Here's the first post of my blog. I know getting off social media will be refreshing. Keeping in touch with WhatsApp will be best for us.
And now, I have decided to write this blog just to keep my memories alive!
We began our international travels in San Juan Del Sur in the southern region of Nicaragua. It is a pretty neat spot I have never heard about until we met a family who decided to be expats here. They were from Canada.
San Juan del Sur is very popular with surfers and Canadiens! In fact there are so many that they call this area South Canada!
It is also super inexpensive. Like crazy inexpensive and the dollar is very strong here.
The Pacific Ocean is chilly but it's not too cold, so naturally we try and get to the beach as often as possible.
We've thought about where to land after retirement. We honestly couldn't decide. We had thought about Roatán, Portugal, and many more places. Never ever in our wildest dreams did we consider Nicaragua. Then we met this AMAZING couple who couldn't stop talking about everything WE wanted in our travels and BOOM here we are in Nicaragua.
Then we met another expat couple from the states, Arizona and Utah and we talked about social media and how it sucked us into devices instead of travel. Wow, what a thought. And when you start meeting a lot of people who are like minded, who want to be outside, playing in the sun, then it is a lot easier to see that you can survive (😂 ) without social media.
Anyways, let me fill you in.....when we finally started our journey in the states we were pretty new at trying to figure out what to do with our stuff. It was an easy decision that we realized we might regret a little but definitely NOT A LOT! WE SOLD EVERYTHING, except for the sentimentals like photo albums and family stuff.
We knew we didn't need much and we were right. In fact, because we were in such a tropical, laid back environment, we were in our bathing suits or shorts wherever we went.
Oh and yes, we only needed flip flops, thongs or whatever you call them where you are located.
Eli insisted on doing his Navy SEAL training on the beach in the mornings. He would do mountain climbers, pushups, abs.....
Eli also made himself into a sugar cookie. He's practicing with a passion I absolutely admire!
Naturally Eli draws some attention from the locals and expats. Everyone is so very kind and wants to hear your story. Everyone has a story. There are too many to tell but it's been fun meeting people from all over!
I am blown away by how many families are here. I mean, I didn't realize there was such a huge expat family community out there. Most places, as seen on the internet, are either digital nomads or retired folks so it's nice to have people in the same position as us. We need a community that is in the similar situation/season as us.
This is the CrossFit gym. Let me share how different this gym is compared to the ones we have been active members.
There are signs all over the gym talking about cleaning up after yourself. "Want to make a friend, pick up your weights," "Do you know how to look strong? Pick up your weights". I mean, there are signs everywhere. Do you think people pick up their weights and put them away after being used? Nope! It's crazy.
The gym is a combo of a fighting gym, boxing and martial arts but also there is space for CrossFit and other classes. When we need weights, it's like a scavenger hunt. Who can load their weights first? The pull up bars are ladders tied to the rafters and there's a boxing rink in the middle of the "classroom!"
It's hot, it's humid and the air circulating is very minimal. My favorite part is when someone gets a text in the middle of their workout, they will go to the phone and text back. I mean, we're in the middle of a workout!
For the most part there is a passion for most members who want to better their lives, expats and locals alike. It's mostly men who attend the gym but there were some girls (they were the ones who would stop their workout for the phones and conversations with friends who walked in).
The owners of our AirBNB had preferred we not share a photo of their location but we certainly loved the surroundings.
We also truly enjoyed the view from the "patio" area of our accommodations. The ocean, the sunset, the statue of Jesus, and all the hustle and bustle of motorcycles everywhere.
What's life like? Well, the town is basically walkable from end to end. 4 blocks to the beach and maybe 5 blocks north to south. When shopping for fruits there is a choice of the market or there are a few small stores with only fruits and veggies. There are also vendors walking around with fruits and nuts on their heads but I prefer this one little store. The store is clean, bright and airy so it's a welcoming site.
Then if you want stuff like milk, cheese, etc, you can go to the grocery-ish store. There are different options so you can chose one store or another. And there are lots of choices.
There are local stores that are literally in the living rooms of the locals and there are true super markets the size of a small convenience store back in the states. The local stuff here is inexpensive...so we stick to local stuff made in Nicaragua. The coffee ranges from $1 and up. Right now Scott is enjoying a dark roast from a local farm. $6 for a pound and yummy (and delivered). It's on the more pricey side but Scott is happy with the taste. Toilet paper is about $2-3 depending on which "brand" you get. I can buy a week's worth of groceries for under $80. I make smoothies for everyone, including Enzo with fresh fruits and almond milk and protein powder (not cheap 😂 ) almost every day. Then you have to go to another store, like a pharmacy for "medical stuff" like allergy medicine which is $1....seriously!!! Oh and if they are out of something, like butter, they won't know when it will be back. ha ha. Go to another store for beer and pop. A 6 pack of the local beer Toña is under $7 and a 6 pack of bottled pop is under $7 too.
We walk everywhere. Imagine a very steep driveway and then the small town (pueblo) is flat and sunken in like a valley. Walking to the Christ statue or lighthouse (faro) are steep. The Christ statue is one of the top things to see in all of Nicaragua and worth the climb. The views are breathtaking. You really just have to stand by the statue and look out into the sea and take in everything that is in front of you. The landscape can't even be described but I'll try.
To the East of the Christ statue are high rolling hills, lush and green with spots of homes here and there. Straight down from the statue you see San Juan del Sur (SJDS) with its vast array of accommodations ranging from brand new modern white buildings to classic Spanish tile roofs. But in between all these accommodations are the homes/stores that the locals live in. It's as if someone build a square with cubicles and each cubicle is someone's home/store. They are all attached like a huge duplex of some sort but filling the whole block. Oh and a block isn't like a block in the states. They can be short or long. It just depends. We are definitely getting our 10K steps in and more.
The Pacific Ocean is dark and definitely nothing like the Caribbean. When you go in the ocean, you will collect at least a pound or two of the very fine dark sand in your pants and will have to rinse off outside with a water hose just to keep from clogging the very delicate plumbing here.
Social life?
Monday Salsa (FREE) - plus free shuttle to Tree Casa Resort (google it, it's worth a peek)
Tuesday Beach $5/pp round trip via shuttle (and basically our personal shuttle)
Wednesday Tree Casa Resort day pass (FREE). Pizza ranges from $5-10 for a very yummy wood burning stove pie. I mean, they make it there! In fact everything is made fresh. It's unbelievable how yummy a pizza in a different country tastes.
Thursday Ding Repair has a market and skate night. They have a skate bowl in their backyard of the store!
Friday $10 2 hour skateboard lesson at Surf Ranch. Google it, the surf bowl and ramps are amazing. So are the lessons and there are so many kiddos learning!
Weekends - depends....Sunday Salsa at the beach bar.
Fight Club gym monthly membership $30. MONTHLY!
Transport: Now we haven't figured all the ins and outs. Taxis need to be negotiated....before you get in them. Usually about $5 for dark hair people and unfortunately for the blonde hair and blue eye expats, it's twice as much!
Rentals run $80-120 or more a day for side by side or any of their 4 wheel drives which you need. We prefer not to drive ourselves.
The Nicaragua police are everywhere and can randomly pull you over to make sure you have all your documents, that the vehicle is in running order, or just to make sure you are good to drive. It's best to get a taxi and not drive!
The roads are super bumpy. So are the sidewalks. Watch where you step, holes and steps are here, there and everywhere. I tripped a ton the first couple of days. Lesson learned. ha ha.
Pacific Ocean: The ocean is very very cold. It's the Pacific of course and the waves are constantly changing from small to large swells. It's fun to watch the surfers. Even more fun to watch Eli attack the waves. ha ha. Unfortunately the town of SJDS actually has the worst beach. The trash that piles up is unbelievable.
There was a group of people with styrofoam cups and then they left, without the styrofoam cups! The cups ended up all over the place, in the water, on the beach and some headed towards the road. It is not uncommon to find someone's leftover trash. Now it's not everywhere but when you are used to walking into an ocean without floating styrofoam cups, it takes you back.
My first day I found a floating plastic shopping bag and ended up filling it up with other trash I found on my way to the trash can, which was difficult to find.
Disney World knew what they were doing when they put a trash bin every 26 steps. People just don't want to carry their trash to the ends of the beach. I know there are locals that are mindful and carry stuff in and carry their stuff out, but it's not uncommon to see people just leave their empty plastic bottles laying around.
Eli is thriving. He wasn't used to seeing a place that wasn't so clean. The trash in the streets or the uneven sidewalks. But he is used to it now and understands that it is a different culture here. Life is good.
Let me tell you, Enzo is doing amazing!!! He’s surprising us every day! He drank a cup of water, put it down and said yummy! He has walked to the fridge, put his finger on the door and ask for milk. He’s awesome. He's really thriving here and making the appropriate adjustments to his new life.
Enzo jumps and plays in the ocean just like Eli. There is no end to the fun both boys are having!
San Juan del Sur is an amazing place. What a different life, a simple life!
Comments
Post a Comment