Lure of the Caribbean and the Bahamas

I am obviously not inspired to write at all. Never mind that we have travelled at the meantime and have done quite a few things noteworthy, where useful information can and should be posted (in keeping up with this blog's theme and purpose).

The only reason I'm at this is the song I have been reintroduced to by....surprise, surprise, my son. Kokomo by the beach boys:

has recaptured the essence of being where I am for the moment and I'm not talking about Nicaragua but my proximity to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.... those small, beautiful islands with soft, white sand and clear blue water. I'm thinking cruise (the ship not the actor, please)....again. The hopeless romantic in me makes me want to play the song over and over until my ears (or my neighbors') ache.

Imagine this:

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, Montego baby why dont we go
Jamaica

Off the Florida Keys
Theres a place called Kokomo
Thats where you wanna go to get away from it all

Bodies in the sand
Tropical drink melting in your hand
Well be falling in love
To the rhythm of a steel drum band
Down in Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, Montego baby why dont we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo
Well get there fast
And then well take it slow
Thats where we wanna go
Way down to Kokomo

To martinique, that monserrat mystique

Well put out to sea
And well perfect our chemistry
By and by well defy a little bit of gravity

Afternoon delight
Cocktails and moonlit nights
That dreamy look in your eye
Give me a tropical contact high
Way down in Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, Montego baby why dont we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo
Well get there fast
And then well take it slow
Thats where we wanna go
Way down to Kokomo

Port au prince I wanna catch a glimpse

Everybody knows
A little place like Kokomo
Now if you wanna go
And get away from it all
Go down to Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, Montego baby why dont we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo
Well get there fast
And then well take it slow
Thats where we wanna go
Way down to Kokomo

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
To Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key largo, Montego baby why dont we go

Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo

The rhythm, as bouyant as floating on salt water....and I'm just a plane ride away!

There's got to be a reason why I'm here.

Now for some laughs

I was forwarded by an acquaintance a commercial (in mpeg) for a Dutch insurance company which read: For you to smile a bit....well that was what the person who sent it to her said, anyway. She probably did and thought that she should spread the joy a little.

The commercial was brilliant, albeit thought provoking and both with little and at the same time a lot to do with insurance. You probably have been forwarded this already. Moving on....as my computer generated a small screen to view the attachment, I decided to search for it in You Tube, as is my wont, and in doing so stumbled upon these other hilarious commercials that are actually banned (yep, the same with the above)! Now, I don't know squat about the criteria for banning commercials or the liabilities for showing (making public) banned commercials....but since it was in youtube anyway (ergo, public access), I thought....why not.

Not only do I think them hilarious but effective as well. I also don't see anything wrong with them...or is it just me? I sure would remember (not necessarily patronize) the companies that came up with them if I've seen them myself on TV.

This has been posted in youtube a year ago and therefore not new.

The Irreverent Expat

This promotion is, in fact, long overdue. Robin Pascoe's Expat Expert website has tremendously helped me during my fledgling days as an expat spouse (not that I consider myself an expert now, far from it...just slowly getting into the groove). I have read many articles in her website that prepared me for life as an expat spouse (not trailing, mind you - it's as much my decision as his, truth be told) that is clearly not for everyone.

What I really want other expat spouses to read at Robin's site is the segment 'Irreverent Expat' that had me in stitches. Although fictional.....sometimes oh so true. The characters and events are just so very much like our lives, you can't help but name them after some people you actually know.

I personally like Robin's approach to expat spouses' real or perceived problems - very positive and diplomatic. I hope to one day get her books and meet her in person. For the moment, I enjoy lurking in her site and learning all I can from it.

Here's an excerpt from her 'Irreverent Expat' that I find particularly apt (sometimes) and funny:

Expat Etiquette

“Have we met before?” one expatriate woman asked another, a cocktail glass in her hand.

“Only on about seventeen other occasions,” answered the second woman, trying hard not to throw the contents of her own glass in the woman’s face.

“Really?” said the first woman, nonplussed. “I can’t seem to remember your name.”

Before the second woman could supply the information that seemed so difficult to commit to memory, the first woman spotted someone whose name was obviously worth remembering and moved on. Feeling abandoned, the woman of no apparent importance gulped down her drink and went looking for another. She found one, as well as her husband, who was standing conveniently next to the bar.

He was chatting amicably with another man, so she chose to just stand self- consciously beside him like a fountain, albeit one with liquid pouring in rather than out, and watch the expatriate community swirl around her. It was like a ballet, she thought. Everyone knows their moves. They stake out their territory to ensure no interlopers cross the invisible lines. Oh what the hey, have another drink she told herself.

Continue reading here.

I must admit that I thank the high heavens that I run with the crowd that I do. The Danes in particular are helpful and supportive. The Diplomatic Corps, NGOs and International Organizations are themselves in tune with the real world, therefore down-to-earth and very open.

These fictional characters could therefore be easily based from those within the private sector...or maybe not, hard to say but I do have some run-ins every now and then. Very few but nevertheless notable.

Why, oh why?

I sometimes, out of curiosity, check out the search words people use that land them on my blog and some results are:

1. Funny
2. Real needs seeking information
3. Real problems seeking advise
4. Travel information

5. Unbelievably scary - although very few (thank god), I am still reminded that perverts do abound on the internet, lest I forget (which I do sometimes).

The #5 people don't stay long in my blog (1 page view / 0:0), immediately figuring out that my content serves them no purpose AT ALL. That I have chosen to make this blog public for the convenience of my family, friends and people who might actually benefit from the information here (travel, cost of living), of course doesn't help. It's a choice I've made and like all choices carries with it some consequences.

When checking search words, one is presented with other 'results' that sometimes make an 'information seeking' search funny enough to write about. Take for instance search words used for 'seeking a BETTER half coming from a specific industrialized country by someone who currently is residing in a country with a weaker economic performance' (or probably seeking information on how it is to be married to these men) ok, you have to read between the lines and convert all that into just 3 search words.

What was funny were 2 other search results:

When the day comes that words (and homecooked meals...and globetrotting) aren't enough to profess my undying love for my viking any longer, I (sigh) may be forced to shell out $25 for this:

And if that doesn't work, I still have this as an additional option (and additional $16)....If I really, really need to protest it:

If in dire need, you can order them here and here, respectively....no kidding.

Hacienda Iguana

As promised (better late than never, I always say) from 6 posts ago - I really should read about good blogging etiquette - am now finally writing about our favorite beach resort Hacienda Iguana, given that we've been there at least 6 times now in the almost 2 years in Nicaragua (and still cannot get a preferred customer discount).

Located in Tola, Rivas and the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua......from here on, I'll let HI speak for itself (read: from their website):

Starting at the Intercontinental Managua Hotel in Managua:

1. Take Carretera Masaya South, you'll go through Masaya
2. In Masaya take a right towards Catarina, this part of the road is a bit of a climb. You'll end up in Catarina, where you keep going straight.
3. When you get to Volcan Mombacho (you'll see it) take a right on the fork in the road, that will take you to Nandaime.
4. When you get to Nandaime take a left in the fork, that takes you to Rivas.
5. Just before you get to Rivas (it is around kilometer 112) there is a sign for Tola, take a right there, you will be heading West.
6. From Tola continue west on the gravel road to the gate of Hacienda Iguana (15 kilometers or about 50 minutes). There's a huge Mango tree just before the entrance. Here you'll see the first Rancho Santana sign. All you have to do is follow the Santana signs and that will take you to Iguana. Iguana is about 6 km. before Santana, (and about 15 km from the start of the dirt road). You will see two yellow security cabins and a wooden gate.
   
   Give yourself about 2.5 - 3 hours driving time. The total distance is 135 km.

For us being only about 15 mins away from the Intercon Managua, it takes no more than 2.5 hours to get there and at that time under the condition Catarina Rd was in, I say we made good time.

The last time we were there, I was amazed at how the Catarina Road has been repaired, totally paved. So, in less than 2 hours we arrived in Hacienda Iguana. I would advise people to always use a 4W drive vehicle due to the last 8 km stretch before driving up to the gate of the Hacienda. A muddy and flooded dirt road where one will have to cross a river and god forbid it just rained (there was a time we almost got stuck there after a heavy downpour - we had to wait for news that the water has subsided before we can drive back to Managua - although I can think of worse places to be stuck).

No AAAs here in Nicaragua to the rescue plus with only one mobile carrier working in the area (Claro), you will be at the mercy of the passers-by who hopefully will have a stronger car to pull you out of the ditch (we usually travel 2-3 families at a time).

Hacienda Iguana is always worth the trip...once you get there. We used to rent beach front condos (check updated pricing here) but last time we tried renting a 4BR house, (also beach front for $375 a night) split between 2 families, on the same beach. I like the condos better. The houses are more private but I thought it was cozy being on the shared pool meeting other people who were on holiday, sharing drinks and talking....sometimes, nonsense. But then that's just me, I'm always curious as to the whos, whys and whats.

As both condos and houses have well equipped kitchens (while the condos are uniform, some houses are bigger or nicer than others), we normally bring food to cook and drinks to share even if there's a restaurant on the premises (where you can buy ice, btw, yippee) - it's just more cozy. You might get lucky and meet fishermen selling fresh fish or lobsters on one of your beach walks - like a dozen of these freshly caught lobsters from these guys (!!!), all for $20, for example (courtesy of bff A's dad visiting from the US - totally blew him away).

I will now let the photos speak for themselves (click to enlarge):

Beachfront condo area:

Inside the condo:

The beach house area:

The beach house:

Pets are allowed in the houses but not in the condos.

Good place + good friends = great time!

PS. Hacienda Iguana has a golf course (1 of 2 in Nicaragua, so far - Jack Nicklaus is purportedly currently designing 1 somewhere, I forget where), for golf enthusiasts.