Day 1: Nicaragua (8/1/11)
Larry and I arrived in Managua airport with little incident, paid the $10 tax to enter the country that has waves with off-shore winds 300 days a year. After getting our bags, I was engulfed by the warmth of hospitality of Nicaragua. From the Customs table to our chauffeur, I had to tip $1 to three different individuals helping me with my board bag. I looked to our driver, Edwin, for help and he just shrugged his shoulders and tightened the board to the roof of his Toyota 4 Runner. Edwin was quick to let us know that he only spoke 40% English and we needed to speak slow. That was good because Larry and I spoke 10% Spanish.
Edwin proceeded to take us to La Union supermarket ( I am pretty sure owned by Walmart). The prices were higher than expected and I convinced Larry that we needed the 18 year old Flor de Cana Rum instead of the 7 year old bottle. We decided to get both. The store was surprisingly clean and peanut butter was the most expensive item compared to US markets. We loaded up on some cold Tonas (local beer that taste like Miller Lite). After finishing a few Tonas, we needed to make a few pit stops to empty the bladder. Each stop greeted us with a different set of unique individuals asking for money. Edwin asked if he could make a quick stop to take care of something. No problem... at least until we stopped in a strange ally with an older caucasian guy circling our 4 runner. It seemed shady until Edwin brought back two bags of fresh vegetables.
On the road to Hacienda Iguana (16 km of bumpy dirt and mud roads) we ran into the occasional ox and carriage, stray dogs, and pigs. Students dressed in Catholic school clothes lined the street. Edwin informed us that school is in the morning and afternoon. Kids go to school twice a day in Nicaragua. There was a group in a small rental car that was on the side of the road deciding if they could cross the huge mud puddle that consumed the whole road and was about .5 meters deep (I make the measurement in meters becuase the is the unit of measurement everywhere but the US). A 4-wheel drive (cuartro por cuatro) is a must in Nica during the rainy season.
Finally to Hacienda Iguana, a gated/armed guarded community with a golf course. It seemed more rural than we anticipated, but figured that was better for less surfers in the water. We got to our condo on the 4th floor and it was amazing. Great view of the waves (see picture above) and very spacious. Larry and I paddled out for an hour or two and got some good waves. We were told that the morning with a lower tide will be much better (we will see). There were sea lice in the water that we couldn't see and they kept stinging us. Not too painful, more annoying.
The walk to the pizza restaurant and bar was quite eventful. There was thunder and lightening, but no rain on the way. We used our iPhone's flashlight app to help guide the way. There are huge puddles on the dirt roads and without lights it would have been impossible to get to the pizza bar. We saw tons of fireflies on the way, so amazing. At the bar, there was a large crew of guys and girls from Oxnard and Ventura. There was good conversation and the Pizza and fries were delicious. The walk home was more eventful, with the rain pouring down and the Oxnard crew got their golf cart stuck in a mud puddle. We helped them out and proceeded to the condo. The night ended with a surf video to get ready for the next day of surfing and a blind taste test of the Flor de Cana 18 vs 7 years rum. Larry chose 7 and I chose 18.
Looking forward to good waves and clean conditions tomorrow morning.
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