Spring Break!

            Once again, I am sorry I’ve been slacking so much. We came back from spring break to have our last week of classes, and then went off on another trip Thursday. I haven’t had much time to sit down and write at all. Spring break was a phenomenal week, and I had a great time.

            The break started off on a bit of a rocky start. A good majority of us happened to all be going down to Puerto Viejo, which is in the Limon Province on the other side of the country. We decided to charter a bus down there, because we figured it would be faster and cheaper. We left pretty early for the four hour long bus ride awaiting us. It was a pretty ride with beautiful scenery and Ice Age 4 playing in the background. All was well until about three hours into the bus ride.  I had fallen asleep, but was awoken when we stopped for a bathroom break by someone telling me that I had to get off because the bus was on fire. It turned out to only be a minor fire, and the bus was not seriously damaged. It turned out that a piece of trash got stuck in one of the front wheels, and got so hot it ignited. But the fire was quickly extinguished and we were soon on our way.

            We stayed at Rockin J’s, which was a really neat hostel right next to the beach. This was the coolest place I have ever stayed. I can’t even begin to describe it. They had music playing all day and night, with large outdoor areas to hang out with people.You had the option of sleeping outside in hammocks or tents, or inside in their dorms. The group I was travelling with decided to stay in the dorms, which was just a room filled with bunkbeds. There were other people staying in the room with us- we met a couple of kids from Germany, West Virginia and Canada. We met people from all over the world staying at Rockin J’s. We made two good friends there- a girl from the States and another from Canada. They hung out with us for the remainder of the time we were in Puerto Viejo, and then Sarai (the girl from Canada) decided to come with us to San Jose.

A panoramic of one part of Rockin J's. This picture doesn't do it justice.

My friend Sarah and I on the beach the first night. Right next to us was a bar that had live music, which was really nice.

Sarah and Sarah enjoying the water and a Jamaican ginger beer.

            Puerto Viejo was stunningly beautiful. I loved every minute of it. We didn’t do much during the days we spent there except explore the town, hang out on the beach, and eat delicious food. So much good food. It was one of the first times in Costa Rica where we had more than two options for what kinds of food we wanted. And it was all delicious.

Some of the tidepools we got to explore. There were lots of brilliantly colored tropical fish swimming around!

Some delicious yogurt parfait.

A sign pointing towards Rockin J's.

            Eventually, it was time to leave this beautiful place, and travel to San Jose. We originally planned to spend a night in San Jose and then travel up to La Fortuna. But as we drove into the city, we noticed that pretty much everything was closed, which we thought was odd. When we hailed a taxi to take us to the hostel, they told us that we should get out of the city as soon as possible. Since it was Holy Week, everything closed down during the last part of the week. If we stayed there overnight, we would be trapped with no food and no way to get out. We hired the taxi to take us to a nearby town and caught the last bus out to La Fortuna. We didn’t arrive in La Fortuna until about eight at night, and almost didn’t get a room. Apparently it was a really popular night to be there, and there were no hostels with any beds, let alone enough for six people. Luckily we finally found one that had just enough rooms for us. It wasn’t the nicest place to stay, but at that point we were just happy to be off the streets and out of the rain.

            We spent the next day recuperating from the long day of travel (we were in a bus or taxi from nine in the morning to 8 at night) and exploring. La Fortuna was incredibly touristy, but overall a nice place to stay. The next day was a lot more fun. Five of us decided to go zip lining (the other girl wanted to go horseback riding). We zip lined down the volcano on fifteen zip lines and a tarzan swing. It was a really cool experience to go zooming down through the rainforest canopy and seeing the gorgeous views at high speeds. I think the guy who tied my harness did it a little too tight though, because I felt like my circulation was being cut off a bit and I have bruises on my legs from the straps. But it was fun nonetheless. My favorite part was the tarzan swing. You walk up to this ledge with a huge drop (probably about 80 feet or so) and a rope dangling down. The men working the swing usher you to the very edge, where nothing but a tiny swinging gate keeps you from falling off the edge. They grab you by the harness, attach you to the rope, and then swing open the gate. You either chose to jump yourself, or they “help” you off the edge. It’s a straight drop down, and then you soar out over a large gap in the forest. Since they are paying attention, they pull the rope enough so that you don’t hit the GIANT tree that you’re heading right for. You swing for a bit, and then once your momentum slows, they grab you by the feet and take you off the harness. It was awesome. There were a lot of people doing it, ranging from probably six to a gentleman in his sixties. Costa Rica is definitely one of the best places to go zip lining!

            The day after, we went to the Baldi Hot Springs. It’s a natural set of springs heated by the volcano. There were fifteen different pools to choose from, ranging from about sixty degrees to 130 degrees. There was a sauna (heated by boiling pools of water), a spa, waterslides, restaurants, bars, and a garden. I haven’t been on a waterslide in years, and I forgot how much fun they are. There was one slide that made you go forty-five kilometers per hour, and had these insane loops. It was a lovely end to our wonderful vacation.

Puerto Viejo sunset.

Nicaragua Part 2

On March 16^th, we left the beautiful island of Ometepe. I was sad to leave such a beautiful place, but I was excited to explore the rest of the country. We first traveled to the city Managua, where we began our economics field experiment. We were researching how people of Nicaragua perceived climate change, and my group was focused on how people understood its causes and consequences. This experiment was also conducted in other cities throughout Nicaragua. We conducted a survey that collected anecdotal data to support the numerical data collected in previous summers. People’s answers varied greatly; some were more aware of current effects and were able to fully articulate their responses, whereas some had no idea what we were talking about. One of the fruit vendors on the street we asked (who interestingly enough was completely illiterate) had no idea what we meant by climate change. We had to try to explain (in Spanish, just to make it that much harder) what a climate was. It was a very interesting project, and I really enjoyed being able to talk to people about how they thought. It was also really interesting to see how (for the most part) they were much more willing to answer the surveys. When we conducted surveys for a different research project in Poas National Park in Costa Rica a few weeks prior, most people refused to answer the questions and were very rude about it. Our experience in Nicaragua was drastically different- even the people who said no were very nice about it.

For those who only want to read about the happy parts of my trip, please skip this paragraph. Rivas was completely different from Ometepe. We were warned ahead of time that the poverty in this city was going to be a lot more apparent, but I was not prepared for when I actually had to interact with the people. There were homeless people everywhere, ranging from the elderly to children. And these homeless were much more aggressive than those I have seen in any other city I’ve traveled to. Many would come up to our group asking for money, and continue to follow us for at least a block. The children were especially hard to ignore, because they would hang on to your clothes to get your attention. Apparently most children are instructed by their parents to beg like this. Many leave school at an early age or skip school to make money on the streets from tourists like us. The most upsetting thing of the entire trip (and for those who get upset by disturbing things please skip the rest of this paragraph) was a woman we passed on the side of the street. At first, she just looked like a normal woman with her child. But then she started saying “ladies. Please help me.” And then we saw her baby. He was obviously ill with a horrible disease that caused his head to swell to a tremendous size. I have never seen such an upsetting situation in my life. There was nothing we could do for this poor child or his mother. That feeling of helplessness stayed with me for the rest of the day, and came back with a vengeance during lunch. We went to a pizza place and sat outside by the street. There was a man who came up to our table before ordered asking if he could have some food. A policeman came and kicked him away. We felt so bad about sitting out and devouring our food when so many were clearly starving that we ended up giving away most of our pizzas. This was definitely the worst part of the trip.

A view of one of the markets

After we left Rivas, we went to Granada, which used to be the capital city of Nicaragua. Granada was absolutely beautiful, and had a very interesting history. There is not much of the original city left, as most of it was either burned down by William Walker (a former US Confederate soldier that tried to take over Costa Rica and successfully took over Nicaragua) or demolished. We got a brief tour of the city, and then were let loose to interview more people. We talked to one gentleman on a park bench who at first thought was a crazy man, but it turned out he was the most intelligent person we talked to. He was a former farmer who knew a great deal about climate change. He knew a lot about current impacts, and talked a lot about international agreements and organizations that were trying to help Nicaragua. He talked to us for over fifteen minutes. It was very interesting, and I was happy to find that I understood most of what he was saying. After we completed our surveys, we walked around the center park and explored the local market. We got to eat dinner on our own (the first time we have been allowed to do so on program time), and a few friends and I ate on a place on the main strip. The main strip is a strip of restaurants, bars, and tiny shops for pedestrians. We ate a three-hour meal on a table outside facing the strip, people watching and having a great time.

And speaking of food- I have to say, meals were definitely my favorite times on this trip, especially dinners. We went to several amazing restaurants in Grandada. The second night in the city we went to Nectar, which was a delicious Mediterranean place where we ordered babaganoush, hummus, and I got beef with mushroom sauce, which was all to die for. The third night we went to El Tercer Ojo, which was very good.. The ambiance was really cool- it was semi indoors (walls with no roof), and I had delicious sushi, mussels, and chocolate-banana crepes. And while the food was good, eating it was pretty stressful because you had to be constantly aware of what you were eating. They cautioned us against ordering anything with raw fruits or veggies, and no water or ice. I ignored it for the most part, and was lucky. Other people… not so much. But I guess that’s the risk you take!

Cynthia, Lauren, me and Sarah in Nectar Restaurant.

The other days were spent doing more econ research in Masaya and Managua. We also visited a giant market that sold different trinkets. We got to visit the actual capital and see the national museum with traditional Nicaraguan art. I loved seeing the art, and wish they had more on display. Next to the museum was an old church that had an unsound infrastructure, that was absolutely beautiful. We hiked Masaya Volcano, which is one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua. It was only smoking on the day that we visited, and had apparently erupted about a year ago. There were two different craters- one active, and one not. 

According to our guide, this cross has been here since the Spanish colonization.

Fun fact- When the Spaniards first saw the volcano, they called it the opening to Hell.

The church next to the National Museum.

Another fun fact- this clock tower does not have the accurate time. The time seen here is the time an earthquake hit in the mid seventies, and the clock has not worked since.

           I have to say, my birthday day was my favorite part of the whole trip. We hiked Mombacho Volcano, and had an awesome time. The car ride up to where we were hiking was kind of rough. It was almost vertical, and I was in the back of a pickup truck with five other people (including Achim, who is one of my professors). The ride down was also fun- Achim had never heard of madlibs before (he’s originally from Germany and later moved to Costa Rica), and so we introduced the game to him. His reaction was hilarious. He is normally a fairly serious person, and I have never seen him laugh so hard.

My friend Hannah and me on Mombacho Volcano.

       After we got back from the hike that afternoon, a few of my friends surprised me with a chocolate cake (candles and all), a birthday card, and some presents. It was wonderful. My friend Sarah S. (there are four Sarahs in the program) and I went to the church steeple to watch the sunset. It was absolutely spectacular, with views on all four sides of the whole city. As we watched the sun set, a man was setting off some sort of explosives in honor of St. Michael, and a mass was going on beneath us. We visited a local bookstore, and then headed back to the hotel.

Sarah and me in the church.

One of the many beautiful buildings in Granada.

       We later went to dinner at the Garden Café, which was one of my favorite restaurant I have ever been to. I had hummus with veggies and some of the best pesto pasta I have ever had (it almost reminded me of Mom’s pesto). We had a nice leisurely dinner, and then headed out to meet up with the rest of the people from SFS. My friend Kait and I shared a birthday, so we celebrated after dinner by going to Reillys (an Irish pub- her choice, not mine. I would have picked something with a little more local flair). I got my first drink as a 21 year old, which honestly wasn’t very exciting (the drinking age is 18 in Costa Rica).  But it was fun to hang out with everyone and celebrate our last night in Nicaragua.

My friend Lauren and me.

Cate, Lauren, Sarah, Evin and me.

The strip at night.

We saw this sign of gas prices on the way out. It may look like a lot, but this is in Cordobas. It's about 24 Cordobas to every American dollar, so gas was actually a little over a dollar!

It was truly a wonderful trip, and I will definitely be going back there some day. Although we did have classes and work to do on this trip, it felt in many ways like a mini vacation from our normal chaotic schedule. And in some ways, I like Nicaragua more than Costa Rica. The people seem to have a lot more character, and less of a European influence. The Ticos seemed to have embraced the Spanish colonizers and absorbed them into their culture, which is definitely not the case in Nicaragua. They seem to have kept a stronger hold on their culture, which I really love. It will be interesting to see if they can keep their strong hold on traditions  as tourism increases, or if they succumb to the pressures of pleasing their new visitors. What a beautiful place.

And things are just getting better- this upcoming week is spring break!!