It had been 7 years since I had visited my native country. We've been wanting to go for a while, but different things kept us from going...school, work, etc.
Finally, the opportunity came up...my dad's 50th birthday.
MANAGUA
My mom was planning a surprise birthday party for him in Nicaragua. We thought that would be the perfect time to go and surprise him. So, in July we flew to Nicaragua a few days before he arrived and we explored the country. This was Newel, Arden, and Maya's first time visiting. We decided to stay over my Tia Silvia and Tio Arturo's house. We felt at home with them and had a wonderful time. They spoiled my children rotten...in a good way. Our first few days there, we took it easy...We know our children go kind of nutty when they are at a new place so, we stayed in the city of Managua for a few days while they got used to their surroundings. They loved playing with water and pans...a fond childhood memory of mine as well. They also played in the rain. We didn't visit most of my family during the days before my dad arrived because we wanted to keep our arrival a secret...we knew if other relatives, besides Tia Gloria, knew we were there, word would get out and the surprise would be ruined.
While we let time pass by, got acquainted with my Tio Arturo and his family. We also went to see my uncle play basketball the first weekend we were there.
With my mom, we visited some local places...like the Historic National Park: Loma de Tiscapa (right, where Maya is flicking us off). It's home to Managua's mos recognizable landmark, Sandino's Silhouette. He was some revolutionist dude. This hill was also home of the presidential castle and was also an infamous prison. But now it's mostly ruble.
The picture (right) is of something...but I can't remember. I do know there was a dude in a tower across the street with a riffle who told us to move from this monument because he didn't want us to get it dirty. He also said that people who graduate from the university and other important "whatevers" pose in that spot.
After a yummy lunch at the mall, we headed to el Malecon (pier) which is Lake Managua. It was okay...we walked around and my mom explained how nice it was...40 years ago.
I couldn't believe there were people swimming in that water...it is so GROSS! I say gross because for years, sewage water has been deposited in the lake...
You couldn't pay me to go into that water, yet, there were people fishing. Arden wanted to go in...no way! My mom was telling us how that used to be the place to go many years ago. However, now it is just ruins of the past.
Not too far from there is the Teatro Nacional Ruben Dario. I remember as a child walking around the place and wanting to go inside...one day, when there's a performance and I happen to be visiting, I'm going in.
When I was a child I had my picture taken at the same spot Maya is posing for this pic.
Then, we walked around central park...another place I used to go when I was a kid.
As a child I loved feeding the turtles that used to be in these pools.
The children also enjoyed walking around and exploring the place I grew up.
Part of our adventure took us to the Mercado and Maya loved shopping for shoes...who doesn't love shoes?
With Tia Silvia at the entrance of her house.
Walking in the streets of Managua
We took a quick trip to Granada and checked out La Peninsula de Asese. A place I had visited as a child. The children enjoyed
playing by the Lake. I couldn't get over the plethora of rotten fruit around the park. So many mangoes going to waste...so sad.
Finally, my dad arrived. His flight was a bit delayed so we waited in the airport for a while. The children were getting tired, but were still excited. We went with my mom and Tio Arturo. We hid among the crowd, as my Tia Dina, Travis, Michaelle, and Nephi walked into the lobby. They were all waiting in anticipation...had he figured it out? Was he onto it? As I tried to convince Arden of the change of plans (we had told him we were going to hide from Lito until the party at the beach, but then we changed our minds and wanted to surprise him at the airport...Arden wasn't having it...he was still hiding from my dad), Newel walked up to my dad with Mayita in his arms...My dad was carrying his luggage...he paused for a split second realizing who was in front of him, then dropped all of his luggage, and yelled "holy sh*t!"
Arden heard my dad's voice and immediately ran to hug him. What a wonderful reunion...and we really had surprised him. Of course my dad wanted to know who knew about the surprise. Everyone in the airport who was related to us...he couldn't believe we had gotten him good. Just days before my mom had flown to Nicaragua, my dad was telling her how much he would love to have his grandchildren with him in Nicaragua...His wish came true.
MASAYA
Since we were on vacation, we told the family that we were planning a busy week and were welcome to go with us. We had rented a car for the time Newel was in town. I don't know my way around and I don't feel comfortable driving with my children in the car and with no car seats. So I had my foreign husband venture in driving in Nicaragua. He did well overall.
Funny thing is that within the 30 minutes of getting out of the car rental office...a cop had stopped Newel and given him a warning...that he was driving into the other "lane." I guess the cop didn't see the huge potholes Newel was trying to dodge. And about 3 hours later another cop stopped him again and gave him a ticket, saying he got into someone else's lane...even though there wasn't a sign and Newel was trying to dodge this guy who had ran a red light. The cop wouldn't hear it, insulted Newel's intelligence and manhood...and basically we payed him off...I was furious about the scam...what a corrupt bastard.
Anyways, the day after my dad's arrival, we went to el Volcan Masaya. You can drive to the very top and look into it's precipice and inhale the sulfur smoke. It was neat. Arden found some fascinating insects that he sadly had to leave behind. But I took pictures of them...but are not in this blog.
This was Newel's first time being so close to the mouth of a volcano...or any active volcano.
Surprisingly, the weather wasn't so bad...it was bearable. After the volcano walk...we took a tour into some caves formed by the volcano's previous eruptions.
But before we went into the cave...we got rained on badly and the tour was almost canceled because the smoke from the volcano was very intense. We huddled and waited inside a leaking hut (I should have taken a picture of that) while it poured. It's a actually a funny memory.
Then, we hiked to the caves.
I only posted this photo of the cave...photos in caves just don't turn out well. If you look carefully, you can see the bat whose picture I was trying to take. This was my parents first time in these caves. They didn't even know they existed. We actually surprised them. It was a really fun experience. I think we all enjoyed it.
After our cave tour, we went to the Visitor Center and learned that there was a 1Kguided hike we to on and see wild monkeys. Of course we couldn't pass that up! We thought it would be neat for our children to see wild monkeys...not in a zoo.
HA! It turns out the 1k, was more like a 5K...which we were not expecting to walk that much, nor were we prepared for it, ie water and food. My dad came with us and he's diabetic...and needed to eat...we were lucky he didn't pass out. Mayita fell asleep on the hike, so we took turns carrying her back...she was so cute...but heavy. On the hike, it was just my parents and us...the rest of the party was smart enough to stay at the Visitor Center and relax.
After the volcano, we went back to Masaya, where my dad insisted on taking us to this restaurant he used to go with his dad, when he was a child. My grandfather died when my dad was very young and my dad has a few memories of his dad. This being one of them. My dad recalls the food being tasty, when he was a child...well, not that day =) We really tried not to complain, because we knew it meant something to him. But at least we got to see the semifinals of the World Cup.
After lunch we went to el Mirador de Catalina. I really should have pictures of this place because it's such a beautiful peaceful view of the lagoon, but instead I have a photo (above) of Maya scamming my dad off. Up to this point, Maya had been a bit shy with my dad. Far in the distance, she spotted a black horse and she said she wanted to ride it. I didn't have cash with me...so I told her to ask her Lito. I figured, she wouldn't ask because she had been so shy with him. Instead, she being a very determined girl, walked up to Lito and asked, "Do you have money, Lito?" I explained that she wanted to ride a horse. My dad loved it...he found it so humorous that she wouldn't talk to him, until she wanted money from him...Typical girl. He gave her the money and she headed towards the horse she wanted to ride. On her way to the "nego" horse (meaning, black horse), there were other horse people trying to convince her to ride their horses. She shook her head and walked towards the 'nego' horse. She was in heaven. Of course, she always thinks about her brother, so he also went on a ride.
You might wander, what is this picture of? Yes, it is Maya peeing in a public place. Some of the bathrooms were so nasty I didn't even want her inside the building, so we let her pee, just about anywhere. This was photo #10, of her peeing? Also, she had barely been potty trained, so we were trying to help her not to have any accidents.
The photo is of Arden making friends with the locals. He's such a friendly guy! Hey and you can see the amazing view.
Here are the proud grandparents. The kid in the back is my cousins son...so my 2nd cousin? His name is Kevin and is a really great 12 year-old.
GRANADA
The following day, we headed off to Granada. We went back to the Peninsula de Asese and went on a boat ride around the miniature archipelago. It was a perfect day. We saw people fishing with their bare hands...no rod, just hands. We also drooled over some of the amazing
houses mansions on the islands and picked out our island where we would build our own mansion... well, it was only wishful thinking. Oh, we also ate about half of the food that was supposed to be for the monkeys at Monkey Island.
We liked Monkey Island. It was small and weren't allowed to get out, but we were told by our guide that these were monkeys that were rescued...some are missing fingers, toes, or part of their tail.
There was another pic of Maya peeing in the water...but it didn't make the cut.
After our boat tour, we headed to a restaurant for lunch. That was a treat. It was outdoors and we were sitting underneath a palm tree shack. The service and the food were great and they even had a playground for the kids. They played to their hearts desire...so sandy, but oh so fun.
Then, we arrived to the city of Granada. While my dad and Newel worked on finding the best hotel at the best rate, I took the kids on a carriage ride tour of the city. It's such a nice colonial city!
Can you guess who picked out the carriage? One word...Maya =)
We finally made it to the hotel...La Gran Francia. Oh, yeah! It was just so beautiful. Air conditioner...cold! The beds comfy and clean. The rooms...beautiful.
Arden and Kevin had so much fun playing in the pool. We had read great reviews online...and they were right. At night, Newel went out with my brother Nephi and my cousin Travis.
Newel really liked walking around the city. He especially enjoyed watching the soccer game in front of a colonial church.
The following morning, more swimming. We also enjoyed a lovely breakfast at their restaurant across the street. The gardens were beautiful and the ambiance fabulous. We probably could have spent the rest of the day there...just hanging out. It was so relaxing.
We were grateful to "The Book." Newel was a wonderful tour guide with the help of "El Libro."
While I packed our bags, Newel took Arden and Kevin on a walk around the city. They checked out the Cathedrals and other Catholic churches. Granada has a lot of them.
Arden and Kevin really enjoyed exploring the city.
The picture of Newel and the kids is from our balcony. It was a lovely view. It sounds like I'm writing a review or trying to convince someone, but I'm not...it was just a lot of fun. I always have fun when I travel with Newel.
After our stay in Granada, our party had to split up.
My dad had to go back to Managua for some business stuff and my mom needed to finish making the party arrangements. So, Nephi, Travis, Michalle, Newel, Arden, Maya, and I all squeezed inside a 5 passenger vehicle along with our luggage. I mean it when I say, we squeezed inside of it.
LEON
We headed off to the city of Leon...Granada's rival.
I don't have an pics of Leon, because I didn't have my camera with me and my brother Michaelle had his camera phone and hasn't sent me any of the pics and it's been almost a year since we went on this trip, and I've been
bothering pestering him about it...so I give up.
I will give a semi quick summary, though. We liked Leon, it was rustic. We ate at a Chinese restaurant and we were worried that the food might make us sick, so off we went to find a pharmacy to get some precautionary meds. Then, we went in search for a hotel. We stayed in a hostel and shared a room wit my brothers and my cousin. It was actually fun! This will probably the only time I will ever stay in a hostel, so just enjoy it, right? Also, we were probably the only people there. After we found our lodgings, we headed to the central part of town and visited the Basilica de la Asuncion, Leon's cathedral. It was really pretty cool. We walked on the roof and enjoyed the amazing view of the city. We even went on the underground tour, and that was interesting...Oh and don't forget, Ruben Dario's tomb. We took a taxi to another church and enjoyed walking around the city. The Book guided us to a Mediterranean restaurant where the food was great (we were getting tired of the 'traditional' foods) and the ambiance was fabulous. It was really good bonding time with my brothers. I don't get to hang out with them as much.
MASACHAPA
The following day we headed to the beach to meet the rest of the family for my dad's 50th birthday party. We took this crappy road where we thought the car was going to get stranded, somehow we made it.
Our cars in the parking lot ruined the surprised and my dad figured out it was a party for him. Nevertheless, he still liked the party and we had a great time.
There was swimming in the day and at night. Intense game of Uno with the cousins, dancing, talking, laughing, and probably, no certainly some arguing. There was also apologizing and forgiving among some family members.
We enjoyed walking along the beach, looking a tide pools, seeing the sunset. The only people on the beach was our family. Couples holding hands and children (mainly mine) running around.
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| They'll sell whatever they catch |
Our favorite activity was on the following day. We went to the fish market quite early...it was so neat to see the fishermen stepping out of their 'lanchas' boats with their freshly caught fish, ready to sell them. Arden picked a hammerhead shark..did I mention they'll sell whatever they catch? Newel picked something else. We had the hotel cook the fish and serve it for lunch. It was yummy. We also played and swam.
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| Enjoying freshly caught fish |
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| Devouring the Hammerhead Shark |
It was Sunday, but unfortunately church was not around for miles...It was also the World Cup Final. When we were fairly newlyweds...we committed to not watch sports on Sunday, except for the Superbowl. Three years later, we committed to not watch even the Superbowl...we also decided to not watch the World Cup Final. So, after lunch and after having the kids take their photos with both of their great-grandmothers, we (just the 4 of us) headed to Ometepe.
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| Mayita and Kellito |
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| Two Great-grandmothers |
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| Drunken festivities |
Unfortunately, in one of the towns, we had to take a detour because there was some sort of horse/rodeo parade along the Pan American Highway. There fat drunk men riding these pathetic looking horses. We waited for about 2 hours before we could get through the drunken parade. We barely made it to the last ferry to Ometepe.
OMETEPE
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| Maya on the ferry |
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| The amazing view in the morning. |
Since we were running late, we paid our fee, parked our car, and ran with our luggage to the ferry. We barely made it. Once we arrived to the Isla de Omete it was getting dark and there were no taxis around. We started hiking up the road with our luggage, not backpacks...water gallons and two tired kids. Luckily, a taxi bus stopped and gave us a lift to the most awesome hotel in Ometepe. We picked out our room by the water and got some dinner.Since it was dark we didn't really get to see the place and there was no TV in the rooms. But it didn't matter. The following morning we woke up to the most amazing view. It was so peaceful. Even now, I have dreams of having a place there, by the water.
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| Our hotel's entrance |
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| A horse big enough to carry Newel |
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| I'm so going to die! |
Later, we walked to the hotel nearby to go on a horse ride to El Mirador Del Diablo. This was a horse ride/hike. I haven't ridden on horses much and this was Newel's first time on a horse. He looked more at easy than I did. I thought I was going to die when my horse started to slide on the slick rock. On my way back from the hike/horse ride, I partially walked, until I passed by the slick rocks. Okay, the view was pretty neat. Our guide took us through a neat little trail and we really felt like we were in the jungle. He actually warned us about the monkeys living there.
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| The Devil's Lookout |
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| My butterfly man! |
I think Arden's favorite part was catching butterflies. There was an abundance. I've never seen so many butterflies in my life. Arden was in heaven!
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| Hiking through the hungle |
After we got back from the horse ride. We enjoyed a relaxed rest of the day...well, we were waiting for my parents, brothers, aunt, and cousins to arrive...and we waited and waited.
Okay, so the children played and we relaxed by the water.
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| Enjoying a game of chess |
Once they arrived, they loved the place! We had such a good time with the family. We didn't want to leave. We went kayaking, played chess (well, they played, I watched) and just having fun.
Late in the afternoon, we walked to the other hotel to see the monkeys. Every afternoon, a family of monkeys are seen eating and interacting at this spot. It was really cool to observe them, even if they were very high. They knew we were there, but didn't seem to care. I guess they are used to people observe them. We were the only ones there that day. What a neat experience.
The events of this trip are already starting to blurr, but I think the following day, we drove to Cascada San Ramon. We were told it was a relatively short hike...only 3K long. Okay, it might only be 3K if you don't hike from the bottom, which is where we started.
I think I know people in Nicaragua have no sense of distance, and of course we were not as well prepared and pretty much ran out of water and didn't have a lot of snacks. However, the waterfall was really great. We have a lot of photos of this, but this post is way too long.
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| Playing in Lake Nic, in Ometepe |
After our fun adventure in Ometepe, we sadly headed back to the Managua. It was Newel's time to head back to the states.
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| Feeding the chickens |
I stayed behind with my dad. My mom and brothers went back to the states. Tia Dina also stayed, but she was doing other things...like hanging out with high school friends.
However, Tia Dina still took Michaelle (he hadn't left yet) and me to see some relatives from the Soto side of the family. Tia Enma (my grandmother's sister) and her family. The children loved feeding and chasing the chickens and rooster.
They also enjoyed playing with their long distance relatives.
We also visited my childhood home. It looks quite different than when I was a child. The people who bought the house, just haven't taken as good care of it. I was grateful they let us come in and I could show my children my old house. I have so many fond memories...climbing the roof to pick the fruits...running around playing pretend games. Hiding with my Tia Luisa during thunderstorms. Falling in the ditch in front of the house because I was distracted reading a book. Getting caught by my dad skipping school. Trying to milk the goats, etc.
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| Our old room |
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| Front porch... can still see my grandpa's old paint job. |
Maya loved playing with her Tio Michalle. This is them at a Chinese restaurant. So Michaelle isn't smiling in this pic, but he does like her.
And finally, we visited the Huellas de Acahualinca. I was totally expecting to see this massive place with the indigenous foot prints, but it wasn't as big. Nevertheless, it was still neat. This photo is only of the footprints, but it shows the different layers of volcanic ash that have settled in the last 2,000 years or so.
Time was running out and I still hadn't made all of my visits. So, I practically dragged my cousins Kelly and Synthia to go with me to visit some of our family.
First, we visited my cousin Laihanny and my Tia Aura. I also got to know my cousin's son.
I like this pic because Maya like the swing so much, she fell asleep. I was so ready to buy one and bring it with me to the States. That girl hasn't taken regular naps since she was about 27 months old.
Then, off to visit my paternal grandmother. I hope 10 years from now I can remember this experience because it was a hoot. My cousins and I eyeing each other to see how to avoid the dog poo stained couch and other crazy stuff. I can't write it all. It's to funny and even a bit shameful on my part.
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| With my Grandmother and Uncle Jorge |
On our final days, we didn't do that much. One of the days we went to the mall with my Tio, Tia, and cousins (Bonilla) and Nini. Nini is their other cousins' daughter. Maya and Nini were best of pals.
My cousins were so nice spending time playing with the kids. And they would even brush Maya's hair every day!
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| Con Kellito |
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| Con Synthia |
Maya loved playing dress up with their jewelry and their stuff.
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| Papaya |
We also spent a lot of time over at Tia Gloria's house. She has a small back yard where the kids could run around. We were impressed by the size of the fruits and the variety.
Maya even brought her playmate along.
While I was over at Tia Gloria's I had the opportunity to show them some of my culinary skills. I made them enchiladas rojas, cake, and pizza. I think they liked it. The only bummer part was that I spent so much time in the kitchen, I didn't get to bond with my cousins as much...next time. But I don't regret cooking for them. Tia Gloria always cooks for us and she's such an excellent cook, I wanted to give her a break.
Our final day, we went to visit my Great-grandmother...That means Abuelita Tona is Arden and Maya's Great-great grandmother. She was such a riot. I could have spent all day talking to her. She has such an amazing memory and is so funny. My mom and Tia Dina were right about how hilarious she is.
I remember her...when I was a child, but it was such a treat to get to know her now as an adult. So much wisdom and such a positive lady!
Yes, this post was long, and I should have split it up...but no one is going to read this but me and I don't want to forget so many of these fond memories from this trip.
We ate dinner and went on rides. Towards the end of the evening we went to the bird show. That was pretty neat...especially when one of their hawks? Condor? flew off. He eventually returned.
