ARH, The Monkey

The Kiddo (Alex) as many of you know is quite the climber and acrobat. For a girl of 4 I'm constantly amazed at her strength and abilities. I couldn't help but take a moment to film in her action on the Monkey bars at school.

Nicaragua - Day 15 (7/4) - Laurance

One fall afternoon, 8 years ago, I walked into a Starbucks in Dallas, Texas to pick up an employment application after being laid off from an IT consulting firm at the time. I had never drank coffee prior to that moment nor did I have any clue about Starbucks. Laurance (the Manager) took a chance and hired me that day...

...of which I'm eternally grateful. Fast forward 8 years later and I'm walking into his coffee shop again in Granada, Nicaragua to spend time with a good friend and mentor (no employment application this time). Law and his family took the time to show me their home and provide me with a collection of experiences and memories that I will never forget. For this I'm most grateful and appreciative. Thank you Law.

When you ask people why they travel you inevitably get a myriad of responses. For me I travelled to Nicaragua for 2 main reasons, 1) To see my good friend Law and spend time with he & his family and 2) To learn to surf. I accomplished both in the 2 weeks I visited Nicaragua and in addition I picked up a collection of memories and experiences that will stay with me until I'm old and grey. From this most recent trip I've come to reinforce the importance of long term relationships in my life and to appreciate the friends I've met and kept over the years. And thus ends my Nicragua travel blog...

Nicaragua - Day 14 (7/3) - Final Day in Granada

For my final day in Granada, Nicaragua I took the time to relax and walk around the city for some noteworthy photos. Thus what you will find below are shots from in an around Granada.

Photo 1: Granada Cathedral
Photo 2: Xalteva Church, Granada

Photo 3: Guadalupe Church

Nicaragua - Day 13 (7/2) - Travelling to Granada

I'm fast approaching the end of my Nicaraguan holiday. I opted to return to Granada July 2, 2009 to spend a final day with my good buddy Laurance before returning home. I spent a leisurely morning enjoying a nice cup of coffee and finishing the book, The Omnivore's Dilemma (brilliant read). I then hopped my first bus from SJDS to Rivas. From Rivas I took a bus back to Granada. 4 hours and $2 later I found myself back in Granada, Nicaragua at the Euro Cafe.

Although during this specific day I spent most of my time on buses it should be mentioned that on one of the days in San Juan Del Sur I did get a chance to hike to the top of the overlook where a large statue of Jesus watches over the town. The pictures of said statue and SJDS appear below.

View 1 of Statue

View 2 of the Statue over SJDS View 3 from the Statue over SJDS

Nicaragua - Day 11/12 (6/30 & 7/1) - Playa Maderas

Days 11 & 12 of my stay in Nicaragua constituted full days of surfing fun at Playa Maderas. This beach originally proved too difficult for my first day but after regaining my confidence at Playa Remanso I came back to Maderas with a short board and plenty of rest and enthusiasm. These two days I worked on the basics of surfing which constituted duck diving, timing waves, catching waves, and in some few instances actually getting up on the board for a few seconds before falling down yet again.


Surfing proved to be one of the most challenging and exciting sports I have experienced thus far. I look forward to the next experience and am eager to become proficient at this amazing sport! As a final tribute to Playa Maderas I'm include 3 favorite photos of the beach.


Playa Maderas - View 1


Playa Maderas - View 2Playa Maderas - View 3

Nicaragua - Day 10 (June 29, 2009) - Playa Remanso

This was the magical day where I actually learned to surf properly on a long board with multiple successful rides in the small waves of Playa Remanso. After taking of day of rest from my first day of surfing I came back to Playa Remanso renewed and refreshed which translated into an exceptional day of easy riding and enjoyment. Check out the video to the beach and subsequent photos of me and my surfboard.

The Ride to the Beach...

Me & the Long Board...

Nicaragua - Day 9 (June 28, 2009) - San Juan Del Sur

I'm back to finish out my trip in Nicaragua after a day off from blogging. For those of you returning to the blog I'm now on Day 9 which I chose to take as a day of rest after my first day of surfing. The first day of surfing for those of you just joining resulted in 2 broken boards ($60 in repair), a badly burned back (couldn't reach with the sun tan lotion), and aching and sore muscles from being punished by the waves...

Thus I opted to relax around town in San Juan Del Sur. So here are a few pictures of SJDS for your viewing pleasure.

View of the Beach at SJDS (an actual inlet with very small waves)

View of one of the main streets leading to the inlet

SJDS Inlet during the evening

Nicaragua - Day 8 (June 27, 2009) - Playa Madera

So today represents the first day of surfing for me. After renting my board for $10.00 and opting out of the surf lesson I made my way to Playa Madera (Madera Beach) for a crash course in surfing. Despite breaking 2 surfboards my first day due to inexperience and misjudgement I learned quickly thereafter and simply enjoyed the sand, water, and sun. And of course the views were nice as well.

Playa Madera View 1:

Playa Madera View 2:

Nicaragua - Day 7 P. 2 (June 26, 2009) - San Juan Del Sur

I arrived in San Juan Del Sur the night of Day 7 (June 26, 2009) of my trip to Nicaragua. This was to begin my 2nd half of the trip along the beaches near SJDS learning to surf and ride waves.

It's worth noting the night of Day 7 for the following reasons:



1) The view from the restaurant where I had fresh shrimp with garlic and tostones con queso
2) A late night party at Iguanas Bar with 2 nurses I met on the bus from Rivas to SJDS





3) My bottom bunk bed which only cost me $5.00 a night ($40.00 for the entire week) and included sleeping next to 2 lovely ladies from Wales

Nicaragua Day 7 (June 26, 2009) - Travelling

For those of you just joining the blog, I'm currently on Day 7 of my two week holiday in Nicaragua. The 2 main goals of the trip were to 1) Visit my good buddy in Granada and 2) Learn to Surf on the Pacific Coast. Day 7 concluded my first week in Granada, Nicaragua and it was finally time to travel down to the coast to learn to surf!


Friday June 26, 2009 (Day 7 of my trip) served primarily as a travel day so I'm going to highlight travelling in Nicaragua on this entry. Nicas (Nicaraguans) disregard most saftey precautions and what is normal in Nicaragua might be a complete out of the ordinary in the US. An example video below which highlights a bit of "backseat driving" literally.

The beauty of travelling in Nicaragua though becomes apparent when you enter any bus station. Every yellow bus from your childhood has made it's way to Central America and specifically Nicaragua and is now used for most mass transportation between major cities. In addition to reliving your childhood, the cost of travelling between major cities is about $1.00. That's right, $1.00. To travel from Granada to San Juan Del Sur I paid only $2.00.

Nicaragua Day 6 (June 25, 2009) - Catarina

It only took 31 years and a trip to Central America to finally ride a horse. Day 6 of my trip to Nicaragua found me astride Juan Carlo taking a leisurely ride through the town of Catarina has the best view of Laguna de Apoyo which you can make out in the background.

Yours truly and Hobbes (my friend's son) about to do a bit of riding. Not only were the views exceptional of Laguna de Apoyo from the background but for 30 minutes of horse backriding I paid $2.50.

In addition to the horseback video above, make sure to check out the quick panaromic video of Laguna de Apoyo below. Breathtaking!

Nicaragua - Day 4/5 (June 23/24, 2009) - Isletas

Check it out! Just recounting my adventures in Nicaragua.

Day 4/5: The Isletas on Lake Nicaragua are a series of Islands that provide a getaway for travellers and a home for others. For those of you travelling to Nicaragua, you can take a boat tour of the Isletas and if you're lucky enough even spend a day on one. Check out Mombacho Volcano in the video below.

Nicaragua - Day 3 (June 22, 2009) - Laguna de Apoyo

For those of you just joining, I'm recounting the moments spent in Nicaragua from June 20, 2009 - July 4, 2009. Check it out as we enter Laguna De Apoyo.

Day 3: Lauguna De Apoyo in Nicaragua is a natural Lagoon created when the cone of a volcano essentially imploded into itself in then filled with both rain water and subterranean water. The deepest point is roughly 200 meters and is thermally vented.

I spent all of Monday with my good friend Law G. and his family hanging out at the Lagoon and simply relaxing. Check the photos below and the one photo at the very top of the blog.

Laguna de Apoyo - View 1

Laguna de Apoyo - View 2

Laguna de Apoyo - 1 too many Tonas

Nicaragua - Day 2 (June 21, 2009) - Granada

For my first foray into the blogging world I've elected to relive the past and provide to you (anybody reading this blog) a recap of my vacation to Nicaragua in Central America.

Day 2: Granada, Nicaragua is located on Lago De Nicaragua in the central part of the country. Despite its touristy nature, the city has a good vibe and excellent central park where the main church is located. I spent many a morning and afternoon watching the "Nicas" (affectionate term for Nicaraguans) and other passers-by circle the main square. Check the views below from the balcony room where I stayed. If you take a look you will notice the church in the right hand corner of the first view.

View 1 - Central Park

View 2 - Across the Street

View 3 - Looking Right