I love coffee. And Nicaragua has some the finest on the planet. So here are some places I have repeatedly been patronizing. I plan on going to more! But come taste for yourself!
Warning: I know nothing about coffee growing, roasting, or brewing. But if I get time, I am going to go on a coffee finca tour so I can know what I am talking about it. All I know is taste :)
Fitzcarraldo- Granada- 5 stars on everything. I have had every kind of coffee here. Espresso, Americano, Iced, Iced with vanilla, mmmmm. Strong, tasty coffee. If I knew more about brewing I would write about it. But it is good. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is very European. They get their beans from all over Nicaragua's coffee growing regions. 
Coffee Boutique- Granada- 4.5 stars. I got an iced coffee here, and it was dessert. Simply delicious. I ventured in to the cafe on a very hot day, and they served me a very refreshing drink. This place is located right behind the Cathedral. Not at much atmosphere as above, but still very good.
Euro Cafe- Granada- 3.5 stars. This joint is in the Parque Centro. This is a place to go if you need internet, a sandwich, and want to speak English with someone. Or get a blind massage. It is okay. I got an iced coffee there. It was decent, not mixed very well. But that may have been because I ordered it with soy milk. They do have a really neat courtyard. And someone there likes Calvin and Hobbes, as there are multiple books laying all around the place. I have heard people say lots of good things. I am sure the food is good. Due to Celiacs, I cannot eat a sandwich, but I think I should try it again. Maybe order a salad.
El Gato Negro- San Juan del Sur- 5 stars. They get their coffee bean from a guy who's name is Keith (?). His coffee beans have some ratio that is ridiculously high making this bean one of the best in the country. I have no clue what I am talking about. Todd tried to explain it to me. But what matters is that this coffee was served hot and strong. With a little pinch of sugar it was perfect. Nica families and travelers frequent this hole in the wall. They also serve amazing superfood smoothies.
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| super chill, relaxing... internet password: ireadbooks |
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| gray's... fun |
Next coffee spots:
Espressonista
Garden Cafe
Cafe de las Sonrisas
Chocolate coffee shops
Any suggestions, let me know!
Playa Coco!!
I have spent the last two weekends with Todd and Amanda VanderArk. Todd and Amanda are from the Midwest and are now expats of sorts. They decided a few years ago to have a sea side resort, and after a lot of travel, they saw the beauty of the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. Right now, they are renting out a place down the road from their land, while they get everything in order to start building. Check out their website!! Sea Dream Resort!! Todd oversees construction of houses in San Juan, and Amanda gives energy massages right on the beach. They are super nice and fun, and I'm really lucky to have such great friends only a few hours away from me.
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| Todd and Amanda making me a great meal |
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| my bus to Rivas with the |
As explained in an earlier post, chicken buses are old school buses from the states. They get a total make over before getting beat up by the roads of nicaragua and the amount of people who get crammed onto them. The drivers own their individual buses, so they all look different. Chicken buses are not the most comfortable form of travel, but they are cheap. More importantly, this is a great way to get involved with some culture. Instead of passing through in a rental or with a driver, you are in the mix, in the life. It's overwhelming, but in a good and adventurous way. Especially alone. I get on this particular bus and everything is covered in colored tape on the inside. Most of the seats are already occupied, so I sit towards the front. I notice how all the Gringos are packed in together in the back. I also notice how when Nicas get on the bus they fill in the unoccupied seat next to someone rather than sitting alone. Nicas love socializing and I love that they love it :) I sat next a nice man from some mall town near Granada. He was visiting his new daughter-in-law's family in Rivas. We ate some corn cookies together and enjoyed the bumpy, long ride. Chicken buses stop every 5 minutes to either let someone off or let people on. There is no limit to the number of people who get on. These buses will barely make it up a hill due the weight they are carrying. At every stop, vendors will get on the bus trying to sell foods, snacks, and drinks. A lot of activity.
On the way to Rivas, we passed at least 100 buses carrying 1000s of people to Managua for the Revoluccion celebration. People were hanging out windows and were even on the top of the buses waving the black and red FSLN flags. Upon getting off the bus, I learned from the 50 cab drivers flooding the doors, that all the buses were done running. It was 9:15am. Somehow, luckily, I ended up on the last bus that day away from Managua. But now I was stranded in Rivas with eager beaver cab drivers trying to get me to pay 3x as much to get to San Juan.
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| buses to managua |
If you know me, I hate people in my face telling me what to do. Being the first to get off the bus, I was the first to get slammed with offers of a ride. So I sat on a bench and waited. Once everyone stopped being in my face and dispersed to the others on the bus, I found the quietest of the taxi drivers and asked for a ride. He drove the dinkiest car I have ever seen. It almost didn't start. He let me in the front seat, because the back passenger door was jammed. I asked him why he wasn't in Managua partying, and he looked , at me with a look I get from half from the people I talk to when we talk about politics. He then looked at a picture of family and said "I'd rather work for them, then party for nothing". I won't get into Nicaraguan politics on this blog, but it is interesting. People love talking about it. It's unlike the US because no one gets offended. You can be with someone of totally different views, and politics are extreme here, and have a healthy conversation. I love it. But if you are interested you should read about it yourself. Nicaragua has an intense and very fresh political history that has left a country very divided... but still in a lot of ways united.
He took right to El Gato Negro and wished me luck on my Nica adventures and with med school. I enjoyed a cup of coffee and a book while I waited for Todd to get done with work. On the way to Playa Coco, we stopped at the local market to pick up some fruits and veggies, and the largest mango I have ever seen.
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| mango with carrot and my cell phone |
During my time at Playa Coco, I got in the most important R's in life: Rest and relaxation and rum. They took me to what the call the Corner Bar, otherwise known as Bar Las Vegas, in Ostional, a small town south of Coco. Leonardo owns the bar, and he with his entire family live and work on the small plot of land. Leonardo's bar is unlike any other I have ever been to. It's a treasure. Leonardo is also a treasure and has coined his expression "O Nicaragua!". You have 3ish choices at Corner Bar. You have Tona, the Nicaraguan national beer, or Rum. You can have the rum with coke or with refresco. I choose the coke. He brings you out a bottle of coke and then shows you a small bottle of rum and the big one. We ordered the small one. So you drink your coke bottle down some and then pour in the rum. Thumb in the hole, flip bottle over and mix, enjoy. The best rum and coke -aka Nica Libre- in the world.
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| Leo and one of his granddaughters |
I spent most of my time relaxing and talking with Todd and Amanda. We tried to go see some sea turtles, but they were being shy. We also tried to go on a hike to find a waterfall with Willian, their house cleaner, but workers were building a bridge, so the road to Collado was closed. Collado is small village without running water or electricity. Willian walks 2 hours to and from their house to clean it almost every day. He and his newlywed wife are pregnant with their irst child. I was really looking forward to seeing where they live and learning about life without the "necessities". We decided to try again next weekend (I can't stay away from the beach). I did have the opportunity to witness the most amazing sunsets and fall asleep to the sounds and vibrations from huge waves crashing ~300 yds from my head. Todd and Amanda get to live this everyday!! What a life... This is the wild west, life on the frontier, or more appropriately, frontera :) It seems like the simple life, but it is hard work. I have a lot of respect for a couple who can shed their American luxuries and survive together in a jungle, and start a business at the same time. True love and Truly inspiring.
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| I wanted to take her home so bad |
More beach pics will come. Plus check more out on Flickr... I swear I will update it. Tonight... or tomorrow!! Next weekend, Bob and Claudia and I are all going out there to celebrate life and friends! Seriously, I may run away here.
The bus rides back were quite the experience. I had a lay over in Rivas for almost 2 hours. Rivas on a Sunday was interesting. I really had to put my mentality of "do as the Nicas" to the test. Sundays are big drinking days here. There are two bars right in the bus stop area. You have your passive drunks, you have your fighting drunks, and you have your flamboyant drunks. I don't know if the latter is typical of Rivas, but I was warned of them. These guys will come up to you and look at you or talk to you. For most people, like anywhere you can ignore then and they go away. But these louder guys, once they lock on, there is no getting away. I was targeted by one old man with a huge walking stick. He yelled "Puta!!" at me and said some other things. Instead of ignoring him, I followed some Nica advice, and asked how he was, if he needed anything. "Puta!!" Okay. fine. Now I will ignore you. He treated some other people the same way, and I watched how they handled him. I was pretty dead on with how to handle the poor man. He was poor, lonely, drunk, and probably a little foggy in the head. I didn't let myself take it personally, or go off on him. So whenever he would come back I did the same as the other Nicas did. He yelled Puta! at an old woman and she bought him a pastel/ pan dulce and told him to shut up. I did not buy him a food, but asked him to please shut up and I was not interested. He then sat down next to me and stared at me for about 35 minutes. I kept my temper at bay trying to have the patience as the other Nica women and looked blankly ahead. Finally, a nice HUGE Nicaraguan kid came and sat in between us. This guy could have been an NFL linebacker he was so big and built. He is a very nice kid. He asked me where I was going and told me when the next bus would be. He sat with me for an hour to blockade me from Mr. Stick, and also helped me onto the chicken bus.The bus ride was long. A young woman from Norway sat next to me. She and friends were giants. We had great conversations about travel and our views on life. She is visiting Nicaragua for the first time with some friends from work. They started in Panama and have worked there way to here in 3 weeks. They have 5 days left before their holiday is over, so they are spending it relaxing in the quiet and colorful streets of Granada.
Nota Final: Someone once gave me great
travel advice: "Do as the people do. Be smart. Have respect. Most
importantly, be humble." Nicaragua and her people are amazing. And every day that I am here, I see more and
more of the beauty.
Here is a fun video of some cows in the road!!
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