San Juan del Sur

Coloured Buildings

San Juan del Sur has been known as a fishing village/surf haven for a number of years and is now a trending tourist destination. It’s location on the pacific coast of Nicaragua makes it a nice base for people who wish to explore the various beaches in the area.  The appeal of day trips along the coast has attracted Cruise ships to include it as a Port of Call and a number of boutique hotels have opened in the town. The day I visited the area I felt like I had dropped into the 1950’s as I sipped my “Tona” (the local beer) however the community has been a travel destination for a very long time.

 

Hotel Victoriano

During the mid 1800s people travelling between California and the Eastern seaboard often crossed via Nicaragua rather than trek overland on a route created and managed by the Cornelius Vanderbilt. San Juan del Sur was a transit point on the Pacific and The Hotel Victoriano still includes Mark Twain as one of its famous occupants.  Downtown wooden buildings painted in a variety of colours retreat from the shoreline and are reminiscent of the Mediterranean. As you approach the water you pass the Malecon which follows the curve of the Bay and find restaurants, surf shops and charter boat services before arriving at the beach.

The day that I was there we enjoyed lunch at Restaurant El Timon which is located at the high tide mark in the middle of the Bay. The open air location offers inviting views of the ocean where surfers were riding easy swells and a mixture of yachts and fishing boats were tendered further out. Similar to Rio the area has a statue “Christ of Mercy” located on a high cliff at its north end. Our meals were presented nicely and prices for most entrées were about 350.00 Córdobas, or 16.00 Canadian.

I feel that this area is going to become popular: Nicaragua has a low cost of living that appeals to budget travellers and retirees are establishing expat communities on the hills above the town. There are a number of undeveloped beaches in the district so sooner or later resorts will be built. For now you may want to beat the crowd and experience its funky atmosphere.

Aqua Wellness Resort

Wellness-the state of being in good physical and mental health.

I have never been truly clear on the concept of a Wellness Vacation. To me wellness is a physical and mental state, a conscious pursuit but not a travel product. Many resorts include “wellness” in their spa programs as an option on a list of treatments however a holistic approach like that at The Aqua Wellness Resort in Nicaragua seems to meet my expectation of a wellness destination.

 

This property has been physically constructed so that it blends in with the tropical forest and it was only after a long tour of the resort that I realized it had fifty rooms. Villa units are suspended above the jungle floor to minimize their environmental impact and connected with the common areas by a network of crushed lava pathways. As a result of these efforts turtles nest on their beach and often Howler monkeys populate the trees at night.

 

Guest accommodations are located on the side of a steep hill giving each room privacy and a view of the either the bay or the forest and inside the units beds are placed in front of the window so you get to enjoy the natural setting even at night. Walking over one of the wooden bridges I felt like I was at a cottage or a calm retreat. One concession to luxury I noticed was that many units featured individual plunge pools overlooking the bay.

 

Food served at the resort is produced locally and leans to vegetarian appetites so while the menu depends on what is in season you know that the food will be fresh. Our host, Jose Menendez, stated that the resort’s staff philosophy was unobtrusive mindful service offered with a genuine desire to enhance the guest’s experience. Even during our short tour we experienced that attentiveness: upon arrival we were all provided with cool towels and offered refreshments that were caringly presented.

 

The physical and social environment at the Aqua Wellness Resort are conducive to that pursuit of Wellness and can help guests find that self-awareness to carry home with them after their stay. It emphasizes the statement that travel enhances the traveller…

Ephesus

The day started with breakfast on the roof top terrace.  Then three of us walked to the Isa Bey Mosque, built in 1375 and still in use while being restored.  There are massive chandeliers with electricity saving bulbs and the columns were salvaged from the ruins of  Ephesus.  We put on black and white geometric patterned chadors and head scarves. The Imam gave us a tour and said  he does not like the machine made carpet.  His son made the tiles in the store which raises money for the restoration of the mosque.  Of course I bought one and told him Inshallah I will be back in Turkey one day.  A surreal experience.

Then a shoeshine man started cleaning my shoes despite my protests. I gave him three lira, he wanted 20, I said 5, we agreed on 10 as I snatched back my 5 before it became 15.  So $5 for a shoeshine and lesson learned to not slow down while saying no.  Sellers can sometimes be persistent to the point of being aggressive.  We take it in stride.

The basilica of St John and the Citadel are really something, ruins but requires less imagination to envision than Troy.  You can see forever from the site.

I cannot even describe Ephesus so will not attempt to.  It is huge and fascinating with a population of 250,000 at its peak and everything was clad in blinding white marble. We went at 3:00 pm rather than at 9:00 am with the thousands of cruise ship tourists.  I have about 100 photos.  It took about three hours to walk through.  It is incredible.

All in all it was a wonderful day ending with a walk around a small country village, apple tea at the cafe, then supper in the garden of a Turkish family.  He is a guide, she restores antiquities.  They have a mission to preserve village life.  Everything was homemade, organic, fresh and vegetarian. The olives were from their trees, homemade olive oil, unbelievable salads, delicious pea stew and an eggplant dish that I had two helpings of even though I am not a huge fan of eggplant.  I have the recipe.  Shredded carrots stir fried in olive oil and mixed with yoghurt.....I cleaned the plate.  Dessert was fresh honeydew melon and watermelon.  This is a new venture and we were the first group. It will be a success. 

Hierapolis and Pamukkale

Turkey has an array of stray animals: cats (there cannot possibly be a single mouse in Turkey), dogs (which are tagged, neutered and vaccinated for rabies etc) and even fowl.  We found ducks and roosters in the strangest places.....like the driveway of our last hotel where one duck decided to do his own call to prayer about 3:00 am. Right under our window.

Today we exchanged peach orchards for fig orchards; the best figs are all exported. Our driver stopped the bus in a village, jumped out and returned five minutes later with a huge bag of freshly picked cherries for us all.  We really like Genghis and will miss him after he drops us at the airport for our flight to Istanbul.  

The ruins of both the necropolis and the town of Hierapolis were fascinating.  The calcium carbonate cliffs of Pamukkale are downright strange. We walked down the hillside barefoot in the gushing water which flowed through six pools.

Lots of construction in Turkey, especially apartment buildings, 3-4 stories in smaller areas and buildings like the Marilyn Monroe one in Mississauga in the cities.  They are needed for the growing population if under 30's.  With 75 million people and so mountainous, most people live in apartments. Some buildings have what looks like bread ovens built into the balconies.  They are actually coal bar-b-ques!  Western Turkey is incredibly fertile, sort of like southwestern Ontario.  The fruit has been amazing.

November 16, Granada, Nicaragua

Granada: Reinvention of a city

We all have heard the catch phrase “reinvention” and there are many examples of people who reinvented themselves (Madonna), companies (National Geographic) or even Countries (China). The term sounds progressive and trendy but in some cases it is simply a refining process. For instance the Nicaraguan city of Granada is undergoing its fourth reincarnation after enduring civil and economic hardship. The town site was originally settled by Cordoba in the year of 1524 on the northern shore of Lake Nicaragua. Its location ended a journey often travelled by conquistadors, priests and pirates en route from Caribbean up the Rio De San Juan and to the Pacific. This easy access made the city a natural target for privateers and it was razed three times.
 

Lake Nicaragua close to Granada

While Buccaneers no longer threaten the country a civil war (Oliver North and the Contra-Tehran Affair) occurred from 1983 to 1988 and was followed by a US embargo which crippled their economy. Our tour guide to the area told us that Canada aided the Nicaragua during that period by circumventing the embargo and supplying Nicaragua with grain. He said that the people’s motto at the time was “bread, but with dignity”.

The country is now rebuilding and Granada was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. This city exemplifies a traditional Spanish settlement not only by its buildings but also by the layout of the streets: a large central square dominated by a Cathedral and administrative offices with streets leading off at right angles.  Hotels and restaurants now occupy the spaces that housed wealthy families and being in these establishments can give you a feel for what life must have been like during the 1700’s.

Parque Central with Granada Cathedral in the back ground

Buildings are restored to the colonial style of the seventeenth century and must adhere to strict standards: high ceilings, tall doors and interior courtyards but no building can exceed a height of two stories. Walls are constructed of adobe and roofs must be tiled over a supporting framework of Castia cane. At one of the reconstructed hotels I visited rooms had no exterior windows because itwas not consistent with the Colonial Style. One point in which the restoration deviates from history is that residents are allowed use a wide palate of colours to paint their homes giving the community a very tropical vibe.

 

 
This re-creation has attracted tourists to the area who are drawn by its history and surrounding landscape. Many of these visitors found the cost of living to be low relative to their home country and now form a large expatriate community. Both outcomes have brought money into the locale and further restorations including La Polvora Fortress are now underway. Granada is an example of successful reinvention but that is the value of experience.

La Polvora Fortress