This World Traveler

Barely registering in most Central American guidebooks, the small fishing village of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua is home to something truly awe-inspiring; the Olive-Ridley sea turtle. These large, endangered animals literally swim across the world for years, returning to the same beach season after season to nest and rejuvenate their population. Doing so in large numbers, a “grand arrival” is a sight to be seen – where hundreds of turtles are seen just off the seashore, coming in together to provide greater safety in numbers.

“La Flor” is the beach where these masses of turtles congregate each year to nest on a pristine crescent beach off the Pacific Ocean. Just 30 minutes or so by van from San Juan del Sur, this preserve is one of the few select places where these turtles return year after year. And thanks to active efforts by the Nicaraguan government, one of the few places where nesting has not been in decline. In 2007, the beach welcomed roughly 200,000 new nests to its shore.

Arriving at the preserve is an odd sight; the beach is gorgeous and feels similar to the quintessential beach that every tropical traveler dreams of. Howler monkeys screech in the distance, but the only other people on this beach are armed soldiers. In uniform and toting a gun, these men are the turtles’ main line of defense, protecting them from poachers which have been a major factor in the rapid decline of the animal’s population. Although the Olive-Ridley is the most common sea turtle, it is endangered and its population seems to be collapsing on the Atlantic coasts, most likely due to poaching.

The odds for the average Olive-Ridley egg to survive into adulthood are somewhat staggering. In many nesting locations, nearly half of the nests are harvested by local populations, despite bans on disturbing turtle nests. Other factors make it difficult for the turtles to survive. Often during “grand arrivals,” turtles dig nests on top of other existing nests, contaminating both sets of eggs and making it unlikely that any will hatch. Also other natural predators, including the vulture, often go after the freshly laid eggs as a food source.

Once the eggs hatch, a whole new set of factors conspire to do these hatchlings in. The time of day they poke through the surface of the sand, any natural predators on the beach, during their initial 50 yard dash to the ocean, and then environmental factors and a whole new set of predators await them in the ocean. Only 1% of eggs laid by Olive-Ridley turtles ever survive to adult status. Only the strongest ever survive.

Tours are the only way to really get a good handle on how special “La Flor” is. The best tour comes out of the Casa Oro hostel in San Juan del Sur and is available between August and December. In most cases, tours are only given extremely early in the morning, with a 4AM departure time. However, when “grand arrivals” take place, there are so many coming ashore that a late afternoon tour is possible. Starting with a presentation in the hotel, and a quicker one on site, the chance to touch and hold hatchlings may be offered.

Holding the tiny turtles in hand, it is very easy to understand the challenges these babies faced. Without parental guidance, these hatchlings are left to fend for themselves, developed but tiny and extremely vulnerable, weighing just ounces and fitting easily in the palm of a hand. Vultures might scoop them up, but so might a strong wind.

After a while on the beach, watching turtles deliver their cargo and build a nest, those same hatchlings held just a couple hours previous are released on the shore and given a second chance, having been rescued from a certain death the previous day off the hot sand of a beach at midday. It is a fitting end to the tour, watching the nesting cycle come full circle.

Labels: nature, nicaragua, travel

Kids playing soccer on the beach in San Juan del Sur

There is a city on the Pacific shore in Nicaragua that is becoming more and more popular with tourists around the world. This little, sleepy village is quickly becoming a hotspot of budget travelers as well as people looking for a bit of luxury on a Central American vacation. It's San Juan del Sur, and after four days there, I fell in love with the town.

Problem is that there just isn't a lot of good information out there about it. The Lonely Planet guide gives it just a couple paragraphs, and its visit at the main hostel lasted, legend has it, about four minutes. So I thought I'd share my basic thoughts about the town and tips for places to stay and things to do.

Getting there and Away
There is only one expreso that leaves from San Juan del Sur. (An expreso is commonly referred to as a chicken bus. Picture a school bus, filled with people and stuff and people standing in the aisles because all the seats are full.) It usually leaves relatively early. The fastest and most comfortable way to get into San Juan would be by collectivo taxi from Rivas. You'll share the cab with up to four or five other travelers and the cost will run somewhere between 30 and 50 cordobas. ($1.50-2.50) One of the expat bars in the area, Big Wave Dave's, runs shuttles to Managua and Rivas, but they can be rather pricy.

Geography
The city is built along the lagoon and a gorgeous beach. This isn't a great place to swim however. The water in the lagoon is fairly nasty, but it is a nice place to stroll along and catch some sun as well. The town itself is fairly small, the bulk of it no more than 1 to 1.5 kilometers square. Most hotels are in the main area of the town, near the beach. Most addresses are given as directions in relative distance from landmarks, like the municipal building, or the central market.

Sunset on the beach at San Juan del Sur

Where To Stay
There are a lot of options in San Juan del Sur. Plenty of midrange hotels are available costing in the 50-75 dollar range per night. There are also a couple budget options.

Casa Oro is the center of backpacking life in the town, being the only hostel mentioned in Lonely Planet. My experience is that the hostel itself wasn't that great. There's common space, but the rules are pretty tight and makes it difficult to socialize or even relax. They say they offer a bar, but the bar only sells beer, and only til 10:30 at night. You aren't technically even allowed to bring rum in the hostel. Rates run from $5 a night for a dorm bed to $18 a night for a private room. The private rooms are dark, dank and noisy as they border the street. Also, be aware that the hostel does charge $5 for late checkout (after 11am) so bring a watch if you stay there.

If your budget can afford $10 a night, I recommend Hotel Joxi, less than a block off the beach. For $10 per person, you get your own room with ensuite bath, air conditioning and pirated cable TV. The rooms aren't all that clean, but you're on the beach and for $10 what can you really ask for? The second floor has a charming little common area as well, with hammocks that you can snooze in during the afternoons.

Want something more private? Well, just find the hippy looking guy asking you to stay in one of his houses. Seriously. Nicawoods is the name of the cottages that he owns. They seem quite nice and all have air conditioning and modern amenities. Just no internet. They are just a few minutes out of town and nearby to some of the better surfing beaches in the area. They run about $50 a night last I checked.

If your budget allows you to splurge in the $150+ a night range, I recommend Pelican Eyes Resort. The resort in the hills just past the main town offers stunning views of the ocean and deluxe accomodations. Even the small rooms offer amazing beds, hot water showers, your own patio or terrace, and a kitchenette of sorts including a mini fridge, microwave and more. The bigger casitas and casas even have full kitchens and gorgeous living rooms. Taking a tour of the resort, this is one place where I could get used to luxury. Rooms start at $125 a night and the resort features three swimming pools and an excellent restaurant, if a bit expensive.

Where to Eat
If you are looking to eat on the cheap, the place to go is where the locals go. The main market. I had a great Carne Asada dinner there for just about 40 Cordobas ($2.00). It's pretty informal but the food is filling and the price is very right. There are plenty of other, more familiar, options as well. Breakfast and coffee and smoothies are available at El Gato Negro which also doubles as an English bookstore. Prices here though are rather high for the area, but its a very relaxing place to enjoy a coffee and relax with a good book. There's also good bar food available at Big Wave Dave's but again the prices here are higher than average, and the crowd is mostly older expatriates. There are also a few pizza places, one of which offers American style breakfast, and a Subway.

The other place that's both a big nightlife spot for travelers and one of the better places to grab dinner is Club Iguana on the beach. The beer is cold and the Fish Sandwich is among one of the better fish meals I've had in a long time. There are a number of other bars in the area, but my favorite is Republika. This bar just serves drinks and hookahs but is one of the more relaxing spots to spend an evening drowning your memories in rum and beer I've been to. Run by a Canadian named Chris and his Wisconsin native sweetheart, the two have been there for a few months and its a great place to catch hockey games, or basketball, or football or any American sport you might be missing at the time.

The Immaculate Conception Procession, December 2007

Tours and such
The big place to go again for this kind of stuff is Casa Oro. The hostel may not be the greatest place to stay, in my opinion, but it has amazing offerings that anyone can attend. From here, you can take canopy ride tours, and you can go to La Fleur preserve to visit the Olive-Ridley sea turtles, and if you are lucky, get to see the endangered species make a nest for its eggs. Casa Oro also offers shuttles to the nearby surfer beaches three times daily. The Sea Turtle tour costs $30 a person and the shuttle ticket is around $15 round trip for the one hour each way drive.

If you're looking to stay in town, there's plenty of shopping that can be done, if you are looking for souvenirs. Quite a few set up T-Shirt and jewelry stands along the beach and there are a few shops along the main drag that are there for this purpose as well. Internet is also widely available, the average cost is about $1 per hour. (20 Cordobas)

All in all, this town seems sleepy at first, but its laid back charms grab you pretty quickly. During a one week vacation, I came to San Juan expecting to spend one night. I spent four days. There's something special yet intangible about this place, but its charming. For how long? Who knows. Cruise ships are starting to find this town. During my short stay in San Juan, three ships ported in the lagoon, so this kind of charm may not be there forever. If you get the chance, savor it while you still can.

Labels: cityguide, nicaragua, san juan del sur, travel

So I was leafing through various travel blogs, and I found Blissful Travel. It's a pretty insightful journal and she had a post talking about the cities she lived in. It was inspired by another travel blogger's list of cities visited last year. Taylor Davidson put up a list of cities he's spent a night in last year, and I thought I should do the same. It's neat to see where you've been in an aggregate sense over the past year. So I thought, I'd share.

Asbury Park, NJ - My hometown and a place I've grown to love. This former tourist destination is the home to Bruce Springsteen and a lot of broken dreams. It's currently working on the rebound and is an interesting case for redevelopment. I like it here, even if I think my time on the Jersey Shore may be nearing an end.

Quakertown, PA
Buffalo, NY
Newark, NJ
Jersey City, NJ
New York, NY - The big city nearby, I'm finding my trips there becoming more and more frequent as my heart is drawn to this city. Walking through Manhattan can at times be like walking through multiple cultures in just a few blocks.

Mountain View, CA - My first night in California was shared with some good friends in their small apartment just outside San Jose. I was immediately struck by how comfortable California can be, and after a couple days - I very much felt at home on the west coast.

Boulder Creek, CA
Worthington, OH
Pittsburgh, PA
Port Chester, NY
Boston, MA - Only my second time in the city, the stay was just too short. Yet pleasant. Finally had a chance to take the T, Boston's tram/subway system and frankly, I loved it. I wish my town had a T.

Michigan City, IN
Philadelphia, PA
Trenton, NJ
Atlanta, GA
Granada, Nicaragua
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Managua, Nicaragua - I honestly don't much care for Managua, the largest population center in the poorest Central American country, but there are some charms to the city and a small ex-pat community makes it their home. There's a very pleasant hostel run by a goodhearted South African/Canadian who's working on development projects for the country when he isn't running his hostel. Managua Backpackers Inn is the spot, and definitely worth the money for a night in the capital city.

With some good luck, the list of cities in 2008 will grow longer. If there's a specific town or city I should visit, let me know. I love discovering cities that might be a bit off the beaten path. They usually provide some excellent ideas.

Labels: boston, california, cities, list, new jersey, new york, nicaragua

The Sea Turtles of Nicaragua

One of the pleasures of finding yourself in a place that you know nothing about is that, every so often you'll find out something special that your guide book never clued you in on. When I was in Southern Nicaragua, this happened to me. San Juan del Sur barely registers a page in the Lonely Planet Central America guide book, but it was my favorite spot on my vacation - and nowhere do they mention the turtles.

But they are there. Well, not in San Juan del Sur proper but just south of the town. Olive-Ridley turtles come to a beach every year to lay their nest of eggs by the hundreds of thousands. And they always come back to "La Fleur." It's not for the ambiance but more of a homecoming. According to our tour guides, these turtles were born here.

The Olive-Ridley turtles, like most sea turtles come to lay their eggs at the same place that they were born. It's not necessarily a conscious thing on the turtle's part, but rather an in-born homing signal or GPS. It's worked for them for a long time. Hundreds of millions of years in fact. But now, populations are declining. Environmental concerns shape this problem as do humans. With the breeding grounds limited (for all the thousands of miles that a turtle swims in a year, they only stop at seven unique beaches in the whole world), overfishing and hunting has become a serious problem. Most of these beaches are in decline for the sea turtle population, with the exception of "La Fleur." Thanks to Nicaraguan preservation efforts, turtle deposits are actually increasing, now with about 200,000 turtles coming by annually.

When our tour group hit the beach, in early December, the nesting season was in full swing with 90,000 turtles at the beach, and 5,000 alone arriving the night before. My visit to Nicaragua, was again a happy accident. I had come to the town during a turtle "Grand arrival" which means I would get a very good chance to see a turtle making her nest during the day. A big bonus for me, because truth be told, a 4AM departure time to see a turtle lay an egg? That's not going to happen. Our 3:00 visit would mean a good likelihood of lots of turtles, better light for photos - a perfect storm. Well almost. It was also low tide....

There were a couple turtles making the trip on their own but the grand arrival we were waiting for was several hours off. Low tide makes their job twice as hard because the land travel doubles. A 50 meter journey quickly becomes a 100 meter journey. Pursued by natural enemies the whole time, its not uncommon to see flocks of vulture waiting behind the turtle for her to lay her nest of eggs.

The journey and work is a sight to see. After digging a hole a foot deep, Mama Turtle drops what has to be a most satisfying load, about 100 eggs. These eggs sit buried in the sand and if the nest is left undisturbed, hatchlings pop out of the sand about 50 days later. Sometimes, old nests get dug up. That's bad news for both sets of eggs, because it usually means contamination for both nests and death for all the hatchlings.

At "La Fleur" they are big on nature taking its course. They let the vultures go after the eggs, and the only one predator that they keep away from the nest are humans. They'll also give limited protection for the hatchlings. If they discover the hatchlings popping out mid-day when they sand will scorch them, they're picked up and kept cool until night time when they're set free. We were given this opportunity to do so which was quite incredible.

After dark, during our visit, the park rangers brought us about 75 or so turtle hatchlings to set free. The odds against them were steep. Of all those hatchlings, only one or two were expected to make it to adulthood. So our group decided to name the hatchlings we set free. Why not? A name gives an identity. Identity breeds character. And that's what makes you tough and a survivor. I thought of my four hatchlings as a family. So I named them after another family that faced adversity but after several TV seasons of trying finally got out of the ghetto. They were named Florida, JJ, Michael and Thelma. This way they can always have Good Times.

Ain't we lucky we got 'em?

Labels: nicaragua, san juan del sur, travel, turtles

Bonus Sunday Videoblogging!

An endangered Olive-Ridley Sea Turtles digs a nest for her eggs. This turtle was videoed at the "La Fleur" beach reserve in Southwestern Nicaragua.

Labels: nicaragua, travel, turtles, video

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

Kids playing futbol on the beach in San Juan del Sur during the late afternoon.

Labels: nicaragua, photo of the week, san juan del sur, travel

Hangin' with the Worldbeaters

My friends think I'm a bit of an adventure traveler. However, the more places I see, I don't know that this is actually the case. Quick to eschew the hotel for the hostel and generally seeking the less worn path. I'm not pioneer, but I'm not exactly Hawaiian shirt and fanny pack material either. At least I don't think so anyway. But after meeting some really well worn travelers, I don't know how sure I am of that anymore.

Lounging in a dank, poorly lit spot in Granada, I ran into a group of people who can legitimately called worldbeaters. Every single one of them has been on the road for months. One of them has just a week left before heading home to New Jersey... but it turns out that this is just for the holidays. In January, she's planning on living in Dubai for some time. We talk about our travel, and I sheepishly admit that I can only squeeze out a week on the road at a time. "Oh well..." the response comes, "at least that's something." When the state of the dorm rooms comes up, I mention that I upgraded to a private room. "Oh, well I'm sure if I only had a week, I'd do the same."

What the hell? Was that derision? Jealousy? Or were they looking down their nose at me for taking less shitty accommodations than them? Honestly, I'm not really sure. From memories of my months in Europe a few years ago, I know that a short budget means being long on patience and politeness... otherwise the meaner you get, the quicker your wallet empties. At least with one or two of the people I'm talking to at this hostel, there does seem to be this passive-aggressiveness to their tone, but I let it wash away though. The conversation is the best I've had since I left the states and they seemed otherwise nice enough.

The next day, we're all headed to San Juan del Sur, a little beach village on the Pacific Coast. Dreading the infamous chicken buses, I had plans to take the direct shuttle that a travel agency offers for $20. The van never showed up though, and the agency didn't even open. Which left me the option of a chicken bus. We ended up on the same chicken bus to Rivas, there are no direct routes to the beach from Granada. Although these buses aren't exactly comfortable, I wasn't as scared of that as I was figuring out how to get out of the market in Rivas and into San Juan.

After two hours of being compressed by about 30 Nicaraguans in a school bus meant for half as many kids as there were adults aboard, I got my bag from the roof of the expreso and I get hit with culture shock. There is nothing touristy about the Rivas market. There is very little to help you, and without a knowledge of Spanish, panic started to take over. Fortunately, the people I got to know, saved my ass and got me in a collectivo with a few other Nicas to get me down to San Juan del Sur.

It's funny how things change. I came into Nicaragua thinking that there would be very little that I couldn't handle, I quickly realize that there's a long way for me to go. These travelers who I first got intimidated by, became fast traveling friends - and I was quite sad to leave them when my week ended and I was off to the real world. It has only been a couple days and I miss them already.

Pictures: Mural on the side of the Northern Coridor Highway in Managua, cattle drive seen on the highway from Managua to Granada.

Labels: buses, culture shock, nicaragua, transportation, travel

Relaunching the blog for the third time

I don't know why but it has been relatively difficult to keep this journal/blog active over the last year. Maybe it's because I don't travel much, or I don't write as often as I could for fear of not being at all interesting. It might be some of those things, but it is most likely because I'm lazy. Being a dabbler at heart, it's hard to stay passionate about the same things day to day much less write about them in a coherent fashion.

I'm sitting in a quiet hostel in Managua, Nicaragua relaxing through my last day of an amazing, and somewhat life-changing vacation. I have written quite a bit which I will share with you over the next few weeks. I've always wanted to be a travel writer and discover interesting places and share them with people. I always want to share the experiences I've had and give everyone I know the chance to live them a little myself. In addition to this most recent trip, I'll share stories I've written from past journeys over the last 5 years or so. I hope you enjoy them, and I hope I can keep the energy up to keep giving you these stories.

What I am most afraid of is that I'll stop writing a journal and start becoming a blogger. I always see the difference in the two as between being positive generally, and being negative because you think snark equals wit. I've been reading a couple travel blogs today that just seem like a lot of whining. Here's the truth. Travel isn't always comfortable. Getting to go to places far off is a privileged experience, and the ability to do it should make you thankful at your core. I never want to say how I love to travel and then whine about how my vacation didn't go exactly the way I wanted it to because the ticket cost $50 more here, and I had to stay in a hotel near the airport because to save the money I wanted I had to leave early, and so on.

I just wanted to share that today. We'll talk more next week. As always, comments are welcome.
Roger

Labels: blogs, journals, nicaragua, travel

Dispatch from Nicaragua

Sometimes, travel can break your heart. A couple mornings ago, I was enjoying a smoothie in Granada, in this fruit juice shop off the Central Park, and I got to meet Bryan. Bryan is a 17 year old Nica kid and a really nice guy. Speaks English very well and is putting some time in at the juice bar so that he can buy Christmas presents for his family. We spoke for a good 45 minutes and talked about his life, my vacation and eventually the subject came up: America.

Long story short: he wants to go to the US. This is not the easiest thing for people from the 3rd world to do, even if these people are well off. I have a friend, Jorge, who is from South America and is studying for a doctorate in Economics. It allows him to stay in the states legally, but even after living in our country for six years, being fluent in English and having a Ph.D, the government won't grant him a green card. Why? Because he's from the wrong continent.

There's all sorts of talk in the US these days about illegal immigration. With 12-20 million latinos living an undocumented life in the US, there is legitimate concern about being able to have an American identity that isn't being taken over by other countries. People want to build walls, people want to close out immigration entirely. It seems as if it has gotten to the point these days, where the only way to get in our country is to sneak in our country. And that is sad. It brings the people in who we may not want in our country. And keeps the people like Bryan, who have a lot to offer us, out of the US.

He talked at length about his dream to see New York and live with his family there, maybe go to school there. He asked how easy it was to get there, and it broke my heart. How do you crush a dream like that? How do you tell him, that the people in power don't really want you there, unless you go sneak in and work at a meatpacking plant for five dollars an hour with no benefits or insurance? You don't. You tell him that he has a good chance of getting there. You tell him that he should go and make it happen. Even though, deep down inside, you know that the thought of him getting there seems unlikely. And it breaks your heart.

Labels: immigration, nicaragua, travel