Tag: Outdoors

Las Isletas In Photos

Granada, Nicaragua is a beautiful colonial city on a lake. While not the biggest city in the country, it is still very important as a center of commerce and tourism. One of the top things to do in Granada is visit the little islands, or isletas. This post showcases Las Isletas in photos.

This week I am not traveling solo, yay! My partner in adventures is Lyna, who is visiting from the wintry north. We are enjoying all that Granada has to offer: nature, wildlife, sun, hotel pools, music and outdoor bars and restaurants.

So far in Granada we have gone out on the Calzada, taken a boat tour of Las Isletas, swum at our hotel pool, kayaked around Las Isletas, walked the Malécon, enjoyed live music in the square, and more. Las Isletas is definitely a highlight!

ABOUT Las Isletas

Las Isletas, or the Granada Islands, are a group of 360+ small islands in the lake off the shore of Granada. These islands were created by a volcanic eruption of nearby Vulcan Mombacho, another must visit in the region.

Continue reading “Las Isletas In Photos”

Scuba Training: I am a Rescue Diver

This week I took the course for my next levels of PADI Scuba, and now I am a Rescue Diver.  I also needed emergency response certification to complete the course, so it was a very intense week!

Course Materials

I had three books to read, study and memorize. Fortunately for me, two of the books were in English. The dive shop only had a Spanish version of the emergency response book. So now I know how to use a defibrillator and perform CPR and rescue breaths in Spanish.

Scuba books I am a rescue diver
The dive books I needed to memorize
Busy Week

This week, I spent Monday and Tuesday morning in Spanish class and Tuesday afternoon in scuba class, reviewing all the signs and symptoms of diver accidents and ailments.  I spent Tuesday afternoon and evening studying and then on Wednesday afternoon had a dive class in Spanish (the only available instructor speaks Spanish) about emergency response. Just to make things more difficult! What is life without new challenges? Needless to say, I spent a little less time at the gym this week.

Continue reading “Scuba Training: I am a Rescue Diver”

Cooking Class – Eating Nacatamales in Someone’s Backyard

I got to participate in a really fun activity in San Juan del Sur: a cooking class! We learned to cook a local food at a local’s house. This is my experience cooking and eating Nacatamales in someone’s backyard in Nicaragua.

What are Nacatamales?

Nacatamales are a traditional Nicaraguan food and a twist on the tamales most of us have had in Mexican restaurants. Cooked in banana leaves over a flame for hours (4-5 in this case), they are very big and contain meat, corn meal, rice, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, peppers and mint.

Here in Nicaragua, they are popularly served for special occasions like Christmas and Sunday breakfast.

Learning to Cook Nacatamales

You know my Spanish school organizes all sorts of fun activities to keep us students busy and entertained! Well, one of them was this cooking class. A group from the Spanish school went to a local’s house to learn how to cook nacatamales on a Friday afternoon.

Do you like trying the local food when travelling? Read about the food and drink of Iceland and the Caribbean island of Bonaire

Continue reading “Cooking Class – Eating Nacatamales in Someone’s Backyard”