In my reading and research I stumbled upon Jicaro Ecolodge, an amazingly luxurious boutique hotel. As soon as I saw the website it became a dream or "bucket list" aspiration to stay there. You get what you pay for, however, and the cost is quite steep! That's why I was thrilled when I stumbled upon a 51% off groupon that made it instantly affordable. The catch or reason for the generous discount is that it's offered during the green or rainy season. Fully prepared for inclement weather but dying to go, Evan and I decided to book a 4 night/3 day stay with Jicaro Lodge for our eighth wedding anniversary celebration.
Our Itinerary (Friday, October 2, 2015 - Monday, October 5, 2015)
Friday, October 2
Today was a travel day. We didn't depart the States until mid-afternoon but we arrived in Managua, Nicaragua at almost 8:00pm. We didn't arrive to the port to pick up the boat to Jicaro Island until sometime around 9:30pm.
Incidentally, we were both very impressed with the airport. I've never seen a shorter immigration/customs line. Yay for efficiency!
As part of our luxury package we tacked on private transportation to/from the airport. As soon as we walked outside to meet our driver the heat hit us like a ton of bricks. Fortunately, the A/C was working well in the car. We were already bracing ourselves for no A/C at Jicaro Ecolodge. Dun dun dun!
It's about 45 minutes to an hour to get from Managua to Granada (the big city closest to Jicaro Island). Once we arrived at the Granada port we were whisked away in an approximately ten seater motorboat. It was SO DARK and Evan immediately pointed out how amazing the stars looked. I can't remember the last time I saw so many stars and so clearly.
The boat ride seemed long (in reality it was only ten minutes) because we couldn't anticipate the distance or make out many shapes. When we docked we were greeted with fresh juice and cold towels. Can you imagine? I've never watched a full episode of Fantasy Island but I did feel like I was living a fantasy on an island!
We were taken to our treehouse-like casita and told we would be given a more lengthy tour of the grounds in the light of day. Again, it was really dark out so we really didn't know what our environs were yet. We knew we were on an island but based on the various jungle calls/noises we pictured that we were in the thick of trees.
By the way, referring to our casita as treehouse-like is in no way a knock on it. The casitas, all the same, are immaculately clean and beautiful. It feels like a treehouse because it's open. Everything is screened in (presumably to keep bugs out) but you're also one with the island as we discovered upon climbing inside our mosquito-netted bed. We didn't experience any problems with mosquitoes so I wonder if the netting is more psychological than anything. Once we turned all the lights off and got comfortable (we turned our overhead fan on high) we heard any number of bird calls and grunts (great egrets make a very guttural sound as we discovered) and dogs howling. It felt and sounded like they were all right outside our casita. Neither of us slept much that first night.
Saturday, October 3
When we woke up and were finally able to see our surroundings in the daylight we found out that our casita is right on the shoreline. Jicaro Island is actually quite small and compact. It's possible that the bird noises we heard were right outside our casita but I'm guessing the dog howling carried over from another island.
Another first that I observed was an early morning commute by a man, woman, and baby. Everyone was smiling and the baby was cooing. I imagine they were on their way to the mainland or maybe to a neighboring island. I didn't see any equipment in their canoe so I don't imagine they were going fishing. Either way, it struck me as a very peaceful existence especially when compared to the traditional American commute - sitting in your car for hours.
There are hundreds of little islands in Lake Nicaragua and most are inhabited by regular people. In fact, every time we left Jicaro Island we passed a particular island where we could observe women doing laundry in the Lake and other chores in their corrugated hut.
Our morning began with fresh juice, coffee, and freshly baked banana bread on our deck. We had to fend off magpie-jays from stealing our bread. Those suckers are smart! Despite our bread being in a covered basket, they managed to pull the top off and rummage through it when our backs were turned. Luckily, we ate the bread before they flew off with any spoils.
Our gorgeous balcony and view of Lake Nicaragua:
Friday, October 2
Today was a travel day. We didn't depart the States until mid-afternoon but we arrived in Managua, Nicaragua at almost 8:00pm. We didn't arrive to the port to pick up the boat to Jicaro Island until sometime around 9:30pm.
Incidentally, we were both very impressed with the airport. I've never seen a shorter immigration/customs line. Yay for efficiency!
As part of our luxury package we tacked on private transportation to/from the airport. As soon as we walked outside to meet our driver the heat hit us like a ton of bricks. Fortunately, the A/C was working well in the car. We were already bracing ourselves for no A/C at Jicaro Ecolodge. Dun dun dun!
It's about 45 minutes to an hour to get from Managua to Granada (the big city closest to Jicaro Island). Once we arrived at the Granada port we were whisked away in an approximately ten seater motorboat. It was SO DARK and Evan immediately pointed out how amazing the stars looked. I can't remember the last time I saw so many stars and so clearly.
The boat ride seemed long (in reality it was only ten minutes) because we couldn't anticipate the distance or make out many shapes. When we docked we were greeted with fresh juice and cold towels. Can you imagine? I've never watched a full episode of Fantasy Island but I did feel like I was living a fantasy on an island!
We were taken to our treehouse-like casita and told we would be given a more lengthy tour of the grounds in the light of day. Again, it was really dark out so we really didn't know what our environs were yet. We knew we were on an island but based on the various jungle calls/noises we pictured that we were in the thick of trees.
By the way, referring to our casita as treehouse-like is in no way a knock on it. The casitas, all the same, are immaculately clean and beautiful. It feels like a treehouse because it's open. Everything is screened in (presumably to keep bugs out) but you're also one with the island as we discovered upon climbing inside our mosquito-netted bed. We didn't experience any problems with mosquitoes so I wonder if the netting is more psychological than anything. Once we turned all the lights off and got comfortable (we turned our overhead fan on high) we heard any number of bird calls and grunts (great egrets make a very guttural sound as we discovered) and dogs howling. It felt and sounded like they were all right outside our casita. Neither of us slept much that first night.
Saturday, October 3
When we woke up and were finally able to see our surroundings in the daylight we found out that our casita is right on the shoreline. Jicaro Island is actually quite small and compact. It's possible that the bird noises we heard were right outside our casita but I'm guessing the dog howling carried over from another island.
Another first that I observed was an early morning commute by a man, woman, and baby. Everyone was smiling and the baby was cooing. I imagine they were on their way to the mainland or maybe to a neighboring island. I didn't see any equipment in their canoe so I don't imagine they were going fishing. Either way, it struck me as a very peaceful existence especially when compared to the traditional American commute - sitting in your car for hours.
There are hundreds of little islands in Lake Nicaragua and most are inhabited by regular people. In fact, every time we left Jicaro Island we passed a particular island where we could observe women doing laundry in the Lake and other chores in their corrugated hut.
Our morning began with fresh juice, coffee, and freshly baked banana bread on our deck. We had to fend off magpie-jays from stealing our bread. Those suckers are smart! Despite our bread being in a covered basket, they managed to pull the top off and rummage through it when our backs were turned. Luckily, we ate the bread before they flew off with any spoils.
Our gorgeous balcony and view of Lake Nicaragua:
Our crafty magpie-jay friends:
That reminds me, something we observed on our night drive into Granada and then during the day is that there are cows and horses grazing on the sides of the road. Right next to traffic. EEEK! We asked Eduardo about it and he said there's no such thing as a "free" cow or horse in Nicaragua. Even if they seem like they're unattended, they belong to somebody. I assume that might be the case with the goats too...?
We walked and talked around town about all sorts of topics, mostly off-the-cuff stuff.
Then we arrived at La Merced Church.
We climbed the above pictured bell tower for some iconic views of Granada and its surroundings.
That's Mombacho Volcano in the background.
The show-stopping Granada Cathedral:
I just can't get over how gorgeous that building is. It's the Eiffel Tower of Granada. You can see it from almost everywhere in the city and it marks the center of town.
Then we walked into a non-profit organization that employs blind and deaf people to make hammocks. They even made a hammock purely out of plastic bags.
From there we walked through the market, which was busy and stuffy and crowded. I know it's a great place to get a feel for local culture but I really don't like seeing pig heads and other animal body parts. I mentioned that to Eduardo so we were in and out rather quickly.
Then we made our way to the main plaza by the Cathedral.
While there we sampled some traditional street food. It consisted of chicharron, yucca, and pickled slaw in a banana leaf.
Here's Eduardo with our food:
Our last scheduled stop was the San Francisco Convent, a museum that houses indigenous sculptures from the islands Zapatera and Ometepe.
Eduardo pointed out this sculpture specifically because of the appearance of the cross. The cross is significant in Christianity but in this case, it represented a navigational compass.
According to Eduardo, the Creator wanted to create an animal to worship Him/Her but the first two materials didn't work. Third time was the charm when the Creator made man out of corn. The indigenous people considered themselves Children of the Corn. That phrase generally conjures up an image of pasty blond children walking zombie-like through cornfields, right?
Then because I wanted more pictures of the Cathedral, Eduardo indulged us and we walked back to the main plaza.
Granada is a colorful and charming city. It's not at all overrun with people like you might expect. It's kind of a sleepy town actually. I could definitely spend more time there in the future. Eduardo told us that it would be possible to rent a nice house in town for $400 a month! I also read after the fact that Granada is emerging as a great place to go to learn Spanish. Evan and I both agree that we'd like to make learning Spanish a reality.
It was a fabulous and fun-filled day but when it was over we were ready to get back to the island and unwind. Mombacho Volcano on the boat ride back:
Our island paradise:
A great egret as seen from our balcony:
The pool area where I subsequently got poop-bombed by a bird flying overhead later that night:
Our bedroom:
The amazing sunset from our room:
We also tried atol, which is a sweet, milky substance. It tasted like bubblegum to me. I didn't like it so I made Evan finish it off. By the way, the bowl that the atol is in is made from a jicaro fruit casing. It's a very durable substance and we saw it throughout our trip, including on Jicaro Island.
After our pre-morning snack we went to the bar area for our full breakfast and our first of many delicious meals at Jicaro. I guess now is as good a time as any to mention the exceptional customer service at Jicaro. Our drinking glasses were never empty. If we sat down by the pool to relax then drinks magically appeared. All staff members were friendly, accommodating, and helpful. We arrived without travel toothpaste and they provided us with some immediately upon request. They bent over backwards to make sure we were comfortable and content at all times. We felt like pampered royalty. It was awesome.
During breakfast we met our guide for the day, Eduardo. After we finished eating he gave us a quick tour of the Jicaro grounds and then we were off to spend our day touring Granada, one of the oldest colonial cities in the Americas.
Our first stop was an old and now defunct train station that's been turned into a classroom space. While we were there, in fact, there was an English class taking place. Eduardo and the teacher struck up a conversation and before we knew it we were being ushered into the classroom. The instructor wanted us to tell the class about ourselves and speak in English, obviously. Evan did most of the talking but as you might imagine, most of the students seemed timid and unsure. There was one pupil in the front of the class who seemed particularly eager to practice/talk with Evan. I think he really made an impression on Evan.
Eduardo explained to us that some of the better money-making opportunities in Nicaragua require English-speaking and they involve tourism and call centers. Whenever I think of call centers I think of India. Who knew Central America was getting in on that action?
One of the things that was really cool about Eduardo is that he customized the tour to fit our interests. There was a general structure to the day but if we pointed at a building and said, what's that? His response was always, well, let's go take a look. What a great attitude!
This earthquake-damaged former hospital building is an example of one of those instances:
And how cool is this? There were goats randomly chilling in the front:
We walked and talked around town about all sorts of topics, mostly off-the-cuff stuff.
Then we arrived at La Merced Church.
We climbed the above pictured bell tower for some iconic views of Granada and its surroundings.
That's Mombacho Volcano in the background.
The show-stopping Granada Cathedral:
I just can't get over how gorgeous that building is. It's the Eiffel Tower of Granada. You can see it from almost everywhere in the city and it marks the center of town.
Then we walked into a non-profit organization that employs blind and deaf people to make hammocks. They even made a hammock purely out of plastic bags.
From there we walked through the market, which was busy and stuffy and crowded. I know it's a great place to get a feel for local culture but I really don't like seeing pig heads and other animal body parts. I mentioned that to Eduardo so we were in and out rather quickly.
Then we made our way to the main plaza by the Cathedral.
While there we sampled some traditional street food. It consisted of chicharron, yucca, and pickled slaw in a banana leaf.
Here's Eduardo with our food:
Our last scheduled stop was the San Francisco Convent, a museum that houses indigenous sculptures from the islands Zapatera and Ometepe.
Eduardo pointed out this sculpture specifically because of the appearance of the cross. The cross is significant in Christianity but in this case, it represented a navigational compass.
According to Eduardo, the Creator wanted to create an animal to worship Him/Her but the first two materials didn't work. Third time was the charm when the Creator made man out of corn. The indigenous people considered themselves Children of the Corn. That phrase generally conjures up an image of pasty blond children walking zombie-like through cornfields, right?
Then because I wanted more pictures of the Cathedral, Eduardo indulged us and we walked back to the main plaza.
Granada is a colorful and charming city. It's not at all overrun with people like you might expect. It's kind of a sleepy town actually. I could definitely spend more time there in the future. Eduardo told us that it would be possible to rent a nice house in town for $400 a month! I also read after the fact that Granada is emerging as a great place to go to learn Spanish. Evan and I both agree that we'd like to make learning Spanish a reality.
It was a fabulous and fun-filled day but when it was over we were ready to get back to the island and unwind. Mombacho Volcano on the boat ride back:
Our island paradise:
A great egret as seen from our balcony:
The pool area where I subsequently got poop-bombed by a bird flying overhead later that night:
Our bedroom:
The amazing sunset from our room:
Dinner was fabulous. We had the choice of ordering off the menu or sampling their Nicaraguan-style buffet. We chose the buffet and had so.much.food. There was rice, beans, pulled chicken, shredded beef, chorizo, potatoes, plantains, pico de gallo, guacamole, etc. Incidentally, the Nicaraguan version of guacamole is completely different from the standard we come to expect in North America, which is Mexican-influenced. It has avocado in it but rather than be the star of the dish, it's one component of many. Their guacamole also has sliced hard-boiled egg in it and it has a bit of a tangy/vinegar-like flavor. I really enjoyed it. Our dessert was a warm rice pudding. It was heavenly and by far the best dessert we had there.
I almost forgot - our dinner was accompanied by a cold chocolate drink. It was awesome. Think chocolate milk but more exotic.
Sunday, October 4
We originally wanted to do some kind of hike on Mombacho but after talking to Eduardo the day before he convinced us to do another tour of Masaya Volcano, Masaya (city), and the White Towns. He explained that Sunday would be the best day to see the locals out and about and enjoying their day off with their families. Sold!
First we started off with a glorious breakfast. Our fruit portion also included a RAMBUTAN! I ate rambutans all the time when we lived in Bangkok.
After breakfast Eduardo scooped us up and we were off to start our epic day.
Our first stop was Coyotepe Fortress turned prison. I believe that this is something Eduardo added to the tour due to our interest in Nicaragua's political history. Its original purpose was a strategic position to watch for invaders, mostly North Americans. It was later used and converted by Somoza, a dictator in power, into a political prison/torture chamber. Following Somoza, it was used by the Sandinistas for the same purpose.
Eduardo led us down into the belly of the dungeon with a flashlight and it was quite dank and dreary. There's almost no ventilation, no light, and it reeks of urine and other things. We also saw quite a few bats hanging from the ceilings. Present day, the complex belongs to the Boy Scouts. We saw a troupe picking up litter while we were there.
Graves of Sandinista revolutionaries:
Our next stop was the Masaya Volcano National Park. Evan was really excited about being near an active volcano for the first time. My first experience was during my semester abroad in Italy when we paid a visit to Mount Etna. Masaya is actually dormant but the volcano right next to it is active and steaming all the time.
Lava fields from 1772:
On the drive up to the volcano the coolest thing ever happened. A black iguana ran across the road! We were able to stop the car and watch it nibble on some vegetation growing out of the lava fields. I've never seen a wild iguana in person before. AWESOME.
I almost forgot to mention that at a midway point there's a museum you can walk through to learn about the wildlife in the park, the geological history, etc. Eduardo took the time to explain/point out a few things but I mostly zoned out. Oops.
When we got to the top we saw the active volcano, which was steaming. I accidentally got a whiff of the steam and I immediately coughed. It was pretty putrid. One thing I did pick up from the museum is that there is a species of parrot who live/nest on the volcano because they've evolved to be able to breathe the sulphuric steam. Fascinating, huh?
From there we took a brief hike up toward a dormant Masaya Volcano to get a better view of the active volcano. Holy hot. Up until this point I haven't mentioned just how hot we were during the trip. Let me tell you - IT.WAS.HOT. My skin was like a drippy faucet. The upside is that despite it being the green season, we didn't see a drop of rain our entire time in Nicaragua. Then again, rain might've cooled things off.
Eduardo could sense that he was losing us to the heat so we made our way back into Masaya for lunch. We walked through the Masaya market (they're very well known for their handicrafts) but didn't stop to do any shopping.
At the far end of the market we stopped for lunch in a local restaurant of Eduardo's choosing. It was a fabulous experience and the food was delicious. I've been trying to avoid eating a lot of meat but when in Nicaragua... Eduardo said that they're big meat eaters.
After lunch Eduardo worked his customization skills again and made it possible for us to visit an animal rescue in Masaya. I had previously mentioned working with an animal rescue back home.
Jeffrey gave us a tour of Casa Hogar Lucito, named after their first rescue dog, Lucito. They're also part of an animal rights organization called OrgaNicA, which champions many causes including circuses without animals. Our standards of cleanliness differ greatly but the compassion is the same. I really admire them for what they do especially since it's done on a volunteer basis and I'm sure everyone volunteering their time has a limited income. Wonderful people and wonderful animals. Love for animals is universal!
I loosely translate this to: don't abuse animals or you'll go straight to the devil!
Then we hopped back into the car and made our way to Catarina, one of the White Towns. This was such a lovely experience. There were all sorts of craft shops and street vendors. All of the locals were out enjoying the sunny weather.
While there we tried a rellenita - the Nicaraguan version of a pupusa, a food my dad introduced me to from his childhood years living in El Salvador. A rellenita is a little thinner than a pupusa and Eduardo said they only fill it with cheese whereas a pupusa can be filled with meat, beans, cheese, etc.
We also tried atol, which is a sweet, milky substance. It tasted like bubblegum to me. I didn't like it so I made Evan finish it off. By the way, the bowl that the atol is in is made from a jicaro fruit casing. It's a very durable substance and we saw it throughout our trip, including on Jicaro Island.
We also walked up to a gorgeous viewpoint of Apoyo Lagoon. It's a popular spot to swim. Eduardo mentioned that he was going there on his day off with his son to fish and swim. We also saw many people picnicking and hanging out.
Have you ever seen water so blue?
Our last stop on our way out of Catarina was to a fruit stand. Eduardo was really getting a kick out of making us try all sorts of local flavors. Honestly, I didn't like most of the fruit he made us try nor do I remember all the names. A lot of them had a sour/tangy flavor rather than being sweet.
Here's one we tried which looks like a cantaloupe but has a big seed like an avocado. The texture of the flesh is avocado-like as well. I didn't really enjoy the flavor though it was the least offensive of the things we tried.
Last but not least we stopped in San Juan de Oriente at a ceramic shop for a demonstration. The master crafter was out for the day but his son showed us how things work. We bought a beautiful vase with hummingbirds carved into the facade.
Our evening ended with a lovely dinner by the pool back at Jicaro Ecolodge that was especially set up for us for our anniversary. The meal was delicious and the staff put together a very sweet card to congratulate us on eight years together.
Monday, October 5
There were a few activities we had originally planned on doing but ultimately decided to skip. Jicaro Ecolodge offers yoga lessons, free kayaking (they have the equipment on site), and spa treatments. We were going to do yoga every morning but then decided we didn't want to be on a regimented schedule every morning. Then we cancelled our hot stone massages because, well, I didn't need a hot anything. A cold stone massage would've been more appropriate. Lastly, we opted out of a quick kayak ride around the island because again, exertion translates to being hot and we already had that covered. So our focus on our last day in paradise became relaxation.
First we had another delicious breakfast. I think Evan had his favorite meal in the form of coconut french toast with a pineapple syrup.
Late morning we took a complimentary sustainability tour of the island with Jorge. Their entire operation is pretty darn amazing. All of the wood used on the island to build its various structures was salvaged from trees downed in a hurricane. Jorge also indicated that architects worked around the natural landscape of the island rather than disturb the natural placement of rocks, for example.
They even reuse plastic bottles for their sprinkler system:
Jicaro also works with local pig farmers and schools. We could've taken a tour of a pig farm and one of the three schools they work with but we opted out because we didn't want to step foot off the island on our last day. It's really commendable what they do for the environment and the community. They set a great example. Jicaro is one of eight hotels part of the Cayuga Collection, which promotes sustainability. The other seven hotels are in Costa Rica. I'd loved to try one or two of them sometime down the road. Half of them have A/C (!!!).
We had another wonderful lunch. I thought it would be crazy to leave the island without having fish at some point so I bit the bullet and got red snapper ceviche.
We spent the rest of the afternoon being lazy. We shared the hammock that they set up for us on our balcony and took a mini-siesta. Evan took a for real siesta in our casita because he started to feel a little under the weather. We think he probably picked up a bug on one of our plane rides.
Dinner was exceptional as usual. I had "diabolito" which was served in a clay pot.
I think that last night was the hottest it had been our whole stay. I happily took a cold shower and I was still sweating immediately after. AHHH!
Our actual anniversary (October 6) was a transit day only but the entire day I couldn't stop thinking about our incredible experiences in Nicaragua. I know I will look back on this trip as one of the best we've ever taken. No A/C is the only thing I can complain about and I understand why it's not an option. I admire Jicaro Ecolodge's sustainability efforts and at least half the time the fans sufficiently cooled us off. As a whole though, I've never sweat so much in my life. Panama was hot but we did have the reprieve of A/C in our room. I would cite the lack of A/C as the only reason I would consider not staying at Jicaro Ecolodge again because in every other way it was PERFECTION. The customer service, the food, the decor, and the amenities were over-the-top awesome.
We also loved Nicaragua. The people are charming and friendly, the local cuisine is the best Latin American cuisine we've had (after Mexican), the places we visited were beautiful and vibrant, and the culture is rich and the history so interesting. There's a lot of poverty and it was hard for me to see the street cats and dogs and emaciated horses and cows. Unfortunately, those things come with the territory. That being said, we'd go back. I really would like to take advantage of a longer stay in Granada whether to learn Spanish or as a home base for a leisure trip. I'd also love to return to the animal rescue in Masaya and volunteer my time. I know we weren't there for very long but Nicaragua made a big impact on us. I'd even use the term life-changing.
