Tag: Travel videos

border crossings, beach wanders & ziplines near playa hermosa, costa rica

wanderessence1025 April 19, 2023

Saturday, January 7, 2023: After a delicious breakfast at our hotel, we left San Juan del Sur and headed to the Costa Rican border at Peñas Blancas.

Crossing the border was no fun at all. A Saturday and the holidays made for a very long and slow-moving line. We had to turn in our rental car at Alamo in Nicaragua and then lugged all our belongings quite a distance to the Alamo office going into Costa Rica. Alamo Jack directed us to the long line of people and guessed it could be an hour and half to get through. Alex and I got into line to hold our place while Mike signed all the paperwork with Alamo Jack. We only moved a few yards in about 20 minutes.

Crossing the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica at Peñas Blancas

Luckily when Alamo Jack found out that we were in our 60s (I’d have thought it would be obvious!), he pulled us out of the line and drove us to the front of the line because “Costa Rica is nice to people in their 60s!” Because Alex wasn’t in his 60s, yet he was part of our family group, he was allowed to go through with us. What started as a seeming nightmare turned into a rather decent experience.

Entering Costa Rica

We drove on modern highways with hardly any traffic until we got to Liberia. Alex commented right away that he thought Costa Rica was too much like America. Between the familiar fast food restaurants and other American-styled businesses, he wasn’t impressed. I felt like we’d crossed into a more upscale and organized world than what we found in Nicaragua. But Alex was right: I wasn’t crazy about the American influences.

Between Liberia and Playa Hermosa, we stopped for lunch at an open air restaurant, La Choza de Laurel, which obviously catered to tourists. The food was rather blah, but we were happy to eat it after the stressful border crossing.

Playa Hermosa

We checked into Hotel Velero in Playa Hermosa. Once again, this was a place recommended by Mike’s friend Carol and her husband Carlos in Costa Rica. They didn’t steer us wrong. We promptly changed into bathing suits and spent the afternoon relaxing at the beach and the poolside. After a while, Alex and I ordered mojitos from the bar while we sat poolside. I read some of Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate: Exotic and Unseen Costa Rica by Jack Ewing, which is about Costa Rican wildlife, ecotourism, ecological preservation, and wildlife corridors in the country.

Hotel Velero in Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa

Hotel Velero in Playa Hermosa

Monkeys are Made of Chocolate

Hotel Velero in Playa Hermosa

Alex in Hotel Velero

Hotel Velero in Playa Hermosa

At sunset, we took a walk down the beach and then walked uphill to Ginger Restaurant Bar, which serves Asian-inspired tapas in a tree house setting. I was sweating after the walk uphill and, irritatingly, never stopped sweating through the entire meal. 😦

The food was delicious and the atmosphere charming. We enjoyed a rather expensive meal:

Thai Green Curry Chicken in Crispy Wontons: filled with creamy Thai green curry chicken with coconut milk.
Ginger’s Ahi Tuna (signature dish): Pickled ginger slaw, tropical salsa, citrus mayonnaise & crispy flour tortillas.
Thai Red Curry Beef on Crispy Plantains: Served on plantain fritters, topped with spicy chili and onion pickle.
Firecracker Shrimp: Jumbo Shrimp, honey lime, chili, hoisin sauce.

Playa Hermosa at sunset

walking along Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa at sunset

House along the beach at Playa Hermosa

Ginger Restaurant

Alex at Ginger Restaurant

Thai Green Curry Chicken in Crispy Wontons

Ginger’s Ahi Tuna

Thai Red Curry Beef on Crispy Plantains

Firecracker Shrimp

After our delectable meal, we made our way downhill to Hotel Velero, where we relaxed and psyched ourselves up for our morning ziplining adventure at Diamante Eco Adventure Park.

Diamante Eco Adventure Park

Sunday, January 8: We enjoyed a lovely beach-side breakfast at El Velero, then took off for our drive to Diamante Eco Adventure Park, located in Guanacaste. We had a ziplining tour arranged there. It was the first time I’d ever done ziplining, and though it was terrifying, it was also thrilling. It took a while for the operators to hook us up with the necessary gear.

Alex, me and Mike all geared up for ziplining

We took four separate ziplines. The first one wasn’t too scary. The other upright ziplines were not too scary at all either, except when we came screeching to a halt at each platform.

Alex ziplining

Mike and me ziplining

On the second zipline we returned back across to a lower point with views of the ocean behind us.

Alex ziplining

Mike ziplining

me ziplining

Diamante’s oceanfront location offers the longest dual line in the country. It features a nearly a mile long line (1,360 meters (4,461 feet) long), Superman-style, with great ocean views. It is 80 stories high at its peak and it reaches a maximum speed of 60mph. Diamante uses state-of-the-art carbon lines and an automatic braking system so guests never have to touch the lines.

A van drove us up and up a series of switchbacks to the top of a mountain, the highest point in the park, to do the “Superman,” the aforementioned super high, long and fast zipline, on which you lie flat, belly-down and go headfirst like a torpedo, and nearly as fast as one. I didn’t stop screaming until I was over halfway to the finish!

Alex prepares for the Superman

Alex and Debbie on the Superman zipline

Mike and I take off on the Superman zipline

Mike and me on the Superman zipline

We obviously couldn’t take our cameras or phones, so we had to purchase the photos from Diamante. I took a short video of someone else doing one of the ziplines because we couldn’t film ourselves. You can see more of our ziplining in the video below.

Later in the day, we got by email the photos of the Aerial Adventure. My face at the start of the Superman zipline shows I was pretty unsure about what I was about to do. I was not relaxed, not at all!

At the end of our four ziplines, we also did a Quick Jump: a freefall down a 30-foot tower somewhat like a bungee jump but a lot less scary. You can see that in the video below.

We perused the fabulous gift shop at Diamante where we bought tee shirts, hats, stickers and various other souvenirs, including chocolate bars. In the outdoor dining area, we enjoyed cold drinks; Alex had an Imperial beer, while Mike and I had fruit juices.

Alex looks over the Diamante landscape

the view from Diamante

Alex enjoys an Imperial

Back to Playa Hermosa

We drove back to the hotel along the curvy coastal roads. In town, we stopped at Ginger to take pictures of the tree house restaurant and we found a large lizard (maybe a gecko?) in the parking lot. He makes an appearance in the video below.

Ginger Restaurant during the day

Back at the hotel, we put on bathing suits and walked from one end of Playa Hermosa to the other. It was such a beautiful beach with boats bobbing in the harbor, palm trees fringing the sand, and rocky promontories at either end.

Playa Hermosa

breezy palms at Playa Hermosa

me at Playa Hermosa

Mike at Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa

We went out to dinner at Bocelli Ristorante Pizzeria. A poster of Charlie Chaplin in Le Dictateur watched over us. We shared a delicious pizza with some blackened thing on it, but I don’t remember what it was.

Bocelli Ristorante Pizzeria

our pizza

In the evening, there was a saxophonist playing Stevie Wonder by the pool: “You can feel it all over…🎶” Mike made his famous whiskey and Ginger Ale and we sat on the balcony and listened to the music.

poolside music at Hotel Velero

Monday, January 9: Mike and I got up early and took a walk on the beach and then met Alex, where we enjoyed French toast at a beach-side table for breakfast. We checked out of the hotel and took Alex to the airport in Liberia, from which he would fly home. We saw him off through security, but not before we stood in line a while to pay the Exit Tax. When we got to the front of the line and Alex handed over his passport, the woman said, “You’re American? You don’t need to pay an Exit Tax.” I wish some signs had told us that before we wasted time standing in that infernal line.

early morning walk at Playa Hermosa

French toast for breakfast at Hotel Velero

Here is a video which shows more of the action during our ziplining adventure.

After leaving Alex, we headed through Liberia where we drove around awhile looking in vain for the giant bull, El Toro, that I’d read about. We never found the bull, so we finally headed out of town to our next destination, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin near Parque Nacional Volcán Rincón de la Vieja.

welcoming the new year in león, nicaragua

wanderessence1025 March 15, 2023

Friday, December 30, 2022: After our breakfast in Hotel San José in Matagalpa, we showered, packed and were on our way to León. I was disappointed because it seemed Mike had lost the Nicaragua guidebook and the nice map of Nicaragua I’d brought. There was a city walk in the guidebook for León, and now it seemed we wouldn’t be able to take that walk. We looked in all the suitcases and bags and in the car, but it was nowhere to be found.

As we drove, we passed acres of coffee beans drying along the road. People tending the beans were wrapped up in so much clothing that not an inch of their skin was exposed. Coffee production is obviously king around Matagalpa Department.

We also passed a large rice production area, cultivated and irrigated for year-round farming.

León

Overall, we drove an easy 2 1/2 hours from Matagalpa to León. We checked into our hotel, Hotel La Posada Del Doctor. The room was tiny, one double bed pushed up against a wall (I hate beds pushed up against walls!), and two single beds with a tiny and quite derelict-looking bathroom. The outdoor open courtyard was nice, however, as was the shaded seating area around the edges with comfortable chairs and pool tables.

Hotel La Posada Del Doctor

decor at Hotel La Posada Del Doctor

We promptly went out to walk around the city, sadly without that lost guidebook. It seemed our wanderings would be aimless, after all.

We headed first to León’s Cathedral, but as we were hungry we detoured around and behind it to the Mercado in search of lunch. My favorite thing was a Manuelita, a kind of crepe. I also had fried cheese and a plantain. While at lunch in the market, a guy started yelling at Adam, who told him, “Despacio (“slowly, slowly”).” The guy had been staring at us, Adam said. The woman who sold us our food told us the man was a regular there who suffered mental problems.

Alex, Adam and me at the Mercado

After lunch we went to the Catedral de León, also known as the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary. It is a significantly important and historic landmark in León. The Cathedral was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO.

The Cathedral’s construction lasted between 1747 and 1814, and it was consecrated by Pope Pius IX in 1860. It has maintained the status of being the largest cathedral in Central America and one of the best known in the Americas due to its distinct architecture and special cultural importance.

Catedral de León, officially the Basilica de la Asunción, is a pantheon of Nicaraguan culture. The tomb of Rubén Darío, Leon’s favorite son, is on one side of the altar, guarded by a sorrowful lion and the inscription: “Nicaragua is created of vigor and glory, Nicaragua is made for freedom.”

We also walked around inside and sat down for a moment of silence and to absorb the spiritual atmosphere. Of course, we admired another huge nativity scene.

We bought tickets to climb up the tower and walk around the rooftop. We didn’t have great views because of the heavy white concrete railing, but the domes on top were artistic and pleasingly arranged. The roof was a dazzling white; with the white domes and the blue sky, it brought back memories of Santorini, Greece. We did manage to enjoy some views of the flat plain around León and the cone-shaped volcanoes rising up in the distance.

Catedral de León, officially the Basilica de la Asunción

interior of Catedral de León

Nativity scene in Catedral de León

rooftop of Catedral de León

volcanoes in the distance

Catedral de León rooftop

me on the Catedral de León rooftop

Alex on Catedral de León rooftop

Catedral de León rooftop

In front of the Cathedral was a large Christmas tree and saddled fake horses all lined up. Mike walked through a bunch of pigeons to see if they’d scatter, but they just ignored him. We found more brilliantly-hued nativity scenes.

After walking around the top of the cathedral, Alex, who was sadly still sick, returned to the hotel to rest and Adam walked around on his own to check out nearby gyms.

holiday decor at Catedral de León

ponies in front of Catedral de León

nativity scene in front of Catedral de León

We went to the Museo Histórico de la Revolución, which has seen better days. An eerie emptiness abounded: offices were bare, staircases were covered in dust and debris, walls were shedding hunks of paint amidst pigeon droppings. Tiny marks in the wall were bullet holes from intense fighting that once took place.

The guide explained about Nicaragua’s complicated past and who the major players were, especially Augusto César Sandino (May 18, 1895 – February 21, 1934), the Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion between 1927 and 1933 against the United States’ occupation of Nicaragua. Despite being referred to as a “bandit” by the U.S. government, his exploits made him a hero throughout much of Latin America, where he became a symbol of resistance to American Imperialism.

We also learned of Carlos Fonseca and others who fought for years to upend Anastasio Somoza Debayle’s dynasty. We got an overview of the Nicaraguan revolutionaries who stood up against the Somoza dictatorship. The museum traces the history from the devastating earthquake of 1972 to the Sandinista overthrow.

The Somoza family ruled for over 4 decades (1936-1979), with increasing dissatisfaction felt by Nicaragua’s citizens. The key turning point was in 1972 when a huge earthquake killed thousands and left huge populations homeless. Somoza’s National Guard embezzled much of the aid money, inciting citizens to fury and a slow-burning rebellion.

The guide then took us up on the rusted corrugated iron roof – the metal sheets were held down by rocks – for views over León. The roof had gaping holes and crudely-drawn yellow arrows pointing where we should walk. The museum, housed in a former Somoza government building, was a central location during the Sandinista revolution. Abandoned and in decay since 1979, former Sandinista revolutionary fighters worked to turn it into a museum.

We clambered across, fearful of one of the metal sheets collapsing. Luckily, we found an amazing view of León’s churches and the landscape beyond that in the not-too-distant past had been so ravaged by war.

The building was very derelict and our guide worried for its future. She mentioned the Chinese wanted to buy it but for what purpose, she didn’t know.

Museo Histórico de la Revolución

Augusto César Sandino

Carlos Fonseca

the derelict Museo Histórico de la Revolución

rooftop of Museo Histórico de la Revolución

view of Catedral de León from the rooftop of Museo Histórico de la Revolución

Museo Histórico de la Revolución

Leaving the Museum of the Revolution, we found some street art that was revolutionary-themed.

revolutionary-themed street art

streets of León

We also walked by an unknown church and the Iglesia La Recolección. The 1786 Iglesia de la Recolección is considered the city’s most beautiful church, a Mexican-style Baroque confection of swirling columns and bas-relief medallions that portray the life of Christ. The lavishly decorated facade is dyed a deep yellow accented with cream and peeling paint.

church in León

Iglesia La Recolección

Because we’d had such a big lunch, all we had for dinner were little nibbles. The guys drank beers as they played pool on the borders of the courtyard.

pool tables were under the eaves along the edges

Steps: 8,670; Miles: 3.68.

Las Peñitas

Saturday, December 31, 2022: NEW YEAR’S EVE: After out typical Nicaraguan breakfast (scrambled eggs, plantains, red beans and rice, toast and cheese), we drove out to Las Peñitas, a wide sandy Pacific beach fronted by a cluster of surfer hostels and boutique hotels. Smallish regular waves make for decent surfing, especially for beginners.

We cruised up and down looking for the most welcoming spot to spend the morning. We stopped at Playa Roca Hotel and were told we could park there as long as we bought something in the restaurant. We sat on an L-shaped wooden bench around a coffee table under a thatched roof. It was hot as it had been since we’d arrived in León, but we had on our bathing suits and were ready to beach it. Rough rocks formed a kind of headland on the left side of the crescent beach where waves were battering the rocks. Alex did his typical handstand atop one of the rocks. The guys went bodysurfing and got tossed about quite a bit. I went in myself and was promptly knocked over by a wave and had trouble regaining my footing.

Some of the other thatch roofed restaurants and hotels along the beach were gussied up with waving green palm trees. We saw hand-drawn signs for surfing classes and rooms for rent: “Rento habitacion.” American music played over a loudspeaker and crashing waves added an offbeat rhythm to the tunes.

After a while, I ate a shrimp taco, rice and beans and a Victoria Frost, while “You’re my angel” serenaded me. The guy who worked at the bar was super friendly.

Nica breakfast at the hotel

Playa Roca Hotel at Las Peñitas

Playa Roca

Las Peñitas

Mike, Adam and Alex at Playa Roca

Las Peñitas

Playa Roca

Playa Roca Hotel

Playa Roca

Las Peñitas

Adam singing

the friendly waiter at Playa Roca

my shrimp taco

Next to Las Peñitas, following the same stretch of beach is Poneloya. The two villages are similar but Las Peñitas is a bit more geared toward backpackers and other foreign visitors.

Bienvenidos Poneloya – Las Peñitas

León

Back in León, the four of us went to the street to find a rickshaw. A guy with a single bench seat insisted he could carry all four of us, but we knew it was impossible no matter what configuration we tried. Luckily we found another rickshaw and split up and took both to the museums.

Museo Rubén Darío

We headed first to the Museo Rubén Darío, with its pretty green courtyard. León is the home of the country’s most famous poet, Rubén Darío.

Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (January 18, 1867 – Febraury 6, 1916), known as Rubén Darío, was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as modernismo (modernism) that flourished at the end of the 19th century. Darío had a great and lasting influence on 20th century Spanish-language literature and journalism.

This was the poet’s home and national museum. It was in the house where he lived the first 14 years of his life. He started writing poetry here at age 12. His first poem is on display here as are various personal effects. Everyday items provide a window into well-to-do Nicaraguan life in the late 1800s. Some highlights were handwritten manuscripts of Darío’s famous works, his Bible, the bed where he died “an agonizing death” and the fancy clothes he wore as the ambassador to Spain, and a library with curlicued wooden bookcases. His work was featured in Mundial magazines, a Peruvian weekly magazine that marked the birth of modern journalism in Peru, both for its graphic design and its content, when it appeared in Lima on April 28, 1920. It ran through 576 issues to 4 September 1931.

The house itself was very cool but all the information was in Spanish so we didn’t learn much about the poet from the museum. We had never read any of his poetry so Adam pulled up one of his poems online and read aloud the translated version of a verse.

Nicaragua is famous for its many poets, many of whom inspired the Revolution.

Museo Rubén Darío

Rubén Darío poem

Museo Rubén Darío

Rubén Darío at age 23

Museo Rubén Darío

Centro de Arte Fundación Oriz-Gurdián

We then went to the Centro de Arte Fundación Oriz-Gurdián, founded in 2000. The museum is made of four colonial houses replete with ornate interior courtyards. The sprawling one-story buildings occupy at least two full city blocks. Much of the museum roof is open to the sky. It showcases a vast collection: early pre-Columbian and Spanish colonial religious artifacts to modern and contemporary artworks.

The Art Center was born on December 5, 2000 with the inauguration of the Norberto Ramirez house. In November of 2002, Derbyshire House opened. In 2006, the house Delgadillo opened and in 2013, the House Deshon followed. The four houses with large corridors, lounges and gardens, built between the 18th and 19th centuries, are examples of the most authentic León architecture of those times. They belonged to illustrious families of the city. They were acquired and restored from the year 1999 by the Ortiz-Gurdián family with the desire that they would house in the interior the collection of universal art and be enjoyed by their Nicaraguan compatriots and international visitors.

The houses showcase art as follows:

The House Norberto Ramirez: the collection “from occidental art to Nicaraguan art.”
House Derbyshire: exhibition of Latin American painting.
House Delgadillo: the collection of “Integración and Grupo Praxis.”
House Deshon: contemporary art collection from the Ortiz-Gurdián Foundation.

I loved this museum. This was definitely my favorite place in León. I loved not only the South American and Nicaraguan art, but the buildings themselves, which were works of art themselves with their numerous courtyards, bubbling fountains and fish ponds. There was even a section on European art (not as interesting to me) and modern art, including a Marilyn Monroe series by Andy Warhol. I found the Latin American art most intriguing.

Centro de Arte Fundación Oriz-Gurdián

me at Centro de Arte Fundación Oriz-Gurdián

Centro de Arte Fundación Oriz-Gurdián

work by Oswaldo Guayasamin of Ecuador

Centro de Arte Fundación Oriz-Gurdián

Nicaraguan paintings

Centro de Arte Fundación Oriz-Gurdián

Strolling around town

As we strolled around town, we came upon a statue, “Los Motivos del Lobo” in front of Iglesia de San Francisco (Church of St. Francis). Its origins date to 1639. The statue shows the parable of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio. St. Francis gained his reputation for having control over animals when he persuaded this man-eating wolf to convert to eating more conventional food and become a mascot for the town. Rubén Darío wrote: “Los Motivos del Lobo” (“The Motives of the Wolf”) which tells the story from the wolf’s perspective.

The 1639 Iglesia de San Francisco is one of the oldest churches in the city, a national heritage site with lots of gold, a gorgeous nave, and a rococo interior. Abandoned between 1830-1881, it was later refurbished with two elaborate altarpieces for San Antonio and Our Lady of Mercy.

“Los Motivos del Lobo” in front of Iglesia de San Francisco

Iglesia de San Francisco

On the street, Adam picked up a squishy Sopa de Leche, a milky flan or custard with brown sugar. Alex found he loved it.

After strolling around town a bit more, we returned to our hotel where Alex and Adam played pool for a while before we went to dinner at El Bodegón, a cozy and breezy courtyard restaurant with excellent food but not the greatest service. I welcomed in the New Year with a tarmindo mojito. I had Tostadas de Vegetales and Mike had Quesadillas de Lechón.

There was a large party (tour group) in the restaurant which caused us to have to wait a very long time for our food.

New Year’s Eve dinner at El Bodegón

Tamarindo Mojito

Mike, Alex and Adam at El Bodegón

decor at El Bodegón

Tostadas de Vegetales

After dinner we wandered through the downtown, still freshly festooned and lit up for the holidays and watched entire families promenading in their finery.

another nativity

the festooned town of León

a church along the way

a church we popped into

I was too tired to welcome in the New Year, so I went to bed while the rest of the family sat outdoors and played pool and talked to a couple with young children who lived part time in León.

Steps: 4,241; Miles: 1.8 (My FitBit was not working properly, nor was it charging. I had to give up on step-counting after today).

Sunday, January 1, 2023: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We had breakfast one last time in the hotel courtyard: this time pancakes and scrambled eggs for Mike and me, the traditional Nica breakfast for the boys. We left the hotel after checking out the relief map of Nicaragua and the rotund doctor.

relief map of NIcaragua

rotund doctor

We got packed up for our drive to Granada. As we packed the car, surprise, surprise, I found the Nicaragua guidebook and map under the seat in the trunk. A lot of good it did for the city walk I wanted to do in León.

On our way out of town, we drove by the Municipal Theater. It was the first theater in Nicaragua. Construction started in 1884 and the theater was inaugurated one year later. It was one of the cultural hot spots of Central America, visited by the rich who enjoyed piano concerts, opera, and other cultural presentations.

The facade of the building was remodeled in 1913 and years later the complete interior was remodeled. In 1956 a fire almost completely destroyed the building. The outer walls were the only parts left standing. Nowadays the theater provides a stage for cultural shows and presentations.

Municipal Theater

Finally, we drove by “El Calvario” Church, one of Nicaragua’s most beautiful churches. It was built in the early 17th century. The church has a neoclassical facade, which together with its bright colors makes it stand out among the surrounding buildings at the end of Calle Real. Its design has both Spanish and French elements. It is notable for its symmetry of design. In the year 2000, a fence was added to protect the church.

“El Calvario” Church

Here is a video of our time in León.

We left León and headed toward Granada.

travel to nicaragua & finding our way to matagalpa

wanderessence1025 March 8, 2023

In Transit – from D.C. to Miami to Managua

Tuesday, December 27, 2022: We left home at the ungodly hour of 3:15 a.m., taking an Uber to Reagan International Airport. Our flight on American Airlines took off at 6:30 a.m. and landed us three hours later in Miami, 924 miles. The only refreshment was a Lotus Biscoff, a cardboard-like gingerbread cookie. Mike had tomato juice, which I never think of ordering but looked refreshing. Alex slept almost the entire flight, which I envied. We had a period of some turbulence, surprising because we weren’t in clouds but under sunny skies. 🙂

There was a nasty body odor smell throughout the cabin that made for unpleasantness. A curly-headed toddler was screaming his head off across the aisle from us before takeoff. It was so obnoxious. The only way the parents could calm him down was to show him either a video or a video game on the phone. What a brat!

Taking off from D.C.

In flight over the U.S. East Coast

coming in for a landing in Miami (South Beach below)

In Miami we walked a long way to Gate D7, then grabbed some lunch. I had a turkey and Swiss sandwich, Mike a tuna wrap, and Alex an egg, cheese and bacon empañada. I also got a Pure Green Cold Pressed Juice with apple, lemon and ginger (& kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, zucchini and romaine) that gave my stomach somersaults.

The plane loaded quickly in Miami but we took off an hour late because of seven planes ahead of us. The flight was 1,017 miles over 2:46 hours.

A guy behind us was talking about his female friend who got murdered and robbed of her purse and phone in Nicaragua. He was looking to adopt her 12-year-old daughter and had three children of his own.

I got stuck in the middle seat with Mike at the window and Alex in the aisle seat. Alex worked on Soduko and was reading Love & Math that he got for Christmas. Mike was chuckling over Nadine’s escapades in the book Happier Than a Billionaire.

Adam had been writing to say he was in Managua and planned to shop some before meeting us at the airport. I looked forward to seeing him after nearly three years.

landing in Managua – volcano below

Coming into Managua

Arrival in Nicaragua and onward to Matagalpa

We arrived in Managua at 12:35 p.m., but we had to pick up our luggage and go through customs; there, I had to stand in a separate line to have my carry-on bag searched. I had brought my Canon Power Shot, which I never use but carry only as a backup in case something happens to my phone; for some reason it showed on their scanner and they didn’t know what it was. Mike and Alex went ahead to get the rental car from Alamo, a Toyota Rush, and when I was finally released by customs, I gave Adam a big hug. I was so happy to see him! We thought he must have grown because he seemed super tall to us all.

Mike got the rental car and we piled all our luggage in the back and began our drive to Matagalpa. We were on the road, a decent 2-lane road shared with moto taxis and motorbikes. Mountains loomed before us.

Driving to Matagalpa

We stopped to use a bathroom and get some snacks. Adam wanted us to try Chicharrones con Sabor a limon. We also got a bag of Del Rancho Chicharrones. Both were different versions of fried pork skins. It has taken me a long time to get used to my once-vegan sons becoming fully carnivorous.

We drove ever so slowly behind lumbering overloaded trucks, moto taxis and horses pulling carts for 2 1/2 hours to Matagalpa.

Our hotel in Matagalpa, Hotel San José, had an interior courtyard with a colorful nativity scene. The back of the courtyard was bursting with tropical plants. We enjoyed cool beers in the hotel courtyard. It was wonderful to all be together again.

Hotel San José

courtyard at Hotel San José

Mike, Adam, Alex and me at Hotel San José

Matagalpa is one of Nicaragua’s largest cities, but it is fairly provincial and laid back. Soaring mountains circle the city’s central neighborhoods. Coffee, which accounts for the city’s historic wealth, is produced in the hillsides. The city serves as a good urban base to explore the surrounding countryside of primary forest, gushing waterfalls and coffee plantations.

We went to dinner at Casa Blanca, where I enjoyed shrimp with garlic sauce, and then we wandered through a magical park, Darío Park, lit with Christmas lights and the biggest nativity scene I had ever seen. We found a statue in the park of Rubén Darío (1867-1916), a Nicaraguan poet who had a great and lasting influence on 20th century Spanish-language literature and journalism. He has been praised as the “Prince of Castilian Letters” and undisputed father of the modernismo literary movement.

Across from the park, we saw the pink San José Church, relevant in the architecture and history of the city. Formerly called the Church of Laborío or Dolores, in 1881 it served as a barracks for rebellious Indians. It’s an elegant construction with a colonial façade to which a bell tower with a clock was added. Large swaths of the pink paint were peeled off so it seemed rather sad and derelict.

We were all exhausted from our long day of travel, so we exchanged Christmas gifts in our long narrow 4-bedded room and zonked out early. Sadly, the shoes we gave Adam for Christmas were too small but he thought they’d stretch. I could have kicked myself for not buying pairs in two sizes just in case one didn’t fit. 😦

Alex and Adam at Casa Blanca

my shrimp dinner

statue of Rubén Darío

Rubén Darío Park

San José Church

Steps: 8,644; Miles: 3.64.

Reserva Natural Cerro Apante

Wednesday, December 28: Our breakfast at Hotel San José was served up at a private table; it was a meal we would eat frequently in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica: scrambled eggs with peppers and onions, fried plantain chips, a slice of soft cheese (like Feta), and rice and red beans.

We drove to the start of the hike at Reserva Natural Cerro Apante, a cloud forest reserve with a cool pleasant climate. The sign at the outset said:

Sendero El Roble
Distancia 3.2 kmts ± 3 horas
Dificultad: moderamente dificil
Parqueo C$ 30

The reserve has an area of 1,962 hectares. Its name means “hill of water” in Nahuatl, or “land of two waters.” It is named so for the numerous sources of water that originate here. The water is used by people in the urban and rural areas of Matagalpa.

breakfast at Hotel San José

sign at Reserva Natural Cerro Apante

our Toyota Rush

It features a tropical cloud forest with 75 species of plants, including a mix of trees such as sweet gum and walnut which come from North America and whose southern limit of distribution is in Nicaragua. Several species of oak and pine also thrive here. In addition, eight registered orchid species are known. Giant tree ferns known as monkey’s tail are also abundant.

The route was very steep, rocky and root-tangled. We walked through tropical exuberance, around bamboo patches, and alongside streams. Alex and Adam sat in the branches of a fallen tree for a pose.

We found a waterfall where the guys swam. Adam jumped into a pool from a tall rock.

Reserva Natural Cerro Apante

Mike at Reserva Natural Cerro Apante

Adam at Reserva Natural Cerro Apante

Alex and Adam

me wtih Alex

Adam

Mike

Reserva Natural Cerro Apante

Then we continued climbing to the mirador overlooking the city of Matagalpa, La Cruz de Cerro Largo Viewpoint. We came up a long steep set of steps from behind a blue and white metallic cross. In front of the cross is the rather derelict mirador, where we could see the city of Matagalpa scattered across the valley. Cerro Apante is 1,442 meters above sea level. At its summit is the 33-meter-high La Cruz de la Paz (in memory of the years of Jesus Christ’s earthly life), the highest Catholic monument in Nicaragua. The statue is a carving of the Virgin Mary with a winged Christ child at her feet. It is part of the Montaña de la Paz project, meant to be a pilgrimage site where the Christian faithful can come to reflect, pray and make spiritual retreats.

The viewpoint and the huge statue were quite unusual, but we were happy to be rewarded with cacao bars Adam gave us as Christmas gifts, expansive views, and conversation in Spanish with some very friendly Nicaraguans.

another cross on the way to La Cruz de la Paz

La Cruz de la Paz

view of Matagalpa

Adam & Alex at La Cruz de la Paz

view of Matagalpa

La Cruz de la Paz

views of area surrounding Matagalpa

Mike and me at the viewpoint

Adam and Alex at the viewpoint

The route back took us on a loop so we could experience different views and flora. Coming down on steep gravelly surfaces is always challenging to me, but I took my time and tried to be patient, not an easy thing for me! We found a horse grazing freely. Our hike was exhausting but in the end, the views were worth all the effort.

a grazing horse

pretty butterfly

coming back down Reserva Natural Cerro Apante

interesting vegetation

crazy looking cacti

more interesting vegetation

Spanish moss on trees

more Spanish moss

more interesting plant life

return to the beginning

Back in Matagalpa, we found a cute veterinarian office with a mural of cows, horses, pigs and oxen on the front. We dropped into a little restaurant in town, but the food was rather disappointing. I was okay with my cheese quesadilla, but the guys weren’t happy at all with the lack of meat in their dishes.

veterinarian office in Matagalpa

our disappointing lunch

We enjoyed a beer in the hotel courtyard, showered and relaxed for a while. Alex seemed to be feeling a bit under the weather and he took a nap while we relaxed before dinner.

Adam had walked around earlier, while we were resting, and scoped out a Mexican restaurant, Rincón Azteca, with a taco special. As we walked to go out to dinner, we stumbled across a blue car with four little white fuzzy heads looking out at us. The owner of the pups came out and tried to hand one over to me. Then we stopped into a festively decorated church where we found yet another richly arranged nativity scene.

We enjoyed various taco dishes and a chalupa poblano. Adam, who loves his sweets, downed two horchatas and we sipped on something like non-alcoholic margaritas. The colorful drinks were served in jars with handles, overlooked by festive snowmen.

The decor in the restaurant was cute and colorful with striped blankets and patterned pillows on orange couches and sombreros to try on for photos.

cute little pups

cute pups and their owner

nice church in Matagalpa

church in Matagalpa

me at Rincón Azteca

me with Mike at Rincón Azteca

Rincón Azteca

tacos at Rincón Azteca

tacos

chalupa poblano at Rincón Azteca

Steps: 12,955; Miles: 5.49.

Selva Negra and a wander around Matagalpa

Thursday, December 29: Today we visited Selva Negra Mountain Resort and Coffee Estate, a historical coffee farm set up by German immigrants in 1891.

In the 1850s, when gold was discovered in California, many American and European passengers made their way to California crossing the Isthmus of Central America through Nicaragua. On one of these trips, a German couple, Ludwig Elster and Katharina Braun, from the region of Germany’s Black Forest (Selva Negra in Spanish), chose to stay in Nicaragua rather than continue to San Francisco. They were discouraged from their original intention of going to California for the gold rush because they were told it wasn’t a good environment for families and children. Instead of looking for gold, they planted the first coffee beans in this region. The coffee was of good quality, so many other Europeans and Americans chose to do the same. It was known then as “La Hammonia” Farm, strictly a coffee farm.

One hundred years later, Eddy Kühl and Mausi Hayn, descendants of the first settlers, decided to build a tourist resort, completed between 1975-1976. They built 23 mountain bungalows, an additional building with 14 rooms, a youth hostel, bar and restaurant.

In addition to coffee production and the hotel, Selva Negra Ecolodge, alternative sources of production have been developed over the last 30 years, whether for in-house consumption or income generation. These include organic meat and milk products such as cheeses: Gouda, Manchego, Camembert, & Feta; vegetables and fruit crops; pork and sausages; laying hens and meat chickens, etc.

Activities are all eco-touristic: mountain hiking, horseback riding, bird watching, and coffee plantation tours.

We did the coffee plantation tour, where we were walked through the stages of the process. We were introduced to the machinery that sorts and washes the coffee beans. We tasted some of the defective coffee. Selva Negra sells coffee all over the world, mostly to the U.S. but also to Australia, Mexico and Czech Republic. One of their biggest customers is Whole Foods in the U.S.

We watched the raking and drying of the coffee beans. Depending on the type and quality of the beans, drying can take days to months.

There is much integration on the farm: leftover food from the restaurant feeds the pigs, the pigs’ waste generates methane gas used to fuel the kitchen that cooks the sausages made from the pigs. They also use multiple methane gas processes from coffee wastewater, animal manure and human waste.

driving to Selva Negra

Selva Negra

machinery at Selva Negra

coffee beans at Selva Negra

coffee beans

machinery at Selva Negra

coffee beans

tasting defective coffee beans

machinery at Selva Negra

Sign for Selva Negra

more signs at Selva Negra

signs at Selva Negra

the owner’s house in the middle of the operation

German owner’s house

more signs

a little pond on the coffee plantation

coffee beans drying

Adam, Mike, me and Alex at Selva Negra

the coffee map

the youth hostel at Selva Negra

Selva Negra

At Selva Negra, we took a 4WD down into the coffee plantation. We drove past the workers’ quarters. Deeper into the plantation, we saw giant lemons, which they let fall to the ground to make the soil more acidic. Cacao grows on the plantation as well. The coffee hacienda grows 100% organic shade coffee.

On the bumpy ride, there was only room inside the truck for Mike and me and two Nicaraguan women, one of whom wanted to set her daughter up with Adam. Adam and Alex had to sit in the truck bed, not comfortable because of a sudden smattering of rain and the bumpy ride.

workers’ quarters at Selva Negra

lemons on the plantation

cacao on the plantation

the shade-grown coffee

Coffee plants

coffee beans

The two Nicaraguan ladies on our tour

We witnessed the lunchtime break for the workers on the coffee plantation. They work from 7-4 each day with a 10-minute lunch. The company brings the food down in a kind of chow-wagon (truck), and workers stand in line to get their food and gobble it down. They carry their bags of coffee beans down to lunch because they want to keep access to the beans they’ve picked; they’re paid by the box, about $2/box. Most workers pick 5-10 boxes/day. It’s very labor intensive and they’re not about to leave their bags behind during lunch.

workers head to lunchtime at Selva Negra

the chow wagon at Selva Negra

After our tour, we drank the free coffee we got as part of the tour and ate some cheese we bought at a table in the dining area, which overlooks a small lake.

When we got back to the hotel, Alex wasn’t feeling good, so he took a nap while Mike, Adam and I wandered around Matagalpa. Mike and Adam did a little dance to some music bursting from a storefront.

Adam and Hotel San José

Matagalpa mural

Matagalpa wanderings

We strolled over to the Coffee Museum. It tells the story of how in 1852, Luis Elster (1814-1916) and his wife Katharina Braun (1830-1887) arrived with their two-year-old boy, Wilhelm. While awaiting a ship to California in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, they found two North Americans returning to New York. They were told conditions were bad for children in California. They were told to go north, close to Matagalpa, where there were gold mines. They went north in a wagon pulled by oxen to Matagalpa and then to San Ramon, where they bought land from indigenous people and founded their farm Ludwigwalk, or “La Lima.” Luis dug for gold, but didn’t find big quantities. Instead they planted coffee seeds and were surprised when the bushes yielded cherries bigger and more aromatic than those on the Pacific. (I believe this is the same couple referred to above at Selva Negra, but the names and dates don’t match exactly).

The Elsters dried the beans in the sun and after dried, they exported them to Germany to be dehusked. There were many problems, mainly that transporting them was too bulky and the taste was affected. They thought of a way to remove the dried shells using wood cylinders.

We saw a map of the coffee trajectory. European and North American immigrants received land from the government with the condition that they had to plant coffee (in Matagalpa and Jinotega). We learned of different types of coffee and different roasts.

the Coffee Museum in Matagalpa

We wandered past street markets where Adam introduced us to Nicaraguan street food: buñelos (yucca cheese sugarballs); respado (a snow cone with sweetened condensed milk and fruit syrups; atol (milk & grain sweetened); and unripe mangoes with salt, lime and chili.

It was quite busy in the streets with all kinds of commerce and blaring music and loudspeakers announcing various bargains.

Nicaraguan street food

We found a statue in Morazan Park of Carlos Fonseca and Comandante Tomas Borge Martinez, both drivers of the revolution.

Comandante Tomas Borge Martinez andCarlos Fonseca

me and Mike with the statue

another famous person

I wandered into the Matagalpa Cathedral, also known as Catedral de San Pedro, which still had a large nativity scene. It is the third largest cathedral in Nicaragua, built in 1874 as a parish church under the Jesuits. It reflects the opulence of Matagalpa in that age. It is built in a Baroque style with heavy bell towers set at both sides of an airy spacious interior. Dedicated to St. Peter the Apostle, it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Matagalpa. It was finally completed and consecrated in 1897.

Matagalpa Cathedral

nativity scene at Matagalpa Cathedral

Matagalpa Cathedral

We also stopped at the Carlos Fonseca Museum, once the revolutionary leader’s childhood home. Carlos Fonseca Amador (23 June 1936 – 8 November 1976), was a Nicaraguan teacher, librarian and revolutionary who founded the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN – Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional). He was killed in the mountains of the Zelaya Department, Nicaragaua, three years before the FSLN took power.

The small and simple house, made of taquezal (mud and wood), holds two exhibition rooms, one small office and a salon-turned-library. Photo exhibits of Fonseca, showing images of different stages of his life, as well as important people in his life, line the walls. On display are also information about his childhood and family, his revolutionary activism in different countries, guerilla partners and more. There were many faded old news clippings, including one about his death in the war against the Guardia Nacional (Somoza’s army), as well as personal artifacts.

Entering Costa Rica

Playa Hermosa

Diamante Eco Adventure Park

Back to Playa Hermosa

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Las Peñitas

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In Transit – from D.C. to Miami to Managua

Arrival in Nicaragua and onward to Matagalpa

Reserva Natural Cerro Apante

Selva Negra and a wander around Matagalpa