San Juan del Sur, Rivas and Hacienda Amayo; Nicaragua
A shaky ocean and a rainy morning welcomed us to the port of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua. But just a little while later, our luck with weather changed dramatically: a wonderful day with sun and a comforting breeze. Nicaragua is a beautiful country with warm people, a breathtaking history and wonderful scenery.
Driving on small buses in the company of Nicaraguan expert guides, we made our first stop out the museum of Rivas. Here we admired some ancient Indian artifacts and got to visualize how the ancestors of our brother land lived before the conquerors put foot on their land. But the cultural exchange coming ahead was as exciting. Kindergarten kids of the area performed folkloric dances that displayed their art, music, humor and traditions in the cutest way possible. Their enthusiasm was so contagious that our kids could not reject the offer to join them in their party. This was also a great opportunity to exchange gifts with them. The result of the experience: happy hearts on both sides.
Visiting the market of Rivas was not only a shopping stop. Using eco-friendly transportation called “Pepanos” the caravan began. Pepanos are modified bicycles which replace the front tire with a seat for two people, resting on two wheels and covered by a roof to protect the travelers from the sun or the rain.
Time to continue our journey to visit the Church of San Francisco and the Church of San Pedro. Both represent the Catholic roots of the Nicaraguan folk and reflect the collective mentality with their stories and beautiful architecture. An extra incentive that no one could resist: ice cream. The last destination awaited us, Hacienda Amayo. A special typical buffet called “Caballo Bayo” was served to us on clay pots called “Comales.” It was delicious!
After lunch, baseball and soccer games were organized to challenge the local kids with our kid’s team. After an awesome, intense and very close game, the locals won in the baseball match 5-4. Well, after all, it is their national sport, taught to them by the U.S. Marines during their occupation in 1912-1933. Soccer gave us a better result, where our performance was incredible and we scored 2-1 and won the game. We could not leave the Hacienda without the famous “piñata” that brought laughs and joy to everybody to finish a wonderful day in beautiful Nicaragua.
A shaky ocean and a rainy morning welcomed us to the port of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua. But just a little while later, our luck with weather changed dramatically: a wonderful day with sun and a comforting breeze. Nicaragua is a beautiful country with warm people, a breathtaking history and wonderful scenery.
Driving on small buses in the company of Nicaraguan expert guides, we made our first stop out the museum of Rivas. Here we admired some ancient Indian artifacts and got to visualize how the ancestors of our brother land lived before the conquerors put foot on their land. But the cultural exchange coming ahead was as exciting. Kindergarten kids of the area performed folkloric dances that displayed their art, music, humor and traditions in the cutest way possible. Their enthusiasm was so contagious that our kids could not reject the offer to join them in their party. This was also a great opportunity to exchange gifts with them. The result of the experience: happy hearts on both sides.
Visiting the market of Rivas was not only a shopping stop. Using eco-friendly transportation called “Pepanos” the caravan began. Pepanos are modified bicycles which replace the front tire with a seat for two people, resting on two wheels and covered by a roof to protect the travelers from the sun or the rain.
Time to continue our journey to visit the Church of San Francisco and the Church of San Pedro. Both represent the Catholic roots of the Nicaraguan folk and reflect the collective mentality with their stories and beautiful architecture. An extra incentive that no one could resist: ice cream. The last destination awaited us, Hacienda Amayo. A special typical buffet called “Caballo Bayo” was served to us on clay pots called “Comales.” It was delicious!
After lunch, baseball and soccer games were organized to challenge the local kids with our kid’s team. After an awesome, intense and very close game, the locals won in the baseball match 5-4. Well, after all, it is their national sport, taught to them by the U.S. Marines during their occupation in 1912-1933. Soccer gave us a better result, where our performance was incredible and we scored 2-1 and won the game. We could not leave the Hacienda without the famous “piñata” that brought laughs and joy to everybody to finish a wonderful day in beautiful Nicaragua.
