Oh, the places you will go...

Day Dreaming...

2011-05-09T07:10:00.001-07:00

Day Dreaming of moving to the "Oldest City in the Nation" next week. Daydreaming of going to the beach with a big brimmed hat, cold beverage, and a good book. Daydreaming of cruising around downtown on the brick streets atop my single-speed. Its gonna be a great summer. What are your summer plans?

National Park Week 2011

2011-04-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

April 16-24, 2011

Get out and discover something new about your 394 national parks. This week in National Park Week where all national parks have free admission! What a great concept! If I could take off a week and roam around our great nation I would go to:

1. Yosemite National Park

2. Redwood National Park

3. Cumberland Island National Park (childhood favorite)

Where would you go Or where WILL you go?

Happy Camping and Enjoy your national treasures!

Welcoming the Weekend

2011-04-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Finally the weekend is here and I am day dreaming of the approaching summer when I can leave town for a few months and R-E-L-A-X! The boy and I aren't able to steal away very often due to my work obligations and his baseball schedule, but every once in awhile we will take a drive to his hometown of St. Augustine, FL for a mini break away from stress and burdens. Do you have a town or place you vacate to escape from day-to-day life for awhile?

A few of my favorite places to visit when I am in "the Aug": -San Sebastian Winery for a glass of local spirits and a spectacular view -The Columbia Restaurant for amazing Spanish cuisine -And absolutely no weekend visit is complete without going to the beach with friends on Sunday w/ a bottle of RUM in tow then ending the day with the festivities of Reggae Sunday at the Conch House
Have you had the pleasure of visiting the oldest city in the nation?

Baseball Fever

2011-04-11T04:50:00.001-07:00

Have you seen the oh so cute baseball apparel line Victoria's Secret has put out this season? Makes rooting for your favorite team a bit more fashion forward!! Which team are you rooting for? This season I am leaning towards the Cleveland Indians! ps: the boy is getting drafted...

Rain, Rain....

2011-03-31T07:08:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness...the past few days have been oh so gloomy...and I have been stuck inside with the worst case of cabin fever!! When all the homework is finished and I have rearranged the art on my bedroom walls.... what else is there left to do? What do you do to pass the time on rainy days?

Linking Party

2011-03-30T06:15:00.001-07:00

Dedication is not my middle name, but I do so love reading blog after blog after blog. I like to considers someone's blog as the sugar and spice of the inter-workings of my fellow bloggers. And, honestly, I am inspired by each blog I come across. One of my absolute faves is Fabulous K. I read her blog everyday, and she is absolutely fabulous. Her post today is about a Linking Party, a group of bloggers getting together and agreeing to visit new blogs and encourage each other by leaving comments on each others posts! This is my first time participating, but I am super excited!
So.... Welcome to my new readers and it is so nice to meet you!
Please leave a comment and maybe some constructive criticism would be fantastic!

Ciao!

Eco-luxury

2011-03-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

Hello readers, if you're out there! I want to tell you about my new beauty obsession! Winks by Georgie Beauty. Winks by Georgie is a false eyelash collection featuring three styles to wear from morning latte to midnight soirée. All false eyelashes are 100% natural and weightlessly voluminous. It’s the perfect eye makeup. Imagine your favorite mascara … x 10! I have always been a fan of false eyelashes, my girlfriends in college can attest to that, but I stop hitting the bar scene and settled into a look that left much to be desired. What happened to the sexy femme fatale days of my early twenties?
Well even though my club hopping days are behind me, I still have the desire to feel put together when we go out with friends, so I wear my Winks! My Winks help me look READY! They take little to no time to apply and they stay on all evening.
A friend of mine developed these little beauties and she should be so proud of what she has created! The best part is that they not only make you look fabulous, they are earth friendly as well.
"For us, a new generation means a new genre of beauty: eco-luxury. Georgie believes that true luxury is the fusion of art and nature, the freedom to indulge thoughtfully every day. We’re working to build a new era in beauty that liberates both consumer and environment by delivering the ultimate eco-luxe experience."
They are available online at Neiman Marcus. Check them out, put them on! You will LOVE them!
Georgie Beauty: Reinventing the Classics

Yummy Nothings...

2011-03-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Although I am not a studied chef and I have never worked in a kitchen, I would still like to call myself a foodie, simply put a foodie is someone who loves to know everything there is to know or learn about food. I acquired my admiration of food and preparing food due largely to my time spent in Italy. The fresh ingredients, the food markets on the weekends, the way a meal brought friends and families together; what is there not to love about food?
Anyhow, tonight I created one of my favorite dishes! It is a very very simple salad with salmon on top. I kinda came across this concoction by trial and error and picking up on ideas from salads I had had in the past, so I know what I like a what I don't like.
So here is the low down on the yumminess....
The Salmon is very easy: On the stove top, put the heat on at a 7 and wait for the pan to heat up before adding your olive oil or salmon. Before placing the salmon in the pan, drizzle a nice amount of honey (yes, honey) and salt and pepper to your liking. Put the honey side down on the pan then adding honey, salt and pepper to the other side. Flip when you feel appropriate. When the salmon begins to flake, let it! Cut the salmon up slightly, this should be easy because of the flaking. When the salmon is cooked entirely remove from heat.
Here is the salad:
Spinach
Red Cabbage (sliced)
Kalamata olives
Feta cheese
sunflower seeds
tomatoes
red onions
Then add whatever dressing you prefer. I always reach for an organic brand that I love, Annie's Goddess Dressing-a must try for happiness.
Happy Eats and Yummy Nothings!

Enjoy,

Sarah Manwaring

Makes you wanna catch a jet plane...

2011-03-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

Che una Vespa??

2011-03-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

My newest obsession and desire is to purchase my very first vehicle. And not just any vehicle, a Vespa! The Ferrari of Scooters! I might even get frisky and join a Vespa club, where we all get together on Sunday and ride around in big scooter packs. The Vespa is the perfect around town scooter, not only will it save me gas, but it will also help reduce my carbon foot print. How could you not just fall in loves with these things? Too cute! Tres chic! Vespa’s get up to 70 to 75 miles per gallon which is easier on my purse as seeing the gas prices are just going to keep a risin’. What do yall think?

Yummy Organic-ness

2011-01-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Shout out to a local farmer: Dreaming Cow Creamery in Pavo, GA! I love your products! Especially the Vanilla Agave! Thanks for making snacking and buying local a priority to us Thomasvillians! Just recently, I am trying to reduce (and one day eliminate) processed foods from my diet and your product makes it that much easier:) When the 3pm doldrums hit and a snack is a must...I tend to gravitate towards a cookie or a cupcake. Now a quick stroll to the coffee shop or local cheese shoppe and get a cup of yummy creamy 100% ORGANIC yogurt!!!!! Give me Dreaming Cow Yogurt or give me Death or Let them eat YOGURT!
Check out the Dreaming Cow Yogurt to find retailers near you!

The Bees Knees

2010-10-13T12:39:00.001-07:00

Honey and Yogurt Cupcake:) Yummy! Find the recipe here at the Cupcake Project

Cute little honey drop earrings

I really am in love with these nature inspired pieces.

Beautiful Honey Comb Mirror perfectly placed above this white couch is my idea of calm collective place to relax.

Honey Bees/Queen Bee

2010-10-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

My new motif

2010-10-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

As many of you know for a few years I have had a thing about Starfish ( La Stella Marine). No more. My new little guilty obsession is shared between acorns and honey bees. Anything that has either, I will splurge to acquire.Here is a neat cupcake recipe I found including acorns ( sounds festive, but I dont know about appetizing, but I would be willing to try anything that comes in cupcake form) Here is the link to the sweet site I found it @.

I am loving this little contraction! This is actually a little speaker that hooks up to your laptop! I think it is adorable and really fun!
Decorating with acorns is so whimsical! Always appropriate.
Yummy biscuit molds! Fun for Fall social events!

I need this in gold or brass:)

One pound and a few ounces later...

2010-08-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

So far so good... I have lost a pound and a few ounces. That's a good thing, right? Actually I had a girl complement my legs the other night at the YMCA. woot woot!! She was a black girl... so maybe she wanted to be thick like me.IDK.
In my desperation to get a smaller waste line, I made an impulse buy and purchased the Ab Contour Belt. It is basically flexing my stomach muscles for me by using a form of electro-shock therapy. I have only tried it once... but I think it sucks...and is a waste of my time and money. Thank god for a 30 day money back guarantee. I may give a few more tries but I would rather go to the gym and kill myself with crunches then walk around being electrocuted. Just sayin'...

Fat and Happy

2010-08-06T09:26:00.001-07:00

I’ve been oh-so-happy these past three months. I may have no money, no “real” job (yet 3 jobs to help pay my bills), but life has been pretty easy going. And this may be in part due to my fantastic boyfriend. I’ve been so happy, that within the 3 months that I’ve been dating Rob, I’ve gain at least 12 pounds! Yeap! 12 pounds of fat!!

After my last relationship came to a close (finally) in February, after all the stress and depression, I was sitting pretty at 122 pounds. Nice time to pick up a new beau, right? Thank goodness Rob is a great catch. I warned him that when I get happy, I eat, and gain weight. Jokingly of course…I never actually thought I would let myself gain too much weight. Well, ladies and gents… I am 138pounds!! I almost think that this is the heaviest I’ve ever been…. But the strange thing is… Now that I am getting older I carry the weight nicely… but I don’t care. My ass is still big enough that I had to purchase a new pair of jeans just so I can fit into a pair of pants…. Yeah…I think that’s why I’ve been in such a foul mood for the past week…just coming into the realization that I have not been taking care of myself…. So time to do something about it…. Any encouragement would be fabulous.

So today is Friday, August 06, 2010 and I am starting my fitness plan at 138lbs. My goal is to get back down to 125. Wish me luck!

August

2010-08-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

Where are you windy days that force me to pull out my wool cardigans and leather boots? Where are the noises of crunching leaves under my feet? August has come out of nowhere! It is still so HOT! Come on cool morning, warm afternoons, and breezy evenings!

2010-08-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Still no luck on the cookbooks... oh well. I am certain of their location, however. Covert operation? Good riddance...
I have been spending the summer or 2010 working, working, working... yet the outcome has not been as fulfilling as I would wish! I have debt to pay off. About 2000 to my private university, 1700 to my mom for Nicaragua trip, 800 to Jcrew, and about 250 to my sister for helping me out when I am strapped for cash, which seems to be every time we go to Target, oddly enough.
Ive saved some money but not nearly enough to pay all this back right now. I have opted to not attend Thomas University, and am going to start driving over to Valdosta State for classes starting in the Spring. I feel like I will never finish school!! But onward I press:) I officially work for 3 different places here in Thomasville: Mode Boutique, Cafe Marebella's, and (drum roll, please)...Ruby Tuesday's! Woot woot, right? Its money. I need it!
Ive been sharing the task of making a long distance relationship work with Rob. I will drive over to St. Augustine or he will drive here, about a 2.5 hour trip. Its a crazy idea to try and keep this up until January, but he is a really great guy and has me on the floor laughing most of the time. He is a good person to his core. He left this morning to go home after spending the weekend here and Tally for a baseball tournament for his Collegiate Summer League. Woohoo Baseball.

I wrote a paper about Nicaragua. I am posting it. Here it is:

I have tried several times to sit down to do this consuming task of writing a 3000 word paper about one subject that interested me the most while on my excursion through the beautiful country of Nicaragua. Each time I have found the task too daunting and procrastinated on purpose so not to overwhelm myself with trivial details such as reliable sources and correct citations, when really all I want is to sit down and truly tell my account of the exploration of the practically unscathed beauty that makes Nicaragua one of the most beautiful countries I have ever had the joy of discovering. From the very beginning of the voyage, before I even stepped foot on the rich foreign soil, I was in awe of this piece of land that had made so many of my fellow travelers seems as if the country itself had enchanted them, much like the taunting of a beautiful woman, my companions were so lovesick for this country that they kept coming back for more year after year. My fearless leader, Rich McWilliams appeared to be the worst off. Nicaragua had stolen his heart nearly a decade before yet still his obsession with it prospered. It was true love from the very beginning, for better or worse.
Basically, this paper will be a fluid stream of thought about some of the small details and obvious particulars that I took to heart and burn true in my memory months after leaving Nicaragua. My apologizes will come now, I am sorry my paper is not as structurally sound as it could be, however this is my voice and my writing style so in essence I believe that this will be more entertaining than just the facts. I will begin with baseball (just go with me on this), then I would like to move onto my not only physical but also mental journal of hiking the Volcano Maderas, and last but certainly not the least of my interest the Importance of Ecotourism to the country of Nicaragua.
Honestly, I was not too keen on the idea of going to a baseball game in Nicaragua. We were set to get on the ferry that afternoon and in my mind that’s what I was excited about doing, not going to watch a boring sport with guys running around bases. I had been to a few professional games before back in the states and my favorite part of the game was the Seventh Inning Stretch where we got to do the cute little dances. However, for the most part I remember them being very tame; every one sits down watches the games waiting for something exciting to happen. Remembering this from my childhood, I took my travel journal into the stadium because I knew this would be a great point to sit down and catch up on my entries. Yeah…. I was wrong! As one website describes it, “Nicaraguans have a different idea of how to watch a baseball game. Teams have cheerleaders and pep bands, and the noise at games can be deafening. There are a lot of food vendors, selling pretty much any type of food available in Nicaragua, and the vendors are not restricted to the aisles. A cold beer at a Nicaraguan baseball game costs the equivalent of one dollar” (Broughton, 2009). Yeah, that’s a little closer. In actuality, the baseball game seemed to be the social event of the week and the natives were going all out on this HOT Sunday afternoon! There were thunderous roars from the crowd unlike any I have ever heard, the stadium was so full that it seemed to be swelling and pulsating from the overspill of fanatics. Never in all my travels have I been witness to such madness as I found at the baseball game. I looked around in wonderment, dumbfounded by how much fun these people were having watching baseball of all things. In my blog I simply stated, “Everything was dirty, covered in years of candy and soda. The roars from the crowds were so impossibly loud and full of such exuberance that you would have come to the conclusion that nothing else mattered in the world except that game. And I remember thinking to my self...THIS is was baseball is about. Hard working week... and everyone comes together on Sunday and enjoys throwing their trouble away for just a couple of hours and they get to enjoy the greatest past time in the world, baseball. They had horns, and drums. And if they didn't they used bottles in ways that I didn't know a sound like that could be made with a plastic Coke bottle. If baseball were this full of life here in the states, I would go to every single one I could....it was like a party, with entertainment, and all your friends you haven't seen all week. They know how to play the game in Nica”(Manwaring, 2010). It was at this moment of the trip that I really began to evaluate the natives of Nicaragua. They truly were hard working people, pinching pennies (or Cordobas) just to get by. Seeing their faces as we passed through each town, you would think that they each shared the burden of carrying the entire globe on their shoulders. They begged, maybe stole to be able to put food on the table, yet they knew the pleasures of being able to release it all and enjoy their beloved pastime, baseball. I think that we could really learn a little something from this display. Whether the lesson is to take time to enjoy the little things, or let work be work and let fun but fun. Somewhere we have mixed business with pleasure or business with home life. I felt supremely humbled by my experience at the baseball game for some reason. It was as if I had pitied these people from this “underdeveloped” country. “Poor them”, I thought, “I wish there were something I could do to help.” On the contrary, they seemed so oblivious to all the amenities they were missing out on and because of this they were truly able to enjoy the little things in life, like a baseball game. Also I was able to immerse myself in a population of them, hear how they spoke to each other, and really see their social structure. This event taught me more about their culture then the rest of my experiences in Nicaragua. Baseball, who would have guessed.
In one of my blogs I wrote, “In total I climbed 3 volcanoes, one which was an 8 hour hike, 7 miles to the top and 7 miles back down. I conquered Maderas of Ometepe Island in Nicaragua. A feat few have accomplished. Despite being the smaller volcano on the island of Ometepe, Maderas still is a huge volcano, almost 1,400 meters high. Coffee plantations are located at the bottom part of the volcano. More uphill grows a cloud forest . For a reward, there was lagoon in the inactive crater of the volcano. However, much to our dismay, it was too foggy to even see it.

Ascending the volcano was only possible by foot. The trail started off quite steep but in good condition. We passed some petroglyphs and a nice lookout from where we could see the Concepción volcano and the lake. Hiking got tougher from this point. The humidity transformed the trail into a muddy, slippery path. The more we climbed, the worse it got. Sometimes we had to really climb instead of walk.

There were trees everywhere, so we didn’t get great views. And especially when we reached the cloud forest our view was completely restricted to nearly 6 feet in front of us. Which to me was a good thing, I wasn’t able to look up and see how steep the climb in front of me was. I just kept looking where my feet were going and hoped I would reach the top soon.

Hiking to the top took about three and a half hours. From there, we continued and descended to the lagoon. This required some tough climbing. The crater and the lagoon itself were cool and covered in mist. To stand at the edge of the lagoon that is surrounded by trees and covered by a mysterious curtain of mist when monkeys howl in the background was quite a special experience. This was our reward, but we had only half finished our journey.

Then we started on our descent, which as soon as we finished our sandwiches we had to hurry and start back up the crater of the volcano due to the amount of rain coming down we were in for a rough time. There were waterfalls of mud and rock, and this climb was the most difficult and frustrating for me, I broke my hiking stick so I had to climb on my hands and knees up the crater then borrowed a fellow hiker’s stick to safely make my way down the mud slide and rocks. Descending the volcano took at least the same time as ascending. The whole trip took about eight hours. It was well worth the scratches and heat going up and the slips on the way down to say that I have scaled a volcano”(Manwaring, Blog Spot, 2010). In my blog, I made it quick, concise, and to the point, however, in reality, Madares was a “bitch”! The first 30 minutes I was already cussing and ready to turn around and wait at the bottom for the rest of the group to finish. The heat and the steady incline were killing my smokers’ lungs and I wanted to throw the towel in. But everyone just kept going and so I marched on, my feet were already pointed in that direction so I kept going in that direction. I was in pain literally all the way to the top and all the way back down. It never got easier. I was waiting for the moment I would come into my own mind and give myself the strength, like a little pep-talk, to push forward. I had no such moment. It was not until days later that I realized what I had accomplished both physically and mentally. Obviously I made myself stronger physically by actually going all the way up and all the way back down. One of the women who was hiking with us had accomplished a triathlon and she actually said that the volcano was harder. Unbelievable, I really cannot believe that I made it without hurting myself, I am strong, but really I am very proud of myself and everyone else who made the hike. Mentally, it was harder to deal with. You know I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and I knew that would lead me to the top, but the question was whether my mind would get in the way of my physical capability. To be honest, I almost stopped several times, in my mind I had decided to turn around, but again my feet were pointed forward so I continued up and onward . The most self empowering part is when I got separated from the group on the walk back down. I was not going as fast as the few in front of me and there were a few that were having a harder time getting down due to knee trouble or exhaustion. So I kept moving down, and I reached a point where I honest to God thought I had made a wrong turn and went down the wrong trail. I mean, I was headed downward, that I was thankful for but maybe I wasn’t going to end up at the same place of origin. But without missing a beat, all these fears melted away when I saw the coffee plantation and soon after I saw the familiar face of our plucky leader, Rich. What a welcoming site. I was finished. I conquered Maderas.
The wide variety of ecosystems found in Nicaragua would astound you. Everything from rain forests, dry tropical forest, beach, volcanoes, and the list just keeps going. This diversity in landscapes makes Nicaragua ideal for the unique crowd who travel to countries primarily for the eco-tourism. “Nicaragua is a country of great biodiversity - mostly due to its excellent geographic position. Within the boundaries of the country, you will find Central America's biggest rain forests, the dry Pacific Coast and the wet Atlantic areas as well as mountains and volcanoes. This great range of geological features provides an abundance of different habitats in a relatively compact area. From rain forest and dry tropical forests to savanna-type plains and aquatic habitats, Nicaragua attracts a variety of wildlife. Without a doubt, Nicaragua's biome diversity is perfect for Ecotourism.
Ecotourism in Nicaragua continues to grow as tourists become more comfortable with visiting the country - especially after its turbulent history. It will also improve along with the country's tourist infrastructure. The up-side is that Nicaragua's natural areas remain fairly untouched and are thus ideal for ecotourism in Nicaragua. Interestingly, new species are still being discovered in pristine areas. Those planning an ecotour in Nicaragua must realize, however, that it can be difficult to spot the fauna, particularly in the forested areas. Travel to these out-of-the-way areas can be tiring and facilities are somewhat primitive in certain locations. Fortunately the situation does continue to improve”(Nicaragua Channel).
On our trip to Nicaragua, we were fortunate enough to have a couple of amazing field guides. One in was Erik Van der Something…. A German botanist, living in Nicaragua, working at the Ave Maria College and married to a very young very pretty Nicaraguan woman, Yvette, who also is a botanist. She was very outgoing and energetic, and I thought Erik was very intelligent but creepy. An interesting love story I would like to know more about. They are both botanist who specialize in orchids. Without Erik it would have been nearly impossible to have traveled to the areas where we were able to spot the specialized fauna. Although the accommodations were always out of the way and the locations were always quite primitive, it would not have been the same experience without Erik or the bugs,dirt,etc. I believe in the upcoming years being able to travel to the areas without guides will become a realization. Nicaragua is starting to realize that tourists do want to come to their country, so they are trying to make it easier to enjoy their natural resources. The land and the people are so beautiful, even though I did not come home with the same admiration as my comrades, maybe, I am glad to have seen and experienced Nicaragua.

A litte Rant

2010-06-15T04:36:00.000-07:00

So I usually do not give out relationship advice but here is a tidbit: Unless you are sure that you are going to be with your significant other for a long time….Do not move in with them….Its the hardest thing to get all your stuff back. Even months after I was forced to get all my stuff out of the house in about an hour time frame…. Of course I think of things that I don’t know where they are… and immediately remember the said object or objects are at my former residence…The first month after the break up it was everyday use items…. Like a shirt or a jacket….but last night I was sitting in my kitchen thinking about an accumulation of things. Personal business ideas, restaurant ideas….then I was thinking about how much I love coking with fresh herbs from our garden and how I remember the reading preface of one of my favorite cookbooks that gives information about all the traditional Italian herbs. What the herb smells like, taste like….how the herb enhances the flavor of the dish you are adding it to….its really great…. But I looked around and suddenly realized…I had left that damn book and all my other cookbooks at the cunt’s house…. So you might say just call your ex…yeah, last time I tried calling to ask about my things….the girlfriend answered the phone…. Yeah….so I wont be doing that…. I guess I will be buying myself all new better cookbooks….Italian cookbooks!

2010-06-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

Yummy seafood lunch:)

Then we left for home:)

2010-06-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

Impromptu hand stand competition...

2010-06-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

2010-06-13T09:30:00.001-07:00

2010-06-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

I am one with the Flor de Cana....this was my mantra

2010-06-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Rest and Relaxation meant that the Flor de Cana flowed like water down our throats! These are some of the more fun pictures of the trip. Again, very productive drunk!

2010-06-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

2010-06-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

We go to a nice dinner this night... one drink and I am out for the count... that's how exhausted I was. I felt more drunk then I had ever been in my life after just one Macqua. Lots of sleep this night... I had a fan pointed directly on my face... and slept like a new born...
Now time for some real vacation time. The next morning we left for a mor touristy part: SAN JUAN DEL SUR

2010-06-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

The proof is in the pudding... Guess I am not the only one who believed that these interconnected swirls represented Ometepe. And the ever present shadow of Sandino.

2010-06-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

2010-06-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

My reward...huge bottle of water, no shoes, muddy body....No problems!!

2010-06-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

View from the bottom....

2010-06-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

The group... shoes off and hungry

2010-06-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

Mother fucker, Maderas

2010-06-13T06:01:00.000-07:00

So we start the climb out of the crater...and it was a climb not just stepping up....we climbed out, pushed out...the rain started coming down so hard that waterfalls of mud and rock were cascading on our already exhausted bodies...I had a melt down for about 10 seconds and then continued... The walk down was actually kind of fun for the first 3 hours... then I was just ready to stop moving...

2010-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Same group, inside the crater. Not so happy? This was a site to see and I wish I had been more enthused to have made it to the inside... this hike wore me out... 4hours of a increasing incline. It was foggy, due to we were inside a cloud forest. However the one thing that was the most amazing...was that I knew that I was inside a huge crater...but could only see to the edge of the laguna...the fog was to eerily think and from a distance you could hear the holler monkeys....then came the rain...

2010-06-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

The next day was the hike up Maderas....I had my camera with me for the hike....but was mostly too exhausted to even think of taking pictures. This is the group at the half way mark... notice that we still have a sense of humor about the whole thing.

2010-06-13T05:54:00.002-07:00

Okay, enough rocks....

2010-06-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

You see what I mean?

2010-06-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

Consistently, there were two different types of faces we would see. Like this one, we would see faces represented at two holes for the eyes and a hole for the nose or mouth. Also associated with this type of face was this round shape carved in the chest. Like a heart or a soul, or maybe it had more religious meaning.
The other face we would see were circles drawn for eyes....and an X on the chest. Maybe representing two different tribes, or maybe something else... maybe a warrior....

2010-06-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

spider?

2010-06-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

I figured this was a map of some sort. I think these spirals represent the other volcanos on the main land of Nicaragua. I cant believe that all these petroglyps were random art.... some of them yes... but these seem to have to many similarities to the other sites we visited.

2010-06-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

I came to the conclusion that this symbol represented Ometepe, the island. As I wondered around, I tried to look fr patterns...for example certain symbols faced towards the Volcano Concepcion and then others would face the Volcano Maderas. This didn't seem to be true... but I still feel like the people who carved these symbols had a religious tie to these Volcanos, considered them to be gods. I would, these active Volcanos that influenced the daily structure of life on the Island.

2010-06-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

2010-06-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

We get back to the place we were staying at lunch time, ham sandwiches... yummy. Needed the fuel. Then with whatever energy we had left, we went on a search for Petroglyphs!

2010-06-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

Heart shaped rock...Made me think of my friend, Rachel. I would have brought this home but decided to leave it so everyone else could enjoy!

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Day 9: Climb west side of Maderas Volcano

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Approximately a 45 minute hike to a waterfall. Hot,sweaty, sticky hike rewarded greatly by a crisp cool dip in a pool at the base of a waterfall.

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The place we resided on Ometepe was at the base of the Volcano Madaras. It was verrrry primitive comparatively to the previous places. By far, this was the worst place we stayed...due to the bugs. You could not take a breath without taking in at least twenty or so.... I was so tired and hungry by the time we reached this place... that during dinner time... Rick and I shared a liter of Flor de Cana...Give me rum or give me death!! This ended up being a really fun night! Me and Rick feed the starving dogs the left overs... American women can be so wasteful... we took on the project like we were saving their lives by this gesture of generosity....I love Flor de Cana...its a productive drunk

2010-06-13T05:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, now on to Ometepe. Here you can see her two volcanos, Concepcion and Madaras, these two volcanos are the largest in the world to ever emerge from a lake with bull sharks in fresh water.... Let me repeat myself.... there are Bull Sharks swimming in the Lake!

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Here is Berman's blogspot:

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http://ometepeislandtours.blogspot.com/

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Day 8: Onward to Ometepe

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We say our good byes to all the amazingly hospitable folks at L.Apoyo and start driving towards Lake Nicaragua, located in the center of this massive lake is our next destination. Ometepe Island!
Berman Gomez was our guide during this entire trip, I have not mentioned him before due to I had not gotten to know him very well until this point in the trip. He is a former Professional baseball player for a team in Nicaragua. We had made the long drive to San Jorge (where we were to catch the ferry over to the island). But our stop is not at a port or a marina....its a run down outdoor stadium....so full of people they seemed to be spilling out of the sides, top, and even seem to be seeping from underneath. Everything was dirty, covered in years of candy and soda. The roars from the crowds were so impossibly loud and full of such exuberance that you would have come to the conclusion that nothing else mattered in the world except that game. And I remember thinking to my self...THIS is was baseball is about. Hard working week... and everyone comes together on Sunday and enjoys throwing their trouble away for just a couple of hours and they get to enjoy the greatest past time, baseball.They had horns, and drums. And if they didn't they used bottles in ways that I didn't know a sound like that could be made with a plastic Coke bottle. If baseball were this full of life here in the states, I would go to every single one I could....it was like a party, with entertainment, and all your friends you haven't seen all week. They know how to play the game in Nica.

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Impromptu baseball game.... this happened a lot too.

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Back to L.Apoyo to relax with some rum and dancing. And impromptu handstand competitions....

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The Mombacho Salamander!!!

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All these are tiny orange orchids, about the size of two of my thumb nails put together.

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Cloud Forrest

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Day 7: Mombacho Volcano Cloud Forrest

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With 1,344 meters height, it is only 6 miles from Granada(oldest city in the Western Hemisphere). It is one of the very few tropical cloud forest or foggy woods in the flatlands on the Nicaraguan Pacific. It has a biological station and a visitors center(where i finally got to buy cough drops, blueberry flavor)with guides and biologist available. During our tour, I was able to snap sooo many great shots of several of the orchid species, some of which can only survive if they are in the Mombacho Cloud Forrest. Also they have their very own species of salamander, again it can only be found in the cloud forrest.

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Masaya Market

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The Masaya Market has been alive for centuries and its role remains the same today: the trade of goods and the exhibition of art and culture. It started life in a building that was once a law and philosophy university but the building needed a few changes to turn it into a market place. These renovations finally came to an end in 1891 and the marketplace was ready for trade. Despite the fact that it was ready, the ownership of the building had changed hands a few times before the market was opened. In fact, it was only in 1926 that the owner at the time, Adolfo Benard, was persuaded to open the market. That is how the Masaya Market got its start.

Unfortunately the market in Masaya did not go on to have a trouble-free existence. A fire caused extensive damage in 1966 and, after repairs were made to the wooden structure, it was once again destroyed in 1978 - but this time the fire was not accidental. The National Guard had burnt the building and, for years to come, the markets in Masaya would be deserted of negotiating traders and interested shoppers. The Masaya Market only started to see a glimmer of hope in the 1980, when the building was reconstructed for dances and live band shows.

In 1994 the new section of the Masaya Market was opened for trading, with the second section following in 1997. The one side of the market is filled with the daily trading of poultry, spices, vegetables, fruits and fast food outlets. The noise and smell that fills the air on this side of the market is as busy as it is fascinating. To the other side of the market, a world of beautifully handcrafted furniture, vases, sculptures and other artistic creations await you.

There is a large variety of items that are available to visitors at this market. These include leather products, clothing, ceramic products, shoes, hammocks, pots and candle holders, to name a few. The marketplace in Masaya is the perfect place to find that special souvenir or gift to take home. The handmade material, paintings, stone carvings, artistic spoons, hats, wall hangings, belts and other beautifully created works of art can be found here. Visiting the marketplace in Masaya is not only an exciting adventure and experience but, a festival for the senses. The smells, noise and visual extravaganza of color, is a sight you are not likely to forget!

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Day 6: Masaya Volcano

Masaya Volcano National Park: Located between Managua and Maaya.You are able to observe a variety of green parrots and parakeets that live in the crater and have adapted to the sulfurous gases emanated by the volcano.

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Yeah... we climbed that.
Yeah...its active!

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The Group.
Guess which one is me...
I get bored...

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Laguna de Apoyo

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Day 5,6,7:
"Laguna de Apoyo is a clean, blue, and thermally vented 48-square kilometer body of water contained inside the crater of the Apoyo Volcano (think big warm clean lake!).Laguna de Apoyo is one of Nicargua’s most beautiful natural wonders and for anyone traveling through Nicaragua it should not be missed.

There are many Lagunas throughout the country, but none equal this one as it is still clean enough to swim in and very close to other major cities in Nicaragua. It is a great place to rest, relax, swim, kayak and recharge after some hard traveling, or to just spend a day lounging in the water and sun."

The accommodation here were Sparta, but quite adequate for the beautiful surroundings. Good food, no hot water. But this was not a problem when most of the group bathed in the laguna. Coolest thing.... was were staying inside an actual old volcano.

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I had to post this picture for good measure. Here's the scoop: My father wakes me up one morning about week before I leave to go to Nicaragua. And he asks me with the most serious expression, "Do you have evacuation insurance?" Groggily, I reply,"I don't know. Why?" "Because if you were to fall off a volcano or injure yourself in any other way, would there be a helicopter ready to come in a evacuate you out of the country and bring you home?" I checked his face to make sure that he was serious. Maybe it was a combination of all the adventure movies he had seen and his masculine thing for taking advantage of big toys, such as helicopters.
Two days later he had me sign the insurance.
For most of the trip, I assured everyone that if they were to get hurt, they could borrow my evacuation insurance. This sign made me think of my dad and his A-Team mindset.

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A turtle I found at one of the sites.... Not really the most interesting day. We went around to a few sites early in the morning then drove the rest of the day to our next place of residency.

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Our guide. I dont remember his name, but I do remember it sounded like a girl's name.

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Day 4 in Nica: Petroglyph Day:)

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Back to the mountain for the night, again I retire early. The cool air put me to sleep.

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Hooray for eating at a real restaurant! This is a before and after shot of the national drink of nicaragua. Notice the defeat on Rick's face in the second photo. The restaurant was really good, but I still prefer dishes made in the natives home kitchens.
Here is a little about the above tonic:
"The Macuá is a cocktail made with white rum and fruit juices, usually lemon and guava juice. The Macuá is noted as the national drink of Nicaragua.The drink is named after a tropical bird native to the country."

History

The Macuá was invented by Dr Edmundo Miranda Saenz, a pediatrician from Granada, a small and historic city on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. Miranda enlisted the help of his immediate family, including his wife, daughter and son-in-law, to perfect the recipe.

The Nicaraguan Tour Operator Solentiname Tours and the Association of Restaurants in Nicaragua recognized a need for a national drink. Both invited hotel and restaurant owners across Nicaragua to come together and enlisted the help of CEM-JWT Communications, a Nicaraguan advertising agency, to turn the idea into a reality.

The drink rose to fame in October 2006, when it was entered in a competition to choose a national drink of Nicaragua. The competition, sponsored by Flor de Caña, a Nicaraguan rum manufacturer, involved more than twenty different drinks based on the company's products. The judges, including the French ambassador and a cocktail connoisseur from a Swedish development agency, chose the Macuá over other combinations of local ingredients including pineapple, tamarind and even coffee beans. More adventurous entrants made use of some of Nicaragua's most obscure flora such as the mamoncillo, the extract of which is used as a local cure for stomachache.

Criticism

This drink was created for a contest looking to creating a symbol that inspires national identity, such as Lake Cocibolca and the archaeological sites in Isla Zapatera, Ometepe and Solentiname, which make the lake a unique destination in the world.

The Contest, called "The Nacional Drink Contest", (El Trago Nacional), was sponsored by Flor de Caña, Hotel Intercontinental, Solentiname Tours, Morgan's Rock, Canatur, INTUR, and Radio Tigre. The presence of the INTUR (National Tourism Institute) validated the contest as an "official" selection, even if organized by private investors, not the government.

The contest was divided in two parts; first the selection of the recipe, and second the selection of the name.

However, El Nuevo Diario criticized the theme of the contest for selecting only a few regions of the country for defining the national identity (Lake Cocibolca and Granada), and that the selected winning recipe for the contest required to contain a minimum of 50% Flor de Caña rum, the sponsoring liquor company.

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My favorite picture of the trip!! I had thought about catching the piglet... but didnt want to make anyone mad... but I went for it anyway! This is Berman, our tour guide trying to calm the poor thing down!

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Make shift lunch, Nica beer called Tona, and cantaloupe!

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Here is the group! Plus the guys who pulled us up stream to a place we cliff dived ( I am such a chicken about heights I almost could not do it) These were very friendly guys. They were little but very strong. And this was how they made their lively hoods... by taking tourist upstream in tubes, showing them where to jump from the cliffs of the canyons and floating them back downstream safely.

The description given to us this day on our Itinerary was: In Esteli vicinity. Caves, rushing rivers, waterfalls, other ecology stuff with Eric Van den Burgh. Somoto Canyon will be awe-inspiring and wet.

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But again, the food was a disappointment. Give me gallopinto or give me death....

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Coffee con Leche.... somebody shoot me.... best coffee I've ever had. I've lived in Italy, so that is saying a lot!

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Breakfast time... Cute place. Food not so good...

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A rolled ankle waiting to happen, thank god I dont have the ankles of my father or sister.

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Day 3 in Nica: It was so hard to wake up this morning. Cool mountain morning but I still had not taken a shower, so my first shower of the trip involved screaming and moaning. The water was so cold you had to brace yourself and jump in and out of the freezing trickle that was suppose to be the best part of waking up.... absolutely not! I roomed with Stacy and I could hear her laughing at me. After a quick breakfast of coffee with milk and cookies (I think), we load into the trucks and head towards our first stop of the day. A location where we could find soap stone. "Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates are subducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx of fluids, but without melting. It has been a medium for carving for thousands of years." Put to me this place just look like lots of rocks. This picture is at the top of the hill we climbed. We were pretty high but it seems it doesn't really look like it.

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We walk back down in the dark, thankfully I brought my handy dandy head light ( I had been dieing to use it! We relax for a bit before dinner. An amazing feast of gallopinto,grilled chicken, and.....well... I don't remember... I believe it was a sort of cheese. It was yummy... but any meal that came with gallopinto made me a happy camper.( I usually went back for seconds... and sometimes thirds. You would too, don't judge!) I went to bed SUPER early. Like 8pm, the nights were cool and crisp in the mountains. So I slept on my queen size bed with a nice blanket and recouped. To only look forward to the ice cold shower in the morning.........to be continued.

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Easy Hike. Beautiful View! Esteli, Nicaragua

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After a looooooooong four hour drive to Esteli, we ascend a mountain to reach our second location of short-term residence. This photo is of Rick Ulrich, this evening was my make shift trail guide... who lost the trail.... we walked past a cow (which made me happy) then through bobbed wire fence.... taking in a breathing taking view of the mountains around us.... another bobbed wire fence.... and I snapped this photo of my fearless leader who is not so good at taking the path already traveled. Viva La Rick!

Quick Little Story....

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The children tend to stick with visitors in hopes that out of the goodness of their hearts they will fork over a Cordoba or two...I was warned before hand to watch out for these beautiful sneaky devils... they could charm the skin off a snake. Well even though I explain in very broken Spanish that I had no money, one little boy still followed me around... telling me things about the fumaroles..."Very Hot." "Rub on Mosquito bite" Then he would take his finger slide it across the top of he warm mud and smear it across my fore arm. "Good for Mosquito bite". He walked the perimeter with me. I tried to ask him questions in a cocktail of the languages I know. Part English, Part Italian, and 1/4 Spanish. He would answer best he could. As we walk back up the steps back towards the village, from a hilltop the other children who had given up on trying to get money from us yelled down, "You stole her from me!" When our translator told me what they had said I gave my little friend a very big dramatic hug so that the others could see.... He blushed and ran off.
As I make my way to the truck, I beckoned the boy over to the door and Shhhhh him into secrecy and motioned to put the coin I gave him into his pocket immediately again I SHHHHHH him. He takes the coin and he does as instructed, says thank you in perfect English and walks away. Not two seconds after doing this I hear from the other side of the truck, "Hello?" A little girl had noticed what transaction had just taken place and she was going in for the kill.... I quickly closed the truck doors, locking myself, Rick, and Micheal inside...so not to be swarmed by the little devils.... Maybe you had to be there to think this story is funny, or even the slightest bit entertaining......its one of my favorite memories from Nica.

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