Nicarauga: A day full of cultural experiences

Yesterday was one of those days, those experiences, that I will remember for the rest of my life.  Not because I got another stamp in my passport, or because I got to "see" many of the major Tourist highlights of Nicarauga in one day. It is one of those Days, those experiences, for the sights of everyday life for the people of Nicaragua, for the conversations with individuals we met. It's a day that left me wanting more while also being thankful for what opportunities I have.  It is experiences like the ones I shared with my husband yesterday that are the reason we travel.  To learn, to explore, to meet new people and learn about them as individuals and as a culture.

Our tour was through Destination Services and our day started early. We were picked up from Secrets Papagayo at 5:30am and headed in to Liberia for breakfast at Donde Pipe. The breakfast was fresh fruit, traditional rice and beans, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns. After a quick bathroom stop we were headed north. Our guide, Francisco was very informative. He shared information about his experiences growing up in Costa Rica, history of Nicaragua as well as what to expect throughout the day.

The first experience was leaving Costa Rica and gaining entrance in to Nicaragua. First you have to pay a departure tax to Costa Rica...This was taken care of as part of our tour...then you have to find another building to show the immigration officer that to have paid the tax and get a stamp in your passport. On the bus between there and the Nicaragua customs and immigration we had a couple checkpoints to clear where we had to show our stamps again.

Nicaragua Customs and Immigration building. We waited in parking lot.

While waiting at the Nicaraguan border we met our first new "friend" and had our second experience. A man named Elroy. He sells pens to the people crossing the border in order to make a living. We talked politics and about his family. He lost his father and uncle and was badly burned himself when his village was burned down many years ago during one of the revolutions.

Driving down the Pan-American highway a couple things struck me...1 - This same highway goes right past my town and I drive it regularly; and 2 - This is a place lost in time where horse and oxen drawn carts, were common sights and often held up traffic on the highway. There were very few distinct towns but instead a steady stream of houses. We were told we were seeing what could be considered the middle class although many argue that there is not much of a middle class but a very large lower class. Houses are made of sticks or old boards, and corrugated tin. The more expensive houses are made with cinder blocks, clay or brick.

Sweeping the sidewalk

Typical home

Upscale Taxi. Many were pedal bike powered.

There was a lot of self exploration and reflection for me on this tour. Political thoughts are always best kept to oneself especially when you dont have a full understanding so I won't share my personal conclusions with you but would encourage you to take this tour and come to you own conclusions! Now on to the Sights!!!

The first tourist sight we saw was Catarina Market and Viewpoint the flee market is full of bright and colorful items: pottery, leather goods, wooden bowls, jewelry and clothing. Bartering is acceptable so explore and have fun and find that item that speaks to you. While there make sure you head over to the viewpoint. It is breathtaking. You are looking over an extinct volcano crater that is now a beautiful lake with communities and other volcanos in the distance.

Beautiful paintings

Burning our name onto the hand carved wooden bowl

Catarina Viewpoint

Our next stop was the Masaya Volcano. This is in a national park with hiking trails and picnic areas as well as a visitor center. You drive right up to the crater passing old lava flows. The last major eruption was in 1772 but last eruption was in 2008.We were told depending on the wind direction our time would be limited. An employee stands guard and if the wind is blowing in the right direction, they will time you and blow a whistle once you have been in the gasses for too long. On a side note, my husband wonders what the life expectancy of these employees is.

Lava flow from past eruption

Masaya Volcano

Into the Crater

From there was Granada. A colonial city that has maintained much of the architecture and charm from its original days. A great way to see this city is by hiring a horse and carriage. We also had lunch here at a stunning hotel in the center of town.

Hospital being rehabilitated

Our final destination was the Granada Islets of Lake Nicaragua. Some of these islands have been passed down through many generations and have humble homes with inhabitants that  live a subsistence lifestyle. Other islands have multi-million dollar homes owned by the political elite or foreigners. One island is the private home of rescued spider monkeys who are expecting!!!! Interesting facts about Lake Nicaragua...First it has the only Freshwater sharks in the world. The Lake Nicaragua Shark is a freshwater bull shark.
Second there has been an attempt to create a canal across Nicaragua that would utilize Lake Nicaragua. This has a lot of implications that it creates and part of the reason it is currently in hold.

Fort

In summary do not miss this experience if you are ever in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. Even if all you see is the sights, it will be worth every penny!

Trying to Find the Best Hotel or Resort -Things to Consider

When trying to find the "best" resort or hotel there are many questions you need to consider in order to find the best resort for YOU.  Before you ask for advice from others you need to identify what is important to you.  This is one of the reasons using a Travel Agent is beneficial. They will help guide you on this journey.

What is the purpose of the trip? Business travelers have very different needs than Vacationers. Do you need to be close to a particular location or are amenities more important? Here are some questions to consider...

1. What do I want to do once I get to my destination?
- if sightseeing is your thing consider the places that you want to visit. A centrally located hotel will help cut costs of getting to and from all of the attractions on your list. If you are looking for an All Inclusive vacation is the beach important and why? Do you want to swim in the ocean or is it a long walkable beach that you are looking for.

2. What amenities are important to you?
Are you a foodie and want options available for delicious meals? On site spa, golf, tennis courts? Will children be travelling? What are their ages and does the hotel/resort have activities that are age appropriate?

3. Travel time. The duration of the trip can affect your willingness to have connections on your flights or overnight flights. Sometimes location can be determined by available flights from your location.

4. Budget. Once you have an idea of what is important to you, you need to ensure that your budget fits. If not what are you willing to compromise on.

A travel agent is able to quickly help you narrow all of this down into a couple of options that will be the BEST resort/hotel for YOU and not someone else. Once you have it narrowed down it is also easier to get the kind of feedback you are looking for. Instead of asking what the best resort is, you can ask if anyone has any recommendations for resorts that have an excellent spa for pampering with a great beach for swimming, delicious food options and activities for a child aged 9 that likes to play with lights and play in pools. The feedback that you get at that time will be specific and answer the important questions instead of confusing you with too many options and little actual information.

If you are trying to find the BEST hotel/resort, I would love to help guide you in you choices. I will also stick by your side until the very end of your vacation to ensure it truly is THE BEST! Visit my Facebook page @Pittymomtravels or contact me at Shelley.m@gotravelcompany.com.

Crescent Falls - David Thompson Highway, AB

Whenever I need to clear my head and de-stress, the Alberta Rocky Mountains calls my soul. Thankfully, we live close enough that I can heed the call and that is exactly what I did this past Sunday.  We planned on a day trip out to finally see Crescent Falls just West of Nordegg, AB.  There is an easy dog-friendly hike along the canyon up to the falls and the Blues Bullies were as excited to be going to explore.  We left home at 9:00 and stopped in Rocky Mountain House to get some groceries for our picnic.  We were set...or were we?  As we were driving and about half way to the parking area for our hike, I realized that I had forgotten to bring the leashes.  How could this be?  The get away that we all so desperately needed was on the verge of not happening.  Thankfully my husband is handy with knots and we stopped in Nordegg and bought some rope and he made two custom leashes for the pups. Tragedy averted!!!!

The road up to the parking area is a rough gravel road but only 6 km so well worth the bumps and rattles.  We parked at the lower viewpoint so that we could enjoy the canyon views and get some exercise on the way up to the falls.  And boy am I glad we did.  The canyon is spectacular and there were very few people on the trail.  The trail is narrow and there are no guard rails so you have to watch your footing but it is an easy hike with very little climb involved.

Upon reaching the falls the dogs enjoyed a swim in the creek that feeds the river right before the falls and even in the river upstream from the falls.  We did not go down but there is a rope strung up the bank to assist those who want to get right down to the bottom of the falls.  Clapton is just too heavy to take the chance that we would have to carry him up so we only observed from above.

After returning to the truck, we decided on a picnic at Dry Haven Provincial Recreation area and Campground which was beautiful.

 I am so glad that we finally made it to explore this beautiful trail and canyon so close to home.  As for the pups...well they enjoyed it too.  nothing beats a hike through the woods and playing in rivers and streams and then getting to snuggle up and sleep all the way home!

Searching for the Perfect Secluded Beach on the East Cape Road, Baja California

This is a tale of adventure, solitude, beautiful beaches, donkeys, cattle and a dirt road barely fit to be called a road.

It's November In Los Cabos and we have a plan.  We are going to spend a day touring the East Cape on Camino Cabo Este to find that perfect secluded beach (and maybe our retirement home)!  Ever since our first visit to the area our hearts were captured and now we cant stop thinking about how one day, this will be home.  In the mean time we take what we can get when we can and explore our future home area.

This adventure requires a rental...and not just any rental.  We need a 4X4.  Thanks to the wonderful staff at Secrets Puerto Los Cabos we get all set up with a Nissan Frontier.  We also got warned.  Do not drive up the East Cape.  Drive up the highway to La Ribera and then south to Cabo Pulmo.  This route although paved the majority of the way is simply not what we are looking for.  We want the adventure. We want the solitude.  We grew up in the Canadian Prairies and we can handle whatever the road has to throw at us!

The day starts with my usual latte from the Coco Cafe (Secrets Resorts version of Starbucks only better) and breakfast at the Market Cafe overlooking the ocean and the golf course.  Once our appetites have been filled, we load up the Frontier.  Towels? Check, Snorkel gear? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Camera? Check. Water? Check.  We are ready.

Its about 9am and we hit the dirt excited for the

adventure ahead.  Hurricane Sandra has moved on so the sun is shining and sharing in our excitement. after a short distance of washboard dirt road showing the effects the rain from Sandra has had, we are surprised to find fresh blacktop.  Well this wont be so bad.  Why would they worry abut us driving that short distance on dirt to find fresh asphalt?  The answer lay in wait ahead.  It wasn't long before we realized we were Not on the road we had intended so we ventured right to get further east.

This was where we were almost introduced very intimately to a pack of donkeys enjoying the sun that had been hiding for the last few days.  Don't they know that they should not hang out in the middle of the road just over a hill and around a corner.  Good thing the Frontier had good breaks and we weren't able to go to fast because of the conditions of the road.


Our first stop and the beginning of our solitude was Los Zacatitos and Playa Escondita. We could have spent the entire day here and I would have called it a great day but we had much more to explore.

We passed a funky hotel VidaSoul lined with surf boards.

More Secluded beaches with no one or buildings in sight.

Hold on tight and watch this!

Hold your breath.  I am not sure how deep this is.  Are you ready to push if needed?  (We would learn that the answer to that was yes but not for us!)



There was also a campground about right smack dab in the middle of the dirt trail.  Although beautiful and you are able to park right on the beach if you want, I am not sure we would attempt to bring our trailer down this dirt path to get to it.  It was on the very edge of Cabo Pulmo National Park.

Whats that ahead?  More new asphalt.  But the adventure is not over yet.  There are random small boulder lined up halfway across the road?  What could their purpose be?  We aren't sure so we maneuver around them and continue on.  Up ahead...you guessed it; more small boulders but this time on the other side of the road. This continued on for about 10 km.  Standing guard dutifully over the mysteriously placed rocks were some beautiful cattle.  There to ensure no harm came to those adventurous souls who dared to tackle the East Cape.

Who would have guessed that the paved portion would be as much of an adventure as the tiny dirt walking path.

Lessons of the day.  Don't spend your sunny vacation laying by the pool at the resort as you will miss out on so much. This will always be one of our most memorable vacation days and we cant wait to do it again on our next visit as it was truly beautiful.  however, in consideration for those who may want to come visit us when we plant our roots in sunny Mexico, we wont be looking at real estate on the East Cape.  San Jose, Todos Santos and Los Barriles however are now top of the list!

Grey Cup in Cabo???

Picture this....  It's February and I am tired of Old Man Winter.  Its time to get away.  But how can i convince my husband..."I know what I want for my birthday!"  I say.  Now it might be important for me to note that my birthday is in November...at the very end of November.  My husband who often has to appease my craziness says.."Oh yeah?  What's that?"  So I tell him "I want to go back to Cabo and I found a super deal for my birthday."  That was the beginning of my birthday and Grey Cup in Cabo.

I booked us a swim-out suite at Secrets Puerto Los Cabos for a steal and spent the next 9 months anxiously counting down the days!

The day arrived.  I should also maybe mention that we were unsure our flight was going to go as the weather forecast for Cabo the day we were to arrive was for Hurricane Sandra to be making land in Cabo that evening or the next day but we made it and the storm changed course slightly!

Hurricane Sandra trying to make her presence known

Secrets Puerto Los Cabos from Main Building

 The resort was beautiful and the room...AMAZING!

Swim out Suite view from our patio

Perfect Sunset for my Birthday

I even got special treats on my birthday!

We had a week to relax and hit our favorite spots in the area which included tackling the East Cape Road which I will write separately about.  One of the musts on our list was to catch our Edmonton Eskimos playing in the Grey Cup Game.  There was only one logical choice for where we would do this. Shooters Sports Bar in San Jose del Cabo.  Being owned by fellow Canadians and in a great location overlooking Town Hall and all the small town activity, its a great place.

Its Almost Over

Commercial and half time entertainment outside Town hall (Street performers)

We did it.  We won and the whole place celebrated with us.  What a night.  And now I can say i have watched my home team win the Grey Cup in Cabo!

Mission accomplished.  We had a wonderful holiday with a home base at an amazing resort, with great food, relaxation, beautiful sunsets, birthday celebrations and we even got to bring home the Grey Cup! For more on Secrets Puerto los Cabos and the other Secrets Resorts, check out their You Tube Channel.

If you fall in love with the brand like we did, consider joining Secrets Society to earn points towards excursions, spa treatments and even a free vacation.