Sardine Suicide Ride

Although it has been 4 days since we got on the panga (aka Little Suicide Boat) from Big Corn Island to Little Corn, I still can not talk about the trip with-out feeling the need to hold Reed as tightly as I possibly can. I’m sure that I will be able to laugh about this one day, but with the return ride coming up in a few days I’m still hoping a helicopter will show up to save us!

Our day started off at 4AM as our shuttle arrived to take us from Granada to the airport in Managua to catch our flight over to Big Corn Island. After misunderstanding the Spanish flight attendants 3 times, it was finally our turn to get on the plane. It was a very strange looking little plane in that it looked almost as tall as it was wide, kind of like a double decker bus, but with-out the double deck inside! We were all really tired, so we fell asleep almost as soon as we took off. About 45 minutes into our trip the plane hit some turbulence and bang! We fell about 10 feet! It woke the entire plane up and everyone seemed a bit nervous for the rest of the ride. Luckily, even with our 1 touch down we only had another 45 minutes to go to get to Big Corn Island.

After a rather bumpy, but ultimately safe landing, we headed in a taxi to the ferry terminal to catch our boat to Little Corn Island. Big Corn and Little Corn are a couple of islands just off the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. I had heard the ½ to 1 hour panga ride could be a bit rough, but it is not rainy season so I was only a bit worried. Well! After waiting an hour to finally get on the boat after all the supplies had been loaded, they started loading all the passengers on. We were so squished on there that Jade was sitting on Jason’s knee. With all of us scrunched together like sardines, they made us wait on the boat in the boiling sun for another 15~20 minutes. By this time we were all getting grouchy and everyone just wanted to get moving so we could cool off. Jade wanted to go swimming in her clothes again, but I told her I didn’t want her to get wet ...HA!

I sat with Reed beside a local woman from Little Corn Island and her children. She assured me that it would get cooler out on the open water. She was right, after we started moving the breeze was welcome .... until the waves hit 30 seconds later. The waves were at least 5 feet high swells and when I looked out the side of the boat all I could see was blue waves higher than the boats edge. We were all getting sprayed and then boom another wave hit and the boat driver had to stop the motor because the waves were so high! As soon as he did that a giant wave came over the top of the boat and just soaked everyone. Although we arn’t sure if he stopped because of the waves or if the boat kept stalling, this happened 3 more times along the way.

I would guess that there were about 60 people on board, not to mention the side of beef sloshing around the front of the boat or the crates of beer and other supplies along with everyone’s luggage. I was lucky enough to be at the back of the boat, but I was right on the edge holding Reed with all my might. The good thing about being on the edge was that I could attempt to hold the black tarp over our heads although this only slightly helped. We still got absolutely soaked.

Thank goodness for Lena and Jade and their ever present love for adventure. They screamed and laughed the entire way to the island. We had been lucky to meet up with a great guy, David from Atlanta and he had the girls laughing, too. I could also see his arm behind Lena while Jason had Jade which made me feel better as all I could do was squeeze Reed and pray for land. I think the girls with their giggles helped the rest of the folks feel a bit better about the ride from hell. When we finally got to shore, we almost had to be dragged up onto the dock both because it was so high up and the fact that the entire boat was sopping wet and shell shocked.

It took me a few beer and a few days to get over that ride. I suppose it was worth it as Little Corn is absolutely amazing. A perfect little island with no roads or motorized vehicles (aside from the boats). But more on that in the next blog. I need another beer to get over writing this and reliving it.... and I need to go and hug those kids again :o)

Especially on a Boat!

There are 365 little islands in Lake Cocibolca that formed thousands of years ago when volcano Mombacho exploded and spat them out. They are now either privately owned by rich Nicaraguans and foreigners or for sale. You can go on a small motorized boat tour or check them out on kayaks. Considering our traveling crew, a motorized boat was the only option. It was a good thing, too because it was quite windy and the waves were rather large so a kayak would have been suicide. Our boat driver was not a big talker so we had no idea where we going or what we would see for most of the trip ... another adventure.

The houses were beautiful and how cool to live on a little island. There were birds of all colors, shapes and sizes. The trees on one of the islands were just covered in nests and the beautiful birds were flying all over the place. We pulled up to another little island with no house on it and I thought I saw a huge bird in one of the trees, but it as we got closer I could see it was a monkey! And not only 1 there was a whole troupe of them. Our boat driver tried to get us closer so that we could take some pictures and then he made a gesture to ask if we wanted one of them to come on board. I said yes and the monkey jumped right on. This monkey came running up the middle of the boat showing his sharp teeth and scaring the living daylights out of the girls. Lena was screaming and waving her arms all over the place while Jade was jumping from seat to seat trying to get away from the crazed monkey onboard. I was holding the baby so couldn’t really do much and Jason was trying to calm the girls down while the boat driver was freaking out because of all the craziness going on. During all of this, the monkey hopped on the front of the boat, grabbed some pink coconut thing Jason had just bought from one of the street vendors and made his way back to me to enjoy his snack!

As soon as he had his little snack he was very happy and sat down on my knee with his tail wrapped around Reed’s head. Reed wasn’t too happy about it but the monkey didn’t care. Then I guess the monkey decided I looked a little safer than the baby’s head and he wrapped his tail around my arm. It felt really cool and all was well in the world again. We took a couple of pictures and we were off again.

At dinner that night we had to explain to the girls that the monkey was freaking out because they were freaking out and that maybe the next time they should calm down a little ...especially when in the middle of a lake on a boat where the life jackets were used as cushions, not life saving devices!!!

Quick Check in

Hello there, Just a quick note to let you know that all is well. We are with-out wireless for a while and the power is sporadic so not much opportunity to blog. Jade had an ear infection and the boy and I had a wicked cold, so no flying. Anyhoo, we should be back online in a few days!!

A Volcano, Hammocks and a Prison

We had set up a driver for the day to take us shopping and to see a few sights in a town not far from Granada called Masaya. It was supposed to have a great market to get some shopping in, famous for hammocks. Our driver picked us up at our hotel and didn’t speak a word of English so I put on my fake Spanish hat and crossed my fingers.

Our first stop was up to Volcano Masaya. You could drive all the way up to the huge crater of this active volcano. It wasn’t like Pacaya with red lava flowing, it was a huge crater spewing toxic gases. There were signs posted that you shouldn’t stay for more than 15 to 20 minutes due to the danger from breathing in the gases. While you could see the crater right from the parking lot, the better view was from up on top of a huge stone path. I couldn’t really smell the gases until we started hiking up the path and then I could feel it in my lungs! While the girls and I went to the top Jason had an emergency poopy diaper to change in the trunk of our taxi. Ahhh, the joys of traveling with a baby.

After Jason went up to the top we all made our way to the other hikes around the volcano. Jason was sure there were some caves so instead of following the path everyone else was taking, we followed him. Well that only lasted for a short while because we could see Jason’s trail was not going anywhere. Not to mention that Lena and Jade had decided to wear their new cheapo sandals and were whining about their feet hurting. So after a lovely attempt to find some caves we ended our trek and hit the road again. (Oh, Jason did ask about the caves and they were somewhere around, but you had to hire a guide and it took 1 ½ hours to find them, so we passed on that one.)

Next stop, the market in Masaya. We found a parking spot and as soon as we got out of the car some guy was all over us offering to show us around the market. I wanted no part of this and told him so, but he must have followed us anyway. We checked out the hammocks and Jason wanted a t-shirt and all of a sudden this guy shows up offering to help Jason find the right size. I was in no mood for this so the girls and I went our own way. Every time I turned around this guy was there telling me where Jason was or offering to help us with the prices. Honestly, we have been traveling with 3 kids for almost 3 months, I am quite confident that I can handle shopping with-out some help! It’s shopping for goodness sake! A skill I have carefully honed for many years!!

Anyhoo, we ended up with 2 giant hammocks which sounded like a great idea until we realized we still had 4 weeks left to travel with these giants. Let’s hope we are allowed to take them on the plane....

After the market Jason wanted to check out an old prison that was currently run on a volunteer basis by the boy scouts. We arrived and there was no one else in sight. A friendly young guy came by and offered to take us on a tour (in Spanish, of course) and the next thing we knew we were deep in the bowels of the prison. It was a very interesting tour. Our guide had a little flashlight and that was all we had for light. The prison was underground and it was pitch black in some spots and only tiny holes for windows in other places. It really gave you a feel for what the prisoners (mostly political prisoner) dealt with. You could see the tiny cells where up to 50 prisoners were put and the 1 “toilet” they shared. Down even deeper you could see where some of them were kept with absolutely no light at all. There were bats flying around which just added another freaky element.

We saw a torture chamber and our guide quite graphically explained what happened there. I have put a picture of this on this post and it looks light, but the only way we could see anything was when Jason used the flash on the camera!! I was torn between translating for Jason and freaking out the girls. I decided the girls could handle most of what he was saying but for the next couple of days Jade kept asking how water and electricity could hurt and how could you pull fingernails right out??

We LOVE Granada

We have been quite busy the past week or so in Granada and the surrounding area. Granada is really a lovely town and you can see that there is currently a lot of reconstruction and cleaning up going on. It reminds us of Antigua, but much slower and with-out all that cobblestone (quaint I suppose if you aren’t pushing a stroller every day!). There are horse carriages to take you on city tours and a really nice central park. We took the horse carriage tour and had a great time. The buildings are such fantastic colors and there are 12 very impressive churches. We were entertained by a travelling trio that sang and played music while wearing costumes and standing on stilts! Reed wasn’t very impressed and a little freaked out, but it was fun for the rest of us.

Breakfast is a very important part of our day as it seems to set the tone for the entire day. Our first morning was spent at Kathy’s Waffle House and it was really tasty and the owners very friendly. Our second morning we went to the Nica Buffet and we have been eating our breakfast there every day since! The food is really great (chocolate chip pancakes, fresh fruit plates, amazing omelettes and bottomless cups of tea and coffee) and the owner is such a nice fellow!

There are a lot of sights in and around Granada and we have been trying to hit them all! We have been to a church where you can look through glass and see skeletons buried. We went to an old fort and climbed a sketchy ladder up to one of the old turrets used as a lookout for snipers. The girls also got an education from Jason on how cannons work (hopefully they will not feel the need to put this knowledge to use!). We saw Volcano Mombacho which stands south of Granada and when it blew it created 365 islands in the lake. And after dinner (during which we were serenaded by a Mariachi band) we saw a street performer throwing fire around!

Phew, a busy day in Granada and we were very happy to hit the sack and get ready to do some power shopping!

At the Barber in Granada

Jason has been looking for a good barber since we started on this voyage. He used to get a great shave and hair cut in Japan and has been eagerly awaiting our arrival in Granada as the guidebook recommended 007 Barber. We asked how much it would be and were told 40 Cordoba (about $2.00) so Jason had a seat and the barber got to work. The kids and I watched and of course someone wanted to hold Reed. It is great for me because it gives me a break and he is definitely not going to be shy!

After Jason was done he asked how much for the boy to get a cut and that is why Reed got his first haircut in Granada. I was a little nervous as the barber started chopping my babies beautiful hair with-out a second thought. I did get myself together and took a bunch of pictures and kept a little lock of baby blonde hair. He does look much better and Jason is hoping people will stop asking whether or not he is a girl. As soon as we walked out of the barber a group of ladies all cooed and gushed over how handsome Reed looked. ... and not one of them asked whether or not he was a girl.

Journey from Honduras to Nicaragua

After a long and almost uneventful journey, we have made it to Nicaragua. We were going to take the ferry, bus, bus, bus, shuttle route but with all these children, we decided to fly instead. The flight was a whole day ordeal but the actual flight time was less than 3 hours. Unfortunately we had to stop 3 times but at least everyone could get out and stretch between flights. Lena automatically searched out the nearest vomit bag on each flight, but thankfully none were necessary.

At the airport in San Pedro Sula (Honduras) we had a 3 hour layover and not much to do but check out the 1 duty free shop. Jason asked one of the security guards where we could get something to eat and she said there was a Wendy’s, but it was out of the secure area so she would have to take him down and then back through security. So off they went and a short while later Jason came back with the goods. As we were eating a woman came up to us and asked us where we got the food. We told her the story and she started telling us how rude the security guards were to her when she asked to go get something and on and on. She went off to complain some more and ten minutes later a couple of security guys asked us (in English...) if we were enjoying our lunch. I said yes and then he asked if we spoke Spanish. So, in our broken Spanish we explained how we got our lunch and they wanted to know who let us do such a thing bla bla bla.... Great! Now we thought we were going to get someone fired!!

We aren’t sure what happened, but the woman who was complaining was shortly thereafter sitting down and eating her own Wendy’s lunch. Yikes, we thought we were just having lunch!!

Anyhoo, all is well now. We are in Granada which is lovely. Our hotel "The Colonial" is beautiful and we have a suite! The girls are having a swim because it is very hot here and the boy is having a nap on our king size bed ... we are so getting one of these giant beds when we get home!

Today we have to actually start doing some planning because our time is running out. It has been great to just play it by ear, but I guess this is our slow transition back to the real world.

Happy Birthday Reed!!

I can not believe it but my baby boy is 1 yr old! He's not walking or really talking, but he knows how to get all the ladies to pack him around and tell him he's gorgeous. You can't buy that!

Our boys birthday began in a mad rush to go and get the cake Jason had ordered. We had it all planned out, we would order his cake from the bakery that advertised in one of the little "grocery" (yes, I use this term very loosely) stores in West End. We copied the name and number of the bakery and Jason tried to call them from the little car rental shop. Of course, the number was out of service and Reed's birthday was a day away so the friendly lady who owned the car rental shop said she had a friend that made birthday cakes. After a few phone calls Jason had a cake ordered. (I just want to say that I was in the car the entire time with a sleeping baby so I am guessing there were quite a few phone calls during that 20 minute period.) All Jason could tell me was that he asked for a Pirate theme and that he thinks the cake is vanilla. Oh and that some place down the beach from us did fun stuff with kids on Sundays.

Sunday morning, Lena and Jason head out to pick up the cake, find a birthday present and drop off our rental truck. The cake was to be picked up at the green house with the white fence beside the church and across from the school. Seriously, those were the directions. When they showed up a couple of hours later and they had the cake with them I was very impressed. The cake was very cute and it did have a pirate theme. We won't go into how it tasted. After a busy morning, we were onto phase 2 ... the mysterious place down the beach with fun "stuff" for kids to do. Well, an hour or so into our hunt we came up empty, but we did find a pizza place where kids ate free on Sundays. Unfortunately we were all too hot from walking around to eat, so we headed back to the beach for some swimming.

Jason declared that the big party was to start at 4:30 (which fit nicely into both Happy Hour and the start of Super Bowl), however, Reed had other plans and passed out cold at around 4 until 6. This worked out quite well as Happy Hour was from 4 to 6 so, while the birthday boy slept, we had a few drinks for him.

When Reed did wake up, we all went down to the bar and brought out his cake. Everyone in the bar joined in to sing my little love Happy Birthday. As I mentioned to Danya, that had better be his last birthday party in a bar for another 18 yrs!

And so ended our baby boy's first year. Very close to full circle for a boy made in Costa Rica...

Dolphins and Iguanas – Roatan Honduras

The last time Jason and I tried to swim with dolphins, we were in Phuket, Thailand. We spent way more than our budget allowed to take a fast boat out to a tiny island in search of dolphins because we were “guaranteed” they lived exactly where we were going ... Eight hours later, no dolphins, but we did see 2 sharks and Jason discovered he was/is allergic to jellyfish.

But I digress! We had gone to see the dolphin encounter show yesterday and were fairly impressed. It was a free show at a resort called Anthony’s Key and the dolphins were beautiful. We booked our dolphin encounter for the next morning at 9. Luckily we had rented a car because getting all of us ready and then trying to find a taxi is not pretty. We showed up, got on a boat with a bunch of Italian tourists and off we went to the dolphin training area where there were 19 dolphins. There were walkways all over and signs that said not to disturb the dolphins after 4 as they needed their downtime. Lucky dolphins!

We went with our English speaking (YEAH!!) dolphin trainer to meet our dolphin, Maurey. She is 6 years old and amazing. There was an Italian couple with their little girl in our group as well as the 5 of us. We got to hug, kiss and pet the dolphin while learning all about her and watching her show us her talents. She loved it when we clapped and she made all these dolphin squeals when she was happy. While they took pictures Jason and I got to hold her out of the water, just like a giant baby. After the encounter, some of the folks snorkelled with the dolphins, too, but there was not enough room for any more snorkelers, so we just watched the dolphins swim around. I didn’t want to leave! It was so very nice to see the dolphins taken care of and loved so much by the trainers. Not a familiar sight with most animals in Central America.

After the dolphins we drove to Arch’s Iguana farm. It sounded good in the guidebook, so we went searching down a dirt road to find it. We walked up and there were 50 or 60 iguanas of all sizes basking in the sun and chomping on cabbage leaves. No cages, just free to roam around. We got to pet them and feed them. They were very friendly and felt very cool with all of their bumps and curves and pokey bits and pieces. The iguanas were great and again it was so nice to see animals treated so well.

Unfortunately, not so much for the spider monkeys, coatamundi and possum. They were in small cages lacking any stimulation at all. The monkeys had a fair size cage, but the other 2 did not. As Jason said, even the chickens they had were in bigger cages than the mammals. It was quite upsetting to Lena, so we ended up leaving shortly after. It was unfortunate, but another learning experience for the girls.

After driving around trying to find Reed a birthday present for tomorrow, we headed home to our beach bungalow. Lena pointed out a barracuda hanging out under the dock while we watched the sunset. Yep, bliss returned...

Roatan

We are back online after a week with-out internet. We are on Roatan which is one of the Bay Islands off of Honduras. Our first few days were a bit cloudy and rainy, but it has been sunny skies ever since! Roatan is a huge island for divers and snorkelers and although we have done a lot of snorkeling, we have yet to go on a dive.
The water here is bright blue and very warm. There aren't any waves, so the kids are having a blast, too. The hotel down the road from our rental house had a saltwater pool and a bar to watch the sunset, so we sat there a couple of nights. Poor Jason really wanted a night out, but after the 2 friends he met left, he had to head home. I'm sure he didn't think he would be at the bar with Lena and Jade before they were 18, but welcome to our vacation!! The girls were actually preoccupied with the deer that lived at the place. One had just had a baby 2 days earlier so they got to see it up close. Everyday since then all the girls want to do is buy vegetables ... for the deer, not us...
As we have just been hanging around the beautiful beaches, there is not much to tell.
We have rented a car for a couple of days, so hopefully there still won't be much to tell tomorrow...