San Juan Del Sur

I got myself a small apartment in town.  I traded space, windows, and an oven for air conditioning, safety and a contingency of grumpy old gringos.  I'm not sure I would even call it an apartment as much as a windowless room with a refrigerator and microwave.  The windowless part may be a problem for me, we'll see.  I did find out that you can cook quiche-like egg dishes in the microwave.  Add some Lizano salsa (the local hot sauce) and it's pretty good.  Of course, just about everything is good with Lizano, so this is not necessarily and endorsement for cooking eggs in the microwave.

I have met an interesting local who fought for the Sandinistas back in the 80s (Ortega's reigning party and target of the US backed Contras).  I was pleased to find he did not automatically hate me for being American, as I suspected he might.  Even though he has lived most of his post-Sandinista days in Canada, I still think it is good news. 

At the coffee shop today I heard the words circus, midgets, fat ladies, and 7:30.  I am thinking early 1900s Barnum and Bailey type circus....

Back to civilization in Nicaragua

I am slightly beat up from kite boarding.  What is considered a necessary apparatus, the harness, has lead to some serious pain.  That combined with skimming along rocks at low tide and bruising from tumbling head over you-know-what has me happy to be on a break from learning to kite board.  While not extremely physically challenging, kiting is not easy.  At this point I can get up and ride in one direction (right).   After almost 2 weeks, that's not impressive.  However, I took a few days off due to sub par wind conditions and I was told I was learning in one of the most difficult places in the world, with winds ranging from 15-40 mph on any given day.  I think I really like the sport, but will know better once I return and finish mastering this sport.  As of today, I could get to the middle of the bay, but may have to float back to shore.  I am unsure as I have yet to try coming back.

Nicaragua welcomed me with an immigration agent who was filing his nails while getting his black, matte shoes shined?  This set the tone for the formality of walking across the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, a country the size of the state of New York.  Once I got passed 'the primper', I began looking for the place where I paid my $7 to get into the country.  I must have walked for 3o minutes trying to find the booth where I gave them my money in exchange for a stamp.  I even tried to enter without the stamp, but was busted and sent back.  Not only is there a complete lack of signs, but also, the booth is located on the back side of a building, behind a small store, on the far side of the bus station. 

It's strange to say that being in Nicaragua has brought me back to civilization, but it is nice to be able to walk out of my hotel and find stores and restaurants and strangers.  Playa Copal was fantastic (this is the view from the condo I rented), but desolate.   I will miss the people I met (kite boarders are your cliche extreme sporters;  crazy, fun and extremely diverse) and I will miss the fried chicken from Pollo Frito Rico Rico in La Cruz.  For many reasons, it's been at least twenty years since I've attempted to eat fried chicken, but it's like crack in this part of the world.  And for a good reason, it is awesome.  Well worth the 45-minute bus ride to get.  Back to Nicaragua. San Juan Del Sur is a nice little beach town and seems like the perfect place to learn espanol.  I start classes on Monday.

Random facts from Playa Copal, Bahia Salinas, Coast Rica: 

Super glue can be used to close up and protect a wound.  I've been using it on the bottom of my foot for a week.  

Costa Ricans have to be told not to eat a 3-foot iguana.  Supposedly it's good.  Tastes like chicken, but tougher.

We were kiting in the same waters as crocodiles (ok, there is only one that we know of and she usually stays out of the main bay).

Kite boarding in Bahia Salinas

There is a local bus that leaves every hour or two from La Cruz going to Bahia Salinas. Just as I had been pondering the ease of traveling abroad, I jinxed myself and unknowingly got off a stop too early on my way to move down to the bay. Generally, that would not be a problem, however, this ordeal turned into me walking around for an hour before being picked up by a nice Hungarian couple who took me the remaining mile to my destination. Since I was going to be away from food and water for a while, I had stopped for groceries on my way down and had about 50 pounds of stuff with me; two backpacks and two shoulder bags. It was not pleasant, especially when a guy from Indiana (who lives here, so fully understands something must be wrong if a someone is walking down this desolate road with this amount of luggage) drove past me and nicely waved, like I was happy to be trudging around in the heat.
It was worth it. I´ve got a great bay front condo with a kitchen and some great neighbors (all 5 of them). There is only one restaurant within walking distance and the food is pretty bad. The owners are Italian, but can´t be bothered to make an extra plate of pasta if they are on the verge of running out. It is either a 40-minute walk or a 45-minute bus ride to get to a store. I have been taking kiting lessons for a couple hours a day and can stand on the board, but can´t get too far. I think today is my breakthrough day.

Kite Surfing

I have always wanted to kite surf. It looks like a lot of work and a lot of fun. Today, I took my first lesson after I was informed, hopefully truthfully, that it´s not as hard as it looks. My lesson was on land. When I started, my natural childhood kite flying skills kicked in, which is not a good thing. Flying a large mass anchored by two strings is nothing like flying a kite as I knew it. Natural reactions, such as pulling in towards your body, only accelerate a kite-crisis and end with said kite plunging to the ground and nearly taking ´the holder´with it. My instructor reiterated that it´s not as hard as it looks and, obviously, much harder on land, with a small kite, and without the kite attached to a harness.
Tomorrow I am moving down to the secluded and internet-free Bahia Salinas to spend a week kite surfing. I get a larger kite, a harness, and I get in the water. Wish me luck!

Central America

For 2009, I decided to head to Central America. I must start by thanking a kind gentleman in the Denver airport for saving my sanity. I left San Diego, on the red-eye, with a cold that should have kept me in bed. Thinking that my hot pink beanie pillow was a security risk, the San Diego airport security separated my secuirty blanket from my personal belongings and failed to return it to me once it had been cleared as non-explosive (yes, I have been traveling with a hot pink bag which holds a hot pink neck pillow that is one of the most comfortable traveling creations of all time). Being sick on a red-eye made it particularily critical to my sanity. By the time I realized what had happened, it was too late, I was on the plane. When I got to Denver and discovered that Frontier Airlines does not have pillows or blankets on overnight flights anymore (can they really be that heavy or expensive?), and all the stores in the Denver airport were closed and locked up such that stealing a pillow was impossible, I began stalking the people mover. I was looking for someone who had a pillow and was headed towards baggage claim. I found my target and offered to purchase his pillow. He gave it to me. This was my excitement for the trip.....slow start I guess.

The flight was great. After landing in San Jose, I got on a bus and headed to La Cruz. La Cruz is a small town just south of the Nicaragua border. I am the only white person I have seen since I left San Jose and am quickly realizing I need to get going on spanish lessons sooner rather than later. It´s very relaxed here and nice to be back in a place where they carry slabs of meat along the sidewalk.