Granada

We decided that we did not want to spend the weekend in Managua so we took a trip into Granada. Our bus driver was trying to break the speed record in getting here! We took a Buseta which holds about 15 people, takes one hour and it cost us $2US...not so bad. Granada is the oldest city in the Americas and it has a very different atmosphere than Managua. You can see ALOT more tourists and the whole feeling is lighter. The architecture is amazing and the centre park is really fun with people selling all kinds of food and trinkets! Let's just say I am happy to be here! There are alot of things to see and local areas to explore. We are thinking to visit Laguna de Apoyo tomorrow and perhaps the little islands {Las Isletas] on Sunday. We also discovered a Canadian owned shop called Mavericks. The owners name is Nadine and she has been in Granada for about 2 years running her store. She sells coffee, tea,local art, clothes and books with a gorgeous courtyard to take a break. It was fun to have met with her.

We also had the opportunity the met with a former student of FCLI, Karla. It was fun to meet with her and practise our spanish. We also laughed, because now the roles are revised, she is the teacher and information provider and I am the student learning new things everyday!

now Karl"s corner
Comment allez vous. Monika a decide de me laisser un petit coin pour ecrire mes penses et on a decide d appeler ca Karl s corner . Je sui content d etre ici A Granada pcq Monika peu enfin voir un cote du Nicaragua qui lui donne confiance en notre projet,avec tout ce que les gens disent du Nicaragua ce pays reste meconnue et Managua n est pas mais pas du tout ce que le pays est vraiement. Ici on rencontre plein de gens qui font comme nous ,soit voyager soit pour partir une business soit pour acheter une maison et se retirer. Saviez vous que Granada etais une sinon la plus vieille ville of the Americas et oui . Beaucoup de canadien de l ouest et de l est ,europeen aussi ,moin d americains , ils disent que c est le prochain ANTIGUA. Demain le Laguna de apoyo , j aimerais rencontrer une canadienne qui a parti une auberge sur le bord de la Lagune et discuter de ses experiences .Venez nous voir demain j aimerais partager avec vous mes experiences.Oh oui mon espagnol de s ammeliore pas, je suis tout melange.

Sites of Managua

Day 4 in Managua...the city is becoming easier to wander around. We also have met Oscar the Taxi driver who is a great driver and a great man! He has given us his cell phone so all we have to do is call and he is pretty much there! It costs us 30cords ($2US to go anywhere in the city).

We made it to the Canadian embassy today. An interesting experience as they do not speak English at the reception. They do speak French and of course Spanish. Needless to say, Karl did all the talking. We then headed to MetroCentro for a great Nicaraguan grown coffee. Our other adventure of the day took as to Laguna Tiscapo. This is a volcanic lagoon in the middle of the city with alot of history from the Samoza's, offering a Canopy tour and great views of both Lake Nicaragua to the north and the new Cathedral (with a very interesting design) to the south.

Sorry no photos today...we did not bring the camera. Look forward to posting some photos tomorrow and new info!
Bonne journee, on se donne un goal par jours et il me semble qu on avance ,aujourd hui c etait l authentification des documents notaries par notre notaire et ensuite authentifie par la chambre des notaire du quebec et ensuite authentifie par le consulat du canada au nicaragua pcq nous n avons pas d embassade du nicaragua au canada,,,,,, est se que vous me suivez,,, anyway cela a bien ete.Prochaine etape former une petite entreprise "libro commerciante" ou persona natural pour obtenir notre carta de residentia(resident permanent) ce qui nous permettra de rester au pays sans avoir a sortir(if I can pull it off,,,so far so good). Je vais vous tenir au courant de ce processus.Demain j aimerais bien aller a Granada,,,,,, Tant qu a attendre des documents nous irons voir du pays.

More of Managua

Las Ruinas de la Cathredal Vieja

We moved this morning to a hospadaje called Casa Vanegas which is run surprisingly by the Vanegas family. It is in the same neighborhood as our other hotel...only about 5 blocks from the Crowne Plaza where the famous Howard Hughes stayed.

Casa Vanegas is a family oriented hostel with about 6 rooms. The family is a wonderful group of people....Marielena, Yvonne & Arlene make you feel at home and part of the family...small place but with alot of heart and care put into it. It is exactly what we are looking for! And much more economical for our budget! We even get to enjoy Marielena's home cooking and tonight it is Spagetthi Bolognese! Yummy!

We spent part of the afternoon walking around Lago Nicaragua and seeing the old historical sites as per the photo posted. This cathedral was ruined in the earthquake in 1972 and was never rebuilt due to lack of funds. It is a beautiful building. We also walked through the Palacio Nacional de Cultura where you can see art, artifacts and also tributes to the famous Nicaraguan poet Ruben Dario. Walking around the lake was interesting...it has a boardwalk which was pretty quiet at this time of year. It is a beautiful part of town...it is just really unfortunate that the Lake is so polluted and contaiminated that you cannot have any water activites on the lake. Maybe it will change in a few years!
To end the day, we took a ride out to the MetroCentro which is a big modern higher end mall. There we took a Nicaraguan coffee and enjoyed the air conditioning as today reached about 33 degrees. We got a taste of what Managua will be in 10 years!

Leon & Playa des Rocas

We had a great day yesterday with our guides Carlos & Luis. With them we were able to see alot in a short time.

Our first destination was Leon. On the way, we were able to see many small villages, fincas (farms), and factories. We were also able to see the everyday living of the people. On the way back to Managua we stopped at this beautiful beach called Playa des Rocas. All along the beach there are homes, small hotels and restaurants. We decided on a restaurant and ate some great fresh fish and drank some icy cold beer. We also decided to take a swim which was a great refresher from the really hot day!
It was a great day and we look forward to more of the same!
J avais juste une idee dans la tete et c etais de plongee dans la mer et c est exactement ce qu on a fait hier ,on dirais que maintenant je peux relaxer et passer a autre choses.Nous pensons passer qq jours a Managua pour visiter et s informer des possibilitees.

We're Here!

It is Sunday morning and Karl and I are relaxing in our wonderful hotel in downtown Managua. We had an extremely LONG day of travel yesterday from being at the airport in Toronto at 4:30 am and then having a 7 hour layover in San Salvador for our plane to Managua! The flights were smooth with excellent service.
Immigration into Nicaragua was a bit of an experience as they only gave us a 30 day visa. This only means we have to go to the INTUR office to extend...not that big of a deal...we just thought we were going to have at least 90 days.
We had reserved a hotel from our Nicaragua information site called El Conquistador and they met us at the airport with a great big smile and welcome. The accomodations are clean, spacious (we have a huge room) with a private bath and they serve breakfast. We would recommend it to anyone!
Today we are relaxing and taking in the sites, smells and tastes of Managua. We will probably take up an offer from one of the staff at the hotel to take us around town...he is a really nice guy and it will be a great way for us to practise our Spanish (just for the record Karl is doing really well, me well, the words are in my head, I just have to get them over my tongue!)

Quelques petits mots en francais ca fait du bien aussi.nous sommes bien heureux d etre arrive et aussi tellement content de parler un peu espagnol car malgre que le tourisme semble vouloir decoller les gens ne parle pas vraiment l anglais et ce meme a l areoport. Je peux vous dire qu il y a toute une difference entre le nicaragua de 1995 et celui de ce matin mais ca on va avoir le temps de le decouvrir et ce n est pas ce matin qu on fera un portrait general. nous allons poster tres regulierement alors svp revenez nous voir.Oh voyez vous CHE sur la photo.

Nicaragua Here we Come!

Karl's brother Eric surfing!

Friday March 24, 2006

Karl and I are here in Missassauga at the Travelodge on Dixon Rd. spending the night to catch our 8:05 am flight to San Salvador with a 7 hour layover onto Managua, Nicaragua arriving at 8:30 PM! We have planned a pick up at the airport with the driver from El Conquistador hotel right in the heart of downtown Managua. Karl is looking forward to seeing what has changed since his last visit in '95...and me, well, I am really looking forward to meeting the people and more about the culture and language. We are also trying to arrange a meeting with Karla, who I met through FCLI, who is a Nicaraguan and goes to school at UPOLI university in Managua. We have been in contact with her and are looking forward to seeing her!

We have spent an amazing 4 months at the chalet that we cannot even begin to describe what it provided for each of each of us and now we are ready to continue our journey onto Central America...specifically Nicaragua.

We travelled from Montreal from Charlotte & Gille's apt onto Burlington to visit with Henry and show Karl my "old" turf. It was a fun, exciting and thoughtful filled day.

Please return to our blog to learn about where and what we are doing and we promise to share our Nicaraguan adventures with you so you can learn more about this intriguing and wonderful country and culture.

Merci de nous visiter et svp restez en contacte avec nous,Karl et Monika.

Visiting my Old Neighborhood

THANK YOU , THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I want to extend a true thank you to everyone for making my visit to Ontario very complete and special. Everyone made such an effort to make our meetings happen and I really appreciate the time that was spent together.
Coming back to Toronto after 4 years of being in BC was like completing a circle. It was great to see my old neighborhood and to see the changes and the things that had stayed the same. It also made me realize that I am really content and sure of my decisions and choices that I have made for myself and my life direction.
Karl and I are moving forward with our plans to travel and we will keep you posted. We are thinking the end of March or early April. We are considering our options and are very much enjoying being very free to be able to make spur of the moment choices.
Keep checking the blog for more news!

Skiing Mt. Benker (actually Mt. Garceau)!

Since there is sooooo much snow, might as well take advantage of it! We woke up today to a perfect day for skiing...sun, snow and mild temperature. The photos are taken on the top of Mt. Garceau in St. Donat that Karl has renamed...Mt. Benker :)
Soon, you will see a different climate...that of sun, surf and sand! We are planning for the last week of March. We know...it is longer than anticipated, but we decided to enjoy the moments that were offered here in Quebec.
You never know, these "plans" may change...and that is totally OK! That is what we are here for....going with the flow and appreciating life as it presents itself. We are thankful and we hope that everyone would do the same for themselves. We chose this path and it really feels great!
Thanks for visiting and keeping in touch! We will continue to post new things.
Hasta luego amigos!