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Published: August 1st 2005
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Fresh squeezed OJ
Outside my hostel La Soya in San Juan del Sur Despite being smack in the midst of no less than 12 other travelers boasting shades of bronze that I will never ever be, I am nonetheless proud to report that I left my Babies' SPF 45 sunblock behind for a glorious day on the beach without the slightest trace of sunburn.
Yesterday I spent in San Juan del Sur again since I fell asleep after breakfast and missed the ferry to Majagual, so I spent the afternoon at the local beach. I finally saw the down side to life in this quaint little town, and it is the wind. Perhaps things aren't this way in the rainy season, but in the dry season right now the wind whips in every which direction and changes direction almost every minute and whips the sand all over you. And that wind is pretty darn strong so there is no need to exfoliate your skin ever again if you spend one day on the beach there because the flying sand attacks you and rips every dry skin cell you may have had right off your body.
However, I caught a beautiful sunset as some light showers came rolling onto the shore right before
sundown. And the stinging sand aside, I still really love this little town. People are so friendly here....last night I went to buy ice so a few of us at my hostel (La Soya: it's fun, I recommend it) could make some drinks with the ever famous Nicaraguan Flor de CaƱa, and went to my "usual" grocery shop, where she referred me to the next door shop because they didn't carry ice. I only had a 100 cordoba note and it cost 2.50 and they didn't have change so I went back to the first store, who didn't have change either, so she just gave me the 2.50 and told me I could pay her back the next time. Granted, 2 and half cordobas is only like 15 cents, but still, people here are POOR and they are still so friendly and generous and just great people.
This morning I got up and took an hour walk around 6:30 and it was great to see the city at that hour of day. Fishermen were wading out into the water to get picked up by their "carpool", ladies out sweeping and watering down their storefront steps, little kids in their
school uniforms getting ready for the day, the market vendors assembling their fruit stands....and the quiet atmosphere in town broken only by the sounds of the waves and the birds.
After breakfast I finally succeeded in getting the ferry to Majagual. We decided to go just for the day since the ferry goes at 11 and comes back at 5 and the sunsets here around 5:45 anyway. I didn't realize that the water was so brilliantly green just 75 feet offshore; the bay at San Juan del Sur is mostly full of boats and the water isn't that clean and what you do wade out into is pretty sandy, so I was amazed to see how clear and pretty the water was so soon into the water taxi ride. It was a pretty windy and therefore wet ride to Majagual, passing by Playa Marsella on the way, and very very beautiful. The landscape is really dry, full of cactus and stony cliffs and outcroppings... a nice contrast to the emerald water. It reminded me strangely of Malta's Ghajn Tuffeiha Bay when we arrived in Majagual because of the rocky cliff formations that creep out into the water.
Now,
the wind problem still exists over in Majagual, but there are more inlets around the rocks so it is possible to find a good sandy area to sun in without being covered in sand. Within an hour of being there, I had decided it was a shame I hadn't packed a bag just in case because I definitely wanted to stay. There is a great traveler vibe there, somewhat reminiscent of San Blas, and the beach is so beautiful...the pictures don't do it much justice since they were all taken during the brightest part of the day. However, I have every intention of going back tomorrow and staying for 2 or 3 days so hopefully there will be better shots on here by the weekend. Originally I had planned on being back on Isla de Ometepe by today, but I just have to stay here a few more days now that I made my SPF 30 discovery. At this rate, I will be lucky to make it to El Salvador by April 22nd. (Ooooh, just kidding Pam... don't look for a replacement bridesmaid, I WILL make it back!)
The great natural spectacle to observe on the ocean waters is
the suicide diver birds that scout out the waters, then fly up to about 30 feet above the surface and dive straight down beak first at lightning speed to spear the little fishies. Now my aversion to all things science is going to rear its ugly head in making me look like the total ignoramus I am in the fields of flora and fauna, but I have no idea what these very very common seabirds are called, so we will just call them seabirds and any of you who know what I am talking about feel free to email me to educate me. Anyway, on the way back the water taxi came upon HUNDREDS of them all congregating on the water together; one would have thought an entire whale had died and was bobbing on the surface there waiting to be devoured. It made a great video as they all scattered when we drove through it, but I have no idea how to post it anywhere. Speaking of that, however, I did update my main JenniJen TravelBlog details with links to my Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua albums, so feel free to view all 300+ pictures I have taken so
far.
Hey, turns out my 15 minutes of fame came and went without me knowing it.... Shawn "of the salsa Shawns" emailed me that I was on the cover of Women's Inc. magazine last month salsa dancing with Gianni on my birthday. Ah, the sacrifices of traveling! Unless you get 15 minutes of fame in every country you ever live in? Maybe there's hope for me yet.
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Stefan
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Oops
Really bad and boring blog