Tracy Carolyn Photography

These photos are from our neighborhood in Granada. Be careful – they may give you the wrong impression about how we are living these days.  Despite the very authentic flavor of our neighborhood, I wouldn’t for a second pretend we live like the locals around here.  We definitely live like the expats.Our apartment complex was designed and built by our landlord, a nice guy from Texas who moved here 12 years ago.  He rents the place out to people who are considering moving to Nicaragua and want to give it a test run for a few months.  The building has every amenity a US expat would expect, including a rooftop with hammocks to lounge in, a courtyard with a pool, security guards on duty 24/7 and a nice staff that cleans our apartment while we are out.   I’m pretty sure this is not how the locals live.

About four blocks away are two modern grocery stores, each of which carry a variety of imported US products and produce.  I refuse to buy the apples that are imported from the states (why would you when the pineapple is so good!), but I have totally indulged in treats like chocolate chip cookie mix and peanut butter.  When I’m tucked away in our apartment using the WIFI, it could be easy to forget there is a third world country just outside the gate.  But I only need to step out into the streets and see horse drawn carriages, Chicken Busses, and litter (oh, the endless litter) to remember where I am.  I can be instantly immersed in the culture of our little neighborhood, and then retreat to my apartment when I’m ready.  

It’s a nice existence.  At times I feel a little guilty that we aren’t living just like the locals (remember the bunkerlike place in San Juan del Sur?  Couldn’t do it.)  But John reminded me that we’re still getting far more immersed in the culture than we would if we just came to Nicaragua for a week and stayed at nice hotels.  We really are getting a sense for what life is like around here, and enjoying it.

I’m so glad we chose to return to Granada from San Juan del Sur, and a little bummed we’re only here for two more weeks.  Nicaragua is a wonderful place.  I can completely understand why so many people from the states decide to call it home.

It has been decided:  we are lake people.

Yes, the ocean is gorgeous.  I love the sound of the waves, enjoying lolling about in the movement of the water, and can’t deny the beauty of a pristine white sand beach.  It’s quite lovely.  But for the most part, I think John and I would choose a lake over the ocean most days of the week.

There’s just something more interesting about lakes than beaches.  Lakes are usually surrounded (or created) by mountains or volcanoes, and in the tropics they have lush greenery all the way up to their shores, giving you that nice secluded feeling.  You can sit at the waterfront of a lake and read a book in the shade of a nice tree, rather than having to swelter in the direct sun or lug in your own shade (ie an umbrella.)  Compared to the bustle of a beach, the energy around a lake feels peaceful and serene.

So it came to no surprise that Laguna de Apoyo agreed with us.  We spent the day here, paddling around in kayaks, floating in inner tubes, and swimming in the warm, clear water.  The lake is only a 40 minute drive out of Granada, but it feels like an isolated oasis.

A lake in the crater of an extinct volcano, Laguna de Apoyo is nearly 700 feet deep and over 3.5 miles wide.  The water is clear and clean, and the area is vastly undeveloped.   At the moment there are only two small hostels and several dozen private homes on the lake, all tucked into the lush greenery so you can barely see them.  When you paddle out toward the middle of the lake, you feel like you have the whole thing to yourself.

I doubt this undeveloped state will last long – we witnessed a filming of Househunters International while we were enjoying the scenery.  (If you see the episode, we are the loud people in the background while the couple is supposedly “making their decision.”  This is our second run in with this show already, and I am confident we didn’t interrupt any authentic deliberation.  At best the show is simply inexact reenactment.)  With its easily accessible location close to the major cities of Granada and Managua, I’m sure all the pristine lakefront property will be snatched up in no time.

Despite the film crew’s temporary invasion of our peaceful lakeside haunt, we thoroughly enjoyed our little day trip.  We can now add Laguna de Apoyo to our long list of lovable lakes.

It’s October, which means in the US everything is pumpkin flavored.  Coffee, bread, muffins, ravioli, you name it people will put pumpkin in it.  I know this.  I did it myself last year.  I love pumpkin.  But since we are decidedly not in the states this October, we’re enjoying the distinct flavors of tropical fruits instead.

A still life fruit salad doesn’t make the most fascinating photography, but its the best way I had to document some of our fruit selection.  I had intended to photograph it at the market, but the market in Granada is hectic.  Stalls overlap one another under the shade of metal roofs or tents, the walkways create a narrow maze, and people push through from every side (often carrying huge sacks of rice or baskets of fish.)  A stall selling children’s clothing sits next to a butcher (nauseating smells are free!) which sits next to baskets of produce.  It’s chaotic and dark – a horrible combination for photography.

So instead of trying to photograph the market, I chose to just photograph some of our fruit post-purchase.  I realize some is more interesting than others, but its still pretty cool to get it all locally for cheap.

Here’s a little rundown:

Pineapple  You know this one.  The pineapples here are juicy, sweet, and abundant.  This one cost us about US$0.50.  Good thing they are cheap – we inhaled this entire thing in about 18 hours and are ready to buy another.

Carambola (Star Fruit)  Probably not unfamiliar, either.  Orange with green edges, this fruit slices into the shape of stars.  It’s sour and kind of like an orange.

Pitaya (Dragonfruit)  This fruit is magenta and shaped like an artichoke.  Inside, the flesh looks like a giant beet with little black seeds.  It’s sweet, firm and kinda tasty, but very messy.  Like a beet, it leaves red juices everywhere and stains your hands.  John looked like a vampire white eating it.

Calala (Passion Fruit)  Green and round, when you cut open this fruit the inside looks like a sludge of seeds.  We learned in Peru that you are supposed to swallow the seeds whole along with the goo that surrounds them.  Its slimy and a bit sour – not my favorite thing to eat.  I have an issue with textures.

Rambutan (lychee variant)  John dubbed these ‘hairy berries’ when he bought them on a bus ride a few weeks ago.  They look like little sea urchins, but are relatively easy to crack open.  The inside looks like an eyeball – a clearish globe that tastes like a mix of berry and plum.

We’ve also purchased coconuts, oranges, and bananas, I just didn’t photograph them.  They’re all tasty – I’m a big fan of the small bananas that are sweeter and more flavorful than what you find at home.

Enjoy your pumpkin-spiced October, US friends!  I’ll look forward to PumpkinFest 2013, but for now I’m off to buy another pineapple.

I had such hopes for San Juan del Sur.  Several of my friends have visited there, and had wonderful things to say.  It’s home to consistently good surfing and loads of expats.  Before our arrival, we expected to fall in love with this place and happily land in a month-long apartment lease.  Turns out that just wasn’t meant to be.

We arrived in San Juan del Sur in the afternoon.  After settling into a cheap hostel for the night, we took on the task of finding a place to live.  With the power of the internet I was able to locate several vacation rentals, most of which were incredibly luxurious, all of which had high monthly rental rates.  These spaces were gorgeous, and most of them sported a view from the hilltop.  But while spending US$100-$150 per night on lodging is completely reasonable during a week long vacation, it simply isn’t feasible for us on our World Tour budget.  In a country as cheap as Nicaragua, we had a hard time swallowing such high rents.  With the luxury options thoroughly discarded, we took to the streets to find simpler, less expensive accommodations.Sadly, while the housing in town was much more budget friendly, it was a bit below the standard of living that I can handle as a somewhat spoiled gringa.

One place was essentially a concrete bunker moonlighting as a studio apartment (it only cost US$7 a night, but living in a windowless concrete room might make you want to kill yourself after a day.)  Another offer came from a woman who would move out of her house and live in the back room of her clothing store while you rented her apartment.  It wasn’t a terrible option (and quite cheap), but the fridge was still full of her food, the walls covered in photos of her kids, and her clothes were still on the floor.  There was no internet, but she assured us that her family’s house down the street had wireless that we could mooch off of for an additional fee (if it would work.)  It turned out to be our best option, but it felt awkward and wrong.

Try as we might, we couldn’t find any rentals that were more mid-range.  We didn’t need luxury, but we also wanted a place that didn’t have a toilet next to the bed.  No such luck.  Renting a room in a hostel with a shared kitchen appeared to be the most mid-range option available, one that only works for me if the rest of the clientele aren’t partying all the time.  The blaring music and advertised drink specials didn’t bode well for a peaceful hostel existence.  I dismissed the option immediately.

In addition to our dismay at the housing situation, we discovered that the energy of San Juan del Sur didn’t suit either of us.  There are surfer dudes everywhere, party hostels on most streets, and a general vibe that didn’t feel right.  From the moment we got off the bus, John and I found ourselves feeling on edge and uncomfortable.  The energy of a place can really effect me (yes, I’m a hippie dippy person who cares about the energy of a space), and this one wasn’t working.

That evening, still unsure of what we wanted to do, I shut myself in our hostel room to practice yoga and clear my mind.  My practice was horrible, and my mood deteriorated.  When I emerged from our room to the common space, I was in a funk.

John, however, looked happy.  While I had been trying to practice, he had been searching the web for apartments – in Granada.  And he’d found a gem.  After I approved of the photos on the web, John called the landlord and made plans for us to return the following day and settle in an amazing, inexpensive complex.  Immediately, my mood perked up.

Later that night as we walked on the beach, I felt a little bit of guilt that we were bailing on San Juan del Sur so quickly.  In retrospect, however, I can completely understand why the reviews of vacationing friends wasn’t an accurate predictor of where we’d want to live.  Staying at a surf camp on the beach or in a semi-luxurious house on the hill for a week was probably an amazing experience.  Living there for a month on a smaller budget just wasn’t the same.

A couple we met in Peru had described San Juan del Sur to us as essentially a nice place with a lot of young people that was great for a visit.  In the end, we agreed with them.  Though our visit to San Juan del Sur was less than 24 hours, I can see why its a great place for young people to hang for a week or two, and a great place to take a vacation.  It just wasn’t the right place for us to live.  I’m so glad we didn’t have anything committed there and were able to change our plans so easily on the fly.

I would have liked to take just one surfing lesson in San Juan del Sur, but I wasn’t willing to hang around for a another day in order to make it happen.  We left the next morning for Granada, and we haven’t regretted the decision once.

After we left Merida, we stopped in Santa Cruz for a night.  I wanted to see the jungle side of the island, and Santa Cruz delivered.  I’m not usually much interested in nature photography, but something about Ometepe just begs you to photograph the flowers and insects.

Ometepe is like a giant garden of tropical flowers and fruits, swarmed with huge and amazing insects.  Ok, maybe not swarmed.  That sounds terrible.  Let’s just say they are everywhere.

The bee below is really just average – I couldn’t capture a shot of the gigantic ones buzzing around.  You’d think with how large they are I’d have an easy time catching them, but they did not like my camera.  I can’t blame them.  I don’t like having my photo taken, either.It’s hard to catch the butterflies still enough for photos, but they are so stunning that I kept trying.  I missed more than I captured.  There are gorgeous blue ones, bright white ones, and several others in delicate patterns of vivid colors.In addition to the butterflies and bees, there are enormous dragon flies, ants, and several bugs we couldn’t recognize.  And, of course, mosquitos.  Lots of them.  Oh well, a few bites are just the price of admission when you visit a lush tropical island.I think this is the best butterfly shot I got.  When you get over the creepy insect qualities, they are really very beautiful.Sick of looking at flowers and butterflies?  Here – look at some impressively large fruits instead.
Once I’d finally had my fill of stalking butterflies, we rented mountain bikes and biked to the local swimming hole, Ojo del Agua.The spot is essentially a giant swimming pool of volcanic waters (think hot springs but refreshingly cool instead of swelteringly hot and no sulfur smell.)  I heard some complaints that the space is too “man made” but we didn’t mind.  There were hardly any other people there beside us, so it felt like a nice quiet oasis surrounded by lush landscape.  Just ignore the overpriced bar/restaurant and focus on the rope swing instead.  Delightful.With several days of tourist mode behind us we left the island, our legs riddled with mosquito bites, ready to find a place to settle down and live for a while.  With this objective in mind, we bussed to San Juan del Sur.  Unfortunately, that town didn’t offer quite what we were after.  That story coming soon!