Friday, first full day on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We spent Friday relaxing a bit, walking around the area, meeting some of the neighbors, and getting a feel for the house and area where we were to spend the next three weeks.

The house is fantastic, open and spacious and just the kind of house I would make. The dog, though he is still a puppy and was overcome with excitement, is a very good dog. I see some instruction and lots of walks to burn off excess energy and we will have a lot of fun. The area and the people – there will be much more to say in the days ahead! Today though, we will start with a few photos.

Meet Princessa who lives next door. She is a much appreciated cow for the milk she gives, and is friendly enough to touch when she decides that you are OK. She has a deep and resonate MOO though that will wake you up in the morning.
I am learning that it is a very commonplace thing here for someone to be taking his cows from place to place. These were on the road in front of the house.
It’s pretty at the edge of the water
Islands and mountains in the distance
Pigs enjoying themselves at the edge of the water
There are lots of amazing trees here
The Friday vegetable vendor, service at your door.
There are many of these large birds here, and they are quite noisy.
One of the baby chickens next door
Birds on a washing platform (more about this later)
Today’s view of the volcano
Walking down one of the roads
A neighborhood house
What a tree!
Joel looks for interesting pieces of antiquities – and he found some too
The ferry makes it’s way across the lake
Beautiful trees in the woods
We found a couple of these huge mushrooms under a tree
A really huge and beautiful tree
Interesting roots
Just a pretty flower

Whew! I’m not sure where today has gone. Tomorrow is another day, so when I am more rested I will post more photos and updates.

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Arriving in Nicaragua

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We are traveling so posts will not be about Panama for a while, because we are in Nicaragua! I wanted to travel this month anyway so when we learned that a fellow blogger friend needed a house sitter it was just perfect. We made our way though Costa Rica, staying in San Jose and the Liberia. On Thursday we crossed the border into Nicaragua and the took the ferry to Ometepe Island, our destination.

At the border a guy in protective gear sprayed the bus with something.
There were so many people at the border selling things, mostly phone cards and changing money.
A guy fumigating one of the buses
The border area. The building in the distance was full of vendors
I fell for these cashews and they were SO good! They had been roasted over a fire and tasted like it, much better than the usual cashews in a jar.
We are in Nicaragua!
Before long I spot water and a volcano in the distance and realize that must be Ometepe Island.
There were many windmills along the way too.
Rivas! I hope we can look around the town a bit on our way back. There sure are a lot of these bicycle carts to take people around.
We decided to go for it and took the bike cart. These guys must have some seriously strong legs!
An amazing tree we passed.
We arrive at the ferry port. That is ours on the left.
On the ferry. Again there are many people selling things, mostly snacks. I bought a bigger bag so cashews and some sweets, home made patties of something- milk and sugar and I thought she said corn flour but it didn’t taste like it.
We are going over there!
It’s hard to realize how many windmills there are until you look back on them like this.
The volcano is incredibly beautiful!
The other volcano is also beautiful with the clouds touching the top.
As we get close to the island I saw these horses at the edge of the water.
We come in to the dock where one of the other ferries waits.
There were vehicles on the ferry too, and bags of animal feed, and a truck full of plants, a truck packed to the rafters, and stuff In every possible corner of the car area.
We made it!! The bloggers meet in person for the first time. We had even more fun in person and didn’t stop talking the whole time we have been together.
In Moyogalpa, heading down the street.
We arrive at the house not long before sunset, and an absolutely beautiful scene!
And for good measure, one more photo of the volcano.

We were without internet most of yesterday for some sort of maintenance, but I have a bunch of photos to put up so I am playing catchup today. I know I am going to have a lot more to say about this area, this experience, and the great people we are meeting!

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Traveling through Costa Rica

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We are on a new adventure in Ometepe Island, Nicaragua which will involve numerous photos and blog posts because not only is this a very interesting new experience, itis a really beautiful area. We came here on the bus.

On our first day (Tuesday) we travelled to San Jose, Costa Rica. It rained most of the time and then got dark so we couldn’t see much on the ride up. We were only in San Jose for a night but loved what we saw in our limited time. Unfortunately I poked the wrong thing on my new camera and lost those photos, but hopefully we can spend more time there and get to know the city a bit better.

My first impressions of San Jose were of a more established city with older buildings and more history going back decades (unlike Panama who’s considerable growth has been quite recent). There were many people on foot in the street, a large variety of people of many colors and some with piercings, tattoos, interesting hair colors, and other modes of self expression not usually seen in Panama. There also seemed to be every sort of familiar fast food, more so than in Panama. It felt good there, relaxed, interesting, happy, and a place where I would like to spend more time.

Wednesday we got back n the bus and traveled to Liberia, Costa Rica. It was a beautiful sunny day and this time I did not lose the photos.

As we left the city, vendors were taking advantage of slow traffic areas. This one was spellings toys and balls
We passed the San Jose Airport (I believe this is the main airport judging by the number of full size planes there)
There was a lot of fruit for sale by the side of the road, especially these mammon chinos. This guy was selling them out of the back of the car.
Pollo al Carbon? This chicken was roasting over a charcoal fire, and it probably tasted great.
Hmmmm
We saw lots of beautiful scenery!
We also saw a lot of coffee!
Some higher areas were misty in the clouds
One of many fruit stands along the road

The bus stopped so we could have a break and a bit to eat. I was very impressed with the woodwork we saw there.

This rest stop had very interesting tables
I loved this woodwork
Another very interesting table
This horse looks mournful in the corner

After driving through mountains and stopping for a break, we started getting into more flat land that reminded me of our area in Panama.

This is starting to look like Panama, even including the living fences
One area had tons of pineapples
We also saw beautiful green fields of rice
They were working hard on some of the roads

We landed in Liberia, easily found the hotel recommended by our friends (Hotel  Bramadero) and the gal there sent us off for bus tickets for the next day. This took us to the Central Park and main part of town which I was happy to see.

The church on the town square in Liberia
The Central Park in Liberia
This tree had very interesting roots
I can’t remember if this is the judicial center or town hall.
Levant cola = raise your tail.
There was this huge rubber tree at the entrance to our hotel
Jocote fruit was being sold on the street. I don’t care for the starchy tasting green ones, but the riper red ones are sweet and flavorful. There is a large pit in the center though, so not a lot of fruit.
Our hotel was lovely
There was a guy out in traffic selling sunglasses
Waiting for the bus, looking down the street from our hotel
Burger King, Papa John, and a chicken restaurant across from the hotel
The hotel restaurant where we had a great dinner and breakfast. The bus stopped right in front too.

We spent the night in Libera, and the next day we crossed the border into Nicaragua. Of course there are more photos!

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Adventure

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Adventure. This week, share a photo that says “adventure.” It could be an image of someone setting off on an epic journey, a photo you took on an adventure of your own, or something more metaphoric that represents a personal or psychological adventure.

This is an easy one for me since I have just arrived in Nicaragua. It is definitely an adventure to meet a fellow blogger, visit her country, and her home on Ometepe Island! Also check out her entry for this photo challenge HERE.

We cross the border from Costa Rica into Nicaragua and soon see windmills, a big lake, and one of the volcanos.
We arrive in town and take this bicycle cart to the ferry which will take us to the island in the lake.
We arrive on the island where we are met by my friend and fellow blogger!
After we arrive at her house the sun sets over the lake with these beautiful colors.
This morning met the source of the mooing – one of our neighbors, Princess.
Last but hardly least, we took a walk down the road to the end of the airport runway where there is a beautiful view of the volcano.

 

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Dialogue

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dialogue  for this week’s challenge, bring together two of your photos into dialogue. What do they say to each other?

These were found within a few feet of each other on the same wall.

814dialog2 814dialog1

 

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Fray

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fray Share a photo of what “fray” means to you — it could be a tear in a favorite pair of jeans, a street rumble just about to begin, or a friend diving into an oncoming wave at the beach.

This particular palm looks quite frayed.

This particular palm looks quite frayed.

The center of the palm looks even more frayed.

The center of the palm looks even more frayed.

These dead palm fronds are all in various stages of fraying.

These dead palm fronds are all in various stages of fraying.

Most interesting of all are the banana leaves. They can get badly frayed in the wind but they keep on living and doing what leaved need to do, frayed or not.

Most interesting of all are the banana leaves. They can get badly frayed in the wind but they keep on living and doing what leaved need to do, frayed or not.

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Boca Chica – Bocas del Mar Hotel

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Next to the Seagullcove Lodge in Boca Chica is another hotel, Bocas del Mar. We noticed steps going up from our hotel’s beach so we decided to wander over and take a look. It’s a very new looking hotel with gleaming white bungalows and carefully landscaped grounds. There is an attractive pool and restaurant area, and the views are very beautiful. I also noticed that unlike our hotel, there were no steps except for the very long flight of stairs down to the beach.

Welcome to Bocas del Mar
We wander in, enjoying the view.
The backs of a row of bungalows. We noticed there are double doors on each one. One leads into a sort of vestibule, and the other into the room.
There is a large generator so a power failure shouldn’t be a problem.
These are the fronts of the bungalows which look out on to the grounds and the water beyond.
The grounds are very pretty.
There is a pretty walkway around the grounds too.
A few other bungalows.
The pool is nice, and that is the restaurant / bar area beyond.
We could see the tiki bar of our hotel down below.
The view in the other direction is also really beautiful.

I really love the Seagullcove Lodge and we will continue to stay there when we come to the area, but it doesn’t hurt to know what else is available. I asked in the office about price and was told that a room here is $139 plus tax, so about $153 in total (if I remember correctly). There are some larger rooms with hot tubs that cost a bit more, and this is “green season” (aka rainy season which is off season here), so the prices may be higher at other times of the year. Check the website for more accurate info. You can hardly go wrong anywhere in this beautiful area though. It just depends on your budget and what you enjoy.

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Boca Brava and the Monkeys

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Boca Brava is the closest island to our hotel on Boca Chica, and we were told that not only is there a hotel with a good restaurant, there is a hiking trail where howler monkeys are frequently seen. The hotel staff called us a boat that picked us up at the dock, and it was only a short ride over to the island.

The Hotel Boca Brava is at the end of the island overlooking the bay. It costs $5 a person for access to the island, and after paying we were directed through the hotel grounds to the trail behind. The trail is fairly high up and not only was it beautiful, the views were fantastic. We also saw monkeys!

We landed at this dock and climbed the stairs to the hotel.
We came across a house up there that had gorgeous views.
There were beautiful views everywhere we looked.
The hiking trail was high enough that it felt like you see a great distance.
pretty butterfly
Haydeé was out with her sun hat and cool summer dress.
Another beautiful butterfly.
The jungle was very lush and green, and surprisingly cool under the trees.
more beautiful views
Haydeé stops for a photo op
The islands are made of rock, and you can see a bit of it below in this photo.
A frigate bird circles overhead.
We climbed to the lookout area above the restaurant, and had a beautiful view of Boca Chica
Haydeé thought we needed a photo of us in this beautiful setting.
A few more of the sailboats in the area.

Of course, we were hoping to spot some monkeys and soon movement in the trees gave them away. There must be quite a few monkeys on the island. We spotted two families and heard quite a few more in the distance. This is the first time I’ve seen howler monkeys in the wild so I was really happy.

Wow, first glimpse of a monkey!
I caught this one hanging upside down looking at something.
You can almost see the black face in this photo.
There was a mom and baby in one family
Baby heads up the tree ahead of mom.
You can see the strong foot in this photo.

We had a great time hiking and looking around. We could have hiked down to a small beach but it would have been quite a climb down and up, so we decided to relax and get a bite of lunch in the restaurant. We heard their seafood soup is good, and indeed it is. It’s also a relaxing place to hang out and enjoy the view.

The restaurant
Another view of the restaurant.
We also walked around the hotel grounds a bit.
We found one of the rooms open.
This room had a door opening out on to a pretty terrace.
On the upper floor, we found this dormitory.
Joel relaxes after lunch
The dog keeps an eye on everything

We had a really good time exploring the island, but between the hiking and trips up and down the stairs at our hotel, we had a fair amount of activity. We spent the rest of the day relaxing, and had some dinner at the tiki bar below which was fun. I’m glad we spent two nights so we had the whole of Saturday to enjoy our time away. it was too bad Haydeé’s husband couldn’t get away from work, so I guess we will just have to book another weekend so he can make it next time.

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Boca Chica Getaway

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We have been to the Seagullcove Lodge in Boca Chica before, so when an Oferta Simple came up we bought a couple more nights there. It’s a great little hotel with only six cabanas so it feels very personal, and the excellent staff does everything possible to take good care of their guests.

The setting is also wonderful. The grounds have beautifully tended flowers and trees, and the view of the water and islands is lovely. It feels so tranquil and relaxing.

It’s a great setting for photography.
Wherever you go there are beautiful views.
One of many flowers on the grounds.
Bromiliads grow in the trees.
There are waves in the distance but the area here is protected by the islands so the water is calm.
One of the many sailboats in the area.
The sand where the water washed away the top layer is an interesting mix of tan and black.
On Saturday nights you can relax and eat at the tiki bar.
Of course, there has to be an interesting bug in the mix. This is one of the largest praying mantis I’ve seen.
Sunset was brief but lovely on Saturday night.
As night fell, the lights from the tiki bar started to glow.
The next morning we awoke to another tranquil and lovely scene.

If you want a very relaxing and beautiful getaway, I would highly recommend this place. We thought of going whale watching but we learned the whales were a fair distance away, and others said the whales were staying mostly below the water and were hard to see. So, we opted for an excursion to a nearby island instead which was very fun. More about that in the next post…

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Bugs and Critters of the Day

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We have bugs. I have a camera. You know what that means. Bug pictures! There is always something interesting crawling or flying around here.

This beautiful green and white moth landed on our window one night.
This interesting spider looked like it was trying to crawl into its shell.
A tiny, beautiful spider on my table.
One night this beautiful cicada landed on my table.
What interesting colors and patterns.
One day a spot of wax from my candle was on the table, and the ants were very interested in it.
It seemed like this little spider was interested in the ants, but if one came close it would back away.
This snail crawled up the shelves next to my table.
Another shot of the pretty snail.
I rescued this moth from inside, but when I put the glass on the table it didn’t fly away.
Another shot of the moth on the glass.
One night this spider was spinning a web in the doorway of the terrace.
The next morning, we spotted the spider on the floor.
This spider isn’t much bigger than a large thumbnail but it sure is interesting.
These very strange little bugs collect lint, so you see a little ball of lint walking across your table on tiny little legs. This one though apparently had been collecting bug parts.
This tiny moth was barely a centimeter across, but so beautiful.

I love being outdoors here, and have been spending many late evenings outdoors on the terrace as well. I enjoy hearing the birds both in the daytime and at night, and I love all the things that crawl and fly. Even the smallest bugs are usually really beautiful when you can catch them with your macro lens.

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