Travel

I promised my sweetie I'd take her to Ometepe for her birthday. She can only go for the weekend so we will jump on the ferry around noon on Friday and return late on Sunday afternoon.

I've decided not to bring the car so we will be taking buses and taxis around the island.

Can anyone recommend a clean, comfortable, QUIET (!) place to stay on the island that's reachable by public transit? Preferably somewhat romantic and in a natural setting, for maybe not much more than around $50 per night?

I just read a personal experience article about a person traveling from Liberia Costa Rica to, ultimately, San Juan del Sur. I have labeled it personal experience because it is just that. What I am saying is that it covers what one family experienced. It is not a good guide for how to do it but it might help you get the feel and possibly avoid some of the mistakes they made.

That means going to Costa Rica, Mexico or further. Though married to a Nica & retired, I choose not to pursue residence here. I actually like my birth country as much as Nicaragua. So I'm a tourist with a slew of Nica dependents.

The article is about Ecuador, not Nicaragua, but it does offer something to think about. It is about a woman who flew to Ecuador without her passport and what happened.

The article is in The Washington Times.

QUITO, Ecuador—An American senior citizen on a flight to South America was seized and jailed by Ecuador immigration authorities after arriving there for a vacation.

Morelia is a city I would seriously consider if I were going to retire in Mexico. At 6000 feet, the climate is moderate, the city is clean and prosperous. The town has no touristy feel at all.

We stayed at the Virrey Mendoza (thanks to my negotiating skills):

http://www.hotelvirrey.com/

Ice Box Hill is the old part of Mazatlan. The expats hang here and there are quite a few of them. We liked it so much we decided to stay an extra day. There's a new part of town, Dorado, with the high rise hotels, Twisted Mama's and Senor Frog .. . .that's absorbs the tourists. It works out well.

I drove here once before, in the late 60's, and like all of Mexico it has really changed.

Just waiting for the shuttle and will be at the beach in 12 hours! If anyone is in Masachopa/Pochomil, stop by Casa Larocque and say hi (I will buy the beer). Just behind Vista Mar.

Lola

Howdy all and thanks in advance for any help or suggestions !

Our NGO is looking for a 15 passenger van rental with driver. Does anyone know a company in the business of renting vans/drivers? Also we're sometimes wanting a larger bus 25 pass or 50 pass. We bring two student groups a year to Nica and the Nicas in our group need a van/bus a few times a year. Really appreciate any contacts or names. Thanks

and I was sorry to see this go:

http://www.nicaraguadispatch.com/news/2012/10/nicaragua-blue-panorama/58...

I had hoped to slip in a week or two this winter to check out the ground game for a later, longer trip around the island.

I think that many of the Usano Nicaragua volunteers, especially the ones who came down for a longer period, would have taken advantage of the opportunity to visit Cuba. Cuba is a country many are curious about.

They just didn't give it enough time to catch on.

Anyone spent time in Jiquilillo, Chinandega..... drove thru once and looks beautiful... I would like to know if anyone has stayed at Rancho Esperanza or Rancho Tranquilo?

Is anyone using the US' Global Entry (Trusted Traveler) program successfully?

Does it provide significant time savings on return to the US (to justify spending the $100)?

I used the program with my boat, but that was different. Being able to call an (800) number and get the message: "Proceed to your port" was a huge time-saver. The qualifying interview was surprisingly extensive, I met with two CG officers and we talked for twenty minutes. This was at the inception of the program.

I just completed a trip to Guatemala and back. I will be posting some items about the trip here and others on http://a42.com this week. This post is specifically about CA-4 travel as things don't seem right. That is, what happened, doesn't make sense.

Here are the parameters. I was traveling on a US passport (because my Nicaraguan cédula was expired -- itself another story). I paid an overstay fine and headed to Guatemala by air. When I entered Guatemala my Passport was stamped and I was given a 90 day visa (and no fee to enter). So far, that made sense.

As I just did the homework on this, I figure it is worth a post. As for why a bus, let me just say that COPA inspired me to return to Nicaragua by bus.

Excursiones "María José"

This is the one you are not going to find anywhere on-line. They leave from Hotel España, 9a Avenida 15-59, Zona 1 on Tuesday and Saturday (some time in the afternoon) and go to Managua. 16 hours. I forget the price but cheap. Phone is 5400-4510. Trips from Managua leave Sundays and Thursdays at 8AM. Managua number is 2260-0517.

I was looking up some info on the TACA web site and noticed they offer a direct flight from Toronto to San Salvador. As the typical TACA flight from the US to Nicaragua stops in San Salvador, that looks like a good option for Canadians who wish to avoid a US stop.

Note that I was talking to guy from Germany yesterday who has done a lot of traveling. He told me that Brazil has installed US-style airport scanners but they only use them for people traveling on US passports. He was amused.

Today Hendrik Morkel of "Hiking in Finland" posted a tweet about this young Briton's trip through Ecuador, but he's also been through Nicaragua: ...dirt roads south from Puerto Cabezas through RAAN, along the Pacific Coast and around idyllic Isla de Ometepe (with a 15 month baby!).