I just found this video in our library. My sister took it while she was here in June and I forgot how much I love it. Now that I have the YouTube thing down, I'll start posting more appropriate videos, i.e. - surf/house/landscape. This one was just too entertaining to pass up though. It's a horse in Hacienda Iguana who loves racing cars.
Then there is this story. A couple of days ago, after our second tank of propane ran out surprisingly quickly on the fridge, we connected a new one, ignited the pilot, and a giant flame shot out of the bottom, setting the line on fire. Seriously. We quickly snuffed out the line, used the old soapy water gas leak test and sure enough, found that the crazy Tecnosol guys who "installed" our fridge, forgot to tighten one of the valves. After replacing the shoddy line they gave us with an industrial strength one instead, and tightening all important knobs and whatnots, we have a gas leak free appliance. Now that's not too much to ask out of a brand-new, two-thousand dollar refrigerator, is it? We've decided that in the future, when it comes to important tasks such as dealing with things that could potentially catch on fire, that maybe it would be more appropriate to deal with the matters ourselves, instead of entrusting shady movers with zero experience in the matter, to do it for us. Lesson learned.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
La Canicula
As you may have gathered from the last couple of posts, it's been a particularly wet, wet season here in Nicaragua. However, since the fateful 'truck in river' incident, we've been fortunate enough to experience a three day stint of sun. This may be the start of a phenomenon called "la canicula," which is a short, hot dry spell in the midst of the rainy season. The term is derived from an astrological occurrence involving the helical rising of Canis Major and Sirius. Canis Major is of course, dog and Sirius actually means scorching. This is where the term "the dog days of summer" comes from. All in all, we're happy that we were able to move our truck to the other side of the river, that the offshores are back and that I've finally gotten my nose out of a book. Panga Drops has been clean and fun the last few days and it looks like the winds are going to cooperate for the week. We took a nice walk to the ridge a couple of days ago and snapped a few photos of our house from above. Notice how thick the canopy is.
ocean view from the ridge - lots still available!
Our neighborhood in the foreground
our 240ft well
Lea, our hellian, keeper of the monkeys, La Vista's biggest fan, and recently, our worst nightmare. Oh little Lea, La Sed (the thirst), digger of trashcans, killer of chickens, pisser of floors, sleeper of couches, face full of burs, why must you be such a rascal?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Rescue
After the truck found its way into the river, everyone in La Vista stopped what they were doing to either help out, or witness the events of the afternoon. Marvin, one of the head builders for La Vista, is a ridiculously skilled tractor driver. He managed to pull the half submerged truck to the edge of the riverbank in an hour, where it hence, became stuck in the mud. Four hours of switching out different chains, the snapping of the proclaimed "unbreakable" tow strap, and one battery swap later, the truck actually started, and with the pull of the tractor, was able to back its way to the top of the hill. What an impressively played out spectacle. From the idiocy of attempting to cross, to the mastery of the dislodging, I have no words to describe the selfless rally that ensued. Not your typical Wednesday.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The River takes its First Victim
Last night as we were settling into sleep, the steady rain intensified. In fact, it rained so hard that we knew, without question, the car would officially be stuck on the La Vista side of the river until further ado. At around four am it let up, and in the morning Ian walked to the crossing and there was no question.
At eleven in the morning we got a call from our friend Jason, who also has a completed house and is living in La Vista, telling us that Lorena Cruz had come to deliver a bed and low and behold ..... they attempted to cross.
So, the river has taken it's first victim this season. The boys are currently waiting for a tractor, yes a tractor, to pull them out. I bring you this update live and will post pictures of the rescue, when the rescue occurs.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
And so, we're in. The first week has passed us by with one little adventure after the next. We've spent time in the living room basking in the realm of all of it's glory; the beautiful wood frame, the details of the thatched-roof, the contrast of our blue couch against the natural elements of the eucalyptus. Our Dometic propane refrigerator has proven itself worthy. Our beers are cold and our meat is frozen. She's small, but effective and that's all that really matters as we dip our toes into off-grid living. There are only two things currently plaguing us. Termites and sunlight. The termites have already found their way through the floor boards and are feasting on the crossbars of our elaborate roof. We've tried wiping the wood and mopping the floors with neem oil, but they've deemed themselves much stronger creatures and the house is currently being fumigated, with a heavy dose of terminex being applied to the underside. Our other issue is solar. The first four days, our marine batteries stayed above half their charge and then on the fifth, the sun never came out and the next twenty-four hours sucked them down to the "auto-shutdown" level. The sun has not come out long enough for them to regenerate their charge and we've been powerless for over twenty-four hours now. We tried recharging them with a generator last night, but apparently the electrician didn't hook up the cords properly and we still have no juice. They're trying once more today but it seems as if we might need to buy an actual marine battery charger and a better inverter. This is all part of the learning process and a process it will be.
Through it all, I profess my profound love for the boldness of Ian's spirit - his ability to take the plunge and to see a vision through. Some people live their lives wondering if they could ever do such a thing, and then there are people like him that do it. Cheers my love, and congratulations. You (we) have done it.
our first Nica trash fire
Monday, July 12, 2010
A Managua Timeline.
Our intentions for travelling to Managua were certainly not for pleasure so, in an effort to give you the full effect of our experience, I think the best way to convey these two days, is to do it over a timeline.
Wednesday July 7th
400pm (still in Gigante) - Gardener Felix, tells us that it is going to pour rain overnight. Knowing that a) we are leaving for Managua in the morning and that b) our passport stamps expire on the 8th and that c) the river out of Gigante is impassible after a storm, we d) pray that he is wrong.
600pm - We run out of gas while buying eggs at the pulperia.
605pm - Ian borrows a motorcycle to purchase two gallons of gas at the church up the road.
620pm - It begins to pour rain.
700pm - the power goes out.
Thursday July 8th
600am - it is still pouring.
700am - We decide that the river is impassable and sleep a little longer hoping that the rain will stop, the river will go down, and that we can leave by nine or ten.
830am - the rain stops, Felix the gardener arrives for the day, and tells us that in fact, the river is "not that bad."
930am - we lock the dogs in the bottom part of the casita, beg for them to not do anything stupid, then leave for Managua. We cross the river with no problems.
1000am - we drive past the Guacalito pulperia, decide to turn around to purchase one more gallon of gas to ensure that we make it to Rivas.
1005am - Lady Grey starts making suspicious noises.
1010am - we decide that it is a possibility that the afore mentioned pulperia, put diesel in our gasoline engine.
1015am - the car is still making suspicious noises like a) she is running out of gas again or b) she is pissed off because she is ingesting diesel instead of gasoline.
1020am - we find some random house on the side of the road in Tola who will sell us another gallon of gasoline.
1025am - the car is still making suspicious noises but runs smoothly in fourth gear but we opt to stop at our mechanic's house, who is on our way out of town anyways. Good thing ...
1030am - mechanic tells us that in fact, we DO have a little bit of diesel in our tank and that it IS in fact, bad. He checks the spark plugs. Two have been fried from the diesel.
1031am - Ian tells Melissa that she should always double check to make sure that the eleven year old kid who is putting liquid into your gas tank out of a recycled plastic Coca-Cola bottle is, for sure, putting gasoline, not diesel, into your engine.
1032am - Melissa gets pissed at Ian because she feels like he is blaming her for the diesel in the tank, even though she asked for gasoline and the eleven year old kid's mom, told him to put gasoline in our tank.
1033am - Ian apologizes to Melissa.
1035am - Mechanic replaces the plugs and tells us to put more gas in our tank and to let the diesel work its way out.
1100am - We arrive in Rivas, put forty dollars worth of gas in our tank, go to the ATM and call our Managua driver Robert Ow, whom we are meeting just outside of the city, to be escorted into the mouth of the beast, where we can ditch our car at the hostel we are staying at, then get driven around to do our errands. We tell him we'll be in Managua by one.
1130am - we get pulled over by the national police. All our documents are in order, we present our fire extinguisher and safety triangles and he lets us go without having to bribe him. A small miracle.
1200pm - we go the wrong way in the Masaya region.
1230pm - we realize we have gone the wrong way. This may have been Melissa's fault even though she chooses not to acknowledge this fact. Ian is irritated with her but keeps his mouth shut this time. They sit in silence for a half hour until both are over it.
100pm - we call our Managua driver and tell him that we have gone the wrong way and that we would be entering the city from the southwest. He sounds disappointed but slightly humored by our mistake, and arranges for a new place to meet us. He tells us we have gone WAY out of our way.
200pm - we meet Robert in front of a Shell station off the highway and he escorts into the city. We see our first stoplights in three months.
230pm - a very drunk homeless man is taking a piss on the building next to our hostel.
231pm - we buzz the hostel's front door and the very drunk homeless man runs past us, through the hostel's front door. We become very skeptical of our chosen location.
232pm - we find out that the very drunk homeless man is a guest at the hostel.
233pm - very drunk homeless man breaks beer bottle on floor of reception hall.
234pm - we become even more skeptical of our chosen location, but don't care enough to change it. We see our room which is very, very small and smells like piss and cigs. We park our car in their gates and get into the more luxurious ride of Robert Ow's. Robert tells us he is from the Corn Islands and we like his accent very much.
300pm - we arrive at Tecnosol. They have one propane refrigerator. It is exactly what we are looking for and it costs two thousand, one hundred and seventy six dollars. We buy it because we don't really have a choice and are well aware that the only other solar store in Managua does not have what we are looking for. We throw in a rechargeable fan for an extra fifty dollars and arrange to have the fridge delivered on Friday. We are relieved that we even found this illusive appliance without any hassle.
330pm - we celebrate at McDonald's. We crush multiple cheeseburgers and a boatload of fries. Fountain Coke never tastes so good.
400pm - we arrive at PriceMart. It blows our minds because, as we find out shortly after our arrival, it is, in fact, Costco. We haven't seen anything like it since Hawaii and we are excited over things like organic cotton sheets, fancy knife sets, industrial shelving, ranch dressing, Grey Poupon, and above all Kraft American Singles.
500pm - we check out with a three hundred and fifty dollar bill. We quickly realize that we need to leave the city or we will be headed back to Hawaii sooner than expected.
520pm - Robert shows us the correct way to exit the city and tells us how to get to La Colonial so we can buy fancy groceries on the way out of town. By fancy I mean, anything other than the menial items they sell at the only grocery store in Rivas.
525pm - We transfer our items from Robert's car to ours, thank him for his services and go inside the hostel to drink a beer.
530pm - We walk to Metro Centro which is only two blocks from our hostel and inquire about getting our passports stamped. We realize they close in a half hour and decide to deal with it in the morning. Because Metro Centro is a mall, we weave in and out of stores looking for typical, new house knick knacks. We buy a dustpan with its own small sweeper, some tongs, a bunch of clips to close things like bags of flour or sugar, a shower curtain and rod, and a knife sharpener.
600pm - we indulge in the blended goodness of mocha frappes.
630pm - we buy tickets to the only movie they have in English because we are too tired to decipher an entire flick in Spanish. The movie is Kick-Ass which we have already seen but don't care because it kicks ass.
815pm - we choose to have dinner at the fancy hotel next to Metro Centro because we feel like we deserve it and whats another fifty bucks after spending 2500? We immediately order a half bottle of rum, a chicken caeser and a bowl of French onion soup followed by a steak with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. They continually bring us fresh ice and more cokes for our cocktails and do things like replace silverware in anticipation of the next course. Melissa believes that they could use this type of help at Indigo. Our total bill - forty two dollars including tip.
930pm - we debate whether or not to take a cab the two blocks to our hostel because we question the safety of the neighborhood. Then we question the safety of a cab. We choose to run the first block, then fast walk the rest of the way. We make it unscathed and unrobbed.
945pm - we watch cable in English until we fall asleep. Melissa notices a pubic hair stuck into the paint on the wall next to her head and a mysterious dried-up brownish splash accompanying it.
300am - Melissa screams, and I mean screams, out of a dead sleep. She is having a bad dream. A very bad dream indeed. Ian holds her and tells her everything is going to be ok. He turns the TV back on to purge the demons from the room and Melissa tells Ian she thinks someone has been murdered in this room and that it is for sure, haunted.
Friday July 9th
800am - we get the fuck out of the hostel that we will never come to ever again.
830am - McDonald's again. Mmmm. Egg Mc Muffins and hash browns with piping hot coffee.
840am - Melissa clogs McDonald's toilet and we leave immediately thereafter.
900am - arrive at Metro Centro again to check out the passport scene. A line of people occupying plastic chairs has already begun to form, an hour before they open. We join the line of plastic chairs.
945am - the scene becomes very intense as more people arrive and start crowding the front of the line, indifferent to the crowd who had already been waiting for an hour.
946am - we question the morals of people in third world countries and hate on their line tactics. We decide that Melissa will stand near the front in case a mad rush occurs, and Ian will remain in the line of plastic chairs.
1000am - a lady from the office comes out with forms and a mad rush occurs. The line remains somewhat intact and we are thankful to be very near the front. A horrible woman and her teenage child who both manage to bud their way to the front, get accosted by the Spanish women around them. They are shamed and hang their heads but do not leave. The women in front of us actually tattle on them to the lady in charge.
1100am - we leave with passports stamped. Ninety more days in Nicaragua if our bank account allows it. We are ready to get the hell out of dodge.
1130am - Ian begins to drive out of the city. On the way out we stop at the Galleria which is Managua's fancy mall. At a Macy's equivalent, Melissa falls to her knees in love. They have all her missing kitchen items. French Press, salad spinner, 9x13 pan, loaf pan, 9x9 brownie pan with fresh-top, measuring spoons, measuring cups, bread knife, a cookie sheet and some other random items. One-hundred dollars later - Melissa can bake again.
1200pm - We stop at La Colonial. Again, mind-blowing. They have ten different varietals of lettuce and produce we haven't seen since we left - i.e. asparagus. We seriously stock up because we are not allowed to do anything or go anywhere until we leave in October. Two-hundred and forty dollars worth of groceries gets charged to our Visa, because we can.
100pm - we are officially on our way out of Managua. We pull off the side of the road in Masaya to buy two hammocks.
200pm - we arrive in Masatepe to find that all the artisans have collectively decided to raise their furniture prices. Our set that was $350 two months ago, is now $650. We cannot afford this and nothing will bring these ladies down. We are very disappointed and curse their business tactics.
230pm - we stop at one more shotty-looking shop in a last ditch effort. They sell us a couch and coffee table for $250 and we are pleased. The couch gets strapped to the roof with twine and the table gets wedged into the already full car.
430pm - we arrive in Rivas to purchase one more propane tank for our oven. The tank only fits at Melissa's feet and she is now pancaked to the front seat.
445pm - we are relieved that we are close to home. We buy some beers and drink them on the very slow, very bumpy road home.
600pm - we arrive at La Vista and unload the car. Seth and Lindsey come up from Iguana to help us. They have tequila in them and are very anxious to help. We love them very much for this.
700pm - we drive back to Gigante to drop off some Pricemart items for Swell and eat dinner before heading back up to Chanelle's.
800pm - We arrive back home to the dogs who are both surprisingly calm with no signs of defecation on the floor.
Wednesday July 7th
400pm (still in Gigante) - Gardener Felix, tells us that it is going to pour rain overnight. Knowing that a) we are leaving for Managua in the morning and that b) our passport stamps expire on the 8th and that c) the river out of Gigante is impassible after a storm, we d) pray that he is wrong.
600pm - We run out of gas while buying eggs at the pulperia.
605pm - Ian borrows a motorcycle to purchase two gallons of gas at the church up the road.
620pm - It begins to pour rain.
700pm - the power goes out.
Thursday July 8th
600am - it is still pouring.
700am - We decide that the river is impassable and sleep a little longer hoping that the rain will stop, the river will go down, and that we can leave by nine or ten.
830am - the rain stops, Felix the gardener arrives for the day, and tells us that in fact, the river is "not that bad."
930am - we lock the dogs in the bottom part of the casita, beg for them to not do anything stupid, then leave for Managua. We cross the river with no problems.
1000am - we drive past the Guacalito pulperia, decide to turn around to purchase one more gallon of gas to ensure that we make it to Rivas.
1005am - Lady Grey starts making suspicious noises.
1010am - we decide that it is a possibility that the afore mentioned pulperia, put diesel in our gasoline engine.
1015am - the car is still making suspicious noises like a) she is running out of gas again or b) she is pissed off because she is ingesting diesel instead of gasoline.
1020am - we find some random house on the side of the road in Tola who will sell us another gallon of gasoline.
1025am - the car is still making suspicious noises but runs smoothly in fourth gear but we opt to stop at our mechanic's house, who is on our way out of town anyways. Good thing ...
1030am - mechanic tells us that in fact, we DO have a little bit of diesel in our tank and that it IS in fact, bad. He checks the spark plugs. Two have been fried from the diesel.
1031am - Ian tells Melissa that she should always double check to make sure that the eleven year old kid who is putting liquid into your gas tank out of a recycled plastic Coca-Cola bottle is, for sure, putting gasoline, not diesel, into your engine.
1032am - Melissa gets pissed at Ian because she feels like he is blaming her for the diesel in the tank, even though she asked for gasoline and the eleven year old kid's mom, told him to put gasoline in our tank.
1033am - Ian apologizes to Melissa.
1035am - Mechanic replaces the plugs and tells us to put more gas in our tank and to let the diesel work its way out.
1100am - We arrive in Rivas, put forty dollars worth of gas in our tank, go to the ATM and call our Managua driver Robert Ow, whom we are meeting just outside of the city, to be escorted into the mouth of the beast, where we can ditch our car at the hostel we are staying at, then get driven around to do our errands. We tell him we'll be in Managua by one.
1130am - we get pulled over by the national police. All our documents are in order, we present our fire extinguisher and safety triangles and he lets us go without having to bribe him. A small miracle.
1230pm - we realize we have gone the wrong way. This may have been Melissa's fault even though she chooses not to acknowledge this fact. Ian is irritated with her but keeps his mouth shut this time. They sit in silence for a half hour until both are over it.
100pm - we call our Managua driver and tell him that we have gone the wrong way and that we would be entering the city from the southwest. He sounds disappointed but slightly humored by our mistake, and arranges for a new place to meet us. He tells us we have gone WAY out of our way.
200pm - we meet Robert in front of a Shell station off the highway and he escorts into the city. We see our first stoplights in three months.
230pm - a very drunk homeless man is taking a piss on the building next to our hostel.
231pm - we buzz the hostel's front door and the very drunk homeless man runs past us, through the hostel's front door. We become very skeptical of our chosen location.
232pm - we find out that the very drunk homeless man is a guest at the hostel.
233pm - very drunk homeless man breaks beer bottle on floor of reception hall.
234pm - we become even more skeptical of our chosen location, but don't care enough to change it. We see our room which is very, very small and smells like piss and cigs. We park our car in their gates and get into the more luxurious ride of Robert Ow's. Robert tells us he is from the Corn Islands and we like his accent very much.
300pm - we arrive at Tecnosol. They have one propane refrigerator. It is exactly what we are looking for and it costs two thousand, one hundred and seventy six dollars. We buy it because we don't really have a choice and are well aware that the only other solar store in Managua does not have what we are looking for. We throw in a rechargeable fan for an extra fifty dollars and arrange to have the fridge delivered on Friday. We are relieved that we even found this illusive appliance without any hassle.
330pm - we celebrate at McDonald's. We crush multiple cheeseburgers and a boatload of fries. Fountain Coke never tastes so good.
400pm - we arrive at PriceMart. It blows our minds because, as we find out shortly after our arrival, it is, in fact, Costco. We haven't seen anything like it since Hawaii and we are excited over things like organic cotton sheets, fancy knife sets, industrial shelving, ranch dressing, Grey Poupon, and above all Kraft American Singles.
500pm - we check out with a three hundred and fifty dollar bill. We quickly realize that we need to leave the city or we will be headed back to Hawaii sooner than expected.
520pm - Robert shows us the correct way to exit the city and tells us how to get to La Colonial so we can buy fancy groceries on the way out of town. By fancy I mean, anything other than the menial items they sell at the only grocery store in Rivas.
525pm - We transfer our items from Robert's car to ours, thank him for his services and go inside the hostel to drink a beer.
530pm - We walk to Metro Centro which is only two blocks from our hostel and inquire about getting our passports stamped. We realize they close in a half hour and decide to deal with it in the morning. Because Metro Centro is a mall, we weave in and out of stores looking for typical, new house knick knacks. We buy a dustpan with its own small sweeper, some tongs, a bunch of clips to close things like bags of flour or sugar, a shower curtain and rod, and a knife sharpener.
600pm - we indulge in the blended goodness of mocha frappes.
630pm - we buy tickets to the only movie they have in English because we are too tired to decipher an entire flick in Spanish. The movie is Kick-Ass which we have already seen but don't care because it kicks ass.
815pm - we choose to have dinner at the fancy hotel next to Metro Centro because we feel like we deserve it and whats another fifty bucks after spending 2500? We immediately order a half bottle of rum, a chicken caeser and a bowl of French onion soup followed by a steak with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. They continually bring us fresh ice and more cokes for our cocktails and do things like replace silverware in anticipation of the next course. Melissa believes that they could use this type of help at Indigo. Our total bill - forty two dollars including tip.
930pm - we debate whether or not to take a cab the two blocks to our hostel because we question the safety of the neighborhood. Then we question the safety of a cab. We choose to run the first block, then fast walk the rest of the way. We make it unscathed and unrobbed.
945pm - we watch cable in English until we fall asleep. Melissa notices a pubic hair stuck into the paint on the wall next to her head and a mysterious dried-up brownish splash accompanying it.
300am - Melissa screams, and I mean screams, out of a dead sleep. She is having a bad dream. A very bad dream indeed. Ian holds her and tells her everything is going to be ok. He turns the TV back on to purge the demons from the room and Melissa tells Ian she thinks someone has been murdered in this room and that it is for sure, haunted.
Friday July 9th
800am - we get the fuck out of the hostel that we will never come to ever again.
830am - McDonald's again. Mmmm. Egg Mc Muffins and hash browns with piping hot coffee.
840am - Melissa clogs McDonald's toilet and we leave immediately thereafter.
900am - arrive at Metro Centro again to check out the passport scene. A line of people occupying plastic chairs has already begun to form, an hour before they open. We join the line of plastic chairs.
945am - the scene becomes very intense as more people arrive and start crowding the front of the line, indifferent to the crowd who had already been waiting for an hour.
946am - we question the morals of people in third world countries and hate on their line tactics. We decide that Melissa will stand near the front in case a mad rush occurs, and Ian will remain in the line of plastic chairs.
1000am - a lady from the office comes out with forms and a mad rush occurs. The line remains somewhat intact and we are thankful to be very near the front. A horrible woman and her teenage child who both manage to bud their way to the front, get accosted by the Spanish women around them. They are shamed and hang their heads but do not leave. The women in front of us actually tattle on them to the lady in charge.
1100am - we leave with passports stamped. Ninety more days in Nicaragua if our bank account allows it. We are ready to get the hell out of dodge.
1130am - Ian begins to drive out of the city. On the way out we stop at the Galleria which is Managua's fancy mall. At a Macy's equivalent, Melissa falls to her knees in love. They have all her missing kitchen items. French Press, salad spinner, 9x13 pan, loaf pan, 9x9 brownie pan with fresh-top, measuring spoons, measuring cups, bread knife, a cookie sheet and some other random items. One-hundred dollars later - Melissa can bake again.
1200pm - We stop at La Colonial. Again, mind-blowing. They have ten different varietals of lettuce and produce we haven't seen since we left - i.e. asparagus. We seriously stock up because we are not allowed to do anything or go anywhere until we leave in October. Two-hundred and forty dollars worth of groceries gets charged to our Visa, because we can.
100pm - we are officially on our way out of Managua. We pull off the side of the road in Masaya to buy two hammocks.
200pm - we arrive in Masatepe to find that all the artisans have collectively decided to raise their furniture prices. Our set that was $350 two months ago, is now $650. We cannot afford this and nothing will bring these ladies down. We are very disappointed and curse their business tactics.
230pm - we stop at one more shotty-looking shop in a last ditch effort. They sell us a couch and coffee table for $250 and we are pleased. The couch gets strapped to the roof with twine and the table gets wedged into the already full car.
430pm - we arrive in Rivas to purchase one more propane tank for our oven. The tank only fits at Melissa's feet and she is now pancaked to the front seat.
445pm - we are relieved that we are close to home. We buy some beers and drink them on the very slow, very bumpy road home.
600pm - we arrive at La Vista and unload the car. Seth and Lindsey come up from Iguana to help us. They have tequila in them and are very anxious to help. We love them very much for this.
700pm - we drive back to Gigante to drop off some Pricemart items for Swell and eat dinner before heading back up to Chanelle's.
800pm - We arrive back home to the dogs who are both surprisingly calm with no signs of defecation on the floor.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Nacatamales, 4th of July at Chele's, and Keys to our Castle
We finally experienced the mystical "nacatamal." We've been hearing about this Nicaraguan culinary delight since our arrival and have been dying to get our hands on one, but for some reason, they never appear on restaurant menus. We've seen them in the Rivas park centro, but I've been pretty weary of street food since our recent bout with pupseando and my vivid memories of reoccurring sickness in Peru. So, when Juana asked us yesterday if we've ever had nacatamales and we said no, the following morning on her way to iglesia, she stopped by with these. Two tightly wrapped food gifts looking just like Hawaiian laulau. What a lady, that Juana! She is my Nicaraguan mother and she's only a year older than me.
Mmmm - pork, rice, tomato, onion and corn - steamed to perfection.
Two days ago, we got the phone call from Arial saying that our house was finished - the moment we've been waiting for! We headed over the next day to take a look and it's so beautiful with the floors varnished and the walls painted white and the bamboo trim along the edge of the ceiling. The beds and oven are being delivered as I write this and we're headed up to Masatepe to buy some furniture this week. Two hammocks on the front porch have been deemed mandatory. Here are some pics of the finished product.
outdoor shower
our first keyed entrance
solar setup - four marine batteries, inverter
view from the loft
Yesterday was the Fourth of July, and as I mentioned in the previous post, Chele Palmado's got it together in their hectic week of moving, to put on a richter celebration. Homemade corndogs personally sealed the deal for me and after a couple of those badboys, a cheeseburger, and some jungle juice, my insatiable appetite was finally satisfied. In the late afternoon, I ran up to the house to grab the dogs and half a pan of brownies with a drizzled peanut-butter topping that I had made the night before. (Thanks to Rachel for teaching me that brownie baking trick!) The sweets went over well and mother nature shortly there after, provided yet another beautiful Nicaraguan sunset. Thanks for the party boys!
Arial, mixing up the jungle juice
Steve
Macho, my fav Nica dog
Puna going for a sunset swim
And a couple of randoms .....
Nicaraguan traffic jam
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Chee-hoo! The waves have been good this week. Yesterday, Ian got on a boat to a far away spot up north called Playgrounds. Thanks to Jason for the five a.m. phone call - my babe came back grinning and sunburned. Amarillo has been worthy this week too. A little more user friendly for Allegra and I - we scored some fun ones over the last few days. The guests are on their way out this weekend. One last boat trip for Ryan and Ian this morning to Manzanillo - let's hope the winds held up for them.
We're excited for a Fourth of July celebration at Chele Palmado's tomorrow. It sounds like the boys are putting together a feast. It's comforting to know that even in Nicaragua, there will be an Independence day fiesta and just another excuse to indulge in excessive amounts of food and beer. God Bless America.
Lady Gray's gas tank has graced our bank account with a slow leak in her top half. So long as we keep her below a third, she's fine. Unfortunately, the closest gas station is forty minutes away in Rivas but fortunately, the family at the church in Gigante "se vende gasolina." Today on the way home from Amarillo, I purchased two gallons of red gas, yes red, for ten dollars. When I asked about the suspicious color, she told me it's Super. I believed her and so far so good. Lady Gray seems happy therefore, I'm happy. Our mechanic is currently looking for a new (used) tank. Three attempts at welding the original, have all failed. Oh Douglas. He runs on about a 66% success rate. (including the rate of reliability - in terms of showing up when he says he's going to show up) Bless his guilty smile though. He knows when he's been bad.
And so we are moving into Phase Two of our time here in Nicaragua. Next week will be the real beginning for us. I can't express how excited we are to be underneath our own thatched-roof. The beds and oven are coming on Monday and as for the fridge ... let that unexpected adventure begin. We've managed to push back Managua again. Tuesday. It looks like Tuesday, for real. Clint is currently on the same mission for the illusive propane refrigerator and we're hoping he gets some solid info before we blindly delve into the city. We haven't been to the house in a few days and it sounds like it's in its finishing stages. Now that we have enough gas to get to La Vista and to Rivas, we'll be checking it out this afternoon. Pictures to follow. Thanks for reading everyone.
We're excited for a Fourth of July celebration at Chele Palmado's tomorrow. It sounds like the boys are putting together a feast. It's comforting to know that even in Nicaragua, there will be an Independence day fiesta and just another excuse to indulge in excessive amounts of food and beer. God Bless America.
Lady Gray's gas tank has graced our bank account with a slow leak in her top half. So long as we keep her below a third, she's fine. Unfortunately, the closest gas station is forty minutes away in Rivas but fortunately, the family at the church in Gigante "se vende gasolina." Today on the way home from Amarillo, I purchased two gallons of red gas, yes red, for ten dollars. When I asked about the suspicious color, she told me it's Super. I believed her and so far so good. Lady Gray seems happy therefore, I'm happy. Our mechanic is currently looking for a new (used) tank. Three attempts at welding the original, have all failed. Oh Douglas. He runs on about a 66% success rate. (including the rate of reliability - in terms of showing up when he says he's going to show up) Bless his guilty smile though. He knows when he's been bad.
And so we are moving into Phase Two of our time here in Nicaragua. Next week will be the real beginning for us. I can't express how excited we are to be underneath our own thatched-roof. The beds and oven are coming on Monday and as for the fridge ... let that unexpected adventure begin. We've managed to push back Managua again. Tuesday. It looks like Tuesday, for real. Clint is currently on the same mission for the illusive propane refrigerator and we're hoping he gets some solid info before we blindly delve into the city. We haven't been to the house in a few days and it sounds like it's in its finishing stages. Now that we have enough gas to get to La Vista and to Rivas, we'll be checking it out this afternoon. Pictures to follow. Thanks for reading everyone.
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