Nicaragua

January - February 2019
A 15-day adventure by Robert & Benoît Read more
  • 30footprints
  • 2countries
  • 15days
  • 150photos
  • 0videos
  • 32.3kkilometers
  • 12.8kkilometers
  • Day 4

    Les toilettes compostables

    February 3, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Ici toutes les toilettes sont des toilettes compostables. Elles ont le bénéfice de conserver l’eau tout en produisant de l’engrais et du compost.

    Comment ça marche ?
    •Les fluides coulent dans un système d’eaux grises qui irrigue les arbres de coconut
    •Les solides (qu’on couvre de copeaux de bois) vont dans un pot et sont convertis en engrais riche en nutriments
    •Le papier de toilette va dans la poubelle

    Pour les avoir utilisé je peux confirmer qu’effectivement il n’y a pas plus d’odeur que dans nos toilettes auxquelles on est habitué et ça fait la job 💩
    Read more

  • Day 4

    #Awesome Foods Day 4

    February 3, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Quiche et patates.

    *Dîner*
    Falafels et riz;
    Salade de carottes, betteraves tomates et concombres;
    Pain naan et sauce tzatziki.

    *Souper* (de Super Bowl)
    Apéro : Ailes de poulet, crudités avec guacamole, tostones (truc avec bananes plantain en galette frit?) avec fromage frit;
    Macaroni au fromage, enchiladas de légumes, légumes
    Dessert : Ananas grillés avec sauce au rum et crème glacée à la vanille
    Read more

  • Day 5

    Rest day

    February 4, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Hmmmm. Something I ate is not setting well with my bowels. This morning I feel pretty bloated and have discomfort in my belly. I think it my have been the Tzaziki that we ate yesterday. Boot Camp is thankfully cancelled as the surf time is at 6:30 am due to the tides.

    Both Ben and I skip surfing this morning. Instead we have coffee and relax. We still head to the beach to watch how the surfers are doing with the waves.

    Yoga starts at 8:30. The session is not extremely challenging but I do not feel any better. Everytime we do a twist my belly tells me to watch out. I listen to my body and make smaller movements or take breaks when needed. At the end of the session I feel awful.

    I'm still hungry even though I don't feel the best. I have a smaller breakfast and avoid foods that could cause some discomfort. I decide to take it easy for the rest of the day ad chill in a shaded area by the beach. Some of the folks decide to go play in the water and it looks like fun. I feel better from time to time but no enough to go out in the ocean or in the direct sun.

    We eat lunch in early afternoon. After having some food there is a padle board activity organized for those who are interested. I decide to give it a try as I'm told it's pretty easy and you can stay in the shade for a good part of the ride.

    We have a 15 minute ride to get to our starting point. Security in vehicles does not follow the same standards as in Canada; seat belts are optional and beer is permitted. The girls decide to sit in the back of the pickup truck for the ride. Travelling on dirt roads we get to our starting point where there are a couple guys on the river with the paddle boards and kayaks waiting for us.

    The mangroves are interesting and the water is nice. We start in a wide area of the river and end up in a narrow section where we need to be precise with our "driving". We Paddle for about an hour and a half before we get to a marina. The pickup truck is there waiting for us to bring us back home. I decide to ride in the back of the pickup for our return.

    Supper is served not too long after we arrive. After dinner the are local dancers who come and give a demonstration of local dancing and also provide some dancing lessons. Some of us are pretty tired so I head of to one of the cabanas for a chat with a glass of rum while Ben gives some dance moves a try with Basia before joining us later.

    Sleep is well invited tonight.
    Read more

  • Day 5

    #AwesomeFoods Day 5

    February 4, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Crêpes avec pommes et ananas confits
    Œufs brouillés

    *Dîner*
    Buddha Bowl avec poulet (riz, bines, légumes et sauce aux amandes)

    *Souper*
    Apéro : nachos avec pico de gallo
    Filet de poisson avec sauce à l’ail, légumes et purée de patates douces et/ou carottes
    Dessert : Macaron de coconut et crème glacée à la vanille
    Read more

  • Day 6

    Mmmm Chocolate

    February 5, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    I'm thankfully feeling better this morning. My belly is still sensitive but there is great improvement. There are not too many activities planned today so I will again chill and relax.

    Yoga feels great and helps me get very deep stretches.

    After breakfast we have a chocolate making workshop. Mylena is our guide and brings out many various ingredients for us to add to our chocolate. We first start by peeling the skin of roasted cocoa beans. Once that is done, we use a hand grinder to smash the cocoa and make it into a powder. We each get a bowl and start our own chocolate mix. We first add a bit of oil and then you do what you want. I add some agave and condensed milk for sweetness, natural peanut butter and a pinch of salt. We mix our ingredient and shape our chocolates. I make Hershey kisses shaped ones and add a couple nuts inside each. Ben shapes his as cubes. We then place our masterpieces in the fridge to set.

    After this session we have another workshop with Jane on the subject of Brainspotting. It is a new therapy pratice where an individual is asked to look at a pointer at different locations and keep your gaze on that point for a while and let yourself just be. It is interesting.

    It's Ben and Marc's birthday today. We asked the crew to do something special. They made a lovely cake for the guys. After desert they have Ben and Marc blindfolded to try and hit a Piñata. It is quite entertaining to watch them.

    We end the evening with some dancing, karaoke and chilling in the pool.
    Read more

  • Day 6

    #AwesomeFoods Day 6

    February 5, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Gallo pinto (riz avec bines)
    Œufs brouillés
    Pico de gallo (salsa de légumes)
    Tortillas
    Bananes plantain sucrées
    Fromage

    *Dîner*
    Pad Thaï végétarien

    *Souper*
    Tacos / Fajitas
    Dessert : Gâteau tropical pour la ma fête et celle de Marc 🥳
    Read more

  • Day 7

    Waves of Hope

    February 6, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I thought I would have a huge head ache this morning. Thankfully is not too bad :) We drank a lot last night celebrating the birthday boys. Ben had lots of fun :)

    This morning we go surfing at 6:30 for optimal conditions. I catch some nice waves, I think I am ready for the next level of surfing higher on the wave. I tried a couple of attempts but have not been able to stand too long. I think I need a few tips and tricks to get on at this height.

    For Yoga we have a different session today. Kathy has asked that we do a typical Ashtanga class. This style of yoga is set of sequences that must be followed and of specific durations based on your breathing. Basia explains the different movements and makes us go through the sequence of movements. We skip many of the movements as it could take us a very long time to complete all the sequences. We also lack the flexibility to perform many of the poses. All in all we still get quite the workout as the movements are to be done without stopping.

    We eat breakfast and then get ready to go see the help and work that was brought to the community from Waves of Hope. Initially Jamie and his friends raised money from family and friends in Canada and today tries to get help from a variety of sources. We start by visiting an elementary school that was recent built and this is their first week of school. The school is well built and has all the basics needed for the kids. A communal water supply was also built and all the houses nearby can come get access to clean water. We also visit a high school where about 200 kids attend. There are about 60 kids that graduate each year. Waves of Hope sponsors 20 kids per year to go to university. It costs around $40 a month per kid to go to university here.

    Once back at the resort we have another great window to go surfing again. Many of us head out, the waves are even better than this morning. We have tons of fun.

    After that great workout we watch the sunset over the ocean. We finish the day with a restorative yoga session. We do very relaxing and supporting poses. It feels great. I almost fall asleep twice. Supper is served around 8 and we chill the rest of the evening.

    Sleep will come easy tonight.
    Read more

  • Day 7

    #AwesomeFoods Day 7

    February 6, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Omelettes avec “gallo pinto”

    *Dîner*
    Burger végétarien; salade de concombre et melon; chips de yuca

    *Souper*
    Apéro : Rouleaux de printemps avec sauce au beurre de peanuts
    Tikka Masala avec poulet; riz, pain naan et salade de papaye
    Dessert : Brownies cru (avec dates, chia, …)
    Read more

  • Day 8

    Taking in the sun

    February 7, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    This morning my body feels tired. I guess the stuff we did yesterday was more demanding than I thought. Many of us feel this way and decide to take a real rest day.

    After ou stay here at Coco Loco some of us are staying an extra 4 days before heading back to Canada. We decide to look at our options for accommodations and activities that we would like to do. I do some searching on AirBnB and suggest a couple of places to stay. I book a couple places and get help for Jamie from setting up two activities.

    We spend most of the day relaxing by the pool and by the beach. The sunset tonight is amazing. We take interesting photos with the sunset behind us.
    Read more

  • Day 8

    #AwesomeFoods Day 8

    February 7, 2019 in Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    *Déjeuner*
    Coupes de plantains farcis; œufs brouillés

    *Dîner*
    Sandwich au poisson pané aux amandes; frites

    *Souper*
    Apéro : Crudités avec humus
    Poulet parmigiana
    Dessert : Biscuit épicé au chili et crème glacée à la vanilleRead more