Tag: wildlife

Spanish Lessons in Nicaragua

My experience at the Spanish school, Spanish Ya, has been great so far.  The teachers are friendly and very capable, the space is really nice, and it is very well organized and run. Here I am taking Spanish lessons in Nicaragua.

Where is the School

As I mentioned, the school is very close to my home stay, just outside the busy tourist beach town of San Juan del Sur. The classes are held outside on a veranda in the shade of some trees across the street from a small river. The weather has been great for outdoor schooling: blue skies and cool breezes!

Spanish Ya school Spanish lessons in Nicaragua
Spanish school

spanish lessons in nicaragua

Classes are 1:1, so I sit at a table across from my teacher and we work. My teacher, Loammi, only knows a few words of English but she is very good at explaining Spanish. It’s probably for the best that she doesn’t speak English as this way I am forced to communicate in Spanish all the time in class.

Another great thing about the 1:1 is the class is tailored to my needs. I took a few tests at the beginning and Loammi was able to pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses. I am also able to ask questions about the things that trouble me with the language.

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Whale Watching in Reykjavik

Whale watching is a pretty popular activity in Iceland. In Husavik and Reykjavik, boat tours seeking whales, dolphins, and puffins are commonplace. So, we did what the tourists do and spent Sunday whale watching in Reykjavik.

Where to take a whale watching tour in Reykjavik

There is a long pier down by the harbour where all the boats have offices and sell tickets for their tours. Besides whale watching and puffin hunting, you can also book a “Northern Lights” tour. The problem with that is, if it’s cloudy, as it often was for us, you aren’t going to see those lights on land or a boat. But people will pay, so they have the tour.

Reykjavik Pier
Reykjavik Pier and Boat Companies
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Outside in Medellin: Botanical Garden and Parque Explora

We had a nice afternoon exploring gardens and wildlife – and our minds! – today. The Universidad metro stop has a lot of options for tourists – we enjoyed both the Botanical Garden and the Medellin version of a science centre. The Medellin garden and park are not just for kids, although kids love them too!

The free Jardin Botanico is huge and amazing. Seconds after walking into the park, we heard loud birds squawking, looked up and saw 4 large toucans in a nearby tree. We had to zoom in quite close on our cameras but they were brightly colored, large and beautiful. We even got to see them fly over us. I was already hooked!

toucans Medellin garden and park
Toucans – blurry because they were far but still so beautiful

The gardens also included: a lagoon with ducks and swans, a butterfly sanctuary, a palm garden, a desert area, an orchid area and more! We wandered around for an hour or so just enjoying the lovely weather and views. The fact that this park is free is fantastic but I would have paid to visit.

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