Jennie’s Adventure to Guatemala and Nicaragua

This Blog describes a trip taken to Guatemala and Nicaragua from December 25, 2022 to January 10, 2023. This is the view from the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo today. Hard to believe that this is a colour photo! When I booked my tickets I didn’t realize that the ten minute seaplane from Gabriola to Vancouver doesn’t fly on Christmas day, so instead I have four hours of travel. My travel day started at 8 am, when Gary drove me to the Gabriola ferry terminal,  and then I took the 20 minute ferry ride to Nanaimo. I was the only foot passenger, and before we arrived one of the ferry workers whistled me his favourite Christmas song. My prearranged taxi driver was waiting for me to take me the ten minutes to the Departure Bay ferry ride. My ferry left at 10:40, and a couple hours later we are now approaching West Vancouver. Next I take a bus and then the sky train to get to the airport. It is now 2:25 p.m. and I have an hour and a half to wait for my flight. The airport is pret...

While the Vancouver airport was quiet, when I arrived in Los Angeles early evening the airport was bustling. Flying in you could see endless lights of the sprawling big city. I started chatting with the guy sitting beside me, and discovered that he was also born in Durban. He and his wife had just got married and were heading for a cruise to Mexico on their honeymoon. So I gave them the freshly printed info sheet about my upcoming couples massage workshop and they were quite enthusiastic about it. I had been one of the last to board, so there was no room in the overhead bins for my bag, which I was reluctantly forced to check. So despite travelling light, I still had to wait about half an hour for my bag.  The hotel shuttle appeared minutes after I called for it, and with all the heavy stop and go traffic, and stopping at other terminals, we were slow to leave the airport. Driving through the busy streets I couldn’t help wondering why anyone would want to live in LA. More than 12 m...

 I’m here! When I woke this morning I heard the pigeons cooing, and it took me back to my time here when I lived in Guatemala in my twenties. I got in at midnight, and I am staying in an apartment behind Doña Yolanda’s, who is Sebastian’s grandmother. Looking forward to seeing her this morning. My shower has a heater on it, but only to take off the chill, calling it warm would be an exaggeration. Still an improvement, I remember taking many showers in freezing cold water. The tap in the sink only has cold water. My room has beautiful red woven bedspread and pillows. The furniture is carved and locally made. Yolanda’s home is in the front of her property, then what used to be her garden is now divided into individual apartments and houses, with her daughter Anamaria and her family living in a house to the back of the property.

This morning I joined Doña Yolanda for breakfast. What an inspiring woman! We have always been fond of each other and it was an emotional get-together. At 96 she has undergone hip surgery on both sides and is quite frail. Since covid she doesn’t leave her home. But she is sharp as a whistle and wanted to hear all about her grandson Sebastian and my other children. I brought her an iPad, which I believe she will enjoy, because she is quite tech savvy, and uses Facetime. She also is an avid reader.  Then Seb’s aunt Susy joined us. I met Rafaelito, Susy’s son, who I recall as a mischievous little boy. He runs a business repairing computers and cell phones out of a front room that opens on to the street. Then I met the two sons of Seb’s cousin Rocio (Susy’s daughter), another Sebastian (named after Seb) and Martin and his daughter Ivana. Rocio and her husband live in a house behind Yolanda’s house. So even though Yolanda does not leave her house, she sees her children, grandchildren, a...

Floats used in religious processions Antigua looks the same but lots of motorbikes and cars Prettiest Starbucks I’ve have visited Susy told me that the new Starbucks used to be a medical centre where she gave birth to her three children. Typical bus to Guatemala Antigua’s library Famous arch between nuns’ quarters and monastery Typical view of Agua hidden in cloud Parque de San Sebastián Yolanda’s house  

This morning I left Antigua at 2:30 a.m. and took the Hondureña airline COPA to San José. I walked from the international terminal in San José to the much smaller domestic terminal, where the planes only take 10-12 people. Our flight is delayed. Still hope to be in the ocean this afternoon.

 

Outdoor shower  

There is a turtle nursery here. They buy eggs and look after them. I met Rojer (pronounced "row-her") who was just finishing the night shift. There is someone caring for them 24 hours a day, because foxes and other animals could come down and eat them. It is likely that a couple of turtles will hatch later today, so I am hoping to get to see their release into the sea.

Well, travelling solo I had planned on having an introspective private yoga retreat, with lots of time for journalling, reading, and contemplation. Instead, it has been a very social trip, meeting so many interesting people who share my love of yoga and ocean. There are two yoga classes a day, taught by a fantastic yoga teacher named Samantha. I have been learning so much. Yesterday we had a special myofascial release class using two tennis balls which was amazing. Today we took our mats out to the lookout and had a vigourous vinyasa practice to see out 2022. Yesterday I also experienced my first Temazcal, which is kind of the Aztec version of a sweat lodge. The acoustics were incredible as we did some singing and chanting. Also I met the owner, Tyson, who not only is Canadian but comes from Galiano Island! Tonight to bring in the new year there will be dancing on the beach and a bonfire at sunset. Oh yes, and have I mentioned the food? It is delicious! This morning I enjoyed fre...

There are several yoga studios here, with stunning views. Yesterday's class was interrupted by a bunch of howler monkeys who were junping around in the trees below the studio.

There are so many pelicans here. I was standing in the surf and about 30 flew over me. This morning I discovered a vulture. There was also a small white heron in the water early this morning.

While I haven't taken a surfing lesson yet, maybe on Monday, I have really been enjoying body surfing. The water is warm, the waves are great, not too strong. This is a private beach so it is quite beautiful, very few people on it. My daughter Sarah introduced me to water brushes, so I have been dabbling with some painting on the beach.

Apparently it is best not to swim at the end of the beach where a river meets the ocean, as Jorgito hangs out there. Jorgito is a crocodile and he is 10-15 feet long, so calling him simply Jorge might be more appropriate. I haven't seen him yet. One of the surfers stepped on a stingray. and she was advised to soak her foot in hot water. She said it was quite painful, but she is fine now.

The four types of turtles in the nursery here which are all endangered are the Green Turtle, the Hawksbill Turtle, Kemps Rudley and Olive Ridley. Vital Actions has helped over 300,000 turtles hatch and be released into the wild. It has two nurseries, one on Playa Escameca and one on Playa Coco. It helps prevent turtle eggs from being sold on the black market by paying for the collection of eggs, as well as by maintaining a staff to watch over the eggs 24/7. Vital Actions is also involved in the caring for wild animals in the Collado Nature Reserve, and in growing produce that is shared with marginalized communities. It has planted 60,000 native trees. It has established the Collado Nature Reserve, and it maintains anti-poaching and anti-illegal logging patrols in vulnerable reserves. It also operates on a very limited annual budget of about $30,000 funded primarily through donations, and welcomes people to consider making $10 a month donation, which goes a long way in helping the t...

We kind of got dressed up for New Years, the women putting on skirts and dresses, a few even wore make-up or painted their nails, though some were still in bathing suits and shorts. Dinner, like all the food we have had so far, was delicious, freshly caught mahi mahi with shrimp sauce and three salads, a beet salad, carrot and beans salad, and greens salad, followed by a brownie-like dessert. Someone casually mentioned that apparently they were a nurse. When crossing the border, the driver asked what their occupation was. When he heard that they work in the television industry, even though they have nothing to do with reporting current affairs, he vehemently told them to say they were a nurse, as there have been issues with the media and the current government.  After dinner we made our way back to the beach. Costa Dulce is built on a hill, so almost every building is on a different level. Most of the accommodation is individual casitas, cleverly constructed so you have privacy on...

I woke at midnight to fireworks ringing in the new year. Here we hear the constant crashing of waves on the beach. As I lay awake to the lulling sound of the waves I heard the pattering of raindrops joining in the concert of nature. From the open sky in my bathroom stars were twinkling and the moon shone brightly.

Yesterday I had a lengthy conversation with Tim the turtle man. He explained that 98% of the donations he receives go to paying the former poachers bringing in turtle nests and the turtle watchers who are there around the clock guarding the eggs. He sad that he has converted poachers into turtle lovers, who are now excited to see the turtles hatch and be released. He explained that there continues to be a black market for turtle eggs, which are served as a delicacy in restaurants, although gradually the Nicaraguans were becoming better educated about the plight of the turtles.  He also spoke about the need for a new model for NGOs, where leaders stop taking large salaries, where adminustrative costs be greatly curbed, and where fundraising does not involve throwing expensive fundraisers that are costly to put on. Tim is clearly someone who spends a great deal of time outside, with a deep tan, and wearing old clothes. When I asked him what he lived off, as he does not take a salar...

When I arrived in Liberia my driver Armando had been waiting two hours for me. He drove me to the border, Peñas Blancas, and dropped me off so I could get in the long line-up. Then he reappeared and motioned me to move to the front of the line, as he was friends with someone who allowed us to skip the line, which would have taken hours to get through. I didn't have cash with me, but on the way back need to give this person some money for helping me and saving me hours of waiting. Earlier Armando had taken a picture of me and texted it to my Nicaraguan driver Irma. He dropped me off at the border, and told me to follow the other people making their way to the Nicaraguan immigration, a few tourists like me, but mostly Nicaraguans going home for the holidays. I was very glad that all I had was a backpack and my small carry-on suitcase on wheels.  When I got to the other side I was immediately greeted by Irma, who had recognised me from my picture, who had also been waiting several hou...

During the pandemic, Costa Dulce offered month long stays for people who wanted to work somewhere else. I longed to come, but the difficulties getting there and travel horror stories prevented me from going then. There are quite a few people from New York here, and they mentioned that the magazine Travel and Leisure had written an article on Costa Dulce. Here is the article.

 Being surrounded by jungle, there are all kinds of tropical birds. This morning a pair of urraca (Calocitta formosa), also known as piapia azul or urraca copetona, flew near the deck where we sit to eat our meals. When I got up to take a picture, this beautiful blue bird actually flew closer and landed on the deck railing, posing for me.

 Well, that sounded like a lot of fun, but when I went to reception, Anthony at the desk refused to let me sign up for it. It turns out that Jorgito has a friend, and because of the two crocodiles they aren’t letting us explore the secret lagoon.