The next day we were allowed to stick around the resort until 3 PM so we stored our bags and hit the pool after breakfast and chilled there all day, had some lunch and then jumped in a very expensive resort-approved safe taxi for way too much money to the capital of Nicaragua, Managua. After driving around trying to find the hostel we were looking for we decided that once we got there we would just hang out around the pool, drink some beers, and share some travel experiences with fellow backpackers.
That night we went to El Tercer Ojo which is the sister restaurant to the one we went to Granada with a couple from Australia. The next morning we went out for some breakfast that for some reason took 1 hour to prepare and then had to race back to the hostel where Chris found out that their flight was bounced forward an hour and then frantically had a cab called and we said our goodbyes to Chris and Heather and they were off. It was really awesome having not only one set of friends but two sets visit us abroad... hint hint to the rest of you!!!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Masachapa - Montelimar All Inclusive
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Picture 1 - Lago Apollo. To the right is the look at we had been at the previous day
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Picture 2 - The meal at the vacant restaurant on the beach.
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Picture 3- The vacant resort on the beach. So nice but completley empty.
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Picture 4 - Our Cyclo Taxi to the all inclusive resort Barcelo
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Picture 5 - Enjoying our first and only night at an all inclusive
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Picture 6 - Pool side
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Picture 7- Drinks at the Casino
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Picture 8 - Chris won big!
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Picture 9 - Beach side
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Picture 10 - Minutes before having to pack it up and leave the pool side.
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The next day we grabbed an early taxi south to the coast and during the drive the taxi allowed us to stop at Lago de Apoyo, which is a very large crater lake (an old volcano that has collapsed in on itself and filled with crystal clear blue water. This was incredible to see and to the right of the lake in the distance we could see the other volcano we were at the previous day and the lookout we had viewed out at the lake from. The taxi ride was a little more than two hours, which carried us up a mountain side and then down down down to Masachapa-Pochomil which are beach towns that were deserted by all people for some strange reason except for the staff working at the various empty restaurants?? We had some beers and lunch overlooking the Pacific Ocean. With only two hotels to stay at and at prices a little above our price range Shannon and Chris ventured off to check out other places and returned back to report that there was one really cool resort looking place that they saw, which was deserted except for one cleaning lady who said we could stay there for $7 a person. Shannon and Chris considered it as it really was a nice place, but without anyone around, no food, etc it didn't seem safe and so they returned empty handed. We then decided to check out the all-inclusive a few kilometers away, which was mentioned by the older couple we met in San Juan Del Sur. So we decided to take a tricycle or cyclo taxis as they assured us that there were no taxi's in this town only these cyclo taxis. They peddled us down the road (a few kilometers) for $5 a couple to check out the all-inclusive resort Barcelo down the beach in an area called Montelimar. For some reason we expected the rate to be cheap since there didn't seem to be anyone around in this area and since the Cyclo Taxi told us that all the travelers had left for San Juan Del Sur. After arriving to the all inclusive and after much debate and trying to wheel and deal we ended up forking over $75 a person for 24 hours of all inclusiveness (3 meals, all the drinks we wanted, a cabana with cable and hot shower, pools, and beaches). We spent the rest of the day drinking by the pool and then hit the supper buffet where we were surrounded by Nica’s and Quebecer’s. After supper we went to the on-site casino and drank the night away playing 1 Cordora slots which was a lot of fun as there are 21 Cords in a Dollar so when you hit the pay out button there would a pile of coins spitting out of the machine. Chris won 600 cords and it sounded like he won a million dollars with all the coins dropping out, but in actuality it was only about $30. Exciting none the less.
Granada Part 2, Volcan Mombacho
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Picture 1 - Hostel Oasis - Best hostel ever
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Picture 2- Army truck to take us up Volcanoe Mombacho
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Picture 3- Facts on Mombacho
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Picture 4- Hiking through the crack at the top of the Volcanoe
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Picture 5- View from the top of the Volcanoe crater.
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Picture 6- Display of the Volcanoe and craters at the top. We did the two craters at the top left.
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Picture 7- Yes I am ziplining up side down
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Picture 8 - Scott doing the superman
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Picture 9- Crazy bug at the bottom of the zipline
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The next day we had organized a tour to venture to a volcano. We got a taxi to the National Reserve and jumped in the back of an old Mercedes Army truck up to near the top of Volcan Mombacho at 1100 meters above sea level. We then walked around the two craters at the top to see the view and learn about the area. As well we learned the difference between rain forest and cloud forest where the later is always in the clouds and always is at 100% humidity. We walked through a crack in the volcano only a meter or so apart at times and had pictures taken with our legs supported on either wall high in the air. There were also fumer holes that are holes in the ground from where the volcano releases its heat/steam. Then there was a clearing that had an amazing view over Granada and Lago Nicaragua with a wind that almost was pushing us over. After getting the army truck back down the volcano and went zip lining with 17 lines zipping through the forest. This zip line was different than the one in Costa Rica where they allowed you to do Superman, Up Side Down, and in Tandem. There was a lady and her mother from Alberta and mother was in her 60’s was nervous at first but by the end completed both the Superman and Upside Down zip line. The last zip line they allowed Scott and me to go down together with me on his lap. That night another fancy meal at El Tercer Ojo which is a Asian fusion restaurant with really great food and lots of it and of course lots of wine.
Granada Part 1
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Picture 1 - a Church in Granada
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Picture 2- View of Granada from the bell tower of the Cathedral
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Picture 3 - Inside the Cathedral
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Another cab ride back to the ferry and then from San Jorge to Granada and arrived by 12. We hit the ATM in Granada and headed to Hostel Oasis. This was hands down the best hostel Scott and I had been to yet. It had a pool, tons of hammocks, a great cheap breakfast, high ceilings, and very neat murals everywhere. We settled in and started a walking tour of the city to see the monuments and hit up a good restaurant where we sat in the middle of pedestrian only street and had a great lunch with cold beers under an umbrella while peddlers tried to hock their goods. We checked out all the major churches in the city and hung out in the Parque Central which is an area about a city block large full of vendors and people just hanging out. Right on the Parque Central is the main cathedral which we toured and climbed the steeple right to the top that gave a bird’s view of the city and surrounding volcanoes. The heat was getting to us so we toured back to the hostel had some free coffee and cooled off in the pool, chilled out and then got ready to go out for fancy dinner out on the town.
That night we went to El Zaguan a relatively fancy restaurant with mariachis playing and the ever presence of the open wood burning BBQ grill. We all ordered too much food and then more food and bottles of red wine and talked the evening away, it was a stumbly walk back to the hostel and a great night sleep.
That night we went to El Zaguan a relatively fancy restaurant with mariachis playing and the ever presence of the open wood burning BBQ grill. We all ordered too much food and then more food and bottles of red wine and talked the evening away, it was a stumbly walk back to the hostel and a great night sleep.
Isla de Ometepe Part 2
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Picture 1 - Our Hike up Maderas to the look out
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Picture 2 - The view from Maderas look out
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Picture 3 - We needed a break after at Hostel El Encante
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Picture 4 - Our Bike Ride to Ojo de Agua - Bike trouble Chris to the rescue
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Picture 5 - Hostel El Encante's Restaurant view
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Picture 6 - Fresh Spring Water treat - Ojo de Agua
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The next morning we took cab to the other side of the island to the small village of Santa Domingo to El Encanto Hostel that is situated on the flank of Volcano Maderas. Within minutes of checking into our rooms the owner had arranged for us a guided hike up to the lookout on Volcan Maderas overlooking Volcan Concepcion. Along the hour and half hike we saw petroglyphs, crazy chirpy large blue birds with mow hawks, a monkey, walked through farmer fields, forests and then the incline up to the lookout which was an awesome view over the island and over the lake and of course a great view of the Volcano. The hike was nicely downhill the way back to the hostel which was good especially for Heather who was punched after the accent.
We had lunch and then took bikes on a ride on the island that almost ended in disaster along the bumpy dusty road as my rear gear shift blew apart but luckily Chris the bike mechanic and our key to the hostel fixed the bolt that came out. Thank goodness the next bit of road was paved. We biked for about half an hour to Ojo de Agua which is just what we needed after a long day of hiking and biking. It is a freshwater natural pool with concrete walls, stone and sand ground filled with natural spring water in the forest and it was very cool and nice spot for some fancy drinks poolside along with a taste of homemade tequila that tickled the throat violently. We swam and read our books it was very refreshing. We saw parrots in the trees and one even flew end to end over the pool. After an hour and a half we were back on the bikes to make it back to the hostel. We showered up caught the sunset and headed down for supper. The owner of the hostel and restaurant had lived 9 years in Canada and 5 other places in the world. The food at the restaurant was awesome and he had the best view from his restaurant, hostel, banana farm. That night we ate good food, had a few drinks, played a game called pigs and called it an early night again as we had to be up early the next day to take an hour taxi to catch the ferry.
We had lunch and then took bikes on a ride on the island that almost ended in disaster along the bumpy dusty road as my rear gear shift blew apart but luckily Chris the bike mechanic and our key to the hostel fixed the bolt that came out. Thank goodness the next bit of road was paved. We biked for about half an hour to Ojo de Agua which is just what we needed after a long day of hiking and biking. It is a freshwater natural pool with concrete walls, stone and sand ground filled with natural spring water in the forest and it was very cool and nice spot for some fancy drinks poolside along with a taste of homemade tequila that tickled the throat violently. We swam and read our books it was very refreshing. We saw parrots in the trees and one even flew end to end over the pool. After an hour and a half we were back on the bikes to make it back to the hostel. We showered up caught the sunset and headed down for supper. The owner of the hostel and restaurant had lived 9 years in Canada and 5 other places in the world. The food at the restaurant was awesome and he had the best view from his restaurant, hostel, banana farm. That night we ate good food, had a few drinks, played a game called pigs and called it an early night again as we had to be up early the next day to take an hour taxi to catch the ferry.
Isla de Ometepe Part 1
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Picture 1 - Shannon on the way back from the bike tour to Chaco Verde
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Picture 2 - Scott passing the herd of cows on our bike tour
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Picture 3 - Volcanoe Conception, unfortunately the cloud does not and would not clear
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Picture 4 - Lago Nicaragua from the Restaurant at Chaco Verde Inn
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Picture 5 - The Lane way from Chaco Verde Inn looking at Volcanoe Concepcion
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Ometepe is a very interesting in that it is an island on the largest fresh water lake in Central America and was formed by two Volcanoes Concepcion and Maderas and these two have been connected by lava that had flowed out into the lake and over the last 1000 years. Both of the volcanoes have not been active since 1957 but they still off-gas and thus it is very rare to see their tops as they are always covered in cloud cover like a halo.
From San Juan del Sur we took a cab to San Jorge and right away boarded on the ferry across which was a boat that carried around 20 cars and had three decks to sit on. We arrived in San Jose del Sur and caught a pick-up truck taxi to Laguna Chaco Verde (green lagoon) and had some lunch and checked into a cabana that was divided with two rooms with separate doors, hammocks on the porch and some lazy chairs. We headed on a small hike to look at the lagoon, check out a look-out over the lower reaches of the island and then ventured to find another beach that we were unsuccessful. It was very hot so we had a bunch of beers with lunch of course... good ol Tona (pronounced Tonya) and laid out our towel and took in some beach time and swimming. Shannon and I rented two suspect bikes and went for a tour into the sunset to check out the country side (the island only really had one road around most of the shore line and one through the middle). Scott waited for the clouds to clear on Concepcion to get a picture of the sunset gleaming on the sides of the volcano but oc course this did not happen as it is rarely clear. We carried on and found ourselves behind a herd of cows. We soon turned back to the Inn but did not forget to buy a 26’er of 7 year old Cana de Flors Rum or as they say here Ron, a 3 litre bottle of Coke and some snacks and biked back to find Chris and Heather on the hammock and lazy chair so they were already in the Ron drinking position. I walked over to our bar/restaurant and got two full glasses of ice which they were reluctant to give us as they have their ice shipped in from town. We literally had 2 drinks each and the bottle was gone, should have bought a 40 ouncer as it was delicious. The guys at the restaurant on site, the only place to really eat within a kilometre or so came over to our cabana to ask if we wanted any supper and since Ron had left us it was time for beers and a great supper at the sandy floor restaurant overlooking beautiful Lago Nicaragua.
From San Juan del Sur we took a cab to San Jorge and right away boarded on the ferry across which was a boat that carried around 20 cars and had three decks to sit on. We arrived in San Jose del Sur and caught a pick-up truck taxi to Laguna Chaco Verde (green lagoon) and had some lunch and checked into a cabana that was divided with two rooms with separate doors, hammocks on the porch and some lazy chairs. We headed on a small hike to look at the lagoon, check out a look-out over the lower reaches of the island and then ventured to find another beach that we were unsuccessful. It was very hot so we had a bunch of beers with lunch of course... good ol Tona (pronounced Tonya) and laid out our towel and took in some beach time and swimming. Shannon and I rented two suspect bikes and went for a tour into the sunset to check out the country side (the island only really had one road around most of the shore line and one through the middle). Scott waited for the clouds to clear on Concepcion to get a picture of the sunset gleaming on the sides of the volcano but oc course this did not happen as it is rarely clear. We carried on and found ourselves behind a herd of cows. We soon turned back to the Inn but did not forget to buy a 26’er of 7 year old Cana de Flors Rum or as they say here Ron, a 3 litre bottle of Coke and some snacks and biked back to find Chris and Heather on the hammock and lazy chair so they were already in the Ron drinking position. I walked over to our bar/restaurant and got two full glasses of ice which they were reluctant to give us as they have their ice shipped in from town. We literally had 2 drinks each and the bottle was gone, should have bought a 40 ouncer as it was delicious. The guys at the restaurant on site, the only place to really eat within a kilometre or so came over to our cabana to ask if we wanted any supper and since Ron had left us it was time for beers and a great supper at the sandy floor restaurant overlooking beautiful Lago Nicaragua.
Enter Chris and Heather, San Juan del Sur Part II
Picture 1 - Home stay picture with Suzanna
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Picture 2 - Marsella Valley Disk Golf Club
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Picture 3 - Marsella Valley home made baskets
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In the morning we packed our things and moved onto the place Chris had booked for us from home - La Terraza, which had three private rooms on each floor with a really nice sheared kitchen, common area, and balcony with some wicker chairs and a hammock. The top floor had a view of the beach and city. We were going to stay there for the next two nights before moving onto the next community. Scott and I spent the day at the beach. Scott had left a note for Chris and Heather at La Terraza telling them to meet us at the beach. Around 5pm Chris and Heather arrived. They were starving and tired. We moved from the beach to the restaurant right on the beach where we had been swimming that day. We watched a wedding happen on the beach next to the restaurant and then the sunset over the Ocean. We all called it a night fairly early around 7 or 8.
The next morning we were up early and had breakfast at a cafe across the street. We then booked a cab, bought some beer and ice and headed out to the Marsella Valley Nature Centre that has the Disc Golf course outside of town. The course has 12 holes and the baskets are made of bamboo poles and round wire that is supported by old shrimp netting so it is more like a “basket” than a traditional disc golf basket. We played two rounds of golf and for the second the owner Vince came out and threw with us and explaining his property and living in Nicaragua. During our second round there was a pack of Howler Monkeys that were hanging out in the trees near-by so that was an added treat. We then walked to Maderas Beach, a surfer haven. We met an older couple who were Nicaraguan but had moved to the USA and had recently returned. They invited us to their home should we be in the area which was in the Northern country. They also recommended an all inclusive resort that is located close to their home, noting that they sometimes spend weekends there when they want to get away (we never had the time in our journey to meet up with this couple unfortunately). That day we body boarded, rented a surf board, and taught Chris the basics of surfing. A long bumpy ride in a cab home, we stopped at Suzanna’s to introduce her to Chris and Heather, take some pictures, and buy some fried plantain chips. That evening we were to go dancing with Linda at the Crazy Crab. We had some supper and then headed to the Crazy Crab. Unfortunately it wasn’t open and we didn’t see Linda, which was too bad since we were not going to be able to see her again as we were leaving the next morning very early to go to the Island of Ometepe.
In the morning we packed our things and moved onto the place Chris had booked for us from home - La Terraza, which had three private rooms on each floor with a really nice sheared kitchen, common area, and balcony with some wicker chairs and a hammock. The top floor had a view of the beach and city. We were going to stay there for the next two nights before moving onto the next community. Scott and I spent the day at the beach. Scott had left a note for Chris and Heather at La Terraza telling them to meet us at the beach. Around 5pm Chris and Heather arrived. They were starving and tired. We moved from the beach to the restaurant right on the beach where we had been swimming that day. We watched a wedding happen on the beach next to the restaurant and then the sunset over the Ocean. We all called it a night fairly early around 7 or 8.
The next morning we were up early and had breakfast at a cafe across the street. We then booked a cab, bought some beer and ice and headed out to the Marsella Valley Nature Centre that has the Disc Golf course outside of town. The course has 12 holes and the baskets are made of bamboo poles and round wire that is supported by old shrimp netting so it is more like a “basket” than a traditional disc golf basket. We played two rounds of golf and for the second the owner Vince came out and threw with us and explaining his property and living in Nicaragua. During our second round there was a pack of Howler Monkeys that were hanging out in the trees near-by so that was an added treat. We then walked to Maderas Beach, a surfer haven. We met an older couple who were Nicaraguan but had moved to the USA and had recently returned. They invited us to their home should we be in the area which was in the Northern country. They also recommended an all inclusive resort that is located close to their home, noting that they sometimes spend weekends there when they want to get away (we never had the time in our journey to meet up with this couple unfortunately). That day we body boarded, rented a surf board, and taught Chris the basics of surfing. A long bumpy ride in a cab home, we stopped at Suzanna’s to introduce her to Chris and Heather, take some pictures, and buy some fried plantain chips. That evening we were to go dancing with Linda at the Crazy Crab. We had some supper and then headed to the Crazy Crab. Unfortunately it wasn’t open and we didn’t see Linda, which was too bad since we were not going to be able to see her again as we were leaving the next morning very early to go to the Island of Ometepe.
Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur
Picture 1 - Sunset at San Juan Del Sur - Boats in the distance
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Picture 2 - Drummer on the beach
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Picture 3 - Parrots in the trees
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Picture 4 - Another sunset
Picture 4 - Another sunset
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Picture 5 - School on the beach
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Picture 6 - Tona Beer a Nicaragua favourite
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Picture 7 - Us and Jenny our Spanish teacher
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The Nicaraguan border was slightly difficult to navigate as it is very spread out. First we had to get our passport stamped on the Costa Rican side. We changed our Costa Rican Colones (520= 1 American dollar) to Nicaraguan Cordores (21 = 1 American Dollar). We then had to walk 1km, where police checked our passports. A little further down on the other side of the street a half of a block in we waited in line to have officials stamp our passport into Nicaragua. Then we had to cross the street again and walk through a small opening into a parking lot/ bus station. There a taxi driver offered to drive us to San Juan Del Sur for $20. Since the buses would have likely been 2 hours and the taxi only 30 minutes we took the taxi. We needed to be in San Juan Del Sur before supper as we had to connect with the Spanish school we had previously contacted to make sure there was room in the school and that they had set up a home stay (accommodation and meals with a local family) for us.
We arrived in San Juan del Sur around 3:30 PM and quickly found the Spanish school. We spoke with Jenny who explained in some English that she was the only teacher available and so Scott and I would have to take lessons together. Normally they the school provides 4 hours a day of one-on-one. She also said that a home stay was no problem and that she would take us to the home that evening. Our Spanish studies would be Monday through Friday 8 AM until noon every day in a restaurant overlooking the beach and ocean, which I didn’t think was a bad deal at all. We would be staying with a family from Sunday night until Saturday morning. On Saturday our friends from Stratford, Chris and Heather VanPelt would be arriving to spend 7 days with us across Nicaragua. After eating Jenny drove us to our home stay family. We quickly met the head of the family Suzanna. Suzanna was the grandmother and with her lived her daughters Chillo, and Martha, Chillo’s husband William, their three children, Kayley (11), William (6), and Andrew 8 months. Chillo’s friend Linda also lived with the family. The family was very close and very accommodating to Scott and I. Linda was the only family member who spoke English and she was not always there and so Scott and I would use our limited new Spanish and sign language to converse with the family. It definitely forced us to learn as quickly as we could. We learned that Suzanna had her own business, which included selling fried shaved sliced plantains with a cabbage salad on top and a piece of chicken or beef. Her product was apparently very popular and from about 6 pm – 10 pm her and her family would sit outside her home and sell over a hundred of these each night for a dollar a piece.
On Monday we started our lessons with Jenny – who claimed not to speak any English, but I think this was meant to immerse us in the language and she knew more English that she was letting on. Mornings were filled with studying with Jenny and in the afternoons the school offered free activities. That afternoon we went with the class to a secluded beach by boat called Playa El Coco. On Tuesday they offered Salsa lessons in the community centre. I really enjoyed it but Scott called it quits half way through as it was really hot. On Wednesday Scott took the afternoon to go to a private disc golf course a few kilometres out of town and I decided to hang out at the beach right in San Juan del Sur. While at the beach I unfortunately witnessed several people pull a man out of the water attempt to give him CPR and then without waking up putting him in the back of a truck to take him to the closest hospital, which was 20 minutes away. It really shook all of us on the beach. Later that evening Scott returned from the Disc Golf course raving about it and the American owner Vince. We decided that when Chris and Heather arrived we would all go there on the Sunday. That evening we had said good night to Suzanna and her family and just as we turned off the light we heard cars crashing and we both looked at each other and said oh my gosh I hope the kids weren’t hit, as they would often play with their friends on the sidewalk until late, as it is summer holidays right now. We went to the front and found out that a car had hit two people on a motorcycle. Thankfully no one was hurt. For the next hour the police directed traffic outside the home and it sounded like the whole community came over to Suzanna’s house to see what had happened. On Thursday afternoon Scott and I again went with the class to a beach slightly out of town called Playa Remanso or Romantic beach. The waves there were huge and we were loved diving into them. That evening we went to a local pub to study. That night they were hosting a DJ from the USA and we really were grooving to the music but around 10 we realized we hadn’t studied much and the next day was our last class along with an exam. We moved onto another pub a little quieter and tested each other for the next hour. I must say I really enjoyed learning Spanish and was really wishing I could stay a couple months to become fluent. Scott enjoyed it also but was ready to move on. The next day we reviewed our week’s studies completed our tests and passed with flying colors. We received our certificates and thanks Jenny for all her patience. That afternoon we spent our time lying on the beach. Scott played some ultimate Frisbee with other people on the beach. That evening we sat out with the family and said our goodbyes.
We arrived in San Juan del Sur around 3:30 PM and quickly found the Spanish school. We spoke with Jenny who explained in some English that she was the only teacher available and so Scott and I would have to take lessons together. Normally they the school provides 4 hours a day of one-on-one. She also said that a home stay was no problem and that she would take us to the home that evening. Our Spanish studies would be Monday through Friday 8 AM until noon every day in a restaurant overlooking the beach and ocean, which I didn’t think was a bad deal at all. We would be staying with a family from Sunday night until Saturday morning. On Saturday our friends from Stratford, Chris and Heather VanPelt would be arriving to spend 7 days with us across Nicaragua. After eating Jenny drove us to our home stay family. We quickly met the head of the family Suzanna. Suzanna was the grandmother and with her lived her daughters Chillo, and Martha, Chillo’s husband William, their three children, Kayley (11), William (6), and Andrew 8 months. Chillo’s friend Linda also lived with the family. The family was very close and very accommodating to Scott and I. Linda was the only family member who spoke English and she was not always there and so Scott and I would use our limited new Spanish and sign language to converse with the family. It definitely forced us to learn as quickly as we could. We learned that Suzanna had her own business, which included selling fried shaved sliced plantains with a cabbage salad on top and a piece of chicken or beef. Her product was apparently very popular and from about 6 pm – 10 pm her and her family would sit outside her home and sell over a hundred of these each night for a dollar a piece.
On Monday we started our lessons with Jenny – who claimed not to speak any English, but I think this was meant to immerse us in the language and she knew more English that she was letting on. Mornings were filled with studying with Jenny and in the afternoons the school offered free activities. That afternoon we went with the class to a secluded beach by boat called Playa El Coco. On Tuesday they offered Salsa lessons in the community centre. I really enjoyed it but Scott called it quits half way through as it was really hot. On Wednesday Scott took the afternoon to go to a private disc golf course a few kilometres out of town and I decided to hang out at the beach right in San Juan del Sur. While at the beach I unfortunately witnessed several people pull a man out of the water attempt to give him CPR and then without waking up putting him in the back of a truck to take him to the closest hospital, which was 20 minutes away. It really shook all of us on the beach. Later that evening Scott returned from the Disc Golf course raving about it and the American owner Vince. We decided that when Chris and Heather arrived we would all go there on the Sunday. That evening we had said good night to Suzanna and her family and just as we turned off the light we heard cars crashing and we both looked at each other and said oh my gosh I hope the kids weren’t hit, as they would often play with their friends on the sidewalk until late, as it is summer holidays right now. We went to the front and found out that a car had hit two people on a motorcycle. Thankfully no one was hurt. For the next hour the police directed traffic outside the home and it sounded like the whole community came over to Suzanna’s house to see what had happened. On Thursday afternoon Scott and I again went with the class to a beach slightly out of town called Playa Remanso or Romantic beach. The waves there were huge and we were loved diving into them. That evening we went to a local pub to study. That night they were hosting a DJ from the USA and we really were grooving to the music but around 10 we realized we hadn’t studied much and the next day was our last class along with an exam. We moved onto another pub a little quieter and tested each other for the next hour. I must say I really enjoyed learning Spanish and was really wishing I could stay a couple months to become fluent. Scott enjoyed it also but was ready to move on. The next day we reviewed our week’s studies completed our tests and passed with flying colors. We received our certificates and thanks Jenny for all her patience. That afternoon we spent our time lying on the beach. Scott played some ultimate Frisbee with other people on the beach. That evening we sat out with the family and said our goodbyes.
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