San Juan Bautista Day - Fiesta, Bailando, Palo Lucio y Mas Toros

The crowd took a short break from the rambunctious partying last night to get a few hours of zzzs before the family festivities get under way today.  John and I have taken the day off from Spanish School so we can partake in the fun which starts with traditional dancers making their way around the town.  Following them is a small band playing traditional music and behind them is a group carrying a the San Juan Bautista statute. 

On the other side of town a similar procession is underway, with another crowd forming carrying another statute of San Juan Bautista..  Each group takes a different route around town, gathering more and more of  the town's people as they make their way around the perimeter of the town. 

At just the right moment, the statutes meet a few blocks from the central parque and the crowd ignites.  Cheering and dancing - all making their way to the park

Palo Lucio -  this very tall pole is slathered with black grease and planted firmly in the center of the street near the parque.  As part of the traditional festivities a muscular group of slightly buzzed Nicaraguans will attempt to make their way up this pole - no safety net provided.  If they reach the flag at the top, they get a cash prize.  But as we look on as they begin the effort I get the impression that the prize is not really the driving force here - it is the challenge. 

For hours they go at it, climbing a little further each time and trying to wipe off the excess grease with a rag if they are lucky, if not, with their bodies.  We couldn't fathom that they would really make it all the way to the top.  They were only getting about 4 guys high when we left at about 2 p.m.  But we later found out that they made it!  We were disappointed we didn't stick around to see that! 

But after lunch at our casa it was off to the rodeo with Carlos & Jessica.  Rather than bleacher seats we made our way into a very packed area along one of the fences.  It was a little hard to see as the fences were lined with people, especially when the bulls made a run in our direction.  After another delicious meal with our familia we head to the beach with Jessica where there is another stage set up for a big band.  We were anticipating dancing all night, or at least watching others show us a thing or two - but mother nature had other plans and we made a bee line for home when the rain started again.
HAPPY SAN JUAN BAUTISTA DAY!!

La Fiesta Begins

The town of San Juan del Sur has been brewing with anticipation of the big fiesta for San Juan Bautista day.  Fireworks have been going off around town for the last week or so and there have been continuous mini-celebrations throughout town.  But tonight is when the real party starts.

This afternoon we joined our familia - Carlos, Jessica, and Ximena, along with the rest of the town and gathered at the central parque to view the dancing of the Gigantes, which are these very very tall costumes which are worn by someone who then dances around town followed by this additional character which looks like a very big head on a very small body (a child wears this costume). 




It was explained to John that the significance of the gigantes was an analogy to their rising up against the Spanish control (represented by the brain-y-ack).  I think I heard the announcer say that the children participated in preparing the costumes and several elements, the fabrics, necklaces, etc had some cultural significance but of course that was me trying to understand his Spanish over the roar of the crowd.

The Gigantes danced up a storm with the help of the local band and later that evening a winner was declared.

The crowd then dispersed, heading back to their homes for dinner only to head back to the park again after dark for what was to be an all night affair.  Well, with a few breaks here and there for lost electricity and minor downpours.  There was a big stage set up in front of the church and first there were speeches, one of which was from the daughter of a local woman who had died from cancer recently - this year's festivities were in her honor, apparently she was a lifeforce of San Juan Bautista days and was loved by the community.  Then the Reina (queen) of the fiesta was crowned and the traditional dancing started.  Then came the rain.  Umbrellas went up and the dances continued for a short time before they threw in the towel - mother nature wins ... for now.

An hour or so later the rain stops and as quickly as the crowd had run for shelter, they reappeared and the party kicked into full gear  The pink Gigante took first place and the music started with a local band playing salsa music.  It wasn't much longer before the fireworks started - and what a display!  It started with what we call a finale - and just kept going.

Their finale included a man running  up and down the street in a costume like a horse - but it was covered with sparklers!    We left the streets at about 12:30 but we could hear the crowd making rounds around the town with the little 4 piece band, cheering and lighting off fireworks until the early hours of the morning.

Semana Dos - Clases de Espanol: politicos, beisbol y energia

We are feeling quite at home here in San Juan del Sur. The people are friendly and the streets are so colorful, with an occasional stray chick or two. We make our way to class everyday - a mere 2 block walk from our casa and just down the street from the main square. Our second week of classes continued as the first. John continued with building vocabulary and the structure of the present tense of verbs. I was making my way through a review of various verb tenses but spending most of the time working on comprehension and conversation. Mi maestro was very knowledgeable and we spent a good deal of time talking about politics, both in Nicaragua and the United States, the evolving but continuing energy problem, as well as beisbol - Nicaragua's number one pasttime. Can you believe it is not soccer? I was taken by surprise.


We have noticed that many Nicaraguans are not shy about telling you their opinion about the politics of their country as well as the politics of the United States with regard to how it relates to Central America. Of course each side has its own story, but it is no secret that the residents of SJDS are predominantly Sandinista supporters. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (or FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino (prominently captured in a mural on a wall facing the central park and across from the church) who led the Nicaraguan resistance against the United States occupation of Nicaragua in 1930's only to be killed by the new regime a year later.

Here's a recap of the political history: Interestingly the U.S's interest in Nicaragua may have begun over the potential development of a canal through Lake Nicaragua and San Juan del Sur as a route through Central America (this was before the Panama Canal was constructed). The U.S. had fallen out of the negotiations, but wanted to prevent other countries from continuing as it had made progress with the plans for the Panama Canal. The U.S had taken a protectionist approach in order to prevent further development Communist leaning regimes. However the Sandinista rebels were determined to oust the U.S troops. Eventually in 1933 the last of the U.S. military left Nicaragua, but in their place was the new government - Guardia Nacional - under the rule of Anastasio Somoza and supported by the U.S. After Sandindo's death the Somoza family ruled until 1979 when the FSNL overthrew the dictatorship. More problems developed with the U.S. and when the U.S. delayed (and cut off) economic aid, Nic looked to other countries for support, like Cuba The U.S. continued efforts to oust the FSNL through direct funding ($19 Million to the CIA in 1981 to train counterrevolutionary army - the Contras). When the Dems took over the reins of the Congress, the funding went underground - later to be uncovered as the Iran-Contra Affair (secret arms sales to Iran with money funneled to aid the Contras) The FSNL held the Presidency from 1985 to 1990. Fast forward to 2006 when former President Daniel Ortega was re-elected President and the residents of SJDS were ecstatic.

And then of course there is the issue of electricity. Fully controlled by a company from Spain, electricity has always been an issue. It was sporadic and unreliable under the prior regime. President Ortega was able to renegotiate the deal and get more reliable electricity - sort of - and the people - at least initially - rejoiced. Today, electricity is unreliable. It is turned off without warning and just as indeterminately it goes back on. It is such a hot topic that an article in the local SJDS paper indicated that if any of the candidates for Reina (queen) of the Festival had spoken about change of the electric company as her hope for the future - she would have instantly won all the votes of the judges. Of course, these 16 year old girls stuck to typical beauty pageant etiquette and talked about world peace, etc.

Rodeo Repeat Performance

Since our rodeo experience was cut short on Saturday, we decided to return for a repeat performance on Sunday. We arrive at 4 and the show is already under way. We take our same seats as yesterday. The women selling beer and soda have taken us under their wings - yesterday they gave me a trash bag to protect my purse and camera - today they motion to the small overhead awning they have constructed - just in case of another downpour. We laugh and I show them that I am still carrying the trash bag - just in case.





The bull turnover is faster today. Some are more interesting than others and some more aggressive. There are a couple of possible injuries then a really bad one which I somehow managed to catch on film (or digital image). Someone sitting on the fence was unable to get out of the way of the bull's horn, which looked like it ripped through his stomach. The crowd pulled him to safety through the fence like a rag doll, then carried him around the outer fence to the clearing. There was mass panic, mixed with that infectious crowd action of wanting to see what happened. Although the town has an ambulance, it was not at the event. A pickup truck erratically backed into the area and they toss him in the back - no stretcher, no neck collar, no real medical attention en-route to the hospital. At this point it is unclear how bad it is, even if he is alive or dead - a hysterical women gets in the back with him and they speed off.

A few minutes later the show resumes. And a bit later the same pick up returns - now it has lost its ambulance function and is delivering beer! Ambulance turned delivery truck - only in Central America!

[We were a bit shaken by the gore of it all. Rodeo was lots of fun, until things got crazy and someone was unconscious and possibly seriously injured. Good news followed in a few days. One of the teachers at our school knew the guy who took the horn to the gut - luckily there was no actual puncture and he is ok - no doubt he will be back to the rodeo in no time.]

My First Rodeo, Nicaraguan Style

Fin de Semana (the weekend), at last! Our first week of classes are over. We have spent the last 5 days focused on learning spanish. No surfing, no partying, just classes and studying. Today we decide to take in some of the local entertainment and hit the Rodeo! To John's surprise, this is my very first rodeo ever. We make our way out of town towards the open field where the bull ring is set up. As we are walking down the street a handful of drunk guys start up a conversation with us, the typical, where are you from, how long have you been here, etc. They they tell us that they will be riding the bulls. This is getting interesting already. After some confusion about which price applied to which seats we buy some tickets for the basic bleacher seats -30 cordoba each - a blend of a little safety from both the bulls and the crowd sandwiched together in the free areas surrounding the ring, but still with plenty of local flavor - in fact notwithstanding all the tourists in the town there are very few gringos here.


Guys congregate inside the ring - yes, inside - drinking and cheering, or rather egging on the bulls. These are the adrenaline seats - more exciting to watch your friend get kicked from a bull up close and personal. And when the bull charges the crowd everyone scrambles up the fence. No rules, fences lined with people young and old. The event starts slow, the first bull is ok. The second comes out strong but then just stops and stares - rider still on. Nothing. He won't budge. The rider gets off and then the bull charges and up the fence goes the crowd.









There is lots of down time between bulls, providing lots of drinking time. Unfortunately the weather turns quickly and in no time a downpour starts. These kids put their umbrella up before the rain started - do they feel it in the air?










The crowd runs first for cover under the few vendor booths. But when it doesn't let up within a few minutes the entire crowd disperses. Show is over. All the bulls are put in the ring - staring at each other. The cowboys head home -the fun postponed until tomorrow - same bat channel, same bat time....








We make our way back to our casa where we enjoy a delicious dinner with Carlos, Jessica and some of their friends. Homemade chips and salsa - mi favorito, Que rico! And to top it off I am able to understand the majority of the conversation and even participate at times.

Spanish School and Our Nicaraguan Familia

I had contacted several spanish schools before arriving in SJDS and based on their responses we had decided on Nica Spanish School. Turns out they were located right across from the Casa Oro Hostal so we stopped by to say "hola" and make arrangements to meet our homestay family later that day. Our classes would start the following morning. Our family is a young couple with a one year old daughter. Jessica and Carlos just happened to be walking down the street while we were at the school, dressed in their Sunday best, heading to the celebration festivities. They made a quick detour and took us to their home, which actually was a little more like a small hotel with a common kitchen and outdoor kitchen area. At dinner we determined that this could be a little difficult for John as they spoke very little English, but they talked alot, spoke slowly and clearly, and repeated themselves often -- all good things when you are trying to learn a new language by immersion.
Ximena, their daughter, was absolutely adorable and the center of attention of course. For a one year old we were surprised at how steady she was walking around the patio which had an uneven surface. Jessica told us she was never fond of crawling and went right to walking.









"Desayuno, Lisa, John, desayuno." Breakfast was served at 7:30 and either Jessica or Carlos would call us down. Classes started 8 am or whenever we arrived really as the classes were one-on-one, private instruction. We had planned on taking 2 weeks of classes here. John was studying with Fernando and his brother Christian was my maestro. Being back in school was a little draining - 4 hours of classes in the every morning. The seven simple tenses - presente, preterite, imperfect, futuro, conditional, imperative, participle present and past - then there are the compound tenses and subjunctive ... just learning the names of the tenses was a new chore. Many of these were refreshers for me. Conversation was my issue - putting a sentence together on the fly left me tongue tied. I really wish I had learned Spanish years ago. As for John he was just starting out with the basics.




For the next two weeks our weekdays were simple; class from 8 to noon, return to our casa for almuerzo with our familia, then study for a couple of hours, head to the Gato Negro Café (a very cool coffee shop/bookstore run by some ex-pats) for a afternoon caffeine pick-me-up and then back to studying. Dinner was served in the outdoor dining area - Jessica was a fantastic cook and we would share childhood stories, and talk about all sorts of things - in Spanish of course. Classes were good but for me the dinner conversation was the best and really helped me improve my conversational skills. We thank our lucky stars for our Nicaraguan familia - muchas gracias Jessica y Carlos y Ximena!

Patron Saint San Juan Bautista - The Celebration Begins

San Juan del Sur (SJDS) is a great little town for just walking around. What once was a small fishing village, it now a quickly growing tourist beach town. Luckily the development does not seem to have gone so far as to eliminate all the local flavor. In fact, it turns out that without knowing it we had planned our visit in SJDS during one of their largest celebrations which was in honor of their patron saint - San Juan Bautistia. Every town in Nicaragua has a patron saint, and they take the celebrations in honor of that Saint very seriously.

Although the official day for the celebration is June 24, the town along with neighboring barrios, start celebrating much earlier than that. Each day a different group would have the honor of parading around the town carrying the statute of San Juan Bautista which is normally watchfully placed in front of the church at the main parque. The day after we arrived the first group marched by our hostal, singing, dancing and cheering to the beat of a local 4 piece band - carrying the statute throughout the town.

This group was quite large and we were not sure what organization or town they were from but it seemed like everyone in town was joining in the fun and following them in their march. Even the beachgoers threw their things together and followed behind the procession.










The next day, about the same time, mid-day, the celebrations started again. This was the day that the school kids paid their respects, singing, laughing, cheering, while the band followed behind them. Every so often you would hear the big "boom" of a firecracker. This would become a very normal sound for the next 2 weeks. Not just your safe and sane" fireworks like we have in California - these were the real thing. Loud and, well just LOUD!

Spanish and Surf - San Juan del Sur

Before leaving Costa Rica I had done a little research, sent some emails, etc in hopes of finding a good location for taking Spanish classes; one with a good school at good prices, with positive reviews on homestays, and some outside activities - preferably good surf. We had both hoped to improve our language skills during our time in Latin America. That certainly did not happen in Costa Rica as just about everyone speaks English (at least in the towns we visited). Now we were determined to stay focused and do nothing but study - well at least for a couple of weeks. San Juan del Sur had several spanish schools to pick from and was known as a good base for local surfing so it sounded like a perfect spot.



We decided to spend our first night at the well-known and very busy Casa Oro Hostal in order to get some beta on the surf before immersing outselves in the language study. The hostel is bustling with young 20 somethings waiting on a shuttle or just chillin. Like every popular hostel it comes with free internet, a big community kitchen and plenty of beta on tours and transportation. The room is little more than a wooden box, with a vinyl curtain separating the toilet from the room, but were were not here for the accommodations - it was beta we were after and the staff was helpful and the walls of the main building were covered with information on surf beaches, shuttle times, and other activities.

Although there are several surf shops in town offering transport and boards, Casa Oro seems to run the most regular and convenient shuttles to the surf beaches at Playa Maderas and Remanso. And their monster rigs are not only sure to handle any muddy river crossing but they are pretty cool looking too!

Bienviendos Nicaragua! Volcanoes, Windmills, and Pink Floyd

These are our first visions and sounds of Nicaragua. Almost immediately after crossing the border you see the two conical shapes of Volcano Conception (1610 meters) and Volcano Maderas rising up out of Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. The constant winds caused by the “lake effect” of Lake Nicaragua make it a perfect place for wind turbines, the site of which reminded us of home and the drive east on the 10 Freeway through Palm Springs which is essentially a wind tunnel caused by the heat of the desert combined with the location of the surrounding mountains creating another perfect spot for a wind turbine farm.

At first site it was a surprise, how could such a poor country be investing in alternative energy when the United States is still struggling with the concept? I wonder if this is foreign investment, who manufactured and maintains these turbines...we never did find out. Interestingly, however, we quickly learned that notwithstanding attempts to generate power, electricity was a heated topic in Nicaragua. The electricity problems played a very vital role in the 2006 elections where the Sandinista supported party won in the democratic elections in part based on promises of fixing the electricity problem (which basically was an issue of unrealiable or no electricity as the company which had control of generating the power, a company from Spain, did not believe it was worth its trouble to solve the problems with their service in Nicaragua.) Once elected, the new government quickly negotiated a new contract and the power went back on …intermittently that is. But now the issue is dispersed-literally-as there is generally power except for random hours during the day .. Or night .. If you call to complain, it could miraculously go back on .. Or not. Essentially the people get a “little” more electricity and reliability, but a higher bill that apparently is not based solely on usage and certainly does not change because the power is unavailable. In other words, it is still a huge problem.

Politics - we were to soon to find out was a a much discussed topic of conversation with Nicas. More on that later, back to our first sights and sounds of Nicaragua. “We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. HEY TEACHER, leave us kids alone.“ Pink Floyd, Another Brick in the Wall is a catchy tune, but it becomes almost surreal when it is booming from the speakers of a run-down taxi with a cracked windshield through the Nicaraguan countryside. The speakers might have been worth more than the car. I guess he assumed all Westerners played their music at eardrum crushing volume. We caught this taxi in the town of Rivas where the bus dropped us off, en-route to San Juan del Sur and some clases de espanol. I only wish I had a photo, or better yet a video clip of this little trip!

Crossing the Nicaraguan Border

We returned our car in Liberia, CR and stayed at the Hotel Guanacasta where we enjoyed our last Pilsner cervezas and delicious casadas set to the sounds of some boisterous karaoke by an all male crowd.
There are several buses to pick from that take you across the CR-Nic border. The hotel booked us seats on a Central Line bus headed to Rivas, Nicaragua. The cheaper option would have been to take the local bus to the border, handle the paperwork yourself, walk across the border, then enter Nicaragua and get another local bus onward We had heard the touts at the border could be voracious so we opted for the tourist bus who essentially handled everything for you at both border posts. Well almost, you still needed to grab your bags, walk through the checkpoint, and hit the button - green - you are clear, red - you are stopped for a random inspection. I knew I should have gotten in front of John. I got RED. I carried my very large backpack into the room where they did the searches. The border agent asked me to open the bag. I thought, hmm, once I open the bag it just leads to more smaller bags, each stuffed to the brim with different items - all the tops in one bag, all the pants & shorts in another, winter stuff in another, and then there are the hiking boots, poles, etc. He looked at how tightly and fully packed my bag was and was probably thinking the same thing as me (this could take some time if I have to unpack this bag) he said “solomente ropa” (only clothes) to which I responded “si” and he waved me off.

A Few More Days of Surf, a Few More Days With Friends

Tamarindo had really become our home base on this Costa Rican trip. We felt right at home at the Hotel Mamiri where we had met Eric & Fanny. After an early morning surf there was no better breakfast place in town than right in front of our hotel at Jimmy's - french toast - Elvis style, bottomless coffee and conversation with Sue & Jimmy. There was no shortage of surf shops in town, and it seems as if we had made friends at several of them. We were always dropping by to get the latest scoop on surf beta, where to go, what time is best...

We enjoyed some fun surf at Playa Grande and right in town at the Tamarindo river mouth. The swell was dying down so we both got long boards, one we nicknamed the “magic carpet ride” which we fought over as it really was magic - with just a few paddle strokes you could catch just about a bump in the water and ride it all the way to shore. Eric joined us on our final trip to Grande, along with another Californian we met at the Mamiri, Dan. unfortunately a new swell had come in and really kicked up the surf. Our long boards were a bit of a detriment and it got a little scary out there. But we made up for it with one last brilliant day at the river mouth with the trusty Magic Carpet Ride - long, long rights and one final majestic sunset. The time had come to say our good-byes and make our way to Liberia where we would catch a bus for Nicaragua. We can’t say we loved Tamarindo for the town (too touristy) but just like Los Angeles with its overwhelming crowds and traffic, sometimes it is what you find within the city (friends, Santa Monica Mountains, ocean, etc) that makes all the difference. We hope to see our CR friends again - until then - pura vida y hasta luego!

Quintessential Surf Town - Santa Teresa

Miles of uncrowned beach break, minimal development but yet adequate (as well as adorable) accommodations, dirt roads - the town was immediately appealing as it was not developed as a tourist destination but it still had sufficient services There would be a few hostels, a few restaurants and maybe a surf shop clustered together, then a stretch of road with very little, then another little crop. Dirt paths big enough for a motorcycle or bicycle but usually not wide enough for a car lead to the beach.




We drove down the road and looked at a few places to stay. All were acceptable, but this one place caught my eye and I wanted to see what they had to offer in our price range. Disfrutalo Villas had individual ranchos (small cabinas with palapa style roofs) as well as some dorms. The one we were shown was a private rancho completely enclosed in lush vegetation, and tons of mango trees. Once inside, the rancho had a wrap around deck with hammocks and chairs, a kitchen and little living room area with the bed upstairs in the loft. We fell in love. But it was out of our price range and we had just been talking about the need to watch our expenditures as Costa Rica was costing us more than anticipated. We drove down the street, about 2 blocks if that, and contemplated how much we could save if we made all our own meals. What the hell - we turned around and moved into our oasis (at $38 a night). For 3 nights we enjoyed the luxury of our own little cozy home where ripe mangos fell conveniently from the trees every morning providing free breakfast.




The surf varied from our first day when there was little happening, to a couple days later when the swell had really picked up. It was a good beach break, sandy bottom, rights and lefts and little crowd to speak of. In the realm of “it’s a small world” we were walking down the beach when someone called John’s name. We figured it was someone we had met at another beach here in Costa Rica. However it turned out to be Chris from Los Angeles, someone John had worked with sometime last year. Yes, it really is a small world.





As we were heading out of town we drove down to take one last look at the beach. The surf was going off - perfect peeling rights and lefts. Even though we had been out earlier we were tempted to get back in the water. Only problem was that we had checked out of the hotel and the car was packed, so we would have had to wrestle to see who stayed behind with the stuff. To protect our marriage we decided we would just continue on with as planned and head north - en-route back to Tamarindo.