Before visiting Nicaragua for the first time, I had really low expectations on this country. I didn’t know many people who had been there before, and anyways none of them appeared to be particularly impressed with it. It was not meant to be the highlight of my trip through Central America, but I quickly fell in love with it – so much so that after my first visit I went back two more times. As I quickly learned once there, Nicaragua actually … [Read more...]
El Salvador Wedding and Lago De Coatepeque
I am sitting on the edge of Lago De Coatepeque in El Salvador on an early morning - wakened early by the suns first rays hitting my face from my cozy spot on the floor, wedged between two sofas. Last night I vaguely remembered stumbling in around 2am. Lacking in the sleep department and heavy in the alcohol recovery, I feel surprisingly well for just a few hours of sleep. Last night was a blur, it was my cousin's wedding and it was epic. The … [Read more...]
On Trust & Traveling & Treasure Making
Part I ~ Friendship I thought about trust a lot the other day. I was on my way to photograph a house in the Isletas. There are 300+ islands in Lake Nicaragua close to Granada. It is my favorite place to immerse myself in nature and retreat from the stifling heat of the city. I thought to rustle up a group to join me but soon realized with schedules and distances and timelines we were not going to connect. I am always a bit wary when I am out … [Read more...]
A Nicaraguan Pirate Story
Chapter I: The Introduction He filled the doorway and peered down at me with eyes the color of the deep blue sea. “You must be Louise” he said, “Come in”. The familiarity startled me a little. It had been one of those weeks where the city water was on for just a few hours a day. Bathing was barely an option. Doing laundry was not. Nothing was clean. Black board shorts and a matching tank top would have to do. The two bus, one van, and one … [Read more...]
Five Selfish Reasons to Add Volunteering to your Travels
Let’s face it; volunteering our time and effort to a worthy cause is a nice, feel-good thing to do. For many of us, however, the idea of doing work when we could otherwise be relaxing on a beach or exploring the jungle just sounds … crazy. We’re traveling to enjoy life, not to waste our precious time milking cows or digging ditches. Well, I’d like to help you see the light: not only can volunteering let you to contribute directly to a cause … [Read more...]
The Howler Monkeys of Nicaragua
A deafening jungle downpour assaulted the clay roof of my cousin, Rob’s Nicaraguan ranch house. Lying snug in bed, I foresaw the cancellation of our excursion at first light to track the elusive Mantled Howler Monkeys. Every day for the last week, I’d been woken by the guttural roaring of howlers somewhere off in the Mombacho jungle, but I had yet to lay eyes on one. The fierce rain was so loud from inside the house that even if they were calling … [Read more...]
Conned By An Entire Community?
We'd been in Nepal's bustling capital city less than 24 hours. In what has become routine upon arriving in a new city, I was up around sunrise eager to wander out and explore the streets of a place that's been a dream of mine for over a decade. Like every other SE Asian country's capital, Kathmandu's streets are chaotic. Chaotic, I said. The roads are awful. Resembling heavily bombed strips of concrete, the streets are extremely fractured and … [Read more...]
Bolongo Bay
Ever felt lost at a giant all-inclusive Caribbean resort? It’s not an unfamiliar feeling in a one-size-fits-all place with thousands of rooms and even more guests milling about where you’re a face in the crowd, a colored bracelet on your wrist. Not so at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort on St. Thomas. This super-cozy, 62-room resort has been run by the Doumeng family for more than 40 years, where they know your name the instant you arrive and use it … [Read more...]
Moon Nicaragua
Moon Nicaragua by Joshua Berman and Randall Wood This in depth guide book is an excellent resource for travelers to Nicaragua, central America's largest and least populated country. Travel in Nicaragua is generally for Independent travelers - and getting off the tourist beaten path is extremely easy (we know, we've been here before)! Nicaragua is certainly not neighboring Costa Rica in terms of tourist development - but there is just as much … [Read more...]
Addicted
Hello, my name is Nicole, and I am an addict. Hello Nicole. The realization of my addiction came at the point where most addictions come, in a dark, dingy hotel room, alone, surrounded by pink pills. The only difference was that I did not have a needle up my arm and I was not in the center of downtown LA. I was in Puerto Rico, and was in my right, conscious state of mine (which I don't know if that makes it better or worse.) As I laid … [Read more...]