harmonia: Experiencing your dreams

Hotel management au Bucaneer Inn

2008-04-02T19:40:00.003-07:00

Eh oui, nous voici maintenant manager au Buccaneer Inn à Nanaimo. Depuis maintenant un mois que nous sommes ici et apprenons la façon dont fonctionne ce petit hôtel de 13 chambres. Notre travaille consiste à recevoir les gens prendre des réservations organiser les activités et aider au bon fonctionnement de ce petit hôtel. Dave et Marlene sont les propriétaires de cet établissement et leurs professionnalisme et

leur expérience nous permettra d apprendre et de nous améliorer dans le management hôtelier. L’été s en vient et la grosse saison aussi. Nous prenons du temps pour connaitre les compagnies d’aventure et apprenons à connaitre la communauté .Nanaimo offre des activités de toute sortes kayak de mer, plongée sous marine randonnée pédestre etc. whale watching et plusieurs sites intéressant a visiter. Nous sommes en train d améliorer notre site web en incluant une section hôtel management et continuons d’organiser des séjours d immersions au Costa Rica et offrons maintenant de l’immersion en anglais ici a Victoria. Dans notre nouvelle section Hôtel Management expliquant notre curriculum et endroit ou nous avons travaillé depuis deux ans nous donnerons des trucs pour les couples qui aiment voyager et aiment travailler avec les gens en vacance. Allez faire un tour sur notre site et donnez nous des idées ou votre feedback.www.harmoniacasa.com

Salut

Buccaneer Inn, Nanaimo, British Columbia

2008-03-22T10:07:00.004-07:00

Hello everyone from us here in Nanaimo! We have now been here and working at The Buccaneer Inn for 3 weeks. It was a bit stressful during the learning period and now that we have some experience under our belt, it feels more comfortable.

The Buccaneer has 13 rooms and for the majority of nights we have worked, we have been full! We are a 2 minutes from the Departure Bay ferry terminal and a 40 min walk along the water to downtown Nanaimo. We have a great view of the channel and Newcastle Island from our front window and can watch the boats and float planes come and go. We can see and almost touch Newcastle Island which has no cars or houses and offers lots of hiking trails, camping and excellent kayaking. I am looking forward to exploring by kayak & foot and also do to some camping on it!

A big thank you to Klaus (my awesome brother) for coming to spend the day with us and to check out our new surroundings. He treated us to lunch at the Dinghy Dock Pub which is a floating pub in Nanaimo. It is a fun 10 minute ferry ride from the dock in downtown to Protection Island where the pub is located. Definately a must do when you are in Nanaimo! It was a great way to spend the day with my two favourite men!

We are slowly learning more about our new emvironment of Nanaimo and getting to know where things are for us as well as for our guests. Definately check out the website http://www.buccaneerinn.com/ and keep in touch and maybe we will see you here soon!

Happy 2008!!

2008-02-21T19:19:00.006-08:00

Hello to everyone...this time from Victoria, BC, Canada. We have been back in Canada since November and we were able to spend some wonderful time reconnecting with family and friends and spend the holidays at home (Karl in Quebec and me in Victoria). I joined Karl in Montreal to celebrate 2008 and it was there that we decided to settle for some time on the West Coast. We researched different options for travel and finally decided we were going to drive!...in January no less!

It was an amazing experience and I am so excited and content to have done it and actually drive across Canada! 5000 km...five nights and six days...our country is so huge and different in every province...

We picked a perfect time to leave Montreal as the week after we arrived to Victoria there were storms and freezing temperatures all across Canada. The coldest we experienced was -35 in Northern Ontario.

We packed Karl's 1994 Toyota Tercel with all of our stuff and headed out with an excellent breakfast and send off from Karl's Mom. It was a bit stormy and hit some traffic and bad weather in Ottawa. It took us a total of 3 days to cross Ontario alone! That is one big province!! I also have to say that Saskatchewan is one flat province (photo above) and not that exciting to drive through except for the odd coyote in the endless fields!

It was totally amazing coming into the Rockies...the grandeur of the mountains is really breathtaking and gives you a different perspective of life and the true beauty of nature.

We pretty much visited every Tim Hortons across the country making the observation that there are definately more Timmys in the East and Starbucks as you come West. I also came to appreciate the simplicity of the old style motels. They surprised me as I had the preconceived idea of what they would be like but I can say they were all really clean and more comfortable then the large chain hotels and of course a lot less expensive. They were perfect for our purpose and our budget!!

We live in a truly beautiful and diverse country and I can truly appreciate and respect all that we ahve here in Canada especially after living abroad for the past few years. We look forward to setting up here and we will definately keep you all posted with regards to our new adventures! Looking forward to a wonderful 2008 in Canada!

Cheers, Monika

KARL'S KORNER

Eh oui, nous voici maintenant a Victoria en Colombie Britannique. Nous avons passé du bon temps au Québec toute la famille ensemble avant de prendre la route moi et Monika depuis le Québec jusqu en Colombie Britannique. Nous vivons ici a Victoria chez des amis( Carlos et Nancy )depuis maintenant 3 semaines. J en profite pour prendre de bonne marche et revoir mes repères .Nous partons pour Nanaimo la semaine prochaine .Notre nouveau projet sera de s’occuper d un petit hôtel de 13 chambres le http://www.buccaneerinn.com/index.htm situé près de departure bay ferry (avec vue sur une marina).
Allez voir le site je pense que le challenge sera bon. Nous pourrons faire les activités qu on aime tels, randonnée pédestre, plongée, kayak de mer .
Nous avons l intention de reprendre régulièrement l écriture du blog alors revenez nous voir sur le Web ou simplement a Nanaimo.

Saludos a todos

Its Been a While...

2007-08-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! Its about time we caught up on here...

We passed a smooth few weeks here at the B&B. We had the experience of quite a few families from France and the US. It is alot of fun to have the little kids around and to see their eyes light up with excitement. Activity wise, we have been pretty quiet which gave us a chance to spruce up the van a little bit with a brand new battery and to finnaly repair the leaking oil! Nothing major, just minor details! We also ( I always say we, but it is actually Karl that does the work :)) painted the kitchen...it is a really nice and warm green. We have also made some adjustments to the suite royal (bodega turned into our room when we are full :)). Little by little, small changes that make it more our place.

Baby Gabrielle from France (6months)

Our New Green Kitchen

We have some reservations coming in for December which I find incredible, but before you know it the Holidays will be at our door!!

Today we had a little visitor in our garden...we don't know what type of bird but we have adopted Big Bird into our backyard. If anyone know what type of bird he might be, please let us know!

Big Bird

Happy Days with Peace and Friendship...Pura Vida!

Costa Rica Mo

Cacao Plantation & Rafting

2007-07-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

We have returned from Nicaragua and boy what a different country compared to Costa Rica. It is amazing how different we view Nica now since being in CR. We can feel a different vibe with the new Ortega government. Vamos a ver to see what will happen. Because of this situation in Nica, we recently cancelled our residencia. You would think this would be a pretty straight procedure…a lot of paperwork and money and waiting finally finished the process. We still have to wait to see if we will be able to receive our deposit back…We will keep following up and hopefully it will all come out for the best.
A semi tranquillo week here at the B&B. I organized a cacao plantation tour and white water rafting day for Karl and a client named Roger (from Texas). They had a great day learning about the cacao and its significance and how it is processed and the importance of this product for the Mayans. It was also Karlès first time for rafting…a great day had by all!
This week we have a client that will be staying with a homestay family for 3 months. I am excited and looking forward to the meeting as I know everyone will have an excellent experience.
That is it from Grecia…we would love to hear what is new with al of you! Send us an email and keep in touch!
Pura Vida…Moni

The Chocolate Pod...inside are the cacao beans...umm chocolate :)

Cette fin de semaine nous avons visite une plantation de cacao, très intéressant, nous avons pu voir la transformation depuis l arbre jusqu au chocolat comme on le connaît.
Nous sommes arrive a la plantation de cacao Tirimbina situe dans la région de Sarapiqui a temps pour notre rendez vous de 9 h am avec notre guide Wendy.
La région de Sarapiqui est merveilleuse pour ses montagnes sa foret et sa fameuse rivière répute pour ces descentes en rafting .Nous commençons notre marche vers la plantation en traversant le deuxième plus long pont suspendu du Costa rica au dessus de la rivière Sarapiqui qui ces temps ci coule a flot a cause des pluies journalière .Nous arrivons a une ancienne plantation d ou nous pouvons voir le fruit ,Wendy nous expliquera que le fruit pousse sur la partie la plus vieille de l arbre c,a,d le tronc. En craquant la coquille nous pouvons voir une multitudes de noyaux (grains) enrobe d une muqueuse blanche d un goût sucre que les singes et autres animaux raffolent. Ces noyaux seront déposé dans un endroit pour les laisser fermenter et pour ensuite les faire sécher .Une fois sèche ils devront être rôtit et ensuite broyé pour en faire une poudre.
Le cacao aussi appele theobroma, boisson des dieux, était très prise a l époque des mayas .Les grains de cacao servaient aussi de monnaie a cette époque.
La culture du cacao représentait un pourcentage énorme de la culture ici au Costa rica avant d être atteint d un fungus qui reste jusqu a aujourd’hui difficile a contrôler .L Equateur le Mexique et la Cote d ivoire sont aujourd’hui les principaux exportateur de ce fruit des dieux.
Vers midi nous avions rendez vous pour ma première descente de rivière en rafting sur la sarapiqui, ce fut une expérience inoubliable que les clients de www. banbgrecia.com ont beaucoup apprécie.
Saludos de Grecia.

Update Time

2007-07-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

Karl s corner
Salut du Costa rica. Nous revenons de deux jours au Nicaragua,bon dieux la différence est incroyable entre les deux pays. Nous en avons profite pour canceller notre residencia,vue le changement de gouvernement et sa politique plutôt socialiste(Sandiniste,Ortega) nous avons préfère nous consacrer au Costa rica ,plus stable et plus facile de faire des sous. Nous avons mis le B&B a vendre, nous avons d autres idées en tête .Nous avons eu quelque visites et plusieurs rendez vous a venir, je suis confiant que nous le vendrons prochainement, nous vous tiendrons au courant.
Nous avons eu un bon mois de mai et juin et de plus en plus de client avec www harmoniacasa.com et juillet s annonce très bien..Nous avons plusieurs projets pour améliorer le confort et les services offerts au bandbgrecia.com.
Cette semaine nous allons faire du Rafting et visiter une plantation de cacao .
Bonne semaine a tous
Saludos
Karlos

Ok…I celebrated my 37th birthday here in Grecia on June 8th. It was a wonderful day….it started with getting a phone call from my Dad whose birthday is the day before me and then a beautiful phone call from Charlotte (Karl’s mom) singing Bonne Fete! What a grand way to start the day! Karl got a delicious birthday cake from a shop that just opened up around us and he bought a beautiful bunch of flowers! He is so very special and I really love him and appreciate him for who he is. I also received lots of birthday wishes from everyone…Thank you very much to everyone for your thoughts and wishes…they mean a lot.

We have been quite busy these past few weeks which we are happy about. We had a client (he is from Alberta) and we went white water rafting on the Saripiqui River…it was totally awesome! The place we went is very professional and they made the day so much fun. We also got to do the canopy…an awesome adventure for those who have not yet tried it.

We are headed to Nica for the weekend s it is our 3 month time period…we will stay in Masaya not Managua this time. A little more tranquillo. Marilyn will be looking after the B&B…she is nervous but we have total faith in her. She is beautiful both inside and outside. It is a good opportunity fo her to sho and use her skills. Her daughter Pamela who just turned 6 is awesome. She comes to visit her mom when she does not have school. Her and I have bonded…she calls me Moni and we have a great time drawing and playing cards.

We have thought about the idea of selling the B&B. We are opening ourselves to different options and opportunities and w will see what happens and what doors present themselves.

A la proxima Mo

Happy June!

2007-06-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

The 6th month of 2007 incredible!!

It has been pretty quiet these past few weeks here in Grecia. We have had a professor from the local college stay with us for the past 3 weeks...he is a really nice guy and has introduced us to alot of the local foods from his home town of Puriscal. Muy buena gente (really good people) as they would say here! Federico, is a professor of Economics at INA which is a college that has branches all over Costa Rica with one being here in Grecia. For the past 3 weeks his course was offered here so we had the pleasure of hosting him at our B&B.

The kids here are starting to gear up for the "2 weeks" which is at the end of June. It is literally 2 weeks of holidays for the students and staff. It is kind of like our March Break as they have school through July and August and have their "summer" holidays in December and January. I am sure that kids at home are really excited about the summer holidays coming up!!

This past Saturday we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean with Marilyn (the girl that works with us) and John a friend of ours. It was a good adventure. The theatre is really incredible...really comfortable seats with lots of leg room...you did not even have to move if a person wanted to pass you...This was a good thing as the movie was almost 3 hours long!

I have had the chance to be able to enjoy doing more cooking here in Grecia. One of my specialities I create is my homemade pizza - dough and all. Because of this and a few little amazing pasta dishes that beautiful Charlotte taught me, have earned me the new nickname of Benkerelli with Karl. He has such a wonderful sense of humour...he is truly a beautiful person and I am very happy to share my life and experiences with him.

Well my friends, we are keeping all of our doors open for all kinds of possibilties. Life over the past year and a half has taught me so many things...I have learned to communicate in Spanish (more or less...it always needs more practise), we have travelled throught most of Nicaragua and have seen a good part of Costa Rica. We have our own business and have had the opportunity to work in alot of unique places and with alot of unique people. It has also taught me alot oabout myself and for the whole process, I am very thankful!

On that note, I will complete this entry. We hope everyone is well. Peace and love to everyone!

Pura Vida, Monika

Bernie, Anne Marie, Karl and I enjoying Benkerelli pizza!!

About time for an update

2007-05-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

Ok! Ok! We know it has been a while and there are those that are encouraging us to update more often so we will make a solid effort!

So what's new here...

The rainy season has brought with it all the incredible flowers and an intense green all around. You can really feel the life and energy in everything. It is a good feeling!!

My friend Nancy from Victoria visited us for 10 days. She even celebrated her birthday here with an official Costa Rican birthday cake. We also took the opportunity to go and visit Manuel Antonio Park and Beach. We took the bus from Grecia to San Jose and then from San Jose to Manuel Antonio. It was very easy to do and it dropped us off right in Manuel Antonio strip of restaurants and hotels which made it easy to find a place to stay. The entire trip took about 4.5 hours...not so bad.. The beach is really beautiful with lots of natural surroundings and monkey's sloths, iguanas and snakes all trying to share your lunch!!

We did alot of day trips to local attractions like Poas Volcano, La Paz Waterfall garden, Doka Coffee (where we learned that 70% of the coffee they grow goes to Starbucks) and we also visited the Botanical Gardens in Sarchi. It was a great adventure and I really have to thank Nancy for bringing lots of little treats for Karl and I...they were really appreciated.

Another grand adventure was having Bernie (a long time friend of Karl) & Anne Marie, also were here for some time and Karl got to do some mountain biking with them in Poas and Volcan Barva. I decided that I should give it a try to we all went to a little town called Santa Rita with some other Tico friends and took a nice quiet 15KM!! ride. It took about 3 hours and I was not sure I was going to make it...yet I did finish the whole thing! I did quite a bit of walking my bike up the hills and I managed to make it to the end. I was pretty proud of myself. The family that we biked with was so incredibly generous...not alot of money, yet they were willing to do anything and with such happieness and no expectation in return! It was a really heartwarming experience.

I think I will leave it like this for now and promise to keep you updated more often!

Hasta pronto, Monika

April Update

2007-04-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

My first horse ride in Costa Rica!

The fourth month of 2007 and the beginning of the rainy season. The rain comes usually in the afternoon around 2:00 to be exact and lasts for about 2 hours. Sometimes it is a light little shower and other times it is a grand storm with lots of lightening and thunder taking out the power.
Mangos are in season and it is amazing to see hundreds of them hanging from the trees. It is quite a site!
We passed a very quite and calm Semana Santa (holy week or Easter week). As of Wednesday in the week, everything was closed…grocery, liquor, restaurants and even buses! Everyone really respects this week and takes the opportunity to descansar (relax) as it really the only time all year where stores close for extended periods of time. We enjoyed the company of our long term guest Marilyn and watched the festivities in town with the church. Really quite something to see and experience. We also spent some time in Nicaragua as we had to leave Costa Rica as our 3 months were up. You can really sense a difference in the country with the new Ortega government. Perhaps this was my own imagination…it will be interesting to see what happens…if anything.
The remainder of April and May will be interesting to see. Nancy will be coming to spend some time here as well as Bernie (a long time friend of Karl and Eric’s). We will keep you posted with our adventures!

Hasta luego!

La saison est presque termine, et oui,,, le parfait temps pour visiter tranquillement le costa rica….. C est ce que je pense,,,,, mais bon.
Nous prenons le temps de relaxer, faire du sport, vélo de montagne, aller a la piscine,,,
Notre ami d enfance Bernard « ,bernie « est ici pour un mois a explorer les trails de vélo de montagne et prendre du bon temps . Super,,,
Nous voyons un nombre incroyable de gens venir investir et apprendre l espagnol ici dans la vallée centrale ….ça m intéresse et par curiosité je pose des questions.La réponse qui revient le plus souvent ex : Je prend ma retraite et avec ce que je recevrai comme pension j en ai pas assez pour bien vivre.
Tanne de payer des taxes exorbitantes… ce que je leur conseille le plus souvent c est de venir vivre un an louer une maison (300 us/ petite maison confortable) et s imprégner et de voir si on aime le pays. En venant vivre ici t apprendra a connaître les gens et en même temps s il y a des deals pour des terrains ou des maisons tu pourra en profiter.
Si vous avez des rêves ou des idée SVP ecrivez nous pour les partager.
Saludos

Spanish Language Learning in Grecia, Costa Rica

2007-03-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

Spanish Class in Grecia!

Well, we had a few clients of harmoniacasa enter into the Spanish immersion program here in Grecia! How exciting!! It feels really great to see a vision actually become a reality! We feel that the potential for people to come here to Grecia to learn Spanish and more about the culture is great. We are currently in works with a school in Victoria to assist with bringing students to Grecia also! I have also been doing some leg work and organizing volunteer opportunities in different parts of the community. That has really pushed a comfort zone for me, because I know that I am a people person, but I am not really good at going into a situation of the unknown…like I said, learning everyday! I am looking forward to the developments!
We are really enjoying the city of Grecia! It feels really good and I am happy to be able to enjoy this incredible journey. In these past few weeks, we have met some really special people at the B&B also. It is a special experience with the B&B because you have the opportunity to meet so many people….and so many come in and out of your life. I feel that those that we have encountered have left me knowing a bit more of myself…it is really unique. It is amazing what life presents to you when you stop and listen to yourself.
Everything is as it should be…please do not hesitate to contact us and let us know what you think or if you have any questions or suggestions! We would love to hear from you all!

Karlos`Korner
Voila trois mois que nous sommes installe a Grecia Costa rica.
Notre principal activité et business est le B&B mais aussi harmoniacasa.com .
On voit beaucoup de potentiel dans l apprentissage de l espagnol et le homestay(vivre avec une famille typique costaricienne).Nous travaillons a établir des liens avec des écoles de Colombie Britannique et agent du Japon et Corée , tous ces gens avec qui Monika travaillait lorsque nous étions a Victoria semble être curieux et intéresse a travailler avec nous.Eric mon frère s occupera de faire des contacts a partir de Montréal ou il vit maintenant.
Nous avons établi de bonne relation avec les gens de Grecia afin d offrir des stages intéressant dans plusieurs domaines d activités .Nous essaierons d être en interaction avec nos site Web et de vous offrir des nouvelles le plus souvent possible. Si vous avez des idées ou des propositions, SVP n hésitez pas à nous écrire.
Karl

2007-02-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

B and B Grecia….new partners!

So here we are almost the middle of February in Costa Rica in the Central Valley in a city called Grecia. A long way from Little Corn Island in both distance and time. We have become the proud new partners in B and B Grecia! Can you believe it? I am still getting my feet on the ground and digesting the news. I am really happy and excited about the adventure! It has almost been 1 year since we left Canada and it feels like we are where we are supposed to be. Please visit our website at http://www.bandbgrecia.com/ and we are working on updates and new information. We have been pretty occupied running tours to coffee plantations, canopy adventures and waterfall forest trekking. We also have a full house at the moment and it will be pretty steady for the remaining of February.
We are both looking forward to staying here in Grecia. The people, views and and atmosphere is really welcoming and feels really good.
Karl has been keeping busy with his projects of building butcher block tables and I have been organizing things here at the B and B and getting to know more of the area and the people. Our project here is to host people that are travelling through as well as to provide a place to come and enter into an immersion program for learning Spanish and staying in a homestay family with also a possibility of volunteering. We think that Grecia is a perfect place to work on this project. It is a small enough city that you can easily walk to everywhere and have the opportunity to practise what you are learning in your Spanish class with your family and the people in the park and in the stores. Everyone is always anxious to stop and talk and learn more about you!

Pretty big news that is keeping us occupied which feels really good also! We hope to hear from everyone and also to see you also!

Hasta luego! Monika

Easy to get to from all different locations! Visit us also on www.bandbgrecia.com!

Karl s corner.
Ca fait un petit bout que je n avais pas écrit un petit message. Et oui nous sommes partenaire au bandbgrecia.com depuis une semaine maintenant, comme Monika dit je ne fais pas que construire des tables je m occupe aussi de faire des tours, plantation de café, chute magnifique, jardins, volcan, etc. entretien, achat, en gros Monika fait de l argent et moi je la dépense …….
Ca fait du bien d avoir notre propre place et je pense qu on réalisera quelque chose de fantastique ici a Grecia. Les possibilité sont énorme autant pour l hospitalité et l immersion dans une famille typique du Costa rica que pour l apprentissage de l espagnol, découverte et aventure .Nous travaillons présentement a trouver d autres familles capable de recevoir des gens en immersion et de développer le marche anglophone http://www.harmoniacasa.com/ jouera un rôle dans l immersion et apprentissage d espagnol au costa rica et au Nicaragua alors SVP allez faire un tour sur notre site de temps en temps.
Saludos
Karlitos

Adventures with Mo!

2007-01-29T08:56:00.000-08:00

Quetzal! Rappel! Tortuguero!

This week was quite something! We were touring around with Karl's brother Eric and stopped at this mirador known for being a home for Quetzals which is a rare bird and we were actually able to see both the male and the female! It was incredible...the bird is so beautiful with such vivid bright colours. Karl was incredibly happy as this bird is something he has always wanted to see. It was awesome.

Another adreniline pumping moment for me this week was my adventure rappeling down Los Chorros which is a waterfall about 75 feet high. I was not nervous until I reached the top and looked down...it was almost a no go but decided that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and went for it. I can now confidently recommend doing it.

To finish the week, I had the opportunity to travel to Tortuguero which is home to the largest nesting area for the sea turtle in the Western Hemisphere. Tortuguero can only be reached by boat or plane and is a penisula with one side the Caribbean sea and the other side the Tortuguero river. The village is quaint with a Caribbean flare and reminded me alot of Little Corn Island. It was absolutely incredible to see the wildlife...we spotted a very large crocodile, monkeys, lots of pelicans and even a sloth! It was very happy to end my week with this exciting adventure!

Hasta luego!

Mo

Pura Vida

2007-01-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

The first day of 2007 at the Hot Springs!

Catarata del Torro Waterfall...Incredible!

Feliz Ano ! Happy New Year to everyone. We spent a great New Year's Eve with Eric and his guests at the B&B where we prepared a dinner for everyone to enjoy and bring in the New Year. On the first day of 2007 we took a drive to the Volcan Arenal and enjoyed a leisurely day in the hot sprints at Baldi resort. We swam in water that was 47 degress C. I could not think of a better way to bring in the New Year.

We have been enjoying experiencing the life in Grecia where the people are warm and friendly and always ready to give you a smile and a hello. The city is located in the Central valley and offers beautiful mountain views, fresh temperatures and a variety of activities to participate in. It is a great city to begin a Costa Rican adventure.

We are taking a break from the island here and enjoying practising our Spanish! We wish everyone the best in 2007!

Karl's Korner

Nous passons du bon temps ici a Grecia . Nous sommes allez visiter Bajos del Toro, magnifigue amphitheatre de verdure avec une chute de 125m, endroit pas trop touristique encore mais qui le deviendra surement. Nous sommes aller surfer a Esterillos et pris de superbe photos. La temperature dans la vallee est agreable cela nous permet de prendre un break de la plage. Nous retournons en fevrier nous occuper de Dereck's place sur little corn. Nous vous tiendrons aux courants. Bonne annee a tous. PS Je n'ai fait aucune resolutions cette annee!

Erik's Corner

2006-12-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Apres un voyage de 36 heures dont 3 autobus, 2 bateaux et un avion je me retrouve sur la petite île du maïs ! Apparemment je n'étais pas le seul à vouloir passer noël avec ses proches je me suis donc retrouvé avec 40000 nicaraguayens en pèlerinage vers Managua. J’ai donc du choisir un chemin plus long pour éviter de passer par la frontière de Penas Blancas. De grecia j’ai voyagé jusqu’a naranjo, zarcero, cuidad quesada et los chiles. De là je suis passé à San Carlos de Nicaragua en bateau pour ensuite prendre un bus de nuit jusqu à l’aéroport de managua. Un petit avion m’a transporté sur la grande île et ensuite un transfert en bateau…Karl et Monika m’attendaient sur la plage à mon arrivée avec la panga de 11 heures. Apres plusieurs échanges avec mes compagnons de voyage nautique nous sommes allés voir le petit nid de K & M. ils ont une jolie maison blanche et mauve sur une pointe entre deux baies de bateau de pécheur. Le jour de noël J ai suivi une formation DSD (discover scuba diving) et pour ma première plongée nous sommes partis toute la gang pour white rock avec mon prof mike de vancouver. Une superbe aventure sous marine avec vue d’une multitude de créatures dont des raies et des requins. Le lendemain nous avons fait le tour de l’île et avons fait du snorkel en face de chez heiko (casa sunrise). Le dernier jour j ai voulu retenter mon talent sous marin et nous sommes allés contempler la zone de turtle rock ou nous avons pu admirer des poissons porcupine box fish et des raies. Cette fois ci mon partner et divemaster était mon propre frère.

K & M m’ont reçus comme un roi ils m’ont préparé des petites bouffes succulentes. J ai passé un noël inoubliable en leur compagnie sur une île paradisiaque. Merci beaucoup , Joyeux noel et bonne année à tous.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to Everyone! We are heading to Costa Rica to welcome in 2007 with Erik in Grecia! We will keep you updated!

Adios, Monika & Karlos

Derek's Place

2006-12-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

Derek's Place

A week of managing Derek’s Place! What a great experience. They have an excellent set up with cabins that are artisticly made with all natural material from the land. It really felt comfortable to be there and taking take of it like it was my own. The other great thing about it is that is a full kitchen with lots of different spices and an oven to make our own bread! We prepared really nice and delicious meals for both ourselves and our guests! We really got thrown into the mix of cooking for a group of people. One night we had to cook lobster for 10 persons! It turned out fabulous and Karl and I make an excellent team in the kitchen as well! We are now back in “town” and with the holidays fast approaching. It looks like we will host Karl’s brother for Christmas and then take a trip to Costa Rica into the New Year. We have been asked by Derek and Anna to look after their place again in February so we are talking and thinking about that opportunity. We are letting life unfold and seeing what opportunities present themselves. Sometimes it is easy to do, sometimes not. Take care my friends, keep well and always look forward.

Karl’s Korner
Nous avons passé 12 jours a s’occuper de Derek’s place. 6 cabanas, une cuisine et une salle de bain a part. Nous avons eu en tout 15 personnes la plupart de Européen. Un séjour très intéressant a rencontrer et prendre soin d’un petit coin de paradis sur little corn. Ce petit eco lodge est a tout point autonome. Electricite, eau. Nous avons eu l’occasion de s’occuper de qq chose de similaire a Casa Sunrise mais en tout point améliore au niveau, service et confort pour le client. Pour ma part j’ai beaucoup apprécie travailler avec le systeme solaire de éolien, batterie, générateur, pompe, tank et tout ce que autonomie dune habitation nécessite. Ils nous ont demande de s’occuper de leurs place pour le mois de Février, nous y pensons. Je vous souhaite un Joyeux noël a tous

Karlitos!

Catching Up...

2006-12-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

North Wind
Bottle Beach

The north wind is blowing! The sea has gone from being as flat and clear as a plane of glass to being all churned up with waves you could surf on! It started on Monday (as predicted by Mr. Winnie) and it is making the lobster fisherman very happy as the choppy seas will help “shake” the lobsters from their hiding places. The season has been very slow so we will see what happens when they go out to pull traps after the winds.
These winds have caused another type of excitement on the island because it contributed to a fishing boat running into the shore. Nobody is quite sure what happened although there are a number of different stories floating around as to the cause…the captain fell asleep, the crew were all drunk, the anchor let loose and the crashed into shore. Any way you look at it, the boat is on the shore and will be there a while until it can be towed out.

We also had the chance to see the Promotion Ceremony of some of our friends children graduate. This promotion ceremony is for kids moving up from kindergarten to Gr 1 and from students moving into high school. It was really sweet to see the young ones sing their songs and recite their poems. You could see on their faces they were having fun and you could feel the pride of the parents. Our little Andrea achieved top honours in her class which she was surprised about and very excited to receive her prize.

Karl’s Korner – The other side of Little Corn
Depuis un certain temps je suis un peu négatif alors mon article le sera.
Mes principales préoccupations sont les vidanges et l éducation. C est très facile de vous envoyer des belles photos de ce petit coin de paradis mais aussi très facile de vous en envoyer des moins belles. Je ne sais pas si Monika me laissera en mettre une. Tout ce que enfants ou adultes consomme ils le crisse par terre même avec l’inauguration il y a un au d’un système de recyclage. Le maire fait pareil nous en sommes témoin chaque jour. Il n y a pas de consignation pour les bouteilles de plastique et d’aluminium. C’est le chaos lorsqu on regarde de près. Ca me fait mal au cœur de voir ça. L’éducation a sûrement une grande part de culpabilité y mais aussi le gouvernement qui n impose pas au grosses compagnies de gérer leurs bouteilles vides. Je ne sais pas si c’est mon rôle de leur dire que leurs gestions de vidange n’a pas d’allure, il faudra je pense qu il s en rendre compte par eux même. Je pense que sil me voyait commencer a ramasser leurs vidanges il se dirait parfait on pourra en crisser plus par terre.
Depuis 1 semaine il y a ce qu on appel le « north wind », qui rend la mer tourmente et le transport de Big Corn a Little Corn presque inexistant. Quelque touristes ont payer un prix de fou pour se rendre a Big Corn risquant leurs vie et celui de l’équipage pour se rendre a leur travaille a temps. Je ne pense pas que s’en valait la peine, mais qu’est a que tu veux y en a qui ont un horaire charge même face a la mort.

Nous nous occuperons d’une place d’ici 1 semaine nous vous tiendrons au courant.

Nica Elections!

2006-11-16T14:58:00.000-08:00

Nica Elections 2006
Sunday Nov. 4 was the big day for Nicaaraguans. Election Day! Daniel Ortega, Sandinista, the new President of Nicaragua. The school became the polling station with military and police assisting the voters through the process. Part of the “rule” of an election here is that businesses are not permitted to sell alcohol a day prior and the day of the election. This made it interesting for the tourists although most places did sell to the extranjeros because (1) they were not voting and (2) it was income for the business.
The results gave mixed reactions from the locals. Some are nervous thinking that things will go back to how they were when he was in power years ago and others are excited and are optimistic that he will help the “poor” of the country. My reaction is that as long as it is a benefit to the people here that is all that matters. I will be the first to admit that I am not a lover of politics and am not well versed in the entire goings on so my feeling is what is most beneficial for the people and country as a whole is the best choice.
I have been working a bit for a hotel on the island as a bartender. It has been quite fun meeting different people, having a meal served for me (part of the package) and mixing up different drinks. I have also finished a brochure for Dolphin Dive shop which has let me in exchange dive for free. And finally, I have been giving computer classes to a couple of local girls who are keen to learn. This has been the most enjoyable and rewarding!
Time passes well for us here and we are experiencing the moments as they come! Be well friends!

Sorry no Karlos Korner today...maybe next time!

Living La Vida Corn Island

2006-10-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Karl the Divemaster!
Terry Tarantula

Karl’s Korner
Depuis 3 semaines, j’ai fais plus de 35 plongees rencontre Allemands, Norvegiens, Britaniques. Wier gehen tauchen, nous allons plonger en Allemand, j aurai au moins appris ca. Deux nouveaux instructeurs sont arrives a Dolphin Dive ces jours ci alors ils n’ont plus vraiment besoin de moi.
Heiko nous a demande de j’occuper de sa place encore pour qq mois, nous pensons dire non. Nous sommes tellement bien ici pour le moment, electricite presque 6h par jours, eau courante, douche et toilette. Proximite du village et 3 chambres a coucher pour $200/mois dur a battre. Il pleut tout les jours averses qui durent 10 a 20 minutes ensuite beau soleil. Nous ne savons pas encore si nous restons sur little corn un peu plus longtemps.
Saludos.

After 3 weeks, we learned this week that we are living with the mayor of Little Corn. The political structure here on the island is definitely not as defined as back in Canada. There is no mayor’s office, secretary, welcome…it is all pretty laid back. The Down’s family is really awesome. They have treated us as one of their family…sharing fish they have caught, bread they made and just in welcoming us. We have also been adopted by the family cat named Shampoo (just like Karl’s last name…Champoux).
I did not go volunteering at the school as I thought. The moment never fell into place. As it looks like we will be staying a while longer, perhaps I will make more of an effort.
I have been working on a map of Little Corn. I plan to make a brochure of the island for the tourists here of all the hostels/hotels, restaurants, beaches and dive spots.
Oh yeah, we have also another member to our family…Terry Tarantula! She was quite the surprise. We have not seen her in a while, and I don’t think I really want to.
I also tried to make bread in what the locals call a furnace but I can say that it was not a success. I didn’t put enough coals in the fire so it was not hot enough and the dough did not cook. Needless to say, I went to the coconut bread lady and bought some which saved the day for having toast for breakfast.
Karl was helping Dolphin Dive as a divemaster and did 35 dives in 15 days…a lot of diving. The dive shop is not busy at the moment, so he has had the chance to take a break from the diving. He was really enjoying the diving and meeting all kinds of people! Not much else to report. Hope all is well for everyone tuning into the blog!
Adios por ahora! Rasta MO

Ever heard of Little Corn Island?

2006-09-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Divemaster Karl
Our Wonderful Little House

We arrived last Saturday to our perfect place on the island. We are staying at Sharon and Winston Downs one of the "biggest" familes on the island. Karl stumbled onto this place last time and I can truly appreciate it now. Our little house is great...it has 3 bedrooms, kitchen, laundry and bathroom. I am so excited. It is awsome to have a place...our place to make ourselves at home, unpack and cook our own food! We are located on the outskirts of town on a point which gives us ease to walk to town and a great view all around. All I can say is that it feels good...our own home, next to the sea and nature. I am thankful and appreciate of all the experiences we have lived and I can say that I am happy to be back to the Little Island.
Karl has gone right into diving which is great for him and I will get into it over the next while. I am landing on my feet and reaquainting myself with everything again. We met some great people over the last couple of days and even some Japanese government workers who head up a volunteer project in Esteli. They are taking a dive course and I have been talking with them about my experience with Japanese students in Victoria...in Spanish. It has been a great way to improve my spanish!
It has been fun to reconnect with all the locals here, Miss Martha, Yeti, Bernadine & Andrea, Shana everyone is in a really good mood and the atmosphere on the island is really good. The kids are on holidays from school and will return this week. I will try to volunteer or offer help some how.
Ahora todo es bueno! Hasta llego, Rasta Mo!

Karl's Korner
Nous avons decide de ne pas se casser le bicycle et de simplement retournersur little corn. Je traville comme divemaster a Dolphine Dive et suis capable de faire un peu de sous. Ca fait du bien d'etre de retour et d'avoirnotre propre petite place.
Saludos!

Masaya

2006-09-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

Daniel Ortega at the Masaya Market

Another month is beginning. It is incredible how fast the time flies by...Back to school for everyone in Canada but the kids here have been going to school all summer. Their school year is almost opposite to Canada's.
Masaya is a "homey" city with a festival everyday! Masayans are lively and they enjoy expressing themselves whether it be in their dancing, parades, poetry or talking in the streets. There are fireworks everyday and we finally learned why. The church starts them in the morning to chase away the bad spirits and they start them at 5 am in the morning!! A little early for my taste.
Our search for a house continues. After one week we have seen a few and are looking to see what is available. It can be a challenge being in a different culture and language. I know I have said it before, but I really know how our students felt coming to Canada not knowing the customs, language or having friends in the culture...
This has been an awesome learning experience for me...it is natural to want to place yourself in a "safe" and known position, but it is good for the body and mind to try to push outside this safety zone. Keeping in mind, that it is easier said then done, but it is good to be aware of it!!
We had the opportunity to see Daniel Ortega in person in the market. He was on the campaign trail and we were in time to see his speech. Masaya is a really strong Sandinista town and alot of people came out to support him. In talking with the locals, they have mixed feelings about the upcoming election in November. They support the Sandinista cause, but not necessarily the leader of the party. We will wait to see in the next 2 months!
Cuidate, Sandinista Mo
Karl s Corner
Nous prenons notre temps pour apprecier ce peuple et ses coutumes dans leurs vies de tout les jours.il n y a aucunes decisions de prises sur notre direction jus qu a present mais je dois vous dire que je commence a etre tanne de vivre dans mes valises et de manger au Resto.
La renovation du park centrale est terminee et on peut voir que la ville a retrouve son coeur et son ame.Ces temps ci on rememore la bataille de San Jacinto et cela veut dire que les petards a meches ,bruits de canons ambulances sons de cloches d eglises tout ca commencent a 4 am et terminent a 7 am,ca na pas l air de deranger personnes.
Nous pouvons voir dans chaque maisons que nous visitons des troues de balles sur les murs ,souvenir de la guerre des annees 80 ,ca donne un petit cachet interressant.On peut voir aussi que le prix des maisons augmentent considerablement lorsque des nord americains les visitent,ca aussi c est interressant.
Toute cette experience reste tres enrichissante et nou gardons un bon moral. Saludos Karlitos

Unexpected

2006-08-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

San Juan del Sur

We had a really great time in Costa Rica visiting with Eric and his friends. We decided to stop in San Juan del Sur on our way back and I am glad to have been able to see this city. It is really not what I expected. I had preconceived that it was going to be very crowded, dirty and REALLY touritsy. As it turns out, it is really quite a pleasant beach/fishing village. Definately geared for the beach and surfer crowd with some of the best surf on the Pacific coast.
We are now in Masaya in search of a house for rent...a bit of a challenge, but we will see what happens. Anything is possible...even the chance of returning to Little Corn Island.
We will keep you posted. Mo

Nous avons pris 5 h pour arriver a Rivas ,une petite ville sur le bord du grand lac Nicaragua,nous y avons passe la nuit.Notre but etait d aller visiter san Juan del sur que nous avons evite jusqu a maintenant .San Juan del Sur est beaucoup mieux que ce que nous avions imagine ,OK c est ce que y a de plus touristique au Nicaragua mais y a quand meme pas de Mcdo et on peut encore y trouver des bons deals en immobiliers.A voir le nombre d agent Immobiliers je pense que je ne suis pas le seul a penser de meme.Nous avons explore les plages autours,Maderas, Majagual populaires pour les surfers qui sont tout le temps a la recherche de nouveau break (vague).DEux plages actuellement desertes et que si j avais plus d argent j y penserais serieusement a investir.Nous sommes presentement a Masaya a 17n km de Managua et nous visitons des maisons ,ce n est pas evident pantoute.Nous avons pense retourner a Little Corn pour se la couler douce et vivre simplement. nous vous tiendrons au courant: hasta luego Karlitos . Y A DES FOIS QUE LA MEILLEURE CHOSE A FAIRE C EST DE NE RIEN FAIRE PANTOUTE. KARLOSTRODAMUS

Surfing Jaco Beach

2006-08-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

Evelyne, Eric & Karl "Hawaiin Style"

Jaco, Costa Rica is a surf town where everyone surfs or is learning to surf. I am glad we had the chance to visit and experience a bit of this world, but it is not really a place I would want to set up residence.
Grecia, the town where we are staying and where Karl's brother has a B&B (bandbgrecia.com), is really quite beautiful. It is a mountain city filled with beautiful green coffee growing valleys. It is about 30 min from San Jose, the capital, and it a great place to start a Costa Rica adventure. The people here are incredibly friendly and the setting is perfect. It is like stepping back in time to a '50's TV show where everything and everyone looks perfect!
Karl and I are having a great time here and we are looking forward to returning to Nicaragua and beginning our own project. It has been a good experience to be here to see what and how things could work!
Pura Vida and Hasta luego! Rasta Mo

Karl s corner
Nous arrivons de 2 jours de surf.Nous avons pu surfer a Jaco,Hermosa et Esterillos,tout les 3 tres connu des surfers dans le monde entier.Jaco la plus connu deviendra surement le waikiki(Hawai)de l amerique centrale .Nous avons eu beaucoup de fun Eric ,moi,Moni,et Evelyn une quebecoise venue realiser son reve d apprendre a surfer.Nous sommes revenue en autobus de Jaco a San jose ,2 heures a visiter la ville et sommes revenue a grecia pour 5 heures. Nous nous occupons occupons du B&B pendant que Eric continue sont surf trip avec Evelyn,S occuper du B&B est un bien grand mot pcq Rocio et Marilyn s en occupe tres bien seule.Nous pensons revenir vers le Nica cette semaine en visitant le sud et SanJuan del sur, la plus touristique,que nous avons evitee jusqu a maintenant. J ai hate de pouvoir analyser la difference entre les deux(nica et costa).

Costa Rica here we are!

2006-08-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Karlitos way
nous sommes parti de Managua samedi a 12:00 am et sommes arrive a 8:00 pm.Le prix du voyage est de 12.50$ us. Tout un choc . La difference entre le Nicaragua et le Costa Rica est flagrante.Le Costa-Rica doit avoir 20 ans d avance en tourisme et investissements etrangers et on le sent tout de suite.
Ca faisait 15 ans que je n etais pas alle au Costa Rica et 3 ans que je n avais pas vue mon frere Eric.Il a pu batir avec sa blonde Johane un magnifique B&B a GRECIA www.bandbgrecia.com a environ 40 minutes de San Jose la capitale.Ils offrent des tours dont deux que nous avons pris le lendemain,le volcan Poas et les chutes de La Paz .Les gens que nous rencontrons ici au B&B sont des gens qui desirent venir s installer soit en prenant leur retraite ou commencer une petite business ou simplement venir passer un bon moment en bonne compagnie.
Nous passerons ici environ 1 semaine avant de revenir au nicaragua et peu etre commencer a visiter des maisons .En ayant passe du temps ici je me rends compte que tout est a batir au nicaragua et que ce pays a un bel avenir.Nous vous tiendrons au courant.
Hasta Luego
Karlitos

Rasta Mo Message
We are here visiting Karl's brother Eric and I am really enjoying the experience. We are in a city called Grecia which is famous for its Metal Church. The city is quite beautiful with friendly people and a great atmosphere. We had a chance to visit the Volcan Poas and the beautiful gardens and waterfall of La Paz. I am looking forward to the next few days here in Costa Rica!
Adios & Cuidate!

In the City

2006-08-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

Our journey has brought us into Managua. I have to say that the second time around in this city is much less intimidating. We are staying in the same neighborhood as before at a different hostel and have had the chance to encounter and explore new parts of the Barrio. Managua really is much better than what the guide books say, you just have to give it a chance.
Have you ever heard of the Ben Linder house? We did not either until talking with a few people who had worked in Managua. This is a house/meeting place for internationals and Nicaraguans to discuss what is happening in the country socially and politically. Because of his work with the local communities, the Nica people wanted to pay tribute to his spirit so with the Ben Linder house his passion and concern for the people of Nica could continue through others. The group has meeings every Thursday morning with guest speaker and is an interesting palce to network and learn more aout organizations that are in Nica.
We also learned there is a Casa Canadiense where as the name of the house indicates, is a Canada house for Canadiens in Nica to network/socialize. We hope to visit and meet some people while we are here in Managua.
All in all, we are healthy, physically and emotionally. We are looking forward to seeing Karl's brother here in Nica in couple of weeks. It should be a fun time. Cuidate, Rasta Mo!

Karl's Corner
Nous sommes de retour a Managua. Nous devions prendre soin d'un hotel sur Big Corn apres deux reunions avec les proprios nous demenageons sur Big Corn avec nos 300 livres de valise pour se faire dire que le tout etait annule. Nous etions desapointe mais cetait peu etre ce qui nous manquait pour partir notre propre affaire.
Hier nous avons rencontre Jaime de Casa Canada (www.thecasa.ca). Casa Canada est un ONG Canadienne qui s;occupe d'une multitude de projets de volontariat a travers le Nica. J'ai ete surpris d'apprendre que le college Champlain de St. Lambert a envoye plusieurs groupes d;etudiants et fait des levees de fonds pour la construction d'ecoles de Cartiers. Casa Canad ne fait pas beaucoup de bruits ni de publicitees mais aide vraiment la ou la population en a besoin. Par exemple, elle financera le diner dans les ecoles prescolaires pour stimuler les parents a envoyer leurs enfants a l'ecole pour le simple fait qu'ils seront nouris.
Nous devons aller a Leon demain matin pour rencontrer Mauricio un gars que javais rencontre lors de mon sejour au Nica en 1995. Et oui deja 11 ans.
En terminant je pourrais vous dire qu'il y a deux Nica . Celui de pacifique et celui de l'atlantique. Tout est differents, langue, coutumes, culture, facon de faire, ambiance, tout. Un peu comme le Quebec et le reste du Canada.......
Hasta luego, Karlitos
Nous pouvons maintenant pratiquer notre Espagnol.
"Allons chercher ce qui est notre, si Loin qui'il faille aller"

Big Brother Adventures

2006-07-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Karl´s new activity

Klaus, Monika & Karl

A great time spent with my brother! He had quite the adventure getting here...plane with mechanical difficulties, late panga, rain...but he made it and gave himself the opportunity to expereince life on Little Corn at Casa Sunrise. We passed the time talking, reading, walking and just enjoying the moments. We had the chance to have FRESH lobster that Cheryl had bought! (Thank you Cheryl!). It was really delicious and I am looking forward to eating more of it.
We also snorkled and saw a huge nurse shark, squid and this really beautiful fish that had purple and yellow ¨wings¨. It was awesome to have the opportunity to share this with Klaus. I thank him very much for making the effort to see our world and I am sure that he will remember this journey for the rest of his life!
Heiko will be returning some time next week and Karl and I have the chance to move to Big Corn to mamnage a hotel for about a month. We are discussing our options and letting ourselves go to see what door opens next for us. We have lots of ideas & directions, we are letting the opportunities present themselves to decide which door we go through!
Thanks for everything Klaus & Norm!
Cuidate, Rasta Mo

Karl´s Korner
Nous avons passe une belle semaine avec le frere de Monika. Ca lui a fait le plus grand bien de voir son grand frere pendent 5 jours. Tout va bien, il pleut regulierement, un peu chaqui jours.
Jai pu decouvreir une nouvelle activitee, le Spear gun fishing like in the movies. Je suie alle avec un expert et nous avons ramene 3 magnifiques poissons. Cést une beel facon de ramener le souper a tres bon prix!
Heiko revient en principe la semaine prochaine et nous etudions la possiblitee de manager un autre hotel pour un certain temps. Il nýa rien de certain et je vous tiendrai au courant de nos projets.
Hasta Luego, Karlitos

Quebecois

2006-07-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

J´ai ete tres surpris de oir 3 Quebecois arriver a Casa Sunrise láutre matin. Ils ont passe ice 5 jours. Ca ma fait de bien de parler francais et de prendre des nouvelles du Quebec.
Martin, Guilaume et Caroline sont venu prendre un petit break sure Lttle Corn avant dáller sur líle de Ometepe faire du voluntariat et vivre dans une famille (pueblo hotel). Pour eux cést une facon differente de voyager et de pouvoir vivre et experimenter ce que les gens vivent tout les jours. Ils ne savent pas encore ou ils aideront mais lórganisme (La Red) qui les recerra sóccupera de les placer la ou il ya un besoin. Nous ferons des recerches pour avair plus de renseignements pous les gens que ca interesent.
Ometepe est une magnifique ile situe dans e lac Cocibolca pres de Rivas et San Juan del sur (une des plus grande reserve déau potable en ameriqu centrale) elle y compte deux volcans un sol riceh, on y cultive plantain, riz, tabac, sucre, maiz, cafe. Cette ile est probablement ce quétait le Nicaragua dans les annees 1600. Saviez vous que la route maritime reliant llátlantique et le pacifique devait ce faire au Nicaragua par le lac Cocibolca et le Rio San Juan. a lépoque les Americans ont achetes une compagnie francaise en fallite qui avait deja commence le canal de Panama. Les Americans ont abandonnes ce projet mais non sans se donner le droit a vie de le faire.
La saison des pluies est arrivee. Il nýa pas vraiement de patern sure les horraires de pluie. Il a plue pendant 3 jours et au moment our jécris il fait beau de puis 4 jours et beaucoup de vent.
Revenez nous voir, Karlitos.

RASTA Mo Corner
In the past few weeks we have had quests from Holland and Quebec. It was fun to have some fellow Canadians here at Casa Sunrise. We have been here for over 2 months now and have had a few nights without guests. It is really amazing how time flies and what our experience has been.
I have now completed my Open Water Diver course. It is awesome to dive and I am looking forward to the first dive that Karl and I do together. I think it will be a great experience. On one of my dives during my course, a nurse shark came a bit too close for comfort and was checking me out to see what I was doing in her territory. It is all good as she decided I was not a threat or her dinner and she continued on her way.
We also had some great news that my brother will be coming to visiti us from July 11-18. We are excited to have him here and to experience our world for a short time.
It definately looks like the rainy season has arrived. As Karlitos mentioned, there is no real pattern to the rain. You can be looking at the sky and because it has been so windy, you can see the clouds full of rain come onto the land. It is pretty awesome to see. With the wind, it is also keeping the biting bugs away!
Until next time, cuidate! Rasta Mo

Empty Nest

2006-06-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Our long term visitors, Fernando & Laura left on Friday morning. They were with us for 1 month and now they are onto their next adventure. Not sure where they will be, but they want to continue their journey of entertaining with juggling and making jewellery. They are talented. I was fortunate enough to have received a beautiful necklace with a charm made from cocnut from them for by birthday. We wish them weill with much success.
I also took my first dive for my open water course and it went really well! I competed all my tasks and we saw moray eels, nurse sharks and lobster. I am really excited to becom certified and look forward to discovering new underwater worlds.
The island is pretty quite and the locals are looking forward to next week because that is when they can start fishing lobster again. I think this will change the feel and energy of the island because everyone will be busy and they will have money. There are about 2000 people that live and work here with no real infrastructure. Stores are open some days, sometimes kids go to school. We are enjoying our experienc ena dour opportunities as well as looking forward to operating our own harmoniacasa! We have been talking alot about it and we are planning how we would like it to be and also where we would like it to be. There are a couple of places in NI that have made an impression on us so we are leaning to those places. Stay tuned for more details to follow in the next while! Adios, Rasta Mo

Karl´s Korner
La mer est belle ce matin. Nous sommes maintenant seaul a Casa Sunrise et ici lorsquíl y a personne on se croit seul au monde. Aucun bruits autres que celui de la nature, la mer, les oiseaux. De temps en temps le bruit dúne panga (chaloupe a moteur) conduit par un pecheur. Quest ce que le faisais avant? Je regardais probablement trop de nouvelles, trop dínformation. Je dois vous avouer quíl y a quelques petites choses qui me mancue, un bon bain chaud, une palette de chocolat (zero), le pennes sauce rosee avec saucisse italienne et pistache a Charlotte et une bonne bouteille de Salice de Salentino ou un Cote Roti un des prefere a Gilles.
Cette semaine les roles sont inverses, Monika plonge tout les jours pendant que je garde le fort, elle aura enfin sont openwater et jen suis bein fier.
la vie est belle profitez en. Saludos, Karlos

Tranquillo...tranquillo

2006-06-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

I saw the Man from the Old Man and the Sea today. His small boat pulling in and selling his catch to those who wanted it...and back out again to reap the rewards from the sea. Pretty much the daily routine on Little Corn.

We hadAlison from Austrailia stay with us for a night and she was awesome to have around. She taught me how to make breead in the wood fire which I am totally excited about! She has travelled alot and is very outdoorsy and hgas done alot of camping & guiding in the wilderness and is very familiar with very little. She became my mentor for the day!

We also celebrated my birthday here @ Casa Sunrise by enjoying the beach and just appreciating the moments we have experienced here. We ¨went out¨to dinner at Farm Peace Love which is a place two ¨doors¨down from us that rents rooms and serves meals. Bing Crosby is from the island and his wife Paola is from Tuscany, Italy. She is a fabulous cook and we had the most amazing meal since being in Nicaragua. Pasta which the fantastic cheese that her Dad had brought from Italy followed by a spinch torte and the most amazing mousse type dessert. We were also able to enjoy bottle of red wind which was a real treat...Salice Sanentino Rosso 2004...incredible. It was a great day and a nice change of pace for Karl and I.

Karl´s Korner
Le centre de plongee ma demande de diriger des plongees pour les depanner le temps quil sén trouve un autre (divemaster). Je pourrai plonger gratuitement et aussi pouvoir gagner quelques dollars. Super!
Depuis un mois nous avons des clients Fernando et Laura, ils partent la semaine prochaine et je pense que ce sera tres tranquille apres leurs depart. Les touristes se font rare et le mundial de soccer qui commence. Tranquille, tres tranquille.
La fete de Monika a ete un succes. Nous sommes parti main dans la main, sur la plage, manger un super bon plat de pate dans une petite auberge tenue par une italienne et son mari un ïslander¨. Cétait magique. Ma jolie etait tres heureuse!

New Month

2006-06-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Helping the neighbor kids with homework
Enjoying the moment!

A quiet week @ Casa Sunrise. I have learned a few new receipes from Laura & Fernando which are really delicious & easy to prepare. Laura taught me how to make Arepas which are a traditional Columbian ¨tortilla¨made with corn flour, water, salt and sugar & fried in a pan. They are awesome with rice & beans. Fern taught me how to make this great Spanish rice which is really easy & tasty!

We had a few visits from the neighbors children this week. Karl took a photo of me helping them with their homework and afterward he went and took them for a water adventure. They are alot of fun and they are helping us practise our spanish as that is all they speak.

We are at another full house this weekend. A couple for one night...he is from Britain and she is from Finland and a single women traveller from Austrailia for the next couple of nights. It is great and also challengin as we are trying to adapt ourselves to someone else´s vision and we have our own that sometimes are very different. It is a great experience and learning opportunity for us both in personal and business ways!

I have to take this opportunity to also wish my father a Happy Birthday! Everything is great and I hope that you have a wonderful day and my thoughts are with you Dad!

Sorry no Karl´s Korner today...next week we promise

Adios por ahorra...Monika & Karl

Beautiful Day

2006-05-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

Karl´s Pineapple Patch Our ¨family¨

Red Sky at night sailors delight...Red Sky in the morning sailors take warning...
Tonight we are watching the sunset and it is a pretty red sky so hopefully if the saying is true we will be in for another great day tomorrow.
I can also see the dive boat is out for their night dive . Karl says the diving here is really incredible. Lots to see with clear visability. I have not been diving since we first arrived, but we will see what happens in June.
Hard to believe that we have been here almost a month. (we arrived April 30). It has been a great adventure with lots of good days and some difficult days. Living like you are permanently camping can be a bit of a challenge sometimes...obviously we are surviving :)
Our puppies are turning 4 weeks old. They are absolutely adorable and quite fasinating to see the change in personalities and growth. Karl has his cat the ¨Gangsta¨and I have all the dogs :). We are having quite a bit of fun with the whole thing.
We are now back to us and another couple here at Casa Sunrise. It was awesome having a full house and we will see what the next few weeks bring us.

Karl´s Korner
Aujourdhui jai vue un coconut tomber
La mer est tourmentee depuis une semaine donc la plongee nést pas a son meilleure.
Nous contintuons de travailler sur le terrain et de decouvrir de nouveaux arbres et fruits.
Chaque ensignes indiquant le chemin pour Casa Sunrise ont ete volees ou enleve il y a de nombreuse trails pour se rendre partout sur lile a pied, et croyeq moi une enseigne te rassure de temps en temps que tu es sur le bon chemin. Notre Australien nous a conte son trip de retour a 3h du matin un peu eneche, assez comique. ¨Couldn´t find the trail mate.¨ Jen ai refait 2 a des intersections importantes.
A part ca tout va bien. Nous sommes dans une routine et il semble que le temps passe tres vite, de ja presque 1 mois que nous sommes ici. Rasta Mo va bien aussi, elle a un peu de misere avec les moustiques, mais a part ca elle est de bonne humeur. Autre petite nouvell, notre voisin a termine son canoe quil a sculpte dans un tronc dárbe, cetait incroyable de voir sa fierte lorsquil est parti pecher avec son fils cette fin de semaine. Je vous souhaite une super semaine. Saludos, Karlos

Full House

2006-05-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry, no photo today :(

We have rented both cabins! Our first ¨Full House¨! We have one couple, Fernando from Spain & Laura from Columbia, staying for a month and Kate, Scott and Matt, from Austrailia, here for a few nights.Everyone is great and it is fun to have lots of different people around. We are really happy and excited and it definately gives us the encouragement that doing something like this is a possibility.

It has been a bit stormy over the last couple of days. Usually the beach is still & calm, but these days, it has been very rough & choppy with alot of wind & rain. They really mean that when it rains, it rains! The good part with all this rain comes fresh pineapples and avocado that we can pick right from the source here on Heiko´s place. We are really appreciating the opportunity that presented itself to us. It is really incredible to be able to live here on Little Corn and to put ourselves in the position of managing Casa Sunrise. Life is like that...it presents you opportunities and if you are open & ready, everything falls into place!

Karl´s Korner (typed by Rasta Mo)
Les ananas sont prosque pret les avocats aussi. Lárbe de papaye nous en donne une par semiane. Le Manguiers nous en donne un par jours. Banane et coconut a volonte. Lamadier aussi est tres genereux, il sagit juste de les faire secher ou simpliment prendre les seche parterre, les craquer, et deguster.

Une journee type commence par une petite marche sur la plage quelques exercices, ensuite je part le feu pour le cafe et le gruauf. Nous commencons par le menage du terrain, ramassen les branches, les coconuts. Faut dire quíl y a beaucoup de ¨socializing¨lalors le travail avance mais pas trop vite. Nous avons entrepris le menage et reparation dune cabinas. Pendant que Monike, lavait les murs je reparait les marches et changais les pentures rouillees par le vent marin (vraiement dur sur les batiments). Grace a Monika nous somme complets, elle a vraiment du talent pour mettre les gens en confiance. Si ca vous interresse de venir nous voir et vivre une belle experience sur ene ile ou le mot Wallmart et Burger Kinng nont aucune importance. Il nous tera un plaisir de vous accueillir. Ca fait 3 semaines que je nai pas regarder la t.v et le journeal alors. Je ne sais pas quelle betise Bush ou Harper ont tait encore, je sais par contre que qujourdhui je nirai pas plonger p´cquil ne fait pas tres beau.
A la proxima...Karlos

Casa Sunrise

2006-05-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Our first week of management of Casa Sunrise and we have had 2 couples stay with us! It has been a bit of hard work and lots of fun! It is really paradise here! We have been enjoying a Breakfast of champions...fresh picked bananas, coconut, papaya and mango with cerel! Heiko has over 10 acres of land and it is filled with fruit trees! We are really hbappy about that! The soil is also so fertile here..you can grow anything, so we plan to try! We will test out our green thumbs. We also have 6 puppies running around from Bobo the ¨guard dog¨. They are so cute!! We also have this awesome cat we call the Gangsta, just because he is the king of the land. Just what we wanted, land animals and beach! We have seen our dream come together with the practise run of managing Casa Sunrise!
The culture here on the island is so different from the Pacific side of Nicaragua. Most of the islanders speak 3 languages, English, Spanish and some form of Creole. The kids are great and they want to play and practise their English. Tourism is a fairly new adventure here and it has increased over 25% in the last year. The main economy here is fishing, but the season is closed for about 4 months, so having another option of tourism is a great alternative! The island is simple community living with the basics. There is power (sometimes), water (sometimes) and definately beautiful land and people (all the time!).
We also had the opportunity to visit on Big Corn Island which is a 30 minute Panga (boat) ride from Little Corn. There we met up with a fellow Canadian who assisted us with infor for obtaining our residency. It was great to meet him in person as well as have the opportunity to tour the island. Christian is starting his own real estate company on Big Corn called Caribbean Dream Realty. We wish him well with his business!
As the power is a bit limited as well as internet, we will be posting more sporadically! We will try our best to keep in touch! Take care and maybe we will see you soon in our island paradise!

KARL´s KORNER
Nous sommes ici a Casa Sunrise depuis 2 semaine dega dont une semaine sane le proprio. On prend soin de 3 cabinas sur le bord de la mer et croyez moi ils ont besoin de soin. Heiko le proprio nést pas tres fort sur la menweseniw, alors je raboutte ici et la. Nous avons recu nos premier cliente cette semaine. Nous les avons quasiement supplier de rester, sans farce et je pense quils nous ont paye avec un faux billet american...¨ah¨.
On le saura cette semaine. Je plonge assez souvent et le fond marin est magnifigue pas tres profond et plein de vie. En ce moment nour avous assez d´ouvrage comme ca je prend mon temps. Pas délectricite seulement un panneaux solaire pour 3 cabina et 1 bodega, 1 puits avec une eau excellente, la cuisine se fait aux bois de marche de lágglumeration. En ¨ville¨ lélectricite fonctionne 4 heures par jours, alors internet ici´nést pas accessible et tres cher.
Saludos, Karlos
( We apologize in advance, because I typed Karl´s Korner so if there are mistakes, it is my fingers, not Karl :))

Little Corn Island ~ Caribbean Paradise!

2006-05-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

We have been here for almost 1 wee and what a beautiful, tranquil paradise. We are staying at a place called Casa Sunrise located at the north end of the island. This beautiful place was named by the Dali Lama in 1997 as the Compassion Centre as the owner Heiko Rah is a budhist and wanted to make this place a paradise to "chill out" and come back to ourselves. I think he succeded!
It is situated on 180 degrees of beach where you can see both the sunrise in the morning and the sunset in the evening without having to leave the beach! Incredible. Karl and I are going to be living and running Casa Sunrise for the next couple of months because the owner is heading back to Germany. We are really happy to have this pleasure. It works out for Heiko and also gives us the experience and joy of living in such a beautiful place. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more information about the place...we would love to share and even see you here!
On another note, I also experienced my first ever dive! Can you believe it we saw nurse sharks! I almost full on one, because I was having a tough time staying equalized, but I survived! It is such an incredible sensation being underwater, breathing and seeing all this amazing life under the water! It was my first, but definately not my last!
That is it for today from Little Corn, but stay tuned for more!

Achievement

2006-04-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

We did it! This past Monday we received our 1 year residencia for Nicaragua! Yahoo! All the efforts of planning and organizing paid off. It was a great relief and we had great assistance from our lawyer Luis Boniche. Anyone interested to recieve their residencia, let us know and we can give you his info!

Now that we have this opportunity to stay in the country for 1 year, our next plan is to head to the Corn Islands. These are 2 little islands on the Atlantic side of Nicaragua located in the Caribeean ocean. We are really looking forward to our adventure. We are planning to stay at Casa Sunrise and we looking forward to being in a new setting especially on the beach!

This morning here in Managua, we also discovered this super place called Tonelli. It is a women's coop bakery and the atmoshphere, food and people are wonderful. Can you believe that it is only 2 blocks from where we have been staying and we just discovered it today. We would definately return to help support the ladies and the coop.

We also learned about this very interesting product created from a tree called El Ojoche. It is extremely high in vitamins, minerals and proteins. We are really intrigued to learn more about this and we will keep you posted! Here is what it looks like...

Karl s corner:
Je magasine les tickets pour aller a corn island ce matin.Je pense que nous allons faire le voyage en autobus et bateau ,autrefois un trip risque ,12 heures d autobus et 3 heures de Pangas jusqu a bluefield et ensuite un autre 3 heures de bateau en mer ,on economise 100 $ et on verra du pays.Je sais que je n aurai pas le mal de mer ayant fait un peu de chaloupe dans les dernieres annees ,pour ceux qui savent ce que je veux dire, mais je suis moin sur du sort de Monika ayant le mal de mer sur le traversier entre Victoria et Vancouver,enfin on verra. J espere pouvoir vous donner de supers photos de plages et decors paradisiaque.Saludos

New Activities & Friends

2006-04-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

My first day of school...Spanish school that is! I am taking a one week intensive course at Viva Spanish School. It has been going well and I feel like I have re-enforced my base of Spanish. Now, I just need to practise speaking!! I think that speaking and listening are the 2 hardest skills to develop. I really understand and can appreciate how our students at FCLI felt learning English! Learning another language is not easy, but I have to say I am having a good time experimenting and trying. I am also feeling better about Managua and feeling more comfortable about the neighborhood and the people that are in it!

We also had th opportunity to be able to see a worker owned free trade sewing coop in action in a city just outside Managua called Cuidad Sandino. This coop was created after Hurricane Mitch to help the families living in the area earn money to support themselves. This buiness is different in that it is the first worker owned coop where the workers make most of the decisions with regards to production, ordering and salaries. This is not a sweat shop...it is just the opposite...a sweat free shop! To learn more about it visit their site at http://www.fairtradezone.jhc-cdca.org/index.htm or contact us for more details. We were able to have this opportunity by going to Miraflor the previous week and meeting a wonderful family...Paul, Becca & Averling. Becca works at the coop assisting with some of the communication in English for the plant and Paul designs and makes furniture. Averling who is only 4 months is working on her skills and she is pretty cute :)

They also invited us to their home in the small village of Cuajachillo. It is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but the people around them and the views are awesome! We were also curios to see their house as they constucted it from rice straw! It is a beautiful piece of art and they are a beautiful family! Thanks again Paul, Becca & Averling!

Karls corner: On commence a s installer,se faire des amis voir d autre monde que des touristes.C est special le feeling d etre un etranger et de sentir que les gens te regardent comme si tu etais previlegie et eux non. Nous avons passe du bon temps avec Paul et Becca,de voir Paul m expliquer comment il a batit sa maison en detail,comment il s approvisionne en eau , comment il a trouve chaques materiaux et ce qui est difficile et ce qu il est moin.Ayant passe plusieurs annee a batir toute sortes de patentes je peux vous dire que ce que j ai vue ici etais comme un reve.De retour a Managua ce matin ,on en profite pour repondre a nos email et se preparer pour notre rendez vous de demain au ministerio extranjera. Nous posterons surement sur comment le tout s est deroule. A la proxima

Semana Santa Adventure

2006-04-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

Central Park in ESTELI

Thursday....ESTELI

We decided to adventure outside of Managua as it was the beginning of Seman Santa. You may ask what Semana Santa is? It is the equivalant of our Easter weekend and so pretty much everything closes and everyone goes to the beach. We decided to do the opposite and head inland into the mountains of Esteli. This is a very clean and community oriented town. The people were very warm and friendly and eager to help. They are very proud and noble community of people with strong Sandinista sentiments. It is very much an agricultural community with alot of organic products as well as being into natural remedies and medicanal herbs which is something that really attracted us to come and visit Esteli. We met a fellow Victorian and we all decided to travel together to Miraflor which is a nature reserve/cooperative of the local farmers on Friday. The rest of the afternoon we spent exploring the city and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a restaurant that served soy products and then dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant which was really quaint.

Friday...MIRAFLOR

With the aid of some wonderful Estellians, we were able to take a taxi up into Miraflor as all the buses were not running as of Good Friday. We stayed at a wonderful homestay run by Dona Corina and she makes fabulous meals and runs a great farm with horses and a small coffee plantation. We ventured around the farm and heard some amazing sounds from the birds and animals around as well as smelled some sweet wonderful mountain fresh air. We really enjoyed our experience!

Dona Corina's farmstay experience

Now Karl s corner: Nous avons passe une super fin de semaine a explorer Esteli et ses environs .J ai senti une fierte chez les gens de cette ville que je n ai pas vue ailleurs ,ces gens ont du combattre dans les annee 80 les contras supportes par les Etats Uni . Une ville purement Sandinista.J ai remarque plusieurs magasins de produits Naturelles ,Une belle vue sur les montagnes et sa riviere qui borde cette petite ville au allure colonial.

Miraflor est a 1 heure de voiture de Esteli,C est une reserve narurel d une superficie de 206 kilometre carre,il parait qu il y a du quetzal, plus de 200 sortent d orchidees,coyotes,singes et plusieurs autres .Pres de cette Reserve plusieurs Familles ont de petites Finca(fermes) ou ils recoivent des gens ,cette fin de semaine surtout des allemands et americains venue en famille echaper a la foule des plages. Nous avons pris de magnifiques photos et du super bons temps.Nous prenons des notes sur ce que les gens aiment lorsqu ils voyagent et ca servira surement dans le futur.J aurais aime partager un peu plus avec vous ce magnifique coin de pays que voici.Saludos

Masaya! Masaya! Masaya!

2006-04-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

We decided to check out Masaya this weekend and we are really glad we did. It is a quaint little town with two markets. One is more of a souvenir market and the other is a place where you can find everything from underwear to fresh meats. It was nice to see another place outside of Managua. Our buseta ride back was interesting as our driver and assistant decided to cram in as many people as he could...I think there were about 20 people in basically a minivan. Not really strict on their regulations :)
We also walked to the top of Volcan Masaya on Sunday. This is a volcano that has not had any eruptions since 2001 around the same time of year. The total hike to the top is around 6km and let me tell you it certainly felt much longer than 6km. It was early afternoon and VERY hot and VERY steep...we made it which felt great! It was pretty amazing to see the inside of the crater...it was also very smelly as it was steaming sulphur! We were able to hitch a ride back down to the entrance with a couple from Italy who are now living here in Nicaragua as farmers! There are lots of different people here from all over the world.
I really enjoyed Masaya and would go back there again. It definately had a great vibe to the city!

Karls corner: Masaya est moin touristique que Granada ,j ai vraiement aime cette ville. Le Volcan j etais alle en 1995 alors pour moi rien de nouveau.Incroyable le nombre de personnes qu on peu rencontre lorsqu on passe un peu de temps dans un Hospetage, les Canadiens qu on rencontre ici reste pour moi les plus friendly ,je ne commencerai pas a annalyser chaque nationnalitees . Demain nous rencontrons notre avocat pour en savoir un peu plus sur notre situation et ce qu il est possible de faire pour rester ici un certain temps. C est drole mais je n ai pas grand chose a dire aujourd hui .Salut .

Everyday living in Managua

2006-04-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Friday morning and it is laundry day! Not much going on today...just doing our things and enjoying the heat. No plans for travelling at the moment as next week is Semana Santa which means everything is closed and everyone heads to the beach. I think we will wait until the following week when it is a bit quieter and more mellow. In the meantime, we plan on doing some day trips into Masaya and Leon which is an easier bus trip.

Karl s corner: wow ca fait presque 2 semaines que nous sommes ici a Managua,nous faisons presque partie de la famille Vanegas maintenant, J ai repare leur salle de bain hier et Monika fait du lavage ce matin. Le but etait de finaliser nos papiers avant la fin de la journee etant donne semana santa nous serions oblige d attendre une autre semaine ,ca regarde assez bien. Je pense que nous avons fait le tour de ce qu ils y avaient a voir ici,pour moi une ville est moin interressante que la nature alors j ai bien hate de plonger et de sentir la mer. Revenez nous voir.
QQue vous pensez du theme, "Venez nous voir sur notre Ile". Bien sur seulement si on s installe sur Corn island.N hesitez pas a nous donner vos suggestions ,nous sommes tres ouvert a vos commentaires.Bonne fin de semaine.

Laguna de Apoyo

2006-04-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

We left for the laguna on Satuday morning from the Hotel Oasis. They arrange a bus to pick up and drop back off to the hotel for about $3 us/person. A bit expensive but it is right on time and drops you at the front door of our hostel Craters Edge. This is a new place that opened about 5 months ago and is owned by a Canadian from get this...Vancouver. Her name is Ann and she is a fabulous hostess and runs a wonderful business. It was a relaxing time as well as a good experience to see how this kind of business could be run.
The drive up to the laguna is quite something. Driving through little villages and seeing and feeling the climate and vegetation change is awesome. The laguna itself is a volcano that with time, filled up with water that is CLEAR BLUE! They have measured it to be 200 meters deep, but they think it is actually deeper at some points! It also contains fish that can only be found here in Laguna de Apoyo. They have created a Ecologico Projecto with studies and reports on the information in the lake as well as working on reforesting the area. They also offer Scuba diving, Spanish classes and volunteer opportunities with the children in the village. The laguna is the cleanest water in Nicaragua that provides a 6km swimming pool to the area. Here you can also see many kinds of exotic birds, monkeys and beautiful rare butterflies.

We returned to our base on Sunday afternoon as we had lots planned for Monday. Monday was the day to pick up our documents after being certified at the Canadian embassy which was a success (expensive, but successful...this was actually the most expensive part of the process so far!). We also certified our documents at the Bank and then onto the Ministeria de Relaciones Exeriores. It was a big learning curve, but alot of fun and a great sense of satisfaction after completion. We also met with a great lawyer who is assisting us with the next step of obtaining residencia as well as registering a business. His name is Luis Boniche and so far so good! We are meeting with him tonight to sign some documents for him to move forward in the process which we are really excited about.

Now Karl "s corner.

une super fin de semaine on a tout les deux pris des coups de soleil(DEUX LOBSTER).on a rencontre un quebecois a Laguna son nom est Normand ,une soixantaine d annees ,un original de la ville de Ham pres de Sherbrooke ,imagine, il connait Richard Desjardin en personne,et on avait des connaissances en commun , que le monde est petit,wow.il voyage seul comme un gypsy d une ville a l autre.Ca fait du bien de voir des gens comme ca ,ca m inspire,j irai voir son site web www.museeincroyable.com . Savez vous quoi a Managua le dimanche y a personne ca a l air qu il sont a la plage.J essaie de pas repeter ce que MOni ecrit en anglais mais ca se peut que des fois ca arrive,ha ,ceux qui me connaissent savent pourquoi.J ai parle a Eric hier soir ,ca ma fait du bien d y parler ,ca doit faire 2 ans que je ne l ai pas vue et j ai bien hate,il sera au quebec en avril . A la proxima.N oubliez pas tout est possible dans la vie.

Granada

2006-03-31T17:35:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-29T17:45:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-28T16:51:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-27T05:05:00.000-08:00

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!

2006-03-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

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!

2006-03-24T18:18:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

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)!

2006-03-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

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!

MORE SNOW!

2006-02-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we are almost at the end of February...and there is more snow. We have about 6'(feet) here at the chalet and we are watching a program about the money spent and business of snow removal.
Snow...Snow...Neige...Neige...Enough Already!
We have really enjoyed our time here at the chalet. It truly is a beautiful place and it really is time for us to begin our next step of our project. We are thinking a time frame of the middle of March and we are thinking of Nicaragua. We are working on information about Nicaragua as we think that many of you will have questions like: Where is Nicaragua?, Why Nicaragua? Isn't that a dangerous place?
We hope that we can provide the answers to your questions and please feel free to contact us with any that you have.
In the meantime, here are a few tidbits until next time:
1. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America
2. It is also, the safest! This is a shock for most as safety is not what most people think about Nicaragua.
3. Canada imports - gold, clothes, cacao and some fruits and veges

harmoniacasa, Grecia, Costa Rica

2006-02-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Eric & Johanne (Karl's brother and partner) have been in Costa Rica for over a year now with their son Cedric (not in photo :)). Their primary business is a B&B located in Grecia, Costa Rica where they provide rooms as well as all kinds of organized activities from surfing to a tour of a coffee plantation.
They have recently become involved in volunteer opportunities and have added a volunteer section to their website www.quanalyse.com. They have a variety of positions available from construction, ESL teaching to firemen. With the volunteer positions they arrange a homestay family for the volunteer or anyone who wants to travel and experience the true culture.
Eric is an engineer by trade and he can also assist those who are interested in wanting to invest or build a business with his network of contacts, skill of languages (French, English, Spanish & German) and helpful suggestions and advice. Please feel free to visit their webiste www.quanalyse.com or our site at www.harmoniacasa.com for more information.

Thanks!

2006-02-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

WOW! The first month of 2006 complete. We hope that everyone had a great holiday and that you are enjoying the beginning of 2006! It is also the Year of the Dog in Chinese astrology. This is my sign so I am looking forward to an interesting year.

Karl and I are content and enjoying our time here at the lake. It is quite something to be able to be here. We take walks visiting the neighbor dogs (which I really enjoy) as well as cross country ski on the lake which keeps us both in pretty good shape. There is about 5' of snow and it is really natures canvas to see the art of the snow on the trees! Absolutely amazing.

We want to thank you all for visiting our site and your continued support and encouragement. We have really been given a gift to be able to take this time to reflect on where and what we have done and to be able to create our new path of where and what we will be doing. Please keep coming back as our goal is to keep the site as "fresh" as we can.

We are thinking to continue our stay in Quebec for a little while and to do some travelling around the province before we head off. We would love to be able to travel the world...as a start we will begin in Central America :) We are also keeping our options open to see what doors open!

Enjoy the moment and do not hesitate to contact us with any questions/comments!
Karl and Monika

Dogsledding in L'Esterel, QC

2006-01-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

WOW! What a great adventure. Today Karl and I went dogsledding for the first time ever! What an experience. We were able to take the sled ourselves and ride around the lake. They (the dogs) loved it!
The driver, called a MUSHER was Karl and he did a great job encouraging the dogs to go! It is called MUSHER, because the word actually changed in translation from French to English. The French would call to the dogs to MARCHER (which means to walk) and the English heard the word as MUSHER.

harmoniacasa, Grecia, Costa Rica

2006-01-16T17:28:00.000-08:00

Volunteers needed in Grecia, Costa Rica! They are looking for the following:
ESL teachers
Construction
Firemen/women
If you are interested in learning more information, please send us an email and we will get you the details.
In the photo, is a homestay family that will gladly receive you and share their culture and daily routines. There is also the opportunity for language learning. If you are interested in this option send us an email at info@harmoniacasa.com or visit www.quanalyse.com for more information.

harmoniacasa

2006-01-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

harmoniacasa, Lac Dufresne, Quebec

Enjoy cross country skiing, hiking, kayaking and peaceful living. Please visit www.harmoniacasa.com for more details.

Offical harmoniacasa headquarters

2006-01-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

Karl and I setting up the harmoniacasa.com headquarters at the chalet in Lanthier, QC.

The idea of harmoniaproject is to travel and find gentle living homes/environments all around the world. The first destination being Central America.

Karl and I would like to travel and experience cultures through homestay/farmstay that we would like to call harmoniacasa. The main vision is to promote other harmoniacasas to find our own. If someone has one or knows of someone that would like to have a harmoniacasa, please feel free to contact us to share!

Happy New Year!

2006-01-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Bonne Année! Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Wishing Everyone a wonderful, peaceful and harmonious 2006!

Skiing on the Lake

2005-12-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day! I am experiencing a lot of firsts in Quebec! Today Karl and I went cross country skiing on the lake at the chalet and it was awesome! Mild temperature, beautiful scenery and wonderful companionship!

We are preparing for the upcoming New Year with Gilles & Charlotte at the chalet. We will be posting more photos and updating information so keep coming back!

Thank You

2005-12-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

Karl and I have returned back to the chalet and are enjoying the snow (which is over 4 feet!!). It has been a while since I have been in snow like this!!

We had a wonderful adventure this past week. We were in the Sagueny & Quebec City and both are beautiful places. We spent some time with Karl`s best friends Eric & Christine and we had a wonderful time there! We would like to thank them very much for a beautiful few days! The Sagueny is a beautiful part of Quebec with Fjords and lots of nature and outdoor adventure! We saw people skiing in a field with sails...like wind surfing on the snow!

We spent Christmas in Quebec City and I have to say it is a very magical, wonderful breathtaking city! I am very happy to have been able to experience a Christmas in this magical city! Before I go on to tell you my feelings about Quebec City, there are a few people that we have to extend a special thank you to. Thank you to Andre & Isabelle for hosting a fun Christmas Eve for all the family. A warm thank you to Gilles and Charlotte for the wonderful gift of staying right in the heart of Quebec City on Christmas Eve! And last but not least, a big thank you to Tante Suzanne for my first fondue supper and for being a super hostess to us and letting us stay over the snow storm!!

Now to talk about Quebec City...it is a beautiful place to see and I believe that everyone should make the effort to see it and feel it! Yes, I said feel it! There is something about the city that is magical. Can you imagine, seeing and walking on the spot that Jacques Cartier declared that this spot is New France 400 years ago!! It was amazing!! I believe that I now have a small glimpse and better understanding of why Quebec wants to be its own country!

One other amazing feature about Quebec (or at least the parts that I have been priveleged to experience) is that this province is truly a bilingual province. Everyone that I have spoken with can quickly and smoothly transfer back and forth between French and English which has made my stay here very easy. I am sometimes embarrased that I cannot accomplish the same feat but I have definately improved my French listening skills!

Thanks again to all of our hosts and we want to extend a Happy New Year to everyone!

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel & Feliz Navidad

2005-12-23T13:41:00.000-08:00

Taking this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

We are in beautiful Chicoutimi and we just came back from a magnificent hike with Christine and Eric beside the Fjord of the Saguenay. We will have photos up to show you shortly!

We are headed to Quebec City tomorrow for a family Christmas and spending some time in old Quebec! We are very excited!

Talk to you soon!

Time Flies

2005-12-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that 2 weeks have passed. It is definately a wonderful place to be...a bit cold, but beautiful. Karl and I are embarking on Project Zen...a time for us to enjoy the moments and plan and organize where and how we will begin Harmonia Project for 2006.

We have had quite a bit of snow...over 2 feet!! We have been able to go skiing twice at Mt. Garceau in St. Donat. It is a great hill!!

We are headed to Montreal and Quebec City for the next few days for the holidays and we look forward to sharing photos with you real soon as we plan on purchasing a digital camera! I am very excited!!

For now we wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad and Frohe Weinachten!!

Karl and Monika

In the Laurentians

2005-12-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

Tranquility, stillnes, quiet & peace is the description of living on Lac Defresne in St. Agathe, Quebec. Karl and I have passed a wonderful weekend with Gille & Charlotte (Karl`s mom & partner). We owe them alot...the least of which is a warm & grateful thank you for letting us use their beautiful chalet and also for their big hearts & warm personalities.

Time is passing quickly...it is hard to believe that I have now been in Quebec for 1 week! I am very appreciative of these moment I/we have been experiencing.

It has snowed a bit every day making for an accumulation of about 12". It is vert picturesque with the powdery snow covered pine trees and the frozen lake right outside our door.

Until next time...a Belle Journee!

Montreal Bound

2005-12-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

One more day until I am on my way Montreal. I am very excited and looking forward to connecting with Karl and learning more about the city.

Everything is complete here in Victoria. I have spent my last week organizing the final stage of moving and everything has worked out well. It was a bit stressful but I really learned alot about myself which is always a good thing. No regrets and I am looking forward to the next chapter of the journey!!

Home at the Chalet

2005-11-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

This is where Karl is spending his time in Quebec. A beautiful chalet by a lake in the Laurentians! I am really looking forward to being able to spend some time there. As of today, there is a bit of snow (5cm) but I am sure in the next few weeks there will be additional snow and I will get to ski in Quebec!

Visit to Goldstream Park

2005-11-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

Today I went with our students to this is an amazing part of Victoria...Goldstream Provincial Park. This is where the Pacific Salmon come for their annual spawning. It is quite the site to see the lifecycle of the salmon and the view and park are breathtaking. I am including some photos from our adventures and the beautiful nature...
Hope you enjoy :)

The Red Bullet Made it!

2005-11-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been 2 weeks since Karl left Victoria...and the RED BULLET has made it! The 1988 Nisan Micra has crossed Canada in one piece and is still working! Now in St. Agathe, Quebec, Karl is enjoying the peace of nature as he spends his time at the chalet. We will try to get some photos for you soon.

I am wrapping things up here in Victoria and using an awesome website called usedvictoria.com (check it out in our sidebar). It has been a great help in selling the "stuff" that I have here! It is incredible how much lighter I also feel with being able to go through my wardrobe and getting rid of alot of old clothes as well as just "letting go" of some items in the house that I was holding onto for emotional reasons. I found that by letting things go, I still had the memories, but I actually phyiscally felt lighter not holding onto a physical object...just an observation :)

Three more weeks of living in Victoria...after 3 years here and I looking forward to having a white (hopefully) holiday in Quebec and Ontario and then heading south in the new year!

We will be in touch!

Happy Halloween!

2005-11-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

I am a bit late with this one but Happy Halloween! We had a great costume party at FCLI yesterday and the students had a great time!! Some of the students have never experienced Halloween so can you imagine what they would be thinking watching all these people dress up in strange and crazy costumes?? What a culture shock! Hope everyone had a great day!

Studying

2005-10-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Karl has recently completed his DIVEMASTER program here in Victoria, BC! I am really proud of him for sticking to his dreams and achieving his goals. He is really looking forward to being able to do some diving in the Caribbean!!

I am currently studying in a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course which I will be completing before I make my way to Montreal. It is an awesome course and my teacher is fabulous! This is a great way to learn a new skill and to be able to use it in different parts of the world where people want to learn English. I am also studying and practising Spanish and French...I am going to get alot of practise with French real soon in Quebec.

Getting Ready

2005-10-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

The time is quickly approaching for our new adventure to Central America. Karl and the RED BULLET are set to travel Canada over the next 10 days and I will continue to Quebec in December. From there, we head to Costa Rica! We are really excited to see what will unfold on our journies! Through this posting, we will keep you all informed with writings and photos.

Have a great day!

Beautiful Day!

2005-04-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

A wonderful day here in Victoria! The sun is shining, the moutains are in clear view and not a cloud in the sky...a beautiful feeling and place.

Here are some words for thought...

Yesterday is the past
Tomorrow is the future
Today is a gift that is why it is called the PRESENT!
Enjoy every moment because you never know what the next will bring!

Enjoy your today!

M

2005-04-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

Simply Living in Victoria...

2005-04-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our site. We hope you enjoy it and we want to hear about your Harmonia project!

Beautiful Words

2005-04-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

What goes around comes around.
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you have never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's wathcing.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it is heaven on Earth.

Beautiful Words

2005-04-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

The first person who has to believe in you...is you.

Language Studies

2005-04-05T15:57:00.001-07:00

Learn English in beautiful and friendly Victoria, BC, Canada!

We can provide information on the following:

Full Time English Programs
AM Part Time English Programs
PM Part Time English Programs
Test Preparation Courses (TOEFL, TOEIC)
Tutoring for all levels and all ages
High School tutoring for both International and Canadian students
French, Spanish and other language programs for your personal interest

Activities

2005-04-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

We can provide fun and exciting adventures for you and your friends!

Kayaking - an adventure on the ocean and a chance to see some native BC wildlife
Scuba Diving - dive in the best place in Canada! See wolf eels, octopus and many more!
Hiking/Beach Walks - spend the day on the Juan de Fuca Trail or Hike up a Mountain
Whale Watching
Arts & Crafts - Learn how to make jewellery, First Nation's Dreamcatchers and much more
Celebrations of National Holidays - Easter, Christmas, Halloween - see how these are celebrated in Canada

Prices of programs depend on the amount of people involved. Contact Us! for more details!

What is Harmonia?

2005-04-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

We bring the world together in "Harmonia"!

It is a service to provide homestay, activities, and language studies.

We are beginning the HarmoniaProject in Victoria, British Columbia and we would like to hear from you on how we can bring Harmonia into your life.

We can arrange homestay, B& B style accomodation or a shared or furnished aptarment for your stay. We will also look after some of your extra curricular activites showing you some of the best places and things to do!
We can also help you with your language studies...English, French or Spanish...we can help you find a program that is right for your needs and schedule!