nicKARblogua

Bachata, Hip Hop and P90X! These are a few of my favorite things!!

2011-01-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

Well, we all belong to the gym in this house. Some of us go fairly often that our muscles hurt everyday and others go Monday and Tuesday for good measure. In the mornings I have been taking this Bachata class which is supposedly the easiest of all the Latin dances. I just discovered that I was taking Bachata and not Salsa. They have similar cha cha moves so, you know i just thought it was Salsa. There are salsa classes at night that I have yet to do.

Jeanne and I have been taking this ball class that is this lady teaches. She is pretty hard core and is always pointing to us to up the weights or do more. She knows we don't speak Spanish so she just gives us some stern faces. Well, as I was looking for a picture of our hip hop teacher I came across this YouTube video or her. BEWARE...she is intense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbnusL3_GB0&feature=related

Well, our hip hop teacher Juan Ernesto he is an amazing dancer and he teaches Bachata and Hip Hop. Somehow he does these sweet moves and then I try them and it's just not the same. In most the dance classes there are people of all ages and both sexes.

I am very impressed with all the Nicaraguans moves. The women can shake their shoulders,cha cha, and roll there body like they were born that way. My goal is to leave here knowing Spanish and being able to shake my shoulder.

I hope to get a picture with my Hip Hop teacher and my P90x teacher.

Beachin it in San Jaun Del Sur!!

2010-11-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend was my last hurrah here until I return in January. San Juan is one of the more popular destinations in Nicaragua because it is great for surfing and has the most developed tourist infrastructure. Well, the town was quaint, colorful, and easy to get around on foot. We stayed at a little hostel called Rebecca's Inn. "Rebecca"--aka Marta--is the owner and offers a handful of rooms for people to stay in. We had a room for the four of us with 3 fans, a tv, 3 beds and our own bathroom. It also came with the guard dog, whom we have dubbed in retrospect "Schnitzer"...you can be the judge if you think he would protect us.

Sleepy Schnitzer

The town of San Jaun is pretty small, so it's very easy to get around. There are tons of surf shops, backpackers, hostels, restaraunts, cafes, and of course, beaches. Well, we took a bus from Managua to San Juan on Friday night. It cost three dollars per person AND we got to watch the movie "Salt"--not bad if you ask me, I always love to be entertained on a 3 hour bus ride.

When we arrived in San Juan we checked in to our room and then headed out for some dinner and drinks. It was a good night overall, as we actually bumped into 3 people we knew from Managua--what a small world.

Whether it's breakfast with a view of the beach or a pastry for the local pastry store, you can't go wrong. I'd like to think I was eating delicious pastries because I wanted to support the local economy but that isn't completely true. Pastries are so inexpensive, it's ridiculous, maybe 50 cents to 1 dollar for 2 or 3 things.

After breakfast we were off to Playa Maderas and Maderitas, two beautiful beaches on the other side of San Juan. When we arrived to the first beach it was filled with surfers and their cars and surf boards getting ready to hit some big waves...not really any room for swimming. So we headed to some more attractive sand just a short walk away. Here is where we found our peace and quiet...big waves and some beer, smoothies, and snacks. Cullen and David went exploring while Jeanne and I relaxed on the sand to work on our Nicaraguan tan. We spent most the day there and then headed back to the town for some dinner and relaxation.

Sunday we woke up and decided we wanted to see the Cristo on one of the huge mountains in the distance, so we rented a motorcycle and an ATV and headed our way up the mountain. It was tons of fun riding up the mountain. We got back early and cruised around town for a bit as well. Always makes for a good weekend getaway when you get to do something fun like that.

The view of El Cristo from the bay

Sorry Rio, maybe next time

Could it get any more bad to the bone?

Well, I hope you are enjoying reading about our adventures...we might be having some very famous guest bloggers soon....

xoxo

Matagalpa, a Beautiful City in the Mountains!

2010-11-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't say enough about Matagalpa. It's is located north of Managua in the mountains. It is known for having a lot of coffee farms and a much cooler climate. Well, it was a delightful surprise driving to Matagalpa. It is about a 2 hour drive and after and 1 hour you see this huge mountain range in front of you. Incredible.

For those of you that have never been to Managua there aren't many mountains around or at least not ones that spread for miles and miles like you are in Colorado. So this is our first glimpse at a new place.

So we arrived in Matagalpa and we decided to stay at Selva Negra http://www.selvanegra.com/.

After dinner we went to this club called the Tequila House where people were celebrating Halloween, it seemed like it was the place to be. We did a little dancing and then headed back to our room to get a good nights rest so we could hike in the morning.

Well, If you know me I get cold really easily and everyone was making fun of how bundle up I was, but in my defense I was comfortable. In the Matagalpa it was probably 60-65 degrees and in Managua it is usually 100 degrees, so my body was a little chilly. As Jeanne likes to say "I look like I am ready for the winter Olympics!" Notice me wearing a scarf, hoody and long leggings. Brr.

Our Room number 13 for a spooky Halloween Stay!

Well, the next morning we wake up and we all slept really good with the cool fresh air coming into our room. We headed the lodge for a yummy breakfast and then off to hit the trials.

Homemade yogurt, ham, eggs, fresh fruit, and pancakes.Yummy!

You haven't seen a beautiful Church in Nature until you see Saint Nicholas Church in Selva Negra. This church is to die for I would love to get married here again in a long white dress it is truly breath taking. I'm not sure the pictures even do it justice.

The hike was gorgeous it tooks us around 2 1/2 hours to complete. While we were hiking we saw all kinds of animals transparent butterflys, caterpillars, snakes, and monkeys. The monkeys were by far the scariest because we were walking in the forest an about an hour into our hike we heard these loud apes sounds. We couldn't see anything, but for all we knew the monkeys sounded huge. (Also you need to remember it is Halloween.) So we are paused in the forest and freaking out while we are constantly having false spotting's of these monkeys...then we see them. They are ahead in the trees,these black monkeys they must of known we were there and that is why they were making loud intimidating noises. Well, luckily we didn't have any confrontation with them and we were on our way.

Also, along our journey there where huge intricate trees and great views of the Matagalpa.

The owner of the property told use that we should take the Romantico trail to the Peter y Helen trail. He said that the Peter and Helen trial were named for the people who explored the trail and didn't return. Then he continues to ask our names and said that he might have 4 new trails if we don't come back. Could our Halloween get anymore scarier...

After hiking the trails we headed into Matagalpa's city center for quick peak at this church we had spotted and then off to Managua.

Can't wait to go back!

Our Escape!

2010-10-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well, on the weekend we have been escaping to the nearest hotel and it's pool for some sun and relaxation. Sometimes it's so nice to feel like you are on vacation!! Got to love it. Those who are reading this might be laughing because you think we are always on vacation. Well, we went to the Barcelo Hotel and it has a great pool to relax at all day at. We have done this twice since we have been here and would do it more often if we could.

Very artistic picture taken by Jeanne

Oktoberfest in Nicaragua???

2010-10-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is true that there was an Oktoberfest here in Nicaragua...Surprisingly, there are a lot of Germans here. I hate to confess that for one night I pulled out my maiden name to impress everyone that I was German too. I mean with a name like Gerstenberger who could resist. Sorry Cullen.

Well, I didn't know what to expect when I heard about Oktoberfest in Nicaragua. But why not try it out and see what it's all about. So it took place at Coleigo Aleman, which is the German school here in Managua. It was actually pretty impressive tons of German beer, soft pretzels, brats, sauerkraut, and German chocolate cake. Cullen definitely tried a little bit of everything but I on the other hand was purely a spectator. Also why don't they call it "Oktobeerfest?"

David,Cullen and Jeanne

Me and Felix

Well, my only issue with this night is that while Jeanne and I are learning Spanish every week we had to know the Spanish way to say the German foods...now that is a true test. When I looked at the menu I am pretty sure I laughed out loud at how absurd it was. Well, I wish I would of taken more photos, maybe next Oktoberfest.

Xiloa (on the flip side of Managua)

2010-10-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Xiloa is about 20 minute drive from Managua. It is right across from Lake Managua. So in order to see Managua you need to drive to the opposite side. Once again we asked someone if we could go on their property and get a better view. They said "of course" so we got some sweet pictures.

The View of Managua

Me and Jeanne (My favorite pic of us)

The Guys (Felix, David, Cullen)

Xiloa once was a huge getaway destination for the locals, but now the lagoon that was once popular is polluted and no longer a hot spot. I am told that they are cleaning the water so maybe one day it will become a popular destination again. You will probably see from the photos the potential this place has.

The Lagoon

As you can see the water in the Lagoon is really high. Those cement half circles are picnic benches that you used to be able to sit at and there was supposedly a beach before you hit the water. There has been so much rain here that most of the bodies of water are really high.

Me and Cullen...what a view

Some locals enjoying the water

Time to add a little Pep to our Step

It was maybe an hour excursion and then we went for coffee at Cafe las Flores and one of the better coffee houses in Nicaragua. Ironically, we visited this coffee farm when we were in Granada about to climb the volcano Mombacho...what a small world. This little strip mall is one of our favorites. It has the coffee shop and then a salad and sandwich place called Bisou Bisou and then a Mexican/burrito place. Yummy! Also has really sweet apartments behind it.

A yummy cappuccino!

Once again a picture that you wouldn't be able to
tell where it was taken. Managua of course!

Spanish Lessons...Just the 3 of us!

2010-10-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is the second week of Spanish lessons. Last week we did 2 hours Monday, Wednesday, Friday and this week we are back to one hour every other day. Our tutors name is Freddy he is from Nicaragua and was referred to us by a friend. He is pretty awesome, I feel like we have learned a lot in just the 2 weeks. Last night I couldn't sleep and I found myself forming sentences in my dreams and then translating them in Spanish. My "partner in crime" Jeanne has said similar things that she is dreaming in Spanish and saying Spanish sentences. I also found that at the gym I am counting in Spanish without even knowing it. Looks like the lessons are working Freddy!

Well, it's really nice to take lessons with someone that is on the same level. Some of you might know that Jeanne and I also work out together fairly often so the other day we found a unique way of practicing our Spanish. We went for a run and the whole time we talked in Spanish and asked each other questions. It was a good run and a good lesson. It's funny to see how much we are becoming more confident. Less hand motions more talking..Less asking Cullen questions more talking.

Well, I am so thankful that someone told us about Freddy for a while it was like pulling hair to get anyone to tell you of a tutor they could recommend.

Me and Freddy...Jeanne is taking the picture so she is there in spirit.

Saturday's With Felix

2010-10-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Our first short story "Saturday's with Felix." This Saturday we started out by running errands with Felix. First to the Huembes Market to Flower Central where Felix goes to pick up flowers for his apartment every week.

This is the entrance to the store. On the left are all the boxes that the flowers are shipped in.
Each box has the same kind of flower in it.

This was a sweet experience. There is the "Flower Guy" Kevin that is quite the charmer he calls you to let you know what flowers he has in this week and that you better hurry up and stop by before they are all gone. I wish I would of gotten a photo of him because he was cute and had slicked hair like Elvis. I think that style might be making a come back. Well, he was a big flirt with Jeanne and I and we weren't even buying flowers. Anyhow, Felix was saying that he has all these prestigious women clients that he calls to tell them what flowers are in. It's like a full service flower shop. You go into the cooler to pick out your flowers, then they clean the stems for you, you pay them and tip them, and then they take the flowers out to your car for you. Now that's what I am talking about.

This is the cooler, usually it's completely packed and you can't even walk in

Isn't cool how they package the roses...

Exotic Flowers

I loved how they packaged everything!

Lets see...from here we went and picked up our Filete and veggie rolls for dinner later and took them to Felix's house. We also placed the flowers in their vases and then headed back out for some lunch.

Our Lunch Spot

We have found a favorite breakfast/lunch place here in Managua. It's called Zacate Limon (lemon grass) everything is so delicious here. They have great strawberry smoothies, yummy pancakes, and amazing salads. I had the California Salad which has Chicken, granny smith apples, candied walnuts and avocado. It was so good! They are also known for there little cupcakes. Cullen and I had one each and Felix had Chocolate cake.

From lunch we headed back to Felix's Apartment where we relaxed and had his famous Sangria, smoked cigars (not the ladies of course), watched the sunset, and of course some very stimulating conversations.

Placencia Reserva Organica Cigar- Esteli, North of Managua

Movie Time

One might think that we have done more than enough for one day, but you are wrong. After relaxing at the apartment, we decide to go rent/buy a movie. I am sure everyone is familiar with renting a movie in the States. You go to the rental store and wander around till you find a movie you want. Well, here in Nicaragua. You drive up to this little Movie Shack (Pictured Below) You tell them what kind of movie you would like to buy and they bring a handful or movies out to your car for you to skim through and pick the ones your want. We picked 6 movies for $1 each. Not a bad deal.

The inside of the movie store. It wasn't really as shady as the picture looks.

Choosing the right movie

Filete Anyone??

Now it's time for dinner. Felix has been talking about this meal all week so I was very excited to try it. Filete is just a fillet of meat that they cook for a long time and it has a pepper rub on the outside of it. It comes with this delicious cilantro dip that is very refreshing. Along with the filete we had tons of vegetables and veggie rolls with soy sauce. Notice in the pictures the flowers on the table are from our adventures earlier that day.

Flowers from Kevin!

Veggie rolls with soy sauce

Filete with cilantro sauce

Fresh veggies, I know they look like a lot but they were all gone in about 20 minutes.

~Buenas Noches~

Felix, Our Insider to Managua

2010-10-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Felix's sweet ride

Felix is our insider into Managua he runs his family's company in Managua, he only eats meat no fruit or veggie. How ironic to have a meatarian and a vegetarian (Jeanne) in the same group. It always brings up great discussion of how can Jeanne eat so many eggs and how can Felix not stand to eat an apple or a banana. Luckily, they get along just fine.

So Felix plays an instrumental part in our time here in Managua. Without him we wouldn't see half the stuff we do or enjoy all the delicious food.
He is a wealth of knowledge, you tell him what you are going to do this weekend and he will tell you what you should do and how best to do it.

We have been thinking about writing a book or many books about our time with Felix:

Saturdays with Felix
Going to the Flower market with Felix
How to make sangria with Felix
What would Felix Do
Story Time with Felix

Our Anniversary in Nicaragua

2010-10-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't believe that we have been together for 6 years. This past Friday was our (dating) anniversary if you can call it that. Where we have spent most of our anniversary's reflects our lives today. We have been in 4 different countries(United States, Hong Kong, Italy, Nicaragua) for 4 of the 6 anniversary's...not bad for getting around. So here we are this year in Managua eating wine and tapas, I could get used to this.
Who knows where we will be next year. We are definitely enjoying out adventure!

Finally some Comfort Food!

2010-10-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday I made homemade granola ...which was so yummy, but then I told Cullen and Jeanne and then some how magically there was only a little bit left in the container this morning. I guess that's what happens when you are the last person up in the morning. So, today I made another batch. I don't know why it sooo good. Maybe because the good kind of cereal here cost $8..that would be Kashi Crunch and I thought $4 was a lot for cereal in the States. Well, the granola I made is really simple and really delicious. Here's the recipe:

Kathryn's Nicaraguan Granola

3-4 cups of oats (if you are feeding Cullen and Jeanne maybe 5 cups)
2 tablespoons of sugar

The rest I just eyeball...my mom would be proud!
3-5 tablespoons for the following:

Unsweetened coconut
Cashews no salt
Slivered almonds or whole
peanuts

Whatever you fancy!

Then you mix all the dry ingredients together.

In a pan you put about 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil in a pan and 6 Tablespoons of Honey and mix all together. Then you pour that mixture on the dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients to spread the honey mixture. After pouring you might need a little more honey, so repeat the process.
Then put in the oven at 350 degrees for a total of 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, take out and stir and then another 10 minutes in the oven and take out and let cool.

If you want to add chocolate wait till it completely cools and then add!

If I could, I would add flax seed, cranberries...yummy!

The Characters!

2010-10-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, its pretty important that you know the characters here in Nicaragua, so all our trips and stories make sense.

First, we have David, he's our "Margarita Man". Loves Margaritas, the Yankees, is a good rapper, loves eating meat and by far has the best laugh I have ever heard. He is the 2nd best at speaking Spanish in the house. These are pretty impressive qualities.

Next is Jeanne, she's our "Egg Queen". She eats veggies and eggs like it's no body's business, she loves to run, and has the best hand motions for communicating with Nicaraguans who don't speak English. (Not for long since she is rocking at Spanish)

My man, Cullen. He is the guy "that makes things happen". Papi of the house..he loves beans, rocks out on the guitar so loud it doesn't matter what room you are in, plans sweet trips and activities to do on the weekends, and he makes us all laugh. Oh and how can I forget without his sweet Spanish speaking skills we would be lost.

Then there is me, Kathryn. What can I say I love the granola bars here, I try to take in all the small things and enjoy them, I'm known for knowing my Spanish vocab of objects, and food. I also am a chocolate fanatic...doesn't matter where I am living.

Our Bread and Butter

2010-10-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Every time you move to a new place you discover new foods to eat, or you find foods that you didn't eat that often and cling to them. I live with 3 other people and between the 4 of us there is one main thing we eat plenty of...EGGS

Jeanne is the "Egg Queen" and somehow she has used her powers to make us all want eggs. There are 8 dozen eggs in this picture. This is the normal amount Jeanne eats a week..given she is a vegetarian so her options are slim..but the rest of us are constantly trying to keep up with her.

Then there are the other necessities..Beans..If you know Cullen he loves beans. Last week we ate so many beans that we had our Maid Rosa go to the market and get 6lbs of bean. We asked her to get 12lbs but I think it was too much to carry.

RICE is a staple with every meal. Nicaraguans eat it for breakfast with beans mixed in, it's called " gallo pinto"

Don't forget sugar we go through a pound of that every week and a half..who knows where it goes. Maybe it's in the mean fresh squeeze lemonade or orange juice (jugo de naranja) Rosa makes for us.

Lastly, a new favorite food that is everywhere is, PAPAYA

Rosa says that if you open a papaya and throw it's seeds on the ground there will be a tree there next year.

We have two papaya trees in our front yard and I have never seen papaya's that big!! I mean growing up there are pictures of me holding huge zucchinis but never papayas.

Once you choose your papaya you have to cut slits down it length wise so it will ripen. Then you let it sit in the sun a little longer.

Then it's time to eat!

El Crucero...your gonna want to see this!

2010-10-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

El Cureco is right outside of Managua. This was by far the most picturesque place I have been to. Some of the pictures you can't even tell if we are in Ireland, Scotland, or Nicaragua. Well we headed there this past Sunday and brought a picnic and just asked a local farmer if we could go on his land. We paid him $4 for the four of us to hangout there as long as we want. This guy owns more than 100 acres of land that has been passed down from generation to generation. It's incredible when you see the pictures.

The owners house..can you believe they own this awesome land!

A cute little pink house

Me with the beautiful scenery

Our sweet ride

Day Trip to Leon

2010-10-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

Rented a car and drove to Leon. This was a beautiful drive from Managua. I feel like we get to travel somewhere every weekend we are pretty lucky. Well, the Nicaraguans say that Leon is one of the hottest places in Nicaragua and I agree with them.

León is another architecturally interesting center with many old, colonial houses, streets, monuments, and churches. I enjoyed walking around this city and taking in all the different churches we saw.

Recoleccion

Add caption

El Calvario

Here are some more pictures of the beautiful town...

We also went to the beach which was completely empty of people. We wander around went exploring and found these huge cliffs.

I love when you are in a new place everything seems new and exciting I hope I don't lose that feeling that longer I am here.

Mombacho Volcano... Conquering the Puma Trail

2010-10-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

Mombacho is a volcano about 20 minutes away from Granada. At the volcano you can choose between many different levels of hike trails or you can do the canopy tour. We choose to do the Path El Puma which is a 4 km hike that you should allow at least 4 hours for. We did it in 1 hour 45 minutes. But it was truly difficult and we were all in pretty good shape. We hurried towards the end so we could catch the bus down the mountain. Our guide said someone did it in 45 min which seems nearly impossible with how steep the stairs are going up and down. Our guide does this route everyday, I'd say that is a pretty good workout...he was barely breaking a sweat! These Nicaraguans!

A few things to consider:
~ How long your want to be on the mountain. There are buses that take you up and down but they only go at certain times of the day.
~ The cost to get in per person is C$180
~ If you do the hardest trail you have to have a guide. For Spanish speaking it's $10 and English $15.
~ Don't forget water and snacks because it's a difficult hike and there is no where to get these things when you are hiking.

Mercedes Bus that took us up the Volcano

Cullen and I with Granada behind us.

Jeanne, Me, Cullen, David, and Rebecka at the beginning of the hike.

Stairs going up the Volcano

Next time I would love to do the canopy tour...It would be best to just spend the day there and do it all!

Weekend in Granada

2010-10-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

Granada, was my first experience of a true town where you could walk around comfortably. In Managua you pretty much have to drive everywhere. There aren't many parks or squares to hang out in, so Granada was refreshing. While we were there we stayed at Hotel Plaza Colon which is right in the main square. The rooms were perfect had air conditioning and comfortable beds and many books to choose from. The hotel had a beautiful lounge and pool area and a complimentary cocktail and breakfast..always a bonus! There is a sweet little euro cafe in the same block where you can get humus, lattes and other delicious treats. Also we didn't got here but I hear it is a must for breakfast "Kathy's Waffle House."

Hotel Colonial Bedroom

Hotel Plaza Colon Pool

The Dock at Lake Nicaragua

Cathedral of Granada

Central Park

It was my friend Jeanne's Birthday so later that night we went out to dinner at Trattoria Garibaldi which had delicious Italian food that was very affordable. It was pouring out so our hotel lent us yellow umbrellas. It was a great night out and we rested up for our adventures the next day.

Our First Adventure in Nicaragua...Pochomil Beach

2010-10-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

     I just arrived to Nicaragua on Thursday August 26th and the following day I went to school with Cullen and helped out in a 1st grade classroom. That evening we had a party at our house and I got to meet some other teachers both Nicaraguan and American. Slept in and woke up to a sunny day where we relaxed and took it easy. On Sunday we got a taxi for the day. Our drivers name was "Victor" he took us to Pochomil beach.
     THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT NICARAGUA IS THAT THEY ARE ON "NICA TIME." This means that Nicaraguans are in no rush to do anything and a simple drive to the beach that should take 1 hour can take 2 1/2 hours.
     So we drive to this beach which starts on paved roads then goes to cobblestone, to dirt, to mud and then we turn around because we can't go any further and head back down the mud, dirt and cobblestone road to get there another way. We arrive at the beach and I would say this beach is a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.Better beaches to come...