THE YOGA TRAIL
  • Home
  • Offerings
  • RETREATS
  • Team
  • Blog
  • Contact

Feb 23: San Juan del Sur

2/25/2012

0 Comments

 
7.30 am practice at Zen Yoga, where Vanessa taught an excellent Vinyasa Flow class. $8
The studio is behind a flower store and you enter thru a little jungle, what a nice combination!
In the afternoon i wanted to take a shuttle to one of the beaches nearby but the shuttles were full so i just stayed on the local beach, which was still pretty nice. Ultimate aperetivo again at sunset at this beach bar with day beds and delicious drinks and food. I think it's simply called San Juan del Sur Restaurant.
Dinner at El Timon where on Thursday they play live Latin music. The numerous tourists dancing made the scene not that smooth but it was ok and we had fun. More drinks later with friends from the local Spanish School Rosa's, which they love. The approaching weekend was already visible: a lot of bars with music and dancing but later in the night only.

0 Comments

Feb 22: San Juan del Sur

2/25/2012

0 Comments

 
Coffee and cookie at Sweet Water Fund, a no profit organization that empowers local women teaching them about nutrition, health, and handcraft: go Cassidy! Then we walk on the beach to the rocks, beautiful view from there. We decide to move to San Juan del Sur in the afternoon. Lunch with delicious lobster and veggies for $9 each at the local restaurant at the end of the beach on the north side. Recommended.
Taxi to Rivas and bus to San Juan. It's so funny the stuff that they try to sell you on the buses: pollo frito, grease stuff, pills for headache, candys, colorful drinks... it's a procession of seller before each trip! See Pictures.
San Juan del Sur is actually better than I expected, not too loud, a little touristy but still Nica, nice long beach enclosed by cliffs at the two ends. We stay at Hospedaje Don Wilfredo, next to beach, slight sea view, room w bath, $12. Wifi and backgammon included! We love it!
Sunset cold swim and pina colada with ceviche on a day bed at a beach bar. Later we walk around town but it's pretty quiet apart from a couple of bars, all the stores close at night.


0 Comments

Feb21: Playa El Gigante

2/25/2012

0 Comments

 
We wake up at 5am because in our classy room there's a noise of pebbles and sand falling from the wall: what could it be??? Thousands of ants during the night found the left over of a cookey and they were taking it away: so bizarre! I've never found noisy ants!!! So we take advantage of the early start to begin our planned trip. Taxi to bus station 20c, minivan to Managua 40c/ 1.5hr, taxi to other bus station 30c, bus to Rivas 40c/ 2hrs, taxi to Playa El Gigante $15/1hr. We arrive on this nice beach at around noon, we walk around and find a big room w shared bath for $20 at Chele Palmado's, a guest house at the end of the beach with a barefoot bar, great music and good food. Even if it's supposed to be a surf town, there are barely waves and swimming is relaxing. the beaches next door are supposed to be better for that. At 4pm I go for a vinyasa yoga class at Papaya Grove - namely a wellness center but technically just a covered platform - that India just finished to build last week.The class is very nice, $5, I loved to use a mat for a change. Awler monkeys and two cute local girls were watching us.
Dinner and drinks at Chele Palmado's. David -chef/ owner/ manager/ DJ - plays great music, a mix of raggae, funky and chill out. Later this sleepy spot turns into a party but we are too tired to enjoyed it until the end and we go to bed with the music in the background...

0 Comments

Feb20: Leon & the dentist

2/25/2012

5 Comments

 
In Leon there are a lot of second hand stores so I had fun buying stuff like a tank top for 50 cents and capris for $3, nice!
In the pm I go to the dentist, a young woman that after an xray is still not sure of what's going on. $7
I call my dentist in NY and he thinks it was just a sinus congestion, which makes sense because it doesn't hurt anymore. Next time I go diving I'll take something to clear my sinuses and cross fingers.
Mexican dinner at Chilli Inn, they dont have a lot of vegetarian options. 
5 Comments

Feb 19: Las Penitas

2/23/2012

0 Comments

 
Breakfast next to Bigfoot Hostel at Pure Earth Cafe, a no profit cafe that support environmental projects. Good food, great atmosphere, and very inspiring phrases in the bathrooms!!  
After that I go to the beach at Las Penitas, a little village 20min bus drive from Leon. The bus is so full that I'm basically hanging outside the open door: nice and breezy!
 Two little girls next to me are so excited to go to the beach, they are laughing and playing pinching each other chicks, so cute! The beach is beautiful, nice waves, fun swimming in the energy of the ocean.
Back in Leon I enjoy the Sunday afternoon like the locals: sitting in front of the cathedral by the Parque Central, where all the community meets up and the kids are playing. I had four delicious mandarins and a couple of names of dentists where I'll go tomorrow...cross fingers...
Dinner at Cocinarte, a mainly vegetarian restaurant with a very interesting menu.

0 Comments

Feb 18: In transit

2/20/2012

0 Comments

 
After the bonfire I couldn't make it to the 6.30am panga to Big Corn as planned; I'll explore it next time around. The next panga is at 1.30pm, which ended up arriving at 2.40pm with people panicking because the flight from Big Corn is at 3.40. Someone paid $100 for a private boat to basically arrive at the airport 5 min before us and discover that the plane was late anyway! The flight was fun because it was a 12 people plane and we were sitting right behind the pilots: a young nica woman was driving, good for her!
Back in Managua we jump in a cub to UCA bus station and then on a minivan to Leon for 40 c and in 1.5 hr we arrive in a cute alive colonial town full of young people both tourists and locals. It's 9pm at this point and there are no rooms available in any decent hostel so we end up staying at Hotelito Casa Vieja in the cheapest and ugliest room I've never been in: 120 cordoba/$5 with shared bath. Even the hammock at El Zopilote was more expensive $3 each. Then we almost couldn't have dinner because all the kitchens close at 9.30pm, even on a sat night, bizarre. Only Mediterraneo was open but it wasn't that good and vegetarian options were very limited.

0 Comments

Feb 17: Last day on Little Corn

2/20/2012

0 Comments

 
While at breakfast at Vista de Colore, Tina stops by and tells us that there is a workshop for locals organized by a group from the US to teach them specific skills. We go there immediately and are happy to discover that they are teaching massage techniques and sewing patchwork bags. They also have a program for kids to play with colors and glue. I took some good pictures, check them out!
The rest of the pm is dedicated to reading and tanning. Dinner at Mrs. Bridgette, the best spot for lobster. Back to our cabana, the German neighbors along with the Israeli ones are making a bonfire so we spend the rest of the night with them. Next time I go to a bonfire I hope to remember to bring potatoes and garlic: roasted garlic spread on potatoes is so good!
0 Comments

Feb 16: Today I was finally supposed to go diving.

2/18/2012

0 Comments

 
I'm excited, I go to the dive shop at 8.15am, try the equipment, breefing, 10 min boat ride and we are in the water. We start slowly descending all in a circle, I'm equalizing, and... a tooth start hurting so bad that I had to ascend and miss the dive! I was so disappointed and in pain!! Now I have to find a dentist in Nicaragua so next time I'm in a great dive spot I can actually enjoy it. If I can't dive there's no point to stay in Little Corn much longer so we moved our flight to Feb 18th. Brunch at Vista de Colores, best table in town: at the edge of a cliff, in front of the ocean, with inclined backrest. Good food too.
Chilling at our cabana and then dinner at Rosa's with Tina, the Africa lady, and another lady from Denmark. Interesting conversations on travel and environment, delicious rundon, typical island fish stew.

0 Comments

Feb 15: Green Card Day! Little Corn

2/18/2012

0 Comments

 
Am Yoga in front of the sea under an open cabana next to Elsa's, then breakfast at Rosa's and walk to town to check emails and...my lawyer says I had final approval for my Green Card! Yeeeh! Now I'm finally free to do what I want when I go back to the States... including another full time job... mmmh...
Pm rain and then celebratory dinner at Cafe Desideri, with backgammon game included. There are no party spots really on this island, it's pretty quiet and relaxing. I'll have an appropriate party upon my return to the US.

0 Comments

Feb13: Snorkeling & Yoga

2/16/2012

0 Comments

 
It's so nice to feel good again! I woke up at sunrise and went for a long walk along the beach checking all the cabanas around, I think Elsa's is one of the best option considering quality and price, Little Corn Beach & Bungalows is probably the most refined but also very expensive (starting from $80).
After a pineapple breakfast, we went for a snorkeling trip; the sea was a little rough and visibility not great but I still could see several nurse sharks, a reef shark, a sting ray and five gorgeous eagle rays. Apparently there usually are big hammerhead sharks also but we didn't see any. Next time ; )
Lunch at Rosa's, a nice lady that has a comedor on the way to town in the middle of the island: good food and prices. Laundry & chilling on the hammock. Yoga with Sara at 5pm: nice class, it was given at Cafe Desideri and it was her first on the island. Good Luck Sara!
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    September 2012
    August 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    Categories

    All
    Colombia
    Costa Rica
    India
    Italy
    New York
    Nicaragua
    Panama
    The Netherlands

    Picture
    Pirate's Cove in La Palma, Canary Islands
    Picture
    Playa Guiones, Nosara, Costa Rica.
    Picture
    In Varkala,India
    Picture
    Graffiti in Kochi, India
    Picture
    Adorabvle painting in Kochi, India
    Picture
    Typical Meal at the Ayurveda Hospital
    Picture
    Lunch at the Ayurveda Hospital in India
    Picture
    Turmeric Yellow Cow in Mysore, India
    Picture
    Tiruvannamalai, Pongal drawings and cute girl
    Picture
    Picture
    At the bazaar in Mumbai
    Picture
    Acro Yoga with Andy at Playa Miel, Panama
    Picture
    Green friends in Capurgana, Colombia
    Picture
    Beautiful Sapzurro, Colombia
    Picture
    Botero park in Medellin
    Picture
    Yoga with Mila at Finca San Sebastian, Medellin
    Picture
    MILA! at Finca san Sebastian, close to Medellin, Colombia
    Picture
    Mompox, Colombia, before the procession
    Picture
    Mompox, Colombia, ready for the procession
    Picture
    Mompox, Easter chick
    Picture
    Building the mud wall with Krisna, Gambhira Ashram, Santa Marta
    Picture
    Natural Cabana at Gambhira Ashram, Santa Marta
    Picture
    Goranga's chocolate, Gambhira Ashram
    Picture
    Robbert and I painting the dining table, Gambhira Ashram, Santa Marta
    Picture
    The pool we scrubbed at the ashram! Santa Marta, Colombia
    Picture
    Mochilas! Riohacha, Colombia
    Picture
    Ready for a stroll in the desert, Guajira, Colombia
    Picture
    The desert around Cabo, Guajira, Colombia
    Picture
    The beach at Pilon de Cerro, Guajira, Colombia
    Picture
    The gorgeous beach of Palomino, Colombia
    Picture
    Local girls living in Tayrona Natural Park, Colombia
    Picture
    Hiking in Tayrona, Colombia
    Picture
    Cloudy Paradise, Tayrona National park, Colombia
    Picture
    Taganga Bay, Colombia
    Picture
    In the mud of Volcan Totumo, Colombia
    Picture
    Volcan Totumo, Colombia
    Picture
    The slum of LA Boquilla, Cartagena
    Picture
    At Fundacion La Vecina, La Boquilla, Cartagena
    Picture
    Playa Blanca: yes, that crowded!
    Picture
    Picture
    Playa Blanca day trippers: not everything is chic in Cartagena.
    Picture
    Chic door, Cartagena, Colombia
    Picture
    Dancers in Old Cartagena, Colombia
    Picture
    Drawing ladies in Isla Iguana, San Blas, Panama
    Picture
    Rainy Paradise, San Blas, Panama
    Picture
    Street art in Casco Viejo by Rolo de Sedas, Panama City
    Picture
    Kuna woman in Panama City
    Picture
    Cafe Coca Cola, Panama City
    Picture
    On the bus, Panama
    Picture
    Costa Rica - Panama border...fun!
    Picture
    Sunday afternoon in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
    Picture
    Cocles Beach, Costa Rica
    Picture
    Cocles Beach, CR
    Picture
    Aperetivo in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
    Picture
    Glorious Sunset at Playa El Gigante, Nicaragua
    Picture
    In Playa El Gigante, Nica
    Picture
    View at breakfast from Vista de Colores, Little Corn
    Picture
    View out of my cabana at Elsa's, Little Corn Island
    Picture
    Costa Rica highway in the middle of the jungle: SHAME ON THEM!
    Picture
    Kids in Catalanica, Solentiname
    Picture
    Artists in Isla Mancarron,Solentiname
    Picture
    Silvia, Islas Solentiname
    Picture
    Kids in Merida, Ometepe
    Picture
    Merida, Ometepe
    Picture
    Cascada San Ramon, Ometepe
    Picture
    Ojo de Agua, Ometepe
  • Home
  • Offerings
  • RETREATS
  • Team
  • Blog
  • Contact