A group of about nineteen of us went down to Nicaragua. There are no direct flights, so we all had to stop over in San Salvador and continue to Managua. The airport was nice and air-conditioned and a little shop offered some very nice coffee, as the region is known to have delicious coffee. Our transfer vans were making their way to pick us up and they would have to strap tons of board bags to the roof. A couple of groups also rented trucks and put most of their board bags in the back tailgate. Stepping outside of the doors was a nice breath of humidity. Nicaragua is known to be one of the hottest Central American countries.
We all hopped into our respective vehicles and were off for 3 hours towards the Pacific coast to the region of Rivas, which is next to the Northern border of Costa Rica. En route we bought some food, beers, and Flor de Cana, one of the world's most awarded rums - it is ridiculously good. The route would take us into rural countrysides, passing small villages and getting some looks at volcanoes in the distance. Lake Nicaragua is the biggest body of water in the country and has a volcanic chain that passes right through it. Hence, the dramatic beautiful peaks of Maderas and Concepcion seen in the distance to passersby driving on the highway.
A couple of signs are seen for canopy tours and coffee tours, we did neither. Our goal was to get to our rental houses, set in a big development of land, with various owners who own and rent out houses to groups such as ourselves for any given amount of time. The development is a gated community called Hacienda Iguana that is in a great location for surfers who can walk to unbelievable surf breaks. The famous Colorado beachbreak holds swell of up to 10ft+ with peaky barrels for unreal tube riding. Down the stretch of beach is Panga drops, a wave that holds even bigger swell and a bit more forgiving on the take-off. However, once in position after the take-off, the face opens up into a massive wave capable of turns and getting speed down the line like a point break - great lefts and rights.
In the last decade, Nicaragua has been getting notoriety for its waves. The offshore winds that howl almost 90% of the time make the waves good all day long. With more houses and more people finding out, the crowds get bigger, but not nearly as busy as Costa Rica or other popular surf spots. With nineteen guys, we were instantly a crowd anyway. A good resource for surf & snow vacation rentals is Solikai:
http://www.solikai.com/dir/index.php You can find rental properties worldwide for your next adventure or if you are an owner, then you can list the property at a very reasonable price.
The groups were split up into 2 houses and each had its own attentive house girl to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With surf sessions in the morning, day and dusk - the crews were busy eating hearty meals. Some of the houses even had wi-fi for those that needed to run their remote office. The water was warm, the waves were pumping, weather was hot, and life was good. When the waves were a bit smaller, a small group of us went and played nine holes on the golf course. Not a bad bachelor party for our friend Brett getting married in the Fall. For all of us, a wonderful excuse to visit Nicaragua for a week.
On the last day, most folks were heading back to Los Angeles and a few would continue onwards to other adventures. A couple of people went onto Costa Rica and then a couple of us went North to Guatemala. After we all landed in San Salvador, I quickly ran to catch my connection to Guatemala City. Upon arrival, my family picked me up and we headed to their house in San Cristobal, a neighborhood just outside the city center. The next day we would gather amenities such as food, drinks, and cooking supplies for our adventure to the beach. A friend arrived the following day at 530am and after we picked him up at the airport, we were off for 3 hours to the Pacific Coast.
Following the signs to Escuintla you start to feel the heat as the day grows. The road ends at Puerto San Jose and you begin to drive south towards the small beach town of Itztapa. Going further south you head towards the tourism epicenter of Monterrico. A small town visited for its beaches, restaurants, and hotels. If you continue going even further south, you begin to enter the area of Monterrico-Hawaii. For years, the only way to get to Hawaii was by crossing the mangroves in a boat. Recently, a ferry was built where cars could cross the canal and drive to the beachfront properties. Nowadays, they built a bridge and are even in the middle of finishing a tarmac road.
The area known as Hawaii is minimal, a very small beach town of mostly local families and properties owned by either Guatemalan city dwellers or foreigners. A piece of land on the beach has been owned by my family since before I was born. The protected biotope area encompasses the mangrove swamps and beaches. This stretch of beach is prime nesting grounds for sea turtles. Between June and December, peaking in August and September, you might encounter sea turtles coming to lay their eggs or baby sea turtles making their first voyage to sea. Large Leatherback or smaller Olive Ridley's come ashore here to lay eggs.
Locals are on the lookout to snatch up eggs and sell them. However, an agreement has been made between CECON (San Carlos University Center for Conservation Studies) and ARCAS (Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association) with locals, whereby they must donate part of their findings for conservation efforts. If locals try and sell eggs without proof of donation, they are considered black market and people are hesitant to buy them. Volunteers from the local turtle sanctuary patrol the beaches at night making sure that eggs are being donated and collected. In fact, sometimes the sanctuary buys eggs from the locals. The eggs are then taken to the sanctuary where they are buried underground until they hatch.
Upon hatching, the baby sea turtles are released at sunrise or sunset, protected from the elements and predators. Volunteers in the early mornings take GPS trackings of turtles and release around 5,000 sea turtles a year. You can read more about the non-profit conservation efforts of ARCAS and Hawaii here:
http://www.arcasguatemala.com/en/hawaii.htm#protected For us, it was great insight into what was happening on our beach area and we applauded the conservation efforts. Every night I laid in a hammock, seeing the flashlights up and down the beach, everyone in search of the turtles. I would fall asleep to the sounds of the ocean and the next morning for 2 nights in a row the little kids would come up and ask me if I saw the turtle that came right next to the property? Unfortunately, I never did see a turtle and all the more reason to go back again and again.
The waves were good, 6ft to 8ft beachbreak having to find some rideable corners. The mornings were always the best with better tides and cleaner conditions. We took a mangrove trip by boat to see the swamps where local fishermen were trying to catch fish, shrimp, and crabs. We decided to surf the rivermouth where the mangrove empties into the ocean - luckily no sharks around but always curious about crocodiles that inhabit the swamps? In the next couple of months we are seeking to build an eco-resort on the property with facilities for yoga. Stay tuned for more info, you can watch a little promo here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VTofV7DDps
After a few days on the coast, we decided to head inland to the highlands. We got on an afternoon camioneta (chicken bus) for 3 hours and arrived in Panajachel before dusk. Panajachel is a town located on the shore of Lake Atitlan. It serves as a major inlet for visitors and residents to take boats around the lake to other smaller villages, hotels, restaurants, textile shops, and artisan centres. Panajachel has a lot of inexpensive boutique hotels and hostels. The main stretch is home to shops with fabrics, Guatemalan arts and crafts, and nomadic jewelers. On the lake shore are great restaurants for sundowners and sunsets with fantastic views of the lake. Panajachel attracted many hippies in the 60's and many foreigners still live in the area. Taking a boat ride of the lake, you see beautiful homes on the lake shore with private boat docks. Lake Atitlan is said to be one of the few vortex energy fields, thus, the area attracts many healers, therapists, and masseurs. We decided the next day to visit Las Piramides:
http://www.laspiramidesdelka.com/ spiritual centre to get some work done by a healer and masseur. The tranquil location in San Marcos alotted us great views of the volcanoes and had a serene feel. The restaurant at the Hotel Posada Schumann was a perfect place to relax and get energizing smoothies and juices.
We hired a private shared minibus and headed to Antigua. After 3 hours on the road, we arrived into the famous colonial town with cobblestone streets. Antigua is a declared UNESCO World Heritage site, maintaining its Spanish influence of Baroque architecture and colonial church ruins. The town has grown into a lively place with quaint hotels, cafes, restaurants, and bars. This epicenter for tourism and Spanish schools draws a foreigner crowd. The Central Park is a popular gathering spot and the most notable architecture landmark is the Arco de Santa Catalina or Arch. La Merced church is beautiful and the San Hermano Pedro church looks great at night. We had sundowners at Cafe Sky with nice vistas of the city. Three volcanoes dominate the horizon when walking around Antigua, the most commanding is Volcan de Agua - Volcano of Water (12,356ft). The volcano serves as a backdrop of almost every picture taken in the town, often times clouded over by the mist. The other volcanoes are Acatenango (13,045ft) and Volcan de Fuego - Volcano of Fire (12,346ft). We decided the next day to climb Volcan de Fuego starting at 2pm to summit when it was getting dark and see the lava at night.
Everyday we had lunch at Cuevita de las Urquizas, a tipico restaurant that served Guatemalan cuisine. The presentation was elaborate with meats kept warm on earthenware pots and a spread of desirable side dishes. Every meal comes with nicely fresh made tortillas brought cloth-covered in a basket. This place is highly recommended to go eat for lunch, as it closes early. One afternoon we were walking by a courtyard and heard the sounds of wonderful Cuban latin-jazz. Our curiosity took us into the courtyard to see who was playing. An older black man sat in the front with three conga drums and was doing a bit of a sound check. We decided to take a seat at one of the front tables and order some drinks. When the band was comfortable with the sound, they went into a nice rhythmic latin Cuban sound, reminiscent of the old days in Havana. It dawned on me that this was the sound of the Buena Vista Social Club. The 64 year old Cubano was Ignacio Perez Borrell, one of the drummers from the Club. This band was called Buena Vista de Corazon. Turns out Ignacio toured with Buena Vista to 28 countries and on the last tour, the Cuban police rescinded his permit. On another tour he defected and now lives in Guatemala and plays with his conjunto, touring occasionally to music festivals. (youtube video soon to come of a couple of his tracks)
Another great trip to Gautemala and another great week in Central America...
A group of about nineteen of us went down to Nicaragua. There are no direct flights, so we all had to stop over in San Salvador and continue to Managua. The airport was nice and air-conditioned and a little shop offered some very nice coffee, as the region is known to have delicious coffee. Our transfer vans were making their way to pick us up and they would have to strap tons of board bags to the roof. A couple of groups also rented trucks and put most of their board bags in the back tailgate. Stepping outside of the doors was a nice breath of humidity. Nicaragua is known to be one of the hottest Central American countries.
We all hopped into our respective vehicles and were off for 3 hours towards the Pacific coast to the region of Rivas, which is next to the Northern border of Costa Rica. En route we bought some food, beers, and Flor de Cana, one of the world's most awarded rums - it is ridiculously good. The route would take us into rural countrysides, passing small villages and getting some looks at volcanoes in the distance. Lake Nicaragua is the biggest body of water in the country and has a volcanic chain that passes right through it. Hence, the dramatic beautiful peaks of Maderas and Concepcion seen in the distance to passersby driving on the highway.
A couple of signs are seen for canopy tours and coffee tours, we did neither. Our goal was to get to our rental houses, set in a big development of land, with various owners who own and rent out houses to groups such as ourselves for any given amount of time. The development is a gated community called Hacienda Iguana that is in a great location for surfers who can walk to unbelievable surf breaks. The famous Colorado beachbreak holds swell of up to 10ft+ with peaky barrels for unreal tube riding. Down the stretch of beach is Panga drops, a wave that holds even bigger swell and a bit more forgiving on the take-off. However, once in position after the take-off, the face opens up into a massive wave capable of turns and getting speed down the line like a point break - great lefts and rights.
In the last decade, Nicaragua has been getting notoriety for its waves. The offshore winds that howl almost 90% of the time make the waves good all day long. With more houses and more people finding out, the crowds get bigger, but not nearly as busy as Costa Rica or other popular surf spots. With nineteen guys, we were instantly a crowd anyway. A good resource for surf & snow vacation rentals is Solikai: http://www.solikai.com/dir/index.php You can find rental properties worldwide for your next adventure or if you are an owner, then you can list the property at a very reasonable price.
The groups were split up into 2 houses and each had its own attentive house girl to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With surf sessions in the morning, day and dusk - the crews were busy eating hearty meals. Some of the houses even had wi-fi for those that needed to run their remote office. The water was warm, the waves were pumping, weather was hot, and life was good. When the waves were a bit smaller, a small group of us went and played nine holes on the golf course. Not a bad bachelor party for our friend Brett getting married in the Fall. For all of us, a wonderful excuse to visit Nicaragua for a week.
On the last day, most folks were heading back to Los Angeles and a few would continue onwards to other adventures. A couple of people went onto Costa Rica and then a couple of us went North to Guatemala. After we all landed in San Salvador, I quickly ran to catch my connection to Guatemala City. Upon arrival, my family picked me up and we headed to their house in San Cristobal, a neighborhood just outside the city center. The next day we would gather amenities such as food, drinks, and cooking supplies for our adventure to the beach. A friend arrived the following day at 530am and after we picked him up at the airport, we were off for 3 hours to the Pacific Coast.
Following the signs to Escuintla you start to feel the heat as the day grows. The road ends at Puerto San Jose and you begin to drive south towards the small beach town of Itztapa. Going further south you head towards the tourism epicenter of Monterrico. A small town visited for its beaches, restaurants, and hotels. If you continue going even further south, you begin to enter the area of Monterrico-Hawaii. For years, the only way to get to Hawaii was by crossing the mangroves in a boat. Recently, a ferry was built where cars could cross the canal and drive to the beachfront properties. Nowadays, they built a bridge and are even in the middle of finishing a tarmac road.
The area known as Hawaii is minimal, a very small beach town of mostly local families and properties owned by either Guatemalan city dwellers or foreigners. A piece of land on the beach has been owned by my family since before I was born. The protected biotope area encompasses the mangrove swamps and beaches. This stretch of beach is prime nesting grounds for sea turtles. Between June and December, peaking in August and September, you might encounter sea turtles coming to lay their eggs or baby sea turtles making their first voyage to sea. Large Leatherback or smaller Olive Ridley's come ashore here to lay eggs.
Locals are on the lookout to snatch up eggs and sell them. However, an agreement has been made between CECON (San Carlos University Center for Conservation Studies) and ARCAS (Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association) with locals, whereby they must donate part of their findings for conservation efforts. If locals try and sell eggs without proof of donation, they are considered black market and people are hesitant to buy them. Volunteers from the local turtle sanctuary patrol the beaches at night making sure that eggs are being donated and collected. In fact, sometimes the sanctuary buys eggs from the locals. The eggs are then taken to the sanctuary where they are buried underground until they hatch.
Upon hatching, the baby sea turtles are released at sunrise or sunset, protected from the elements and predators. Volunteers in the early mornings take GPS trackings of turtles and release around 5,000 sea turtles a year. You can read more about the non-profit conservation efforts of ARCAS and Hawaii here: http://www.arcasguatemala.com/en/hawaii.htm#protected For us, it was great insight into what was happening on our beach area and we applauded the conservation efforts. Every night I laid in a hammock, seeing the flashlights up and down the beach, everyone in search of the turtles. I would fall asleep to the sounds of the ocean and the next morning for 2 nights in a row the little kids would come up and ask me if I saw the turtle that came right next to the property? Unfortunately, I never did see a turtle and all the more reason to go back again and again.
The waves were good, 6ft to 8ft beachbreak having to find some rideable corners. The mornings were always the best with better tides and cleaner conditions. We took a mangrove trip by boat to see the swamps where local fishermen were trying to catch fish, shrimp, and crabs. We decided to surf the rivermouth where the mangrove empties into the ocean - luckily no sharks around but always curious about crocodiles that inhabit the swamps? In the next couple of months we are seeking to build an eco-resort on the property with facilities for yoga. Stay tuned for more info, you can watch a little promo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VTofV7DDps
After a few days on the coast, we decided to head inland to the highlands. We got on an afternoon camioneta (chicken bus) for 3 hours and arrived in Panajachel before dusk. Panajachel is a town located on the shore of Lake Atitlan. It serves as a major inlet for visitors and residents to take boats around the lake to other smaller villages, hotels, restaurants, textile shops, and artisan centres. Panajachel has a lot of inexpensive boutique hotels and hostels. The main stretch is home to shops with fabrics, Guatemalan arts and crafts, and nomadic jewelers. On the lake shore are great restaurants for sundowners and sunsets with fantastic views of the lake. Panajachel attracted many hippies in the 60's and many foreigners still live in the area. Taking a boat ride of the lake, you see beautiful homes on the lake shore with private boat docks. Lake Atitlan is said to be one of the few vortex energy fields, thus, the area attracts many healers, therapists, and masseurs. We decided the next day to visit Las Piramides: http://www.laspiramidesdelka.com/ spiritual centre to get some work done by a healer and masseur. The tranquil location in San Marcos alotted us great views of the volcanoes and had a serene feel. The restaurant at the Hotel Posada Schumann was a perfect place to relax and get energizing smoothies and juices.
We hired a private shared minibus and headed to Antigua. After 3 hours on the road, we arrived into the famous colonial town with cobblestone streets. Antigua is a declared UNESCO World Heritage site, maintaining its Spanish influence of Baroque architecture and colonial church ruins. The town has grown into a lively place with quaint hotels, cafes, restaurants, and bars. This epicenter for tourism and Spanish schools draws a foreigner crowd. The Central Park is a popular gathering spot and the most notable architecture landmark is the Arco de Santa Catalina or Arch. La Merced church is beautiful and the San Hermano Pedro church looks great at night. We had sundowners at Cafe Sky with nice vistas of the city. Three volcanoes dominate the horizon when walking around Antigua, the most commanding is Volcan de Agua - Volcano of Water (12,356ft). The volcano serves as a backdrop of almost every picture taken in the town, often times clouded over by the mist. The other volcanoes are Acatenango (13,045ft) and Volcan de Fuego - Volcano of Fire (12,346ft). We decided the next day to climb Volcan de Fuego starting at 2pm to summit when it was getting dark and see the lava at night.
Everyday we had lunch at Cuevita de las Urquizas, a tipico restaurant that served Guatemalan cuisine. The presentation was elaborate with meats kept warm on earthenware pots and a spread of desirable side dishes. Every meal comes with nicely fresh made tortillas brought cloth-covered in a basket. This place is highly recommended to go eat for lunch, as it closes early. One afternoon we were walking by a courtyard and heard the sounds of wonderful Cuban latin-jazz. Our curiosity took us into the courtyard to see who was playing. An older black man sat in the front with three conga drums and was doing a bit of a sound check. We decided to take a seat at one of the front tables and order some drinks. When the band was comfortable with the sound, they went into a nice rhythmic latin Cuban sound, reminiscent of the old days in Havana. It dawned on me that this was the sound of the Buena Vista Social Club. The 64 year old Cubano was Ignacio Perez Borrell, one of the drummers from the Club. This band was called Buena Vista de Corazon. Turns out Ignacio toured with Buena Vista to 28 countries and on the last tour, the Cuban police rescinded his permit. On another tour he defected and now lives in Guatemala and plays with his conjunto, touring occasionally to music festivals. (youtube video soon to come of a couple of his tracks)
Another great trip to Gautemala and another great week in Central America...
