Landing in San Juan del Sur Feb 2023

 

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.  

We've thought about it so much when we were back in the states but when you start meeting a lot of people who are like minded, 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 that we decided to pack, how much to bring, etc.  I'm glad we ended up offloading more because in the end it was easier to transport.  Besides the cost of things here is incredibly low.  

There is a large expat community here.  Mostly Canadians.  And the best part is 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. 

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.  Little 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.  

Social life?

Monday Salsa (FREE) - plus free shuttle to Tree Casa Resort

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.  

Transport: Now we haven't figured all the ins and outs.  Taxis need to be negotiated....before you get in them.  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.  The roads are super bumpy.  So are the sidewalks.  Watch where you step, holes and steps here and there.  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.  

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.  

Eli is thriving as well.  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.