LOCATION:
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
PROPERTY TYPE:
Stomach
DETAILS:
Well fed, hospital tested, E. Coli farm
Prime beachfront location with view
12" by 6" (not including colon)
Must sell fast! Serious inquiries only.
-Las Aguas
Freshly grilled fish, ceviche, ice cold beers? No thanks. After 7 days of fighting a stomach invader, (today’s visit to the hospital confirmed the dreaded culprit: E. Coli, most likely from "El Stinko") Cristal and I went to a local market to pick up supplies for PB&J’s plus a big pack of saltines. A few days of this new diet is like hitting the restart button on Las Aguas Latin America, and we expect good things to follow.
We also decided to spend the next week in the San Juan del Sur, a beach town in southern Nicaragua. We have a comfy room, a private pool and a wireless connection accessible from bed...
Viva!
Alpina
You can't tell because Alpina's sprawled out on the bed feeling wonderful, but she's wearing our latest T-shirt, or she should be, as she battles a lovely case of amoebas she picked up during our short stay at Playa El Tunco, El Salvador.
Three days ago, Las Aguas quickly escaped the garbage-strewn beaches of El Salvador, where our hostel overlooked a charming, putrid-smelling river we lovingly nicknamed "El Stinko" to find our way via private shuttle bus, airplane and rental car to a charming recently restored spanish colonial bed & breakfast with AC and gorgeous swimming pool in Granada, Nicaragua. It's been a cozy recovery room for the ladies. Granada is a beautiful, former spanish colonial center that is currently experiencing a revival of it's buildings and culture as it becomes a hub for tourists to explore the surrounding lakes, volcanos and surfing beaches.
Las Aguas will depart today for the pacific coast to give the surfing another shot. Hopefully this time we'll leave with a few less war wounds.
Viva Nica!
- Cristal
*Arriba! = Up!
Two days ago, Las Aguas hiked the live Volcano Pecaya– one of three volcanoes on the outskirts of Antigua, the former Spanish colonial capital of Guatemala.
Today we're off on an 8-hour bus ride to El Salvador to find some waves... finally...woo hoo.
Viva!
- Las Aguas
In case any of you were wondering why our Viva Las Aguas blog has been redesigned, I have the answer. Cristal, who I now like to call, “The Rearranger” had some free time this afternoon and when Cristal has free time, she instinctively organizes the world around her.
Initially, I thought Cristal’s deeply OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) behavior was limited to hotel rooms (she rearranges the furniture the moment she arrives; I have no idea why), small items (Cristal restacks the 5 books on our nightstand, every time she enters the room) and packing (each morning, Cristal unpacks and packs her bag, a 30 minute minimum process, during which I sleep) but, little did I know, her OCD extends into the online world. So our blog has a new look!
-Alpina
As we head from Lake Atalian to our next destination, the small town of Antigua, I thought I’d give an update on what has been happening so far. As Cristal wrote, we found a great place to stay the moment we arrived in Guatemala and we’ve now spent 4 nights base camped in the tiny town of Jabalito getting adjusted to sharing a bed and trying to learn Spanish.
Since our arrival, I’ve noticed a couple of things worth mentioning:
At the Hans-run Posada Jaibalito, Las Aguas has a double room with electricity and running water–all for just $5 each per night. We passed on the $2 bunks in the dormitory- yes probably because we're 32-years old. And Hans, a very direct and honest German biker in his late 40's, seems to have everything we'd ever want... that box of cold red wine...super glue...a jar of cookies that are only 10 cents each and sold on the honor system. And he'd never ever think to lie about the water temperature (see the picture above). Viva! - Cristal
For those of your unfamiliar with the “Turbohawks” they are a copycat gang from Southern California with a singular goal: to be like Las Aguas. Most recently, Los Turbo Mucho, a founding Turbohawks gangmember, sent Alpina an email attachment titled "Hawks Were Here" showing Hawk's graffiti all over the photo of Cristal and I's room in Costa Rica.
Photoshop graffiti? Really? I mean, come on, you know we are art directors, right?
Anyway, the point is, we could have been upset by this hostile gesture but unfortunately were so busy trying to finish our avocado and hummus sandwiches so we could lounge for a bit in the sun before jumping into the refreshing waters of Lake Atilan where we would want to take a few moments to gaze at the majestic 11,000 ft volcano we are going to climb tomorrow morning, that somehow, we just forgot to feel angry.
-Alpina
1. Don't drink the water.
2. Always wear SPF 40.
3. Carry a machete. It makes you look dangerous.
4. Remember that the tan Australian surfer guy you think you're going to marry isn't as in touch with himself as he thinks he is. **
5. Be on the look out for Miguel, you will find him.
Viva!
- Cristal
**Thank you Venables for this nugget of wisdom.
Among many less than ideal living conditions, we have a giant (not an exaggeration) cockroach who lives in our bathroom and who likes to peek out through a crack in a floorboard in the most inconvenient of moments.
The tales of the bathroom cockroach have been told many an evening at Casa Aurea, my dorm room/home here in Rio. Claire, a British volunteer with a tendency to tell the truth, claimed the cockroach actually touched her foot while she was on the toilet. Andrew, another volunteer, believes the cockroach can fly. And, sadly, we've all tried to kill the foul insect but it defeats us at every opportunity.
Discouraged and disgusted, we decided it was time to look at this bathroom nuisance in a new, more positive way. (This is where the branding comes in.)
And so, we named the cockroach Pumpkin.
Because, unlike the foul cockroach, Pumpkin is the kind of animal we can love. We could never chase sweet Pumpkin with a tough-soled shoe, sturdy book or other instrument of death. And we no longer scream in horror when Pumpkin peeks out to say hi as we stand naked in the shower. Why? Because Pumpkin is our friend.
As Cristal and I prepare for months of presumably less than ideal living conditions I hope we can remember our our skills as art directors and are able to transform insects into friends, 1970's fans into central A/C and stained, twin mattress with itchy sheets into a couple of all-expense paid nights at Shutters, Santa Monica.
**This photos is not actually Pumpkin. I found this photos on the Internet and used it because it looks just like Pumpkin. Pumpkin is too quick or perhaps too shy to stand around for photos so I had to improvise.
