session with Robin from Montreal. I hadn’t brought any yoga clothes because Totoco didn’t have a place for yoga last year so I didn’t expect it. It was a chill session that was supposed to be 1 1/2 hours but I have little patience for yoga sessions over an hour so we compromised on 1 1/4 hours. Strong gusts threatened to carry our yoga mats away but we used cedar blocks to keep them in place, to little effect. Howler monkeys were grunting loudly in the surrounding trees. I had a hard time relaxing because I thought they might come into the open-air pavilion and abscond with my pack! Robin gave us head massages with lavender oil to top off the session.

me having breakfast at Totoco

Mike at breakfast

Totoco Eco Lodge

the new yoga pavilion at Totoco

view from the yoga pavilion

the new yoga pavilion at Totoco

Robin, our yoga instructor from Montreal

Mike after yoga

Mike with me after yoga

Echecatl – our lodge (they spelled it wrong on the sign)

Echecatl – our lodge

After yoga we showered (cold showers always at this Eco Lodge) and then sat in the lodge for wi-fi and coffee. We chatted with Kathleen from Wisconsin and Jamie (from Wisconsin and Arizona). They have been friends forever, since their teaching days together. Kathleen has a Master’s degree in Spanish and taught Spanish during her career. She wanted to know all about the Camino de Santiago which is high on her bucket list. Their bathroom at Totoco was outside their room and at one point she got locked in the bathroom. Then they were both locked out of the bathroom for two days, so they had to pee in the grass several times in the middle of the night. They were headed to Granada that afternoon.

After whiling away the morning at Totoco, we went to find lunch at Bustavo but found it closed on Saturday & Sunday. Instead we ended up at Pan de Mama, a bakery which we discovered had suffered a kitchen fire a week ago. In typical Nica style, they had set up a temporary kitchen outdoors behind the restaurant and still managed to prepare grilled cheese and chicken salad sandwiches, and even cafe lattes!

Pan de Mama

Mike at Pan de Mama

me at Pan de Mama

After lunch, we dropped by Adam’s casa for a visit. I rocked little Mike in the hammock to prolong his nap and give Maria a break.

Unusually, it was pouring off and on all day Sunday despite it being the dry season. We relaxed a bit in our room and at the open-air thatched lounge at Totoco and then went to dinner at Pizzeria Mediterranea. Mike and I sat at one table along the edge of the covered dining area and ordered our favorite chorizo and broccoli pizza. We talked across the tables with a Canadian woman, Monica, who was upset about the effect our freaking U.S. president is having on an already divided Canada. At another table were two German ladies who were also upset about the direction of Germany. They had just walked a Camino from the Caribbean coast to the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. When another downpour started coming in at the edge of the roof, we all moved to one big table in the center. It was amazing to find people from two different countries who were upset about the authoritarian turns countries are taking, many influenced by our evil 47th president. He’ll go down in history as one of the world’s most despicable men along with Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Kim Jong Un, and Putin.

When we had time to listen to the restaurant’s playlist between our chatter and the pouring rain, we found soothing songs such as “La Rue Kétanou” and “Sour Times” by Portishead.

getting ready to go to Pizzeria Mediterranea

Pizzeria Mediterranea

chorizo and broccoli pizza

Mike at Pizzeria Mediterranea

me at Pizzeria Mediterranea

After dinner at Pizza Mediterranea, we went by Adam’s house to pick up the girls for a sleepover with us at Totoco. It gets dark early in Nicaragua every night of the year, around 5:50, so we played about 5 rounds of Kings-around-the-corner in the Totoco lodge. I enjoyed a glass of wine, Mike a Tonia and all three girls drank their favorite Canada Dry Ginger Ales. Andrea, the middle girl, has a very strong personality and hates to lose. Mia was a very sharp player; Andrea was also good but sloppy: she kept putting two reds or two blacks together. She ended up winning the first and last games, while Mike/Mia won one round, with Cristy and me winning one game each.

Our lodge had one room with a queen bed and another room with a big bunk bed covered in mosquito netting. There isn’t much to do there once it gets dark, so we all got tucked in. The girls loved the huge bunk bed. I read Berlin Poplars on my Kindle. We were all asleep by 8:30. 😴 💤 🛌

me with the girls after our rounds of Kings-around-the-corner

Cristy, Andrea and Mia at Totoco for a sleepover

Here is a little video of some of our first days in Ometepe with the family.

Steps: 1,302; Miles .55. Weather in Ometepe: Hi 85°, Lo 78°. Partly cloudy. Rain off and on all day & windy.

a belated february cocktail hour: nicaragua & mexico

wanderessence1025 March 12, 2025

February 28, 2025: Welcome to our belated February cocktail hour. We managed to escape 28 out of the first 40 days of our despicable current regime’s term by leaving the country. Of course our escaping didn’t stop things from happening, horrible things, but at least we felt a step removed from it all. We spent 8 days of the month in Nicaragua visiting Adam and his family. The remainder of February we spent in Mexico: Mexico City, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende (our time there spilled over slightly into March).

Let’s have a Michelada today in celebration of our time in Mexico, which we loved. A Michelada is made with tomato juice, beer, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and hot sauce. And lots of spices around the rim of the glass. 🙂

I also have a variety of beers, soda or seltzer water if you are extending dry January into February. Or if you are generally dry.

How did your February go? Did you have a happy Groundhog Day/Valentine’s Day/President’s Day? Have you welcomed any new additions to your family? Have you read any good books that can inform your worldview, seen any good movies, binge-watched any television series? Have you planned any adventures or had any winter getaways? Have you dreamed any dreams? Have you gone to any exotic restaurants, cooked any new dishes? Have you been surprised by anything in life? Have you learned anything new, taken any classes or just kept up with the news? Have you sung along with any new songs? Have you undertaken any new exercise routines? Have you marched or otherwise participated in political protests? Have you been battered, or alternately, uplifted by any news?

We were only in the U.S. for five days before we took off for Nicaragua on the 6th of the month. Before leaving, we were busy preparing for our month-long trip. I had pack and to wrap presents for Adam’s kids, as we planned give them their belated Christmas gifts.

On Saturday, February 1, Mike and I went to dinner at Ariake; this was another of our daughter Sarah’s gift certificates to us for Christmas.

me at Ariake

Mike at Ariake

Virginia > Managua > Ometepe > Managua

We spread our trip to Ometepe over two days this time, leaving home late in the afternoon on Thursday the 6th, arriving in Managua at 10:30 p.m., and then traveling the next day, Friday, with a driver from Managua to Rivas, a ferry to Ometepe and a rental car to Balgüe. This was easier than our usual method of leaving at 3:00 a.m and arriving at 6 p.m. all on the same day.

The biggest highlight was of course meeting our newest grandson, Michael Christopher Dutchak Hernandez. We call him “Little Mikey” to differentiate him from his grandfather. Mikey turned 9 months old the day after we left, on February 15. He was a joy to meet; he looks just like Adam did when he was a baby. We spent the first afternoon bringing Andrea and Mia to the pool at Totoco to swim. Later the whole family had dinner together there, while we watched little Mike scoot across the cool tile floor chasing after his toys.

Little Mike & Adam at Adam’s casa

Andrea & Mia at Totoco’s pool

Dido with Andrea & Mia at Totoco

Maria and Little Man at Totoco

Cristy, Mike and Mia at Totoco

me with Adam at Totoco

On Saturday morning, we gave Christmas presents to the girls and Mikey at their casa. Last time we didn’t bring anything and took them to a used clothing store to buy things. This time I was happy to give them brand new clothes from the U.S. Luckily everything fit except Andrea’s shoes, which she’ll grow into. After our gift-giving, we took the girls to the Saturday market where we bought them each a piece of jewelry and some ice cream.

I was included in the Saturday afternoon Texas Hold’em poker game at Cafe Campestre. It was a blast with lots of joking around. I was happy to be part of it and to get to know some of Adam’s expat friends. After the poker game, Maria and the kids joined us for dinner there.

Andrea upwraps a Christmas present

Andrea, Mia and Cristy at the Farmer’s Market 2025

Helado time for the girls: Andrea, Mia and Cristy

Adam and me playing poker at Cafe Campestre

the poker crowd at Cafe Campestre

me, Adam, Maria & little Mike at Cafe Campestre

Cristy, Mia, Mike and Andrea at Cafe Campestre

Totoco has built a new yoga pavilion overlooking the lake so Mike and I did a yoga class with Robin from Montreal on Sunday. Despite it being the dry season, the lake was still high because of the previous rainy season and some unusual rain during the dry season. It actually was much cooler than it’s ever been in Nicaragua during our visits; we hardly felt the need to swim in the pool at all. One day we had downpours off and on all day.

We had a set of bunkbeds in our room, so we had all three girls over to our room for a sleepover Sunday night. Before bed, we played about 5 rounds of Kings-around-the corner in the Totoco lodge. Of course competitive Andrea won the most games.

Mike & I after our yoga class at the new Totoco pavilion 2025

Cristy, Andrea and Mia at Totoco for a sleepover

Mia, Cristy and Andrea at the Totoco yoga pavilion after the sleepover

We took the family to Ojo de Agua on Monday for a fun day outing. It was Mikey’s first time in a swimming pool, and he loved it. Mike, Adam, Andrea and even Cristy jumped off the Tarzan swing, while Mia hung out on the more sedate swings. I swam around, got stung by a wasp and dropped my phone into the water when I slipped on the wet pavement.

Little Mike fast asleep in the hammock

Maria, Mike and Adam at Ojo de Agua

Maria and Mike at Ojo de Agua

Andrea & Mia at Ojo de Agua

Cristy at Ojo de Agua

Mia on the swings at Ojo de Agua

Ojo de Agua

the family at Ojo de Agua

Mike in front, Adam and Maria in back, at Ojo de Agua 2025

me with Mike drinking Coco locos at Ojo de Agua

The family got a little stressed out by us being around and we went Tuesday and Wednesday without seeing them at all. We were supposed to celebrate Maria’s birthday on the 12th, but she got angry at Adam for something and wasn’t speaking to him so we left them alone. Mike and I managed to entertain ourselves, as we always do. We went to a special healing session with biofield tuning forks led by Crissie at the Totoco yoga pavilion. I fell asleep and starting snoring so Mike had to nudge me awake. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon despite high winds and rain coming sideways into the pavilion.

Mike and I drove to Moyogalpa on Wednesday to try to buy some furniture for the family, but sadly we couldn’t find anything. We did buy Maria a couple of dresses, as well as some toys for Mikey.

me at Totoco

sunset view from Totoco over Volcán Concepcion 2025

sunset view from Totoco over Volcán Concepcion

The most helpful thing we did, or I should say Mike and Adam did, was to disassemble and reassemble a playpen/crib which their midwife had given them, to fit their needs. I did my part dusting off the cobwebs, no small feat because of all the slats. Adam introduced us to the cow he and Ben own together; they keep her on Ben’s property at Finca Campestre. Later, we brought Andrea and Mia to the pool again, where they had fun splashing around with Papacito.

Dido & little Mike

Mike tries crawling over the rough stone porch

Mia off to school

Cristy, Mia and Mike in his new crib/playpen 2025

Adam and Ben’s cow 2025

Andrea & Mia at the Totoco pool

Our last night going to dinner at Pizzeria Mediterranea was ruined because as soon as we arrived, little Mike started throwing up all over the place and Maria felt she should take him home. Thus we had our final dinner with Adam and the girls, all of whom were fidgety because they were worried about their mom and little brother.

Maria in one new dress we bought her, Mikey and Adam 2025

Mike & Adam at Pizzeria Mediterranea

Cristy, Mia & Andrea at Pizzeria Mediterranea

When it was time to leave on Friday the 14th, we drove the car an hour to Moyogalpa, took the ferry for an hour, and had our driver Dani drive two hours to Managua on Valentine’s day. All the seats in the dining room were booked for Valentine’s Day at the Best Western, so we ate dinner outside by the pool. The next day, Saturday the 15th, we were up at 3:00 to catch an early flight to San Salvador and on to Mexico City.

dinner by the pool in Managua’s Best Western

flying into Mexico City

Mexico City

We loved our stay in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City for six nights. We spent Sunday doing a self-guided walking tour of Roma Norte. What a colorful and charming neighborhood.

Mike at Tr3s Tonalá

Roma Norte

me in Roma Norte

Mike in Roma Norte

Mike in the Modo Museo Del Objeto

Golden Goose in Roma Norte

me at Plaza Rio de Janeiro

Edificio Rio de Janeiro

lunch at Cafe Toscano

me at Cafe Toscano

Bob Dylan mural

mural in Roma Norte

We spent Monday, when most museums in the city were closed, taking an excursion to Teotihuacán, once the largest city in ancient Mexico known for its impressive pyramids and mosaics, and capital of a pre-Hispanic empire.

balloons over Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán

Mike on the backside of Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacán

Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán

Mike in front of Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán

me at Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán

view down the Avenue of the Dead to Pyramid of the Sun

Palacio de Quetzalpapálotl

Mike at Counterculture Cafe for lunch

me back at Tr3s Tonalá for dinner

On Tuesday, we spent the day in Centro Histórico, visiting the Catedral Metropolitana and Templo Mayor, a temple complex that was the center of the universe, according to Aztec cosmology. We also visited the Palacio de Correos de México (Postal Palace), the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), the Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles), and finally the Museo Nacional de Arte. We topped off our day with dinner at Páramo, a “hip” restaurant in the Roma Norte neighborhood. We were by far the oldest ones there.

Catedral Metropolitana

Templo Mayor

Mike at Templo Mayor

me at Templo Mayor

Palacio de Correos de México

Palacio de Bellas Artes

Casa de los Azulejos

Museo Nacional de Arte

Páramo

Mike at Páramo

me at Páramo

On Wednesday, we ventured to Polanco to see the Museo Jumex and Museo Soumaya. We went from there to the expansive Museo Nacional de Antropologia, which took us several hours. In the beautiful Condessa barrio, we walked a circular route around the leafy Avenida Amsterdam which took us around peaceful Parque México, the oval shape of which reflects its earlier use as a hippodromo (horse-racing track). We stopped at Butcher & Sons for happy hour drinks.

Museo Soumaya

Museo Jumex

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

Santas Conchas Lonchería

me at Santas Conchas Lonchería

Avenida Amsterdam in Condessa

On Thursday, we visited the southern neighborhoods of the city, San Ángel and Coyoacán, visiting the Templo & Museo del Carmen and the Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo. Sadly we didn’t buy tickets far enough in advance to see the Frida Kahlo Museum; they were sold out until mid-March. What poor planning on my part, especially considering it was the primary place I wanted to visit in Mexico City. In Coyoacán, we visited the interesting Museo Casa de León Trotsky. Finally, we dropped into Romita, a small colorful plaza in the midst of Roma Norte; we walked home, stopping at a sidewalk cafe along the way for cold cervezas. We later had a delicious dinner at La Chicha Roma.

me at Templo & Museo del Carmen

Templo & Museo del Carmen

San Ángel

me in San Ángel

San Ángel

me shopping in San Ángel

Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo

Maque Café

me at Maque Café

Museo Casa de León Trotsky

The room where Trotsky was assassinated in Museo Casa de León Trotsky

Museo Casa de León Trotsky

Romita

Roma Norte

Mike in Roma Norte

cafe in Roma Norte

Roma Norte

Tr3s Tonala

Mike at La Chicha Roma

wrapped jalapeño chilies in ham at La Chicha Roma

On Friday, the 21st, we rented a car and drove 7 hours (it was supposed to be 4 1/2 but more on that in another post) to Guanajuato, where we stayed for four nights. We stayed in the most wonderful apartment, Hotel Terra Vista, on a ridge overlooking the colorful city. Guanajuato sits in a valley with a network of 28 tunnels running underneath it.

Hotel Terra Vista

bedroom in Hotel Terra Vista

living area in Hotel Terra Vista

On Saturday, the 22nd, we strolled through the Jardín de la Unión, went inside the Teatro Juárez, ate lunch near Plaza de la Paz, and then walked aimlessly around the colorful and charming town. To get back to our apartment, we took the Funicular Panorámico up the hillside to the rose-colored El Pípila statute.

terrace at Hotel Terra Vista

Hotel Terra Vista

walking down the steps into town

the long walk down

Guanajuato

Teatro Juárez

Jardín de la Unión in Guanajuato

Mike in Jardín de la Unión

Guanajuato

me in Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Plaza de la Paz in Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Universidad de Guanajuato

Guanajuato

inside Teatro Juárez

at the top of the funicular looking down on Guanajuato

view of Guanajuato from the ridge

Mike above Guanajuato

chickens at Hotel Terra Vista

terrace at Hotel Terra Vista

getting dinner near our hotel in Guanajuato

our assembled meal

On Sunday, the 23rd, we tried for the second time to climb to the top of the Universidad de Guanajuato but we were told it was closed until Monday. Instead, we visited the Museo Casa Diego Rivera, the birthplace of the famous muralist. We also visited the Alhóndiga de Granaditas (public grain exchange), now the regional museum of Guanajuato City. It is important for its role in the Mexican War of Independence.

Guanajuato

Universidad de Guanajuato

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

Guanajuato

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

view of Guanajuato

chickens at Terra Vista

Teatro Juárez

musicians in front of Teatro Juárez

On Monday, our last day in Guanajuato, we wandered around to the kissing street, where two balconies across a narrow lane from each other are so close that a couple can kiss each other from the two balconies. Finally, we visited the Mercado Hidalgo and had lunch at a small joint called Mariscos del Mar.

We had many political discussions with other guests and the Canadian owners of Terra Vista, and luckily, since none of them were Trumpers, we found we were mostly on the same page in our disgust with the current administration. And it had only just begun!

church in Guanajuato

Universidad de Guanajuato

the kissing street

Mercado Hidalgo

Mike at Mercado Hidalgo

On Tuesday the 25th, we drove over scrubby high chaparral to San Miguel de Allende, making stops at Santa Rosa de Lima, known for its pottery and majolica, and for its jams and salsas sold at Conservas Santa Rosa.

Endre and Mike: farewell to Terra Vista

Mayólica Santa Rosa in Santa Rosa de Lima

Conservas Santa Rosa in Santa Rosa de Lima

We also stopped in Dolores Hidalgo, named a Pueblo Mágico (Magic Town) in 2002. The town’s hero, Father Miguel Hidalgo, led the charge in 1810 from the town’s church, Nuestra Señora de los Dolores parish church, for Mexico’s independence from Spain.

Iglesia de la Tercera Orden in Dolores Hidalgo

Mike gets fresh mango in Dolores Hidalgo

Plaza Principal in Dolores Hidalgo

Nuestra Señora de los Dolores parish church

We arrived in San Miguel de Allende on the evening of the 25th, tossed our bags into our Airbnb, and promptly went out to eat at La Doña San Miguel.

our Airbnb in San Miguel de Allende

dinner at La Doña San Miguel

view of San Miguel at sunset

Mike’s 71st birthday was Wednesday, February 26, so I asked him to choose the day’s itinerary. We went on a day-long excursion where we soaked at La Gruta hot springs, enjoyed lunch at Nirvana, visited Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco to see its fantastic murals, and then went to Tres Raíces Winery. The only negative to the day was the hour-long wait to get back into San Miguel due to major road construction.

La Gruta hot springs

Mike at La Gruta hot springs

me at La Gruta

La Gruta

Mike has a Michelada at La Gruta

the birthday boy at Nirvana

Nirvana

view from our table at Nirvana

Nirvana

Atotonilco

Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco

Tres Raíces Winery

Mike at Tres Raíces Winery

me on our rooftop patio in San Miguel de Allende

On Thursday, the 27th, we wandered around San Miguel de Allende, visiting its plethora of churches: Templo de San Francisco, the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, the Templo de la Immaculada Concepción & Oratorio San Felipe Neri, with a lunch at Los Burritos (a hole in the wall with no expats in it). San Miguel is overrun with retired, white-haired expats, and even though we were certainly as old as most of them, we weren’t that enamored of the sheer numbers of them.

Templo de San Francisco

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

me with a pretty lady

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

a shop in San Miguel

San Miguel de Allende

me in San Miguel de Allende

Templo de la Immaculada Concepción

me at Los Burritos for lunch

me in San Miguel de Allende

Oratorio San Felipe Neri

park in San Miguel

San Miguel de Allende

me with a Michelada on the rooftop of Baja Fish Taquito

view from rooftop of Baja Fish Taquito

On Friday the 28th, we had another out-of-town excursion, this time to El Charco del Ingenio, a beautiful botanical garden set near a reservoir just out of town. Then we drove over an hour northeast to the “ghost mining town” of Mineral de Pozos. After a pleasant rooftop lunch in the town, we drove about 15 minutes north on dirt roads that felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We were in route to the Mine of Santa Brigida, the mine responsible for the economic boon in the region as it had gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and mercury. The excursion reminded me of all my explorations of ruins with my friend Mario when I lived in Oman from 2011-2013. We enjoyed dinner at Hank’s, a New Orleans-style restaurant that was all decked out for Mardis Gras.

El Charco del Ingenio

Mike at El Charco del Ingenio

me at El Charco del Ingenio

Mineral de Pozos

me at the Mine of Santa Brigida

Mine of Santa Brigida

Arcos Mágicos at the Mine of Santa Brigida

“Hornos Jesuitas” (smelting ovens) at the Mine of Santa Brigida

Mine of Santa Brigida

me in San Miguel de Allende

Oratorio San Felipe Neri

Mike at the entrance to Hank’s

Hank’s – all decked out for Mardi Gras

Hank’s

San Miguel de Allende

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

Overall, we had a busy and fun month as we tried hard to ignore what was happening in the U.S. In March, we continued our time in San Miguel de Allende and then went for three nights to Querétaro, returning home on March 5-6.

While traveling, we read of the complete and utter chaos of the FOTUS/Elon administration: dismantling government agencies, including USAID; threatening our allies with high tariffs or annexation (or war??); treating Ukraine’s President and war hero Zelensky with utter disdain and rudeness; handing the U.S. and its long-term interests over to Putin; and threatening all the alliances we have built up over decades. It made me sick to have to return to the U.S. Upon our return, we hope to set in motion long-term moves out of the U.S. We are utterly and completely disgusted with what is happening in our hijacked country.

I finished two books in February, bringing my total to 7/48. My favorite was Berlin Poplars by Anne B. Ragde. We didn’t watch any movies since we were traveling, but we started watching several series including The Åre Murders, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Thank You, Next. We finished watching Maestro in Blue (we were so sad to end that one!) and we continued watching Pachinko, Lincoln Lawyer, Nobody Wants This, Unforgotten, Virgin River, Paradise and Modern Family.

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

anticipation & preparation: family time in nicaragua & a return to mexico

wanderessence1025 February 6, 2025

February 2025: It’s that time for us to be on the move again. We’re heading out for a month: we’ll spend a little over a week in Ometepe, Nicaragua and nearly three weeks in the highlands of Mexico: Mexico City, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, and Querétaro.

Isla de Ometepe

Anticipation: Ometepe, Nicaragua

We’re heading to Nicaragua for about a week to visit our youngest son Adam, who currently makes Ometepe Island in Nicaragua his home. He got married in May of 2023 to María, a Nicaraguan woman who already had 4 children: three girls – Cristy (13), Andrea (11) and Mia (8) – and one an adult young man (Johnny), who I’ve never met. María and Adam had a baby boy, Michael Christopher, on May 15 of 2024, but when we visited last March, he hadn’t yet been born. When we visited last year, we wanted a chance to meet María and the girls BEFORE the baby arrived. Now we’ll be meeting little Mike when he is almost 9 months old; hopefully he’ll be able to interact with us more than he would have if we had gone in May.

Little Michael Christopher soon after he was born on May 15, 2024

Mike and Adam

Little Mike

María and Mike

Mike

Adam holding Mike and Mia

Maria holding Mike

Mike

Little Man

Mike with Cristy’s hair over him

Mia and Mike

Maria and Mike

Adam’s new cows

Adam and Mike

Maria and Mike with the chickens

little Mike

Andrea, Mia and Cristy

Mike

the whole family

Andrea and Mike

Mike eats a watermelon

We plan to stay at Totoco Eco Resort, the same place we stayed last March when we visited. It is one of the few places on Ometepe that has a swimming pool. The only drawback is that some of the rooms only have compost toilets, and because we waited until the end of December to reserve the room, only one room was available: one with a compost toilet. I’m not sure how I’ll handle that. It seems most every place we’ve gone in Latin America requires one to put toilet paper in a waste basket strategically placed near the toilet. I hate all of that, but I guess I have to face the fact I’ll be roughing it a bit. It will be especially rough after having spent a month in Japan in September and October of 2024, where toilets are aplenty and most of them are modern and squeaky clean bidets.

March of 2024 with the whole family

our lodge at Totoco in 2024

pool at Totoco

Volcán Concepcion

the girls do a folkloric dance

our visit in March 2024

Maria & Mia at Ojo de Agua

Christy, Maria, Andrea, Adam and Mia at Ojo de Agua

Ojo de Agua in March 2024

Volcan Concepcion

Mia, Maria, Cristy and Mike at Punta de Jesús Maria

me with Mike at Punta de Jesús Maria

Mia at Punta de Jesús Maria

Punta de Jesús Maria

Mia, Andrea, Cristy, Adam and Maria at Punta de Jesús Maria

Adam and Mike at Punta de Jesús Maria

Adam and me at Finca de Magdalena

Maria, Mia, Andrea and Cristy

The little girls will be in school during the week we’re there, so it will be a disruption for the family as they’ll want to skip school. Adam assures us they won’t be missing anything because the education system is so bad. The family will also be busy with their various businesses. I hope we’ll have time to go to Ojo de Agua, a public swimming pool. The waters come from the volcanoes and are supposedly rich in minerals. We’ll also be celebrating María’s birthday while we’re there on February 12.

Anticipation: Mexico

I went to Mexico for a study-abroad program in 2007 while I was enrolled in my courses for a Master’s in International Commerce & Policy through George Mason University. The group went to Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Teotihuacan, and Taxco. Sadly, we didn’t have much time for sightseeing or relaxing as we were in lectures most of the time.

performance at the Zócolo in Mexico City

Zócolo

me with classmates at the Zócolo in Mexico City

Zócolo in Mexico City

one of many murals in Mexico

my class at Teotihuacán

Teotihuacán in 2007

me at Teotihuacán in 2007

me with a mariachi band

Taxco

Julia and me in Cuernavaca May, 2007

me in Cuernavaca with my young classmates

Thus I’m looking forward to exploring more around Mexico City and then venturing into some places in the highlands: Guanajuato (a colorful and vibrant university town and the capital of Guanajuato State with a population of about 195,000), San Miguel de Allende (a small colonial town – about 175,000 people – known for its charming atmosphere and arty expatriate community), and Querétaro (a larger city – about 2 million people – that was one of the first settlements in New Spain).

Our main goal in Mexico is to settle in to each place and explore in a leisurely fashion, with an eye to possibly moving there for a year or so during the next four years. It’s basically a scoping-out expedition.

Spanish studies

I’ve continued studying Spanish on Duolingo, accumulating 275,000 XP in Spanish, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually able to speak Spanish. I hope more Spanish has sunk in over the last two years of studying, as María and the girls only speak Spanish, and it was really a struggle for me last year. I hope our language studies will help us navigate Mexico and other Latin American countries in the years ahead.

Music

I’ve created a playlist of Latin American music on Spotify, including famous Colombian singers Juanes, Karol G, and Fanny Lu; Mexican singers Julieta Venegas & Lhasa de Sela; and French-Spanish singer Manu Chao: Latin American & Spanish beats.

Books

Of course, I always try to read books set in my destination countries. I’ve been currently reading about Mexico since I read a lot last year to learn about Nicaragua. The books I’ve read are indicated with stars and ratings. I own the books in green and will try to read them sometime during the year.

Mexico ↓

Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis
Night of the Radishes by Sandra Benítez ***
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
A Stranger at My Door: Finding My Humanity on the U.S. Mexico Border by Peg Bowden
The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantú
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros *****
Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros ***
Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter’s Journey Through a Country’s Descent into Darkness by Alfredo Corchado
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins *****
In the Casa Azul: A Novel of Revolution and Betrayal by Meaghan Delahunt ***
Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel ****
Feathered Serpent by Colin Falconer
The Years with Laura Díaz by Carlos Fuentes (currently reading)
The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes
God’s Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre by Richard Grant
The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo by F. G. Haghenbeck
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez ****
Several Ways to Die in Mexico City: An Autobiography of Death in Mexico City by Kurt Hollander
Mexicasa: The Enchanting Inns and Haciendas of Mexico, Photos by Melba Levick, Text by Gina Hyams
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (also North Carolina and D.C.)
To Find – The Search for Meaning in Life on the Gringo Trail by J.R. Klein
The Happy Hammock: How to Escape the Cold and Live in Mexico by Kathrin Lake
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
Loop by Brenda Lozano
The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli
Costalegre by Courtney Maum
All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy #1) by Cormac McCarthy ****
The Crossing (The Border Trilogy #2) by Cormac McCarthy
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Lost in Oaxaca by Jessica Winters Mireles ****
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone by Mary Morris
Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez
The Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz
Capirotada: A Nogales Memoir by Alberto Alvaro Rio
Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo
The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia
Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran
Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together by Andrew Selee
Landing in the Heart of Mexico: A Gringa’s Story by Collette Sommers
Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester
On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey by Paul Theroux
Mexican: A Journey Through Design by Newell Turner
The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
The Devil’s Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos
Quesadillas by Juan Pablo Villalobos
Bad Karma: The True Story of a Mexican Surf Trip from Hell by Paul Wilson
Lotería by Mario Alberto Zambrano
Lonely Planet Mexico
Lonely Planet San Miguel de Allende with Guanajuato & Querétaro by Julie Meade (currently reading)
Moon Oaxaca by Cody Copeland

Movies set in Mexico

Here are some movies set in Mexico. The latest one we just saw was Emilia Pérez, which was fabulous.

Mexico

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Touch of Evil (1958)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
The Professionals (1966)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Up in Smoke (1978)
El Norte (1983)
Three Amigos (1986)
El Mariachi (1992)
From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
Solo Con Tu Pareja (1991)
Traffic (2000)
Amores Perros (2000)
Y tu mamá también (2001)
Frida (2002)
And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
Nacho Libre (2006)
Apocalypto (2006)
Sin Nombre (2009)
Alamar (To the Sea) (2009)
Monsters (2010)
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Güeros (2014)
Sicario (2015)
Roma (2018) (Netflix) ***
The House of Flowers (TV series) 2020
Noise (2022)
Radical (2023)
Thursday’s Widows (Limited TV series) (2023)
Triptych (TV series (2023)
All the Places (2023)
Familia. (2023)
Griselda (Limited Series) (2024)
Lucca’s World (2024)
The Manny (TV series) (2024)
The Secret of the River (TV series) (2024)
Emilia Pérez (2024) *****
Celda 211 (Prison Cell 211) (TV Mini Series) (2025)

Travel Journal

I’ve prepared a travel journal for both Nicaragua and Mexico.

Nicaragua journal & Mexico journal

Warnings

After signing up for the Smart Traveler notifications with the State Department, we got the following travel warning.

In Mexico City:

Exercise increased caution due to crime.

Both violent and non-violent crime occur throughout Mexico City. Use additional caution, particularly at night, outside of the frequented tourist areas where police and security patrol more routinely. Petty crime occurs frequently in both tourist and non-tourist areas.

In Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Queretaro:

Reconsider travel due to crime.

Gang violence, often associated with the theft of petroleum and natural gas from the state oil company and other suppliers, occurs in Guanajuato, primarily in the south and central areas of the state. Of particular concern is the high number of murders in the southern region of the state associated with cartel-related violence. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping.

There are no other restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Guanajuato state, which includes tourist areas in: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato City, and surrounding areas.

As with anything, it’s just bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, we will have to be vigilant, especially in Mexico City.

Our Itinerary

Nicaragua (9 nights)

Our main goal in Nicaragua is to visit Adam and his family on Ometepe Island. We’ll be on Ometepe for 7 nights, with an additional 2 nights in Managua after flying in and before flying out. There, we plan to mostly hang out with the family, although I hope we can go to Punta Jesus María and Ojo de Agua with the family. I also wouldn’t mind kayaking again down the Río Istian, or hiking on one of the two volcanoes, Volcán Concepción or Volcán Maderas.

Mexico (18 nights)

Mexico City: 6 nights
1. Centro Histórico:
  1. Zócolo
  2. Templo Mayor
  3. Museo Nacional de Arte
  4. Catedral Metroplitana
  5. Palacio Nacional: Diego Rivera murals
2. Alameda Central
  1. Monumento a la Revolución
  2. Palacio de Bellas Artas
  3. Museo Mural Diego Rivera
3. Roma
  1. Museo del Objeto de Objeto
  2. Mercado Roma: gourmet food hall (weekends)
  3. Plaza La Romita
4. Condesa
  1. Parque México: Trendy restaurants, hip boutiques
5. Polanco & Bosque de Chapultepec
  1. Museo Tamayo
  2. Castillo de Chapultepec
  3. Museo Nacional de Antropologia
  4. Museo Soumaya
  5. Museo Jumex
6. San Ángel
  1. Templo & Museo de El Carmen (monastery)
  2. Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo
7. Coyoacán
  1. Museo Frida Kahlo
  2. Museo Casa de León Trotsky
  3. Mercado de Coyoacán
  4. Xochimilco (Canals and floating gardens 19km south of Coyoacán)
8. AROUND MEXICO CITY:
  1. Teotihuacán (once the largest city in Ancient Mexico)
  2. Cuernavaca: “City of Eternal Spring” & colonial town center & Ancient Xochicalco; also Taxco
  3. Puebla (walking tour p. 152) & Cholula (Pirámide Tepanapa)
  4. Malinalco (small Aztec temple complex)
Guanajuato: 4 nights
1. Centro Histórico:
  1. Teatro Juárez
  2. Templo de San Diego Alcantará
  3. Universidad de Guanajuato
  4. Mercado Hidalgo
  5. Alhóndiga de Granaditas
  6. Museo Casa Diego Rivera
  7. El Pípila and the Funicular Panorámico
2. North of the Centro
  1. Templo de San Cayetano
3. Vicinity of Guanajuato
  1. Santa Rosa
San Miguel de Allende (5 nights)
1. Centro Histórico:
  1. Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel
  2. Iglesia de San Rafael
  3. El Jardín
  4. Casa de Allende
  5. Casa del Mayorazgo de la Canal
  6. Oratorio San Filipe Neri
  7. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Salud
  8. More….
2. North of the Centro
  1. Fábrica La Aurora
3. East of the Centro
  1. El Mirador
  2. El Charco del Ingenio (botanical garden)
4. Vicinity of San Miguel de Allende
  1. Atotonilco
    1. Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco
  2. La Gruta Hot Springs
  3. Cañada de la Virgen
  4. Mineral de Pozos
  5. Delores Hidalgo
    1. Wineries
Querétaro (3 nights)
1. Plaza de Armas
2. Museo de Arte de Querétaro (housed in former Argentinian convent)
3. Temple y Ex-Convento de Santa Rosa de Viterbo (unique former convent & temple)
4. Mercado de la Cruz
5. Peña de Bernal
6. northeast of town: Jalpan de Serra (tiny mountain town)

See you again in mid-March. At that time we’ll be looking into moving to Costa Rica for a year, hopefully beginning in June.

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.

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.

anticipation & preparation: el salvador, nicaragua & colombia

wanderessence1025 March 13, 2024

March, 2024: It’s that time for us to be on the move again. It’s a bit strange how our travels are shaped by things outside of our control. That’s how I feel about this trip. Our main purpose is to see our son Adam, who currently makes Ometepe Island in Nicaragua his home. He got married last May (2023) to María, a Nicaraguan woman who already had 4 children: three girls (Cristy, Andrea and Mia) and one an adult young man (Johnny). While we were traveling in October, Adam let us know that María is pregnant (due in May or June of 2024). He’s hoping for a boy, as he’s surrounded by girls now. We debated about waiting to visit until the baby was born, but we wanted a chance to meet María and the girls BEFORE the baby arrives. Also, I’d rather meet the baby after about 6 months or so when we can interact with him or her. We’ll plan to go back to Nicaragua next January, combined with a trip around Mexico.

me with Mike at Punta Jesus María

Adam’s house on Ometepe

Volcán Concepción

Adam, Mike and me at Ojo de Agua

Coco Locos at Ojo de Agua

kayaking at Río Istian with Volcán Concepción ahead

kayaking at Río Istian

kayaking at Río Istian with Volcán Maderas in the background

me in Moyogalpa, Ometepe

map of Ometepe

Ometepe Island from the ferry: left Volcán Concepción, right Volcán Maderas

Since Mike is still working and can only take off three weeks, and I have more freedom, I decided I’d like to stop by San Salvador, in El Salvador, to visit my friend Mario, with whom I taught English in Oman from 2011-2013. It’s been over 10 years, so I hope we can pick up where we left off. We had such grand adventures together in Oman, and could easily talk and laugh about everything, and I hope we can resume that camaraderie. Also, he’ll give me an introduction to his tiny country, full of volcanoes, charming towns, and Mayan ruins.

Mario on Jebel Akhdar in 2013

Mario in the ruins on Jebel Akhdar

Mario and Omani kids

me, Mario and Anna on an endless hike

Omani man with me and Mario

Finally, in 2022, when Mike and I were preparing to go to Ecuador, major protests by indigenous people there closed down the main north-south highway and many other secondary roads for over a month, causing us to cancel our trip. We didn’t know for sure when the protests would end, so in the meantime, I read the entire guidebook for Colombia, thinking if the strike didn’t end in a reasonable time, we’d go there instead. The protests ended after a month, so we were able to go to Ecuador after all, and we had a fabulous time. However, I didn’t spend time reading that guidebook for nothing! I figured I’d put all I learned to use and we’d go to Colombia on top of Nicaragua on this trip.

Lonely Planet Colombia

My goal is to go to South or Central America (& Mexico) somewhere in tandem with Nicaragua every year for at least the next four years, enabling us to cover most of South America (I hope!).

Spanish studies

I’ve continued studying Spanish on Duolingo, accumulating 186,031 XP in Spanish, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually able to speak Spanish. I hope some of it has sunk in, as María and the girls only speak Spanish. Mario of course speaks both Spanish and English. And I hope our language studies will help us navigate Colombia and the other Latin American countries in the years ahead.

Music

Books

Of course, I always try to read books set in my destination countries. I’ve been currently reading about Colombia since I read a lot last year to learn about Nicaragua. The books I’ve read are indicated with stars and ratings. I own the books in green and will try to read them sometime during the year.

Books set in El Salvaor and Nicaragua

Books set in Nicaragua

El Salvador ↓

Bitter Grounds by Sandra Benitez
Breaking Lorca by Giles Blunt
The Massacre at El Mozote by Mark Danner
La Diáspora by Horacio Castellanos Moya
Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya
The Old Patagonian Express by Paul Theroux (currently reading)
Solito by Javier Zamora
Lonely Planet Central America

Nicaragua ↓

The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love & War by Gioconda Belli *****
Fire from the Mountain by Omar Cabezas
The Ladies of Managua by Eleni N. Gage (Kindle) ***
Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua by Stephen Kinzer *****
The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey by Salman Rushdie ***
Lonely Planet Nicaragua ****
Nicaragua: Living in the Shadow of the Eagle by Thomas W. Walker

Books set in Colombia

Colombia ↓

Bolívar: American Liberator by Marie Arana
Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World’s Greatest Outlaw by Mark Bowden
Lonely Planet Colombia 9 (Travel Guides) by Jade Bremner ****
The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself by David Bushnell
Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras (currently reading)
The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
One River: Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon Rain Forest by Wade Davis
Infinite Country: A Novel by Patricia Engel
The Veins of the Ocean by Patricia Engel (Cuba & Florida) ****
Oblivion by Héctor Abad Faciolince
Short Walks from Bogotá: Journeys in the New Colombia by Tom Feiling
Return to the Dark Valley by Santiago Gamboa
The Robber of Memories: A River Journey Through Colombia by Michael Jacobs
Colombia: A Concise Contemporary History by Michael J. LaRosa
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez ***
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez *****
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez ****
Misspelled Paradise: A Year in a Reinvented Colombia by Bryanna Plog ***
At the Devil’s Table: The Untold Story of the Insider Who Brought Down the Cali Cartel by William C. Rempel
The Dark Bride by Laura Restrepo
Delirium by Laura Restrepo
The Armies by Evelio Rosero
There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia by Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno
The Informers by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
Reputations by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
Retrospective by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez *****
Colombiano by Rusty Young
Lonely Planet Colombia ****

Movies

Here are some movies set in our destinations, none of which I have yet seen.

El Salvador ↓

Solo de noche vienes (1966)
Salvador (1985)
Our Forgotten War (1988)
Romero (1989)
Diplomatic Immunity (1991)
Guazapa: The Face of War in El Salvador (1994)
Justice and the Generals (2002)
Innocent Voices (Voces Inocentes) (2004)
The Ambassador (Norwegian: Ambassadøren) (2005)
Anything for Her (French: Pour elle) (2008)
Return to El Salvador (2010)
Wasp Network (2019)
What Lucía Saw (Llegaronde noche) (2022)

Nicaragua ↓

Alsino and the Condor (1982)
Under Fire (1983)
Latino (1985)
Walker (1987)
Clinton and Nadine (1988)
Sandino (1990)
Carla’s Song (1997)
La Yuma (2010)
Now & Later (2011)
Kill the Messenger (2014)
The Naked Screen (La Pantalla Desnuda) (2014)
Drunk Wedding (2015)

Colombia ↓

Rodrigo D. No Future (Rodrigo D: No Futuro) (1990)
Confessing to Laura (Confesión a Laura) (1991)
The Strategy of the Snail (La estrategia del caracol) (1993)
The Rose Sellers (La vendedora de rosas) (1998)
Maria Full of Grace (Maria, llena eres de gracia) (2004)
The Wind Journeys (Los viajes del viento) (2009)
The Colors of the Mountain (Los colores de la montaña) (2010)
The Two Escobars (Los dos Escobar) (2010)
The Towrope (La Sirga) (2012)
Colombia magia salvaje (2015)
Embrace of the Serpent (El abrazo de la serpiente) (2015)
Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) (2018)

Travel Journal

I’ve prepared two travel journals, one for El Salvador & Nicaragua and one for Colombia.

left: El Salvador & Nicaragua / right: Colombia

Warnings

After signing up for the Smart Traveler notifications with the State Department, we got the following travel warning. It’s rather frightening, but we know many people who have traveled to Colombia and have had no problem. As with anything, it’s just bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, we will have to be vigilant, especially in Bogotá and Medellín.

Event: Crime in Colombia:

The U.S. Embassy reminds U.S. citizens of the continued threat of crime throughout Colombia. Recently, robberies conducted by armed individuals, have occurred in popular Bogota restaurants, cafés, and breweries, frequented by tourists and the expat community.

U.S. citizens should be vigilant, maintain heightened situational awareness, and incorporate strong personal security practices into their daily activities.

In the unfortunate event of a robbery, U.S. citizens should prioritize personal safety by refraining from resistance and promptly surrendering all valuables without hesitation. Resistance can result in an abrupt escalation of violence. Prioritizing compliance enhances the likelihood of a safer outcome in such situations.

Should a U.S. citizen find themselves in the vicinity of a shooting, it is crucial to maintain composure. U.S. citizens are advised to adopt a prone position on the ground and actively seek cover or concealment.

U.S. citizens should always be alert to the possibility that criminal organizations and terrorist groups may conduct attacks with little or no warning, targeting transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, police stations, military facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, airports, other public areas, and U.S. government facilities. While terrorists have not specifically targeted private U.S. citizens, the attacks could result in unintended victims.

The U.S. Department of State has issued a level three travel advisory for Colombia and recommends that U.S. citizens reconsider travel due to crime and terrorism and exercise increased caution due to civil unrest and kidnapping.

Actions to Take: Keep a low profile. Be aware of your surroundings. Avoid parking on the street, utilize parking lots with attendants, and keep valuables out of sight. Limit the amount of information shared with any unknown callers and/or strangers. Use caution when walking or driving at night. Remain attentive when entering and departing residences. Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive jewelry or watches. Limit the use of your cellphone while out in public, especially on the street. Only carry the cash and credit cards that you require for your day’s activities. Do not resist physically any robbery attempt. Review your personal security plans.

Our Itinerary

El Salvador (5 nights)

In El Salvador, my main goal is to visit with Mario, but of course I’d like to see some of El Salvador while I’m there for five nights. Mario has some recommendations, and I’m just happy to go along with whatever he recommends. If I could, I’d love to see Mayan ruins at Tazumal and Casa Blanca (Chalchuapa), Joya de Cerén, Ruinas de San Andrés, or Parque Arqueológico Cihuatán. I’d also love to see the small town of Suchitoto and Lago de Coatepeque and drive the Ruta de las Flores. I’d like to go to Quezaltepeque as well. In San Salvador, I’d like to visit the Catedral Metroplitana, Iglesisa El Rosario, Museo de la Palabra y La Imagen and the Centro Monseñor Romero.

Nicaragua (8 nights)

Our main goal in Nicaragua is to visit Adam and his family on Ometepe Island. We’ll be there for 8 nights. We haven’t yet met his wife María, or the three girls, Cristy (12), Andrea (10) and Mia (7), so we really look forward to that, although we will be mentally challenged as we need to speak Spanish to them. Even after two years of Duolingo, I’m not at all confident of my speaking and listening skills. There, we plan to mostly hang out with the family, although I hope we can go to Punta Jesus María and Ojo de Agua with the family. I also wouldn’t mind kayaking again down the Río Istian, or hiking on one of the two volcanoes, Volcán Concepción or Volcán Maderas.

Adam & María at their wedding

Adam & María

Cristy, Andrea and Mia

María, Cristy, Andrea and Mia

Adam & María

Adam and his family

María, Cristy, Johnny, Andrea, Mia and Adam

María and their new bunnies

Colombia (15 nights)

Bogotá: 4 nights
1. Stroll through Candelaria (the historic center)
2. The Gold Museum (Museo del Oro)
3. Climb Monserrate
4. Plaza Bolivar
5. The Bolero Museum
6. Street Art Tour (book online)
7. Mercado de las Pulgas de Usaquén
8. Day trip to Villa de Leyva
9. Laguna de Guatavita
10. Hike to La Chorrera and El Chiflón waterfalls
11. Colombian food to try:
  1. Sancocho – thick meat-filled stew with potatoes and corn
  2. Lechona – slow roasted pork
  3. Aguila or Club Colombia beer
Medellín: 6 nights
1. Pablado: Upscale neighborhood – gringos and expats (We’re staying here)
2. Comuna 13 + Las Escaleras: Book Comuna 13 Neighborhood Tour
3. Day trip to Guatapé: Colorful lake town, climb 740 steps to El Peñol
4. Day trip to a pueblo: Jardín, San Antonio de Pereira, or Santa Fé Antioquia Jardín (3 hours from Medellín) – coffee farms
5. Museo de Antioquia
6. Free Walking Tour – Real City Tours
7. See Parque Barrio, the Forest of Lights, and Parque San Antonio
8. Take the Metrocable up to Parque Arvi
9. Santo Domingo and Biblioteca España
10. The Botanical Gardens
11. Casa de la Memoria (Colombia’s history)
12. Parque Lleras: grab anise-flavored Colombian spirit, Aguardiente or a few Aguila beers
13. Plaza Botero: 23 bronze statues by Fernando Botero
14. El Castillo Museo y Jardines
Cartagena (5 nights) – Caribbean vibes / stay in the Old City
1. Explore Old Town Cartagena
2. Restaurant Carmen (most colorful street): tropical patio
  1. Zaitun – Lebanese
  2. Le Cevicheria or El Boliche (ceviche)
3. Day trip to Islas Rosario – book boat through hotel: Gente Del Mar Island
4. Day trip to Isla Barú: more casual and divey. Colorful beach shacks and piña colada stands & turquoise water
  1. Also accessible by 40 min. cab ride over a bridge.
  2. Drop at Playa Blanca and hop a motorbike to take you to the end of road where beach is.
  3. The Wizard: colorful beach bar
5. Bike around town
6. Watch sunset at Cafe del Mar
7. Relax on the beach or at poolside

See you again in mid-April. 🙂

the tropical paradise of isla ometepe

wanderessence1025 April 5, 2023

Wednesday, January 4, 2023: We packed up early in Granada and left the Airbnb by 7 a.m., driving 1 1/2 hours to San Jorge, Rivas. There, we caught the 9:00 ferry (about 1 hour on the very rough seas of Lake Nicaragua) to Moyogalpa, the main gateway to Ometepe. Located on the west side of Volcán Concepción, it is the largest village and commercial center on Isla Ometepe.

the ferry to Ometepe

Adam, Alex and Mike on the ferry

ropes in the ferry to Ometepe

view of Ometepe from the ferry

We stopped to take a picture on the airport runway (it’s the only air strip on the island and is rarely used), and then went directly to Punta Jesús María, a narrow spit of land formed by water currents and sediments. In some years, during the dry season, the sand bank juts into the lake for more than 1 km and you can walk to the tip with water splashing in from both sides.

From the land spit, you can have a panoramic view of Isla Ometepe with its two volcanoes. The third volcano, which can be seen across the lake on the mainland of Nicaragua, is Mombacho, which we saw when we were in Granada.

Sadly today we weren’t lucky enough to get out on the sandbar because the lake level, still high from the rainy season, had totally submerged it.

On the long dirt road there, as we drove behind a red truck stuffed with a family of Nicaraguans standing in the back, Adam turned on the music he used to make a video he’d sent us, “Vido de Rico” (Rich Life), a song by Camilo, and played it as we videotaped the drive. Sadly, I can’t include the song on the video as I don’t have the copyright, so I used another Spanish song.

Punta Jesus Maria

Mike at Punta Jesus Maria

me at Punta Jesus Maria

Punta Jesus Maria

Mike and me at Punta Jesus Maria

We stopped at the Emerald Rainbow Caravan Hostel where Adam worked and lived for a while. The hostel has numerous vehicles that have been painted and converted to guest rooms with Turkish decor. We met some of Adam’s friends, but we talked mostly to Bob from Pennsylvania; he owns a house near the hostel. We sat and visited with him for a bit. He was very thankful that Adam had stayed with him while he had appendix surgery, which he said almost killed him. We could easily see how much people around these parts love Adam.

Emerald Rainbow Caravan Hostel

Bob, Adam’s friend from Pennsylvania

a turkey at Emerald Rainbow Caravan Hostel

Emerald Rainbow Caravan Hostel

Beware of Falling Coconuts

Emerald Rainbow Caravan Hostel

We made another stop to meet Manja, a German woman who married a Nicaraguan man, Horacio, and has two children; the girl is Elouisa but I didn’t catch the boy’s name. Manja has lived on Ometepe for 12 years. She runs a school where Adam volunteers by teaching math to the children. She has been a good friend to Adam. She happened upon Ometepe while volunteering for a women’s organization when she was young and didn’t know yet what to do with her life.

Manja’s backyard

Manja’s kids

We ate lunch at Cafe Campestre, where the food was delicious (but service was very slow). Adam played poker here every Saturday night with a group of ex-pat men. Adam and I ordered Red Snapper Ceviche (very spicy!). Alex enjoyed Red Beef Massaman: a fragrant, mildly spiced tender local beef curry with coconut milk, kaffir lime, potatoes, tamarind, and peanuts. Mike had Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry: pumpkins sauteed in coconut milk with chickpeas, fresh turmeric, lemongrass, galangal, lime and red chilies.

We chatted with the British owner Ben who has been on the island for about 20 years; he has a love of Indian food and is passionate about cooking with spices from around the world.

Manja and Elouisa joined us at the table for most of our lunch. Elouisa teased Adam a lot and kept tossing chili sauce, pepper and salt into his beer. He has a great rapport with children.

Elouisa & Adam at Cafe Campestre

Cafe Campestre

We had helped Adam buy a house on Ometepe as he loves the simple life here and has forged a great community of ex-pats, Christians at the church he attends, and Nicaraguans. He works on various farming projects with rice and plantains, and although nothing has worked out yet, he believes he’s learning from his challenges and failures.

After lunch, we went to Adam’s bright green Nica-style house which needs a lot of work (new roof, new plumbing, indoor kitchen, on and on…). It was a big mess and a lot of junk was piled everywhere. He does have a stovetop, freezer, a nice cupboard with screen panels, and wooden rocking chairs made by a carpenter friend. He also has three bicycles, a massage table, an outdoor shower, an inside toilet, and a motorbike. He laid bricks to create a walkway to the shower and back porch. Adam loves Manja’s Nica-house and there is definitely potential in his, but it needs a LOT of work!

We met his little dog, Biggy Smalls (a female), who he was very happy to see since he’d been traveling with us. Some of his neighbors had looked after her while he was gone.

Adam’s house is in Balgùe near Santa Cruz and on the Volcán Maderas side of Ometepe. Balgùe has a laid-back backpacker vibe and new accommodations and restaurants keep popping up.

Alex, Adam, Biggy and another dog at Adam’s house on Ometepe

Plantains growing in Adam’s yard

Adam’s gardens

Adam’s house on Ometepe

Ometepe’s main road runs in a rough barbell shape, circling each of the two volcanoes and running along the northern shore of the isthmus between them. The Concepción side of the island is more developed, and the major towns of Moyogalpa and Altagracia are connected by paved road.

Alex was feeling very grumpy and down on himself, feeling like he always falls short compared to his brother. He sees that Adam is very sociable and fits in easily everywhere. Alex doesn’t believe he has it in him to be sociable and easygoing with people. Of course, I think he sells himself short as I find him very personable, smart, hard-working and capable.

We stayed at El Encanto Garden Hotel, managed by Adam’s friends Josh and Carolina. From the outdoor dining area of the hotel, we enjoyed watching hummingbirds and seeing the view of Volcán Concepción.

view of Volcán Concepción from El Encanto Garden Hotel

We ate a delicious dinner at Pizzeria Mediterránea where, once again, Adam ran into a number of friends. His community here seems expansive and inclusive.

One of his friends was Emre from Turkey. Emre was setting up tables in front of the restaurant, selling bracelets and other jewelry. He said he loved Ataturk, but despises Erdogan. I bought a bracelet from him in solidarity. 🙂

Pizzeria Mediterránea

Adam, me and Alex at Pizzeria Mediterránea

Pizzeria Mediterránea

Thursday, January 5: In the morning, Mike and the boys went on a walk uphill from Adam’s house, while I enjoyed a relaxing morning writing in my journal. I showered and relaxed on the porch, enjoying the breeze and lush tropical surroundings at El Encanto Garden Hotel.

El Encanto Garden Hotel

We went to Al Ojo de Agua in the afternoon. Al Ojo de Agua is in the community of Santo Domingo on Ometepe. The water from this natural pool comes directly from Volcán Concepción. Because it is volcanic water, it is rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, sulfur and sodium.

Another source I read said the crystal clear water was from an underground river that came from Volcán Maderas, Ometepe’s other volcano. The swimming hole is rimmed with cement to form two separate swimming areas where the water gets renewed constantly by the spring that emerges from the bottom of the upper pool.

The lower pool is almost 2 meters deep and 4o meters long. On the edge around the pools can you doze in wooden sun chairs or sit at plastic tables and order food from the restaurant or eat food that you bring yourself.

We ordered a lunch of quesadillas and tacos and fruit juices. At the far end was a platform with a rope swing where you could swing out and jump into the deep water. The boys and Mike had fun doing that while I watched over our belongings.

After a while, Alex and Adam brought us some Coco Locos, rum and coconut drinks. I brought out my selfie stick which I had never used before. We were all laughing hysterically at my utter incompetence at using the selfie stick. I was drinking out of a straw and trying to use the selfie stick and laughing when I suddenly choked and spit out the drink all over the ground. I couldn’t breathe and I thought, this is it! I’m done for! The guys tried to calm me down and I was finally able to breathe with some difficulty.

It was hilarious while at the same time utterly terrifying. Finally, after I calmed down, I decided to give the rope swing a try. I swam to the far end of the pool and thought I saw some steps in the concrete wall so I could climb out. Suddenly, I found myself being sucked into the drainage system for the pool. It took a mighty effort to pull myself free.

I finally climbed up on the platform, put myself in a Zen state of mind, and, without hesitation, jumped out over the water on the rope swing. I felt like I was a thousand pounds of dead weight and plopped heavily into the water.

Adam said he worried about me, especially after almost choking and then almost getting sucked into the drainage pipe. But I survived the rope jump without incident. I didn’t choose to do it twice!

Al Ojo de Agua

the selfie stick debacle at Al Ojo de Agua

This is the moment I choked!

Adam at Al Ojo de Agua

Mike and me at Al Ojo de Agua

Coco Locos

me swimming at Al Ojo de Agua

When we returned to El Encanto, I took a shower and relaxed some more while Alex and Adam went for a ride on Adam’s motorbike (with Alex driving).

At 4:00 in the afternoon, we rented kayaks from Adam’s friend Hector near Playa Caiman. We took the kayaks down the Rio Istian where the birds and wildlife became increasingly active as it neared sunset. We heard lots of birds in the trees and saw an egret up close; he took off in flight as we approached. We skirted the mangroves and enjoyed the silence. It was a beautiful and peaceful excursion that we all enjoyed immensely, a great way to spend our final afternoon in Ometepe.

Volcanoes of Ometepe

Playa Caiman

kayaking at Playa Caiman

Adam kayaking at Playa Caiman 2023

Alex kayaking at Playa Caiman

kayaking at Playa Caiman

an egret

cloud formations

sunset at Playa Caiman

Adam at sunset at Playa Caiman 2023

sunset at Playa Caiman

one volcano as seen from Playa Caiman

sunset at Playa Caiman

landing after our kayak trip

We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the thatched roof restaurant at Hotel Los Cocos. We listened to the song “Ola Adiós” by Vacación at the restaurant.

dinner at Hotel Los Cocos

Later, we sat out on the patio of El Encanto and talked with the managers of the hotel, Josh and Carolina, and two Dutch travelers who planned to head to Mexico for the first time on Monday. It was a fun and fascinating conversation about travel and life in Ometepe.

Friday, January 6: After another delicious breakfast at El Encanto, we packed up and drove an hour, arriving in Moyogalpa by 10 a.m. to catch the 11:30 ferry back to the mainland. We had a lot of time to kill so we walked around to get a feel for life in the island port town.

We stopped at The Corner Store for some fruit juices and cold coffee drinks. We were so happy to have Adam with us to help figure out the ferry!

Moyogalpa, on the west side of Volcán Concepción, is home to the ferry terminal for hourly boats from the mainland. It’s the nerve center for Ometepe’s fledgling tourist industry.

We wandered uphill on the main drag to have a look at the pretty Iglesia Moyogalpa and admired the nativity scenes and Christmas decorations.

breakfast at El Encanto

leaving El Encanto via dirt road

Moyogalpa

nativity scene leading to Iglesia de Moyogalpa

Iglesia de Moyogalpa

inside Iglesia de Moyogalpa

Moyogalpa

map of Ometepe in Moyogalpa

We took the hour-long ferry across to the mainland. It was the same small ferry we’d used to cross over just two days earlier.

Leaving Ometepe and its two volcanoes

After we got to the mainland, we drove Adam to a hardware store to look for a lockbox for his house, but he couldn’t find one. We drove him quickly back to the port so he could catch the 1:30 ferry. Mike passed a car so we could make it on time. We got stopped at a checkpoint by the police not far from where we passed the car. The policeman wanted to confiscate Mike’s driver’s license until Monday, which would have held us up in Nicaragua for three more days; we were due to leave the country on Saturday morning. Thanks to Adam’s knowledge of life in the country and his excellent Spanish-speaking abilities, we were able to avoid the penalty by handing over a 500-cordoba note (~$14).

Adam had told Mike as we left the airport in Managua the first day to never open his wallet in front of the police if we were ever stopped. Instead, he advised him to keep a 500-cordoba note in the glove compartment or between the two front seats to hand the police if we ever got stopped. Since the policeman seemed determined to keep the license despite Adam telling him we were leaving the country the next day, Mike pulled out the reserved note, folded it into his hand, and slipped it to the policeman. He took it quietly and waved us through.

Adam still missed the ferry but it was okay because he met a friend of his and they had a nice chat on the way back to the island.

Here is a video of our time on Isla Ometepe.

We said our goodbyes to Adam, and headed next to San Juan del Sur, where we would spend the night before crossing the border to Costa Rica.

IsVeranillo here?

Homebody stuff

*********

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Virginia > San Salvador > Managua

Managua > arrival in Ometepe & meeting our newest grandson

A morning walk, howler monkeys, the Saturday market, a poker game & dinner with the family

Yoga, a rainy Sunday, and a sleepover

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Virginia > Managua > Ometepe > Managua

Mexico City

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Anticipation: Ometepe, Nicaragua

Anticipation: Mexico

Spanish studies

Music

Books

Movies set in Mexico

Travel Journal

Warnings

Our Itinerary

Nicaragua (9 nights)

Mexico (18 nights)

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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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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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Spanish studies

Music

Books

Movies

Travel Journal

Warnings

Our Itinerary

El Salvador (5 nights)

Nicaragua (8 nights)

Colombia (15 nights)

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