Monkey love

There's a place in Nicaragua called Monkey Island. A family of monkeys inhabit this pea-sized island in the middle of a lake. The story goes that they were once living in a zoo before someone relocated them to the island, where they've lived ever since. 

Enticing them with bread, the cute furry animals came scurrying towards our boat. The female monkey swung acrobatically from the branches until she reached our boat. This sweet monkey was such a love bug. She put her human-looking black hand on my knee as she steadied herself. It was so cute. 

She knows the driver of the boat, since he frequents the island often with tourists, and has grown to adore him. Making a bee-line for the driver, she wrapped her hairy arms gently around his head, hugging him for a good minute straight. The driver said she does this often. He hugged her back. It was so adorable and funny to see her acting so human-like in her show of emotions. Just one more reason why I love monkeys! 

The Great Horse Rescue: part 2

The horse saga continues....

The day after the big rescue, we returned to the stables to check on Milagro. He was looking about the same. Martin said he was crying for his mom. It made me so sad. I asked how old he thought Milagro was and he answered 7 months. He eased my mind when he said he was old enough to be away from his mom. He was being a big baby, I thought. He's a stubborn, little momma's boy. Haha.

The very next morning, I was greeted by Martin at our front door. He told me that Milagro's owner found out he was there and had shown up to take him back. I woke Dinh up from his afternoon nap and we drive down the road to the stables. When we arrived, we saw a scrawny, poor looking man. 

He had rode in on a big white horse. He said Milagro had gotten the gash on his leg from a boat motor. 

His story didn't make sense, but we didn't ask any further questions. We knew that he was not a good man if he left an injured colt on the beach for the vultures. We needed proof that this was the rightful owner. They let Milagro out of the wooden stable and he ran over to the big white horse, his mommy. They rubbed noses for a while and then Milagro started nursing from her. 

I had to choke back my tears. It was so heart warming. It was plain to see that this was definitely the owner. 
We saw that the mom had an obviously broken ankle and the owner continued to ride her. They lived in a village 6 km away . It would be very painful for Milagro to walk that far. We wanted him to have a good life, which can be hard to come by as a horse in Nicaragua. We had come so far to save this little guy, only to have his crappy owner claim him back after he saw his leg was being treated. Dinh and I discussed what we should do. We decided that we would see if the owner would let us buy Milagro, so we told the skinny man that we would pay him $40 for Milagro, which was actually way more than a local would have paid for a horse.
The owner was satisfied with the deal. Soon he mounted the horse and trotted off back to his village. I felt so sorry for the mom horse, she had to walk so far with a broken ankle. I was so relieved that Milagro would never live a life like that. He would be well taken care off from now on. I walked up to Milagro and pet his nose. He had no idea what just happened and how much of a turning point it was in his life. 
Milagro was oblivious to me. He watched his mom trot away until he couldn't see her anymore. He neighed for her to come back. He was whimpering and stamping his feet. I couldn't get over how human-like he was acting. His emotions were an open faced sandwich. 
It absolutely broke my heart to see Milagro enduring so much grief. He had been reunited with his mother, only to have her leave him again. Tears filled my eyes once again. This horse business is too emotional for me!!! 

Now Milagro was ours. Fair and square. When Dinh and I wished we had a horse, we had no idea how quickly we would stumble upon one. Be careful what you wish for!!

The Great Horse Rescue: part 1

Life in Nicaragua is good. I live a more predictable life these days. My days usually consist of waking up when I want, walking for a good hour on the beach, lounging in the hammocks, cleaning, reading, doing laundry (by hand, mind you), doing my insanity workout, and cooking. Sometimes I surf.

walk for miles and miles.....

doing laundry by hand, it's hard work!!

Our hammocks

I've scrubbed this house from top to bottom. I'm also trying out some new bread recipes. 

Cinnamon raisin bread

 Dinh surfs for 2-3 hours twice a day, so I'm forced to entertain myself for the majority of the day if I don't go with him. 
I wasn't getting completely bored, but I wished there was more to do. There is a stable down the road that is owned by an American couple. I told Dinh we should get a horse, we could keep him at the stable for a small fee. We decided to do a little more research on horses and buy one in the near future. 
I usually walk alone in the morning while Dinh is surfing, but the surf wasn't too good one morning, so Dinh decided to join me. 
We were rounding one of the rocky points when we saw a regal horse standing on the rocks far away . I thought it made a good picture so I snapped a pic with my iphone. 

As we got closer, we discover it's a colt, that he is alone, is limping, and has a big cut on his upper leg. My caregiver instinct kicked in right away. The little horse was skittish of us and wouldn't let us get near him. I tried to observe his leg as he hobbled away. I couldn't tell if there were any broken bones. Nothing obvious. 
From the evidence, I assumed he had gotten injured and his owner left him because he wasn't able to walk. Nicaraguans don't look at animals like we do. It's heartbreaking. 
"Dinh, we HAVE to help him!!", I pleaded. I would rescue this horse by myself if I had too. I'll never let an animal suffer if I can do anything about it. 
Dinh agreed. We hurried back to the house and gathered supplies: water, carrots, a makeshift splint and a rope. We called Dinh's friend, Chip, who has a 4-wheeler. It was over a half an hour walk to get back to the little horse, so we thought it would be helpful to get Chip involved. 
Operation: save a horse, had begun. The 3 of us piled on Chip's 4-wheeler and off we went. 
When we arrived, we found 4-5 local guys with horses at the location. They were there to fish and camp. We asked of it was their horse and they said no. 
I creep over slowly to the little horse. He eyed me suspiciously . I talked to him gently and offered him a carrot. He wanted nothing to do with me and limped further away. I was relieved that he was somewhat mobile, it will make the rescue easier. I didn't see him warming up to me anytime in the near future, so I got the rope and tried to lasso him. As you can imagine, it was an epic failure and quite comical at the same time. The Nicaraguan guys watched us gringo clowns dance around for a while, snickering under their breath, then offered to help. They were much more experienced with horses than we were. With the little horse running away from them also, it took a few tries before they harnessed him and were able to tie a halter on him. 

We were so grateful. We wouldn't have even known how to tie a halter. They handed us the rope and we thanked them up and down. 
This horse was not liking being told what to do. We pulled at the rope and he dug his front hooves deep in the sand. It took the maximum strength of both Dinh and I to get him to move. He bucked up on his front feet, then took a few steps, then pulled against us as hard as he could. It was a very slow moving process. The job was exhausting and we questioned what we had gotten ourselves into. In between rests, we decided this would be our horse now. We named him Milagro, which means miracle. It would be a miracle if we got him off this beach. 
"Come oooonnnn Milagro, we're only trying to help you", I grunted between the tug of war sessions. 
"You look like a camel when you do that", I teased Milagro. He really did look like a camel when he put his head down and scrunched up his face. We both laughed. 
Dinh said he was getting tired, but my adrenaline was kicked into high gear. This animal was in need and it was up to us to help him!!
"Ok, let's try to get to that tree, Dinh", I encouraged. 
All of a sudden, the old worn rope snapped with such force that Dinh and I flew backwards, thumping hard on the sand. 
"Owww!!", I yelped as I rubbed my butt. 
Milagro was still. He was tired too and didn't attempt to run now that he didn't have a rope attached to him. I walked reeeaaaallll slow over to him and tied the 2 ends together. Due to the exhaustion, he finally let me pet his head a little. He was breathing hard.
"Don't worry, we're here to help you, you're so pretty, you just have to stop fighting us", I said in a smoothing voice. His big brown eyes focused on me and I noticed for the first time how long his eyelashes were. His emotions were so human-like. He had such a powerful energy emanating from him. I felt a bond form at that moment. A bond that I knew would last a very long time. 
Chip left on his 4-wheeler to get some help. We planned to take him to the stables, but had a good 2 miles more to go. The feat was looking nearly impossible.
Dinh and I continued to struggle with the stubborn adolescent. It's a good thing he wasn't any bigger than he was. For a little guy , he was strong!
After a while, Chip returns with a local cattle herder on a big horse. All it took was a little nudge on his butt from the big horse to make Milagro obey . We instructed the man to bring him to the stables. As we watched them tread away , my heart was overcome with emotions and I got all teary-eyed. It was such a relief to have some help. Milagro might have known that we were saving him, but he sure put up a good fight. He doesn't listen to us, but he listens to other horses. Figures. 
We returned to the house and planned to go back to the stables after we ate lunch. 
Within an hour, we were at the stables, looking for our little Milagro. The 2 horse hands working at the stable, Milton and Martin, said they hadn't seen a little colt and knew nothing about it. 
My heart raced, where was our little guy?! We jumped in Dinh's truck and backtracked. With each windy turn, my worries rose. We didn't see Milagro. Where was he?! 
Then finally, we see the precious little animal on the side of the muddy road. His harness was off and there was no cattle herder to be seen. 
He had left him. 
Milagro was just standing there like, "ok, you guys got me here, what do you want me to do now? This is your guy's big idea."
We quickly drove back to the stables, explained the situation to Milton and Martin, begging them for help. I was almost in tears at this point. Without hesitation, they saddled up their big horses and followed us down the road. These were good people. 
When we got there, Milagro was still standing on the side of the road, looking bored. He didn't want to go far with an injured leg. They assessed him a little and then nudged Milagro's butt with their horses nose. 

Once again, Milagro obeyed and hobbled along as best he could. It was slow moving but we all made it back to the stable safely. Once at the stable, Milton and Martin gave Milagro a shot of antibiotic and pain medicine. 

getting his shot

They sprayed an antiseptic on his cut, which was looking rather nasty with infection. Now for the big question: were there any broken bones?
They said "no" and I let out a cheer. Milagro was going to be just fine, they said. I was so happy that they helped us that I told them I loved them, in Spanish. Haha. They didn't speak English. 
It was such an emotional day. We knew he was in good hands from now on. He was put in his own stable and given hay and fresh water. We could finally relax. 

Milagro recovering

Nicaragua at last

For the past 10 months, I've listened to a giddy Dinh constantly rave about Nicaragua. The expressions on his face and the excitement that came when he talked about Nicaragua made me very curious to see this mystery land. Approximately 5 years ago, Dinh purchased a house in Nicaragua, west of Managua, after searching for the ultimate surf spot. He had found it on a beach resort called Gran Pacific. This turned out to be his Disneyland. He was happier than a pig in mud in Nicaragua. The surf was consistent, and best of all, there was no crowd. A perfect wave, all to yourself. This is a surfer's dream. There is no other place he would rather be, if you don't count Hawaii. I had a certain picture in my head of how Nicaragua would be. 

Dinh's house

We arrived late on a Sunday night. The black skies opened up and rained on us relentlessly for the last 3 hour stretch. So close, yet so far away. Dinh's house isn't in the most convenient location. You must endure pothole-laden dirt roads in order to get to this slice of heaven. Although, this is Nicaragua. 
We had driven for over 12 hours that day. We left El Salvador early in the morning and plowed straight though Honduras. We had no business in tumultuous Honduras. Making sure our doors were locked at all times and that we used the bathroom before crossing the border, our sights were set on Nicaragua. Even though we were only in the country for a couple hours, I was able to pick up on a strong sense of misery among the people. They didn't look very cheerful. They looked very rough around the edges. They had been through a lot in life. Nobody chooses what life they are born into. It's so sad that these people have to experience so much strife in their lives. I wish I could show them a better life, how beautiful life could really be. 
On average, there are 20 murders a day in Honduras. 20!! That's huge, if you think about how small the country is. Population: less than 8 million. It's called the "murder capitol of the world". I don't know about you, but I value my life enough not to spend any significant amount of time in such a chaotic country. 
See ya later Honduras!!

By the time we rolled into Gran Pacifica that night, Dinh was as hyper as a 2 year old that had gotten into the sugar jar. He had been away for about a year and had missed it more than ever. He was pointing out everyone's house as we bounced by on the dirt road. I felt like I knew these people from all the stories Dinh had told me.
"Uh-huh", I sporadically mustered out with my eyes closed, my head in my hand. 
It felt like someone had tied 5 pound weights to my eyelids. I was utterly exhausted from the long drive and from being on such high alert while in Honduras. Not to mention the hassle of 2 border crossings. I. was. pooped. 
The forerunner came to a halt in Dinh's driveway after 5,739 miles through 7 countries. The 200,000 mile engine drove like a champ and never once gave us a problem. 
I only had enough energy to ask Dinh where the bed was. I plopped down on it and was sleeping before he could even put the sheets on it. 
Sleeping sounder than a hibernating bear, I arose the next morning, feeling refreshed. 
I could finally take in my surroundings. Dinh was right, it was beautiful here. His house was set on a private spacious lot with nature in all directions. A hop, skip and jump away from the ocean. 

The 2 bedroom, 2 bath house was simple. Tile floors throughout. 
Dinh was up at sunrise, out in his backyard checking out his papaya trees, along with his pepper, basil, and mango trees. 

Throughout the course of the next 2 weeks, we were quite the little gardeners and managed to plant banana trees, lemongrass, watermelon, more basil, mint, more papaya, tomato and jackfruit. There's just something about the taste of your own vegetables that you've grown in your own backyard. No chemicals will ever touch our precious plants. 

the papayas get pretty big here!

We're thoroughly enjoying our green papaya salads.
They are umm-ummm good!!!

Noshing on pupusas in El Salvador

Did you know? El Salvador has a heavenly, dirt-cheap street food called a pupusa. It looks like a pancake and consists of a doughy outer shell, stuffed with ingredients such as cheese, meat and beans. I loved to eat the bean and cheese pupusas.
I had read about pupusas while researching this trip and was excited to try them. Just as I imagined, the minute we crossed the border into El Salvador, the local ladies (and men) were busy cooking them up. They are experts at pitty-pattying the balls into shape after stuffing them with the ingredients, then whipping them onto the stove, turning them ever so often. The smell created by these yummy disks cooking and the slapping sound of the worker making them made for a memorable ambiance. In most cases, they couldn't pump them out fast enough! There was usually a long line up of hungry patrons. The ubiquitous little stands satisfied my cravings.
The pupusas are cooked on a skillet with no shortage of oil. Ok, let's face it, they're not the healthiest thing to eat. But they are totally tasty! A comfort food. I refrained from eating one for breakfast, lunch and dinner, fearing I'd clog my arteries right up. But I did indulge a bit :)
Oh, and the best part is that they only cost about 50 cents each. Life is good!

Chichicastenago

Chichicastenago: Funny name, ain't it? 
Chichicastenago, or Chi Chi as the cool kids say, is a town about 1 hour north of Panajachel, Guatemala. Near Lake Atitlan. There is a sprawling, elaborate market that comes to life every Thursday and Sunday . It's not to be missed.

The weaving drive up the mountain to this market is an experience in itself. We passed through numerous small villages. Locals were doing, oh.... what locals do. The road hugs Lake Atitlan for some time, giving us breathtaking picture-perfect views from above. 
Chichicastenago was the perfect place to get my Christmas shopping done (and practice my Spanish!).  
The locals set up stands and sell the handicrafts they worked so hard to make. They also sell things like flowers, incense, pigs, etc.....
You name it, they probably have it.

There are also small food stalls called comedores in the center of all the action, because we all know how much of an appetite we can work up while shopping. 
Since boys don't like to shop, Dinh did his own thang while I went shoooppppping!!! 
Of course, there are no prices on anything, so I got to practice my bartering skills. Like I needed practice on that, pffff.
I spent an entire day bouncing from stall to stall. There are similar items at each stall, so I would ask what the price is at a few places to get an idea, then I made my move and bartered with them after making friends with them. I'm sneaky like that. They're always more willing to lower the price for their "amiga". Hehe. 

Scored a sweet Xmas present from this amiga

Since Dinh wasn't with me, I was forced to use my own Spanish skills. At first I was a little shy . I took a deep breath, let go of all inhibitions, and the Spanish words just rolled off my tongue like butter over hot bread. I have to say , I impressed myself. I was making jokes with the Guatemalans in Spanish. They were laughing.
It was a gay ol' time. I couldn't have dreamt of a better experience. Finally I was able to communicate with the locals. I smiled from ear to ear. I had so many frustrating moments while learning Spanish, and look at me now. All that hard work had paid off. 

It's things like that. Traveling increases your self confidence by 10 fold. If I can do this, I can do a lot more than I thought too!
When Dinh and I met at the end of the day, I asked him what he did. He described how he hiked up a mountain with a guide and watched a special ceremony . I was bummed I missed out on the opportunity, but he had some pretty cool pictures to show me. 

Before departing Chichi, we stumbled upon an old church. There were people burning incense around the entrance. 

Suddenly, a mass of people poured out, along with 6 men carrying a casket. As soon as they exited the church, they spun around harmoniously about 5 times. I was perplexed, but later found out this was to confuse the evil spirits so they didn't follow the deceased person to the other side.

 I watched as the large crowd creeped closer, heading straight towards me. I stepped aside and the coffin whizzed by my ears while the mourning family and friends followed. Such a moving moment to be in such proximity of. 

I'm really starting to love Guatemalans. Chichicastenago was such a rich experience to mingle with these friendly folks. 
At the end of day, I was extremely satisfied with my purchases. I'm so excited to give them all to my family and friends!!

"The most beautiful lake in the world"

Being on the road for a month and a half can create some undo stress. And also some tight shoulders and a sore butt. 
After departing Antigua, we steered our Forerunner towards Lake Atitlan to rest our bones. I was curious, especially since a German explorer named Alexander Humboldt called it "The most beautiful lake in the world" in the early 1800's, and the phrase stuck.
Let's find out. 

It took a little talking into to get Dinh to go. As usual.
I explained that it was the deepest lake in Central America. 1,120 feet. We HAD to go see it!
After driving an extremely windy road, we set up camp for a couple nights in the small town of Panajachel. 

We found an economical hotel owned by a very hospitable man whom had triplets. Pretty cool. 
With no reservations, we caught a boat one morning that took us on a 15 minute ride to a hotel called "Casa del Mundo". We had heard rave reviews from Julie and David, the couple that owns the orphanage in Jalapa. 
The boat that carried us to this magical spot was just big enough to fit 20 people, max. The motor in the back revved as it seared through the green crystal clear water. 

As soon as we stepped foot on the "Casa del Mundo" dock, we met the owner, Bill. 

After getting settled into our quaint room with a spectacular view of the lake, we talk story with Bill and discover that he's from Alaska originally . My kind of guy . 
Casa del Mundo was this unique, hobbit-like hotel, built over many years by Bill and his Guatemalan wife. It was quite impressive.

 We planned to stay 3 nights, but ended up staying for 5. It easily earned the award as my favorite destination of our trip. 
The tranquil vibe mixed with the romantic feel of being nestled on the side of a mountain overlooking a peaceful lake was enough for me to fall in love with it. 
Surrounded by 3 volcanoes, Lake Atitlan is about 10 miles long and 5 miles wide and speckled with the occasional Mayan village on its shores. 13 to be exact. 

Gazing at the breathtaking view, I imagined a mythical lake monster making his home out of Lake Atitlan. My creative mind relished in this kind of environment and I decided it would be a great place to write a book. Some day....
Since the waves on the lake can get somewhat rocky towards the afternoon, Dinh and I putzed around in a kayak one still morning. We discover that the lake is beautiful from all angles. Coasting by houses perched on rocks and fishermen in small wooden boats, we wave with a friendly "buenas dias!"

Bill explained that he lost some of his real estate when the lake rose 15 feet over the last few years. Seeing some of the submerged property was like looking at a sunken ship. 
During a hurricane in 2010, the sewage treatment plant for the 13 villages was destroyed. So guess where the doo-doo goes now?
Yup. 
In the lake. 
Because of this sanitation problem, we didn't swim in the lake, or eat any fish from the lake. Ewwwey.
The food at Casa del Mundo was delicious, albeit a little pricey, so we found a restaurant in the nearby village that was a fraction of the price. It was owned by a German guy named Hans. He was like the saint for the whole village. The village kids came to him to use his internet and to rent his bikes. 

He was the go-to man and had really helped out the community throughout the years. The restaurant had 3 tables, which were full morning til' night. The majority of the customers were expats from all over the world, who moved to Guatemala for a better life. We had numerous quality conversations with these interesting individuals, all the while surrounded by Hans's dogs, chicken and ducks.
At least twice a day, Dinh and I would make the 10 minute trek along the shoreline, through the woods, then through the village, to Hans's restaurant. 
We took the water taxi to explore a few of the neighboring villages one day. We simply flagged down one of the water taxis passing by and hopped on. After a short while, we were in the village of San Juan. 

Filled with amicable locals, we enjoyed walking around the village, witnessing their daily life. 

The locals still wear traditional Mayan clothes. Pretty neat-o. The women wear shirts and skirts that are intricately embroidered. It's so beautiful to see.  

After 5 fun-filled days, we left with fond memories of the area and vowed to return again one day. It was the perfect place to slay our stress.
On our last night, there was a lightening storm. The flickering lights sporadically lit up the sky behind the volcanoes, giving us a glimpse of the amazing landscape for a split second. It was such a memorable moment.
Til' next time Casa del Mundo!!

Some things you might see in Guatemala

Here's a photo essay on some things you might see in Guatemala:
You might see a dog on a roof.....

You might see ladies carrying things on their heads......

You might see grass growing on roofs.......

You might see a blind man playing jingle bells on his harmonic with his zipper down......

Here's a video of it:

You might see ladies carrying their babies like this.......

You might see this old lady......

 Or this old man......

Or this old man carrying bamboo..........

You might see this albino girl trying to sell you a necklace (For some reason, we saw a lot of albinos in Guatemala)........

You might see a man carrying a machete (this is a guarantee).....

OR you might see these crazy fools riding around in a tuk-tuk......