After escaping the cats’ clutches, the four of us (two middle-aged moms and two 11-year old-daughters on an adventure) made our way to the Miami airport. Guatemala, here we come! This time flying standby went off without a hitch. Within a few hours we found ourselves in Guatemala City. We were super excited to visit Antigua – a place I, personally, think might be the perfect place to visit to expose younger children to [Read more…] about The unexpected parade: Mommy-daughter trip: Guatemala – Part II
Mommy-daughter trip: Stranded in Miami
Antigua, Guatemala is the Perfect Winter Break Escape!
My daughter’s school lets out in February for a midwinter break, which is the perfect time to head South! A good friend and her eleven year old daughter were also free that week; so, together, we jetted off to Antigua for an eight day adventure in Guatemala. Well, mostly together…. [Read more…] about Mommy-daughter trip: Stranded in Miami
Packing: Less is more!
Packing for an Extended Trip in Central America?
Remember the last time you packed for a getaway? If you were like the old me, you packed half your closet into a cumbersome suitcase because you were unable to commit to exactly what you might feel like wearing at any particular moment or convinced yourself that you simply had to have ___ and ____ at your disposal. You lugged all that crap with you and returned home with much of it unworn. Luckily, we can evolve as travelers and realize that [Read more…] about Packing: Less is more!
Out and about in Ometepe
Rhiannon and our new friends decided to stick together for a few more days and all go from San Juan del Sur to Ometepe, an island in Lake Nicaragua. After a bus ride to Rivas we grabbed a taxi ride to the dock. The driver wanted $C75 each. Ridiculous! Thanks to Oliver at hostel Elizabeth we knew the fair price was no more than $20 Cordobas each. Jess took the lead in negotiations and after emphatically saying “No!” (with her hands on her hip) to each price the driver gave, she agreed to $C25 ($1USD) each. We all agreed and off we went to the ferry. (We later ran into some fellow travelers who had paid the $C75 ($3 USD) each 🙁 ).
Hitchhiking in Nicaragua (where ya wanna go?)
Our plan to rent scooters and tour around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua was thwarted by the ridiculously high cost of $40 per scooter. Plan B was to rent a truck and drive around. This, too, was exorbitant after factoring in insurance, taxes, etc. So….we went with plan C – walking. After walking about a mile through and then out of the main town we came across a baseball field with people tending to it. Apparently baseball is huge in Nicaragua. [Read more…] about Hitchhiking in Nicaragua (where ya wanna go?)
Saving my soul in San Juan del Sur (aka finding Jesus)
On the bus from Rivas to San Juan del Sur Rhiannon and I met a fantastic Australian couple, Jess (aka Jeffrie) and Calum (aka Cal). They were meeting up with a friend, Claire, from California, for a few weeks. On the first night in San Juan del Sur we met a Belgian guy named Roger who ended up hanging out with us all for the next few days.
The six of us had a blast in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, a smallish beach town an hour or so from Rivas. How did we get there? You guessed it…more chicken busses.
[Read more…] about Saving my soul in San Juan del Sur (aka finding Jesus)