Nicaragua Beach Towns (Masachapa, Pochomil, Montelimar) *adding pics later

All these beach towns are connected to each other. Only 60 kilometers from Managua (about 40 miles), starting in Managua you can take the South Highway (Carretera Sur) and then continue on the old highway to León (Carretera Vieja a León) until you see the signs to Pochomil and Masachapa pointing to the left. It takes about an hour to get there. You can take a bus to Pochomil and Masachapa from the Israel Lewites market. The price is approximately $0.70.
You will drive through many little mountain towns, if you are not used to it, you will spot poverty and meager ways of living, and there are places along the way to stop and get munchies like at Raspado Loly's, many places to stop for Quesillo and beer, etc. But once you reach Pochomil and Masachapa you drive all the way to the end of the town (toward the beach) and park. You can ask around about renting horses to ride on the beach or ask about the local eateries. On the left, down this little sliver of road is Hotel Summer right on the beautiful ocean waters. There are many places to eat that look at the ocean...this is just the one we stopped at for a quick breakfast before heading into Montelimar resort. We had a "plato típico" which includes Gallo Pinto, Platano frito, Queso frito, and eggs any style (of course I just asked for more gallo pinto instead of eggs), plus a cup of café con leche.

Signs to Barceló Montelimár resort http://centralamerica.com/nicaragua/hotels/montel.htm can be found to the right upon entering Pochomil and Masachapa. Just follow that road to the right past the 5 miles or so of sugar cane crops along the sides...you will eventually see the beach on the left side of the curving road, to the left, an old landing platform once used as an airport, straight ahead, is the gated entrance to Montelimar. The resort sits on 700 hectares = 1729.7 acres...it was land that belonged to once-president "Tachito" Somoza, before being assasinated in 1980.
The open-air lobby is grat for the heat, and once you get your all-inclusive bracelet on...you can enjoy free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) while you're waiting to get you luggage to your room. There are choices of hotel room in the hotel structure or in the bungalows - which are on the "lower" part of the property closer to the beach and you can either walk or take the tram.
When I say all-inclusive, I mean the price includes every all-you-can-eat meal at the dining area (cafeteria style) that sits about 10 feet from the beach and has a view of the ocean. There are hammocks all along the beach, underneath all the beautiful native trees, there are 2 pools (that I've seen), countless activities from pool-side dance classes to bike-riding ($5/hour to rent bike), there is a small zoo, a casino, a small performance stage, Ping-Pong, a children's play area, Boogie board & AV rentals, Basketball and Tennis courts, Beach volleyball, I could go on, but I think you get the point!

Managua, Nicaragua (May 2010) *pics to be added later

Six total days in Nicaragua...About three of those were spent in Managua, the capital city, located on the Southern shores of Lake Managua (also called Lake Xolotlan - meaning "heart of the land" in the Nahuatl language - where the only place in the world freshwater sharks can be found). The city is surrounded by water and volcanoes and is a short driving distance to many natural reserves and the Pacific Ocean.

THE FOOD:

1. Sushi Itto (one of three located at the Galerías Santo Domingo mall) has all the Japanese-style rolls with a bit of local flavor.  Rolls that incorporate things like chipotle sauce, and platano maduro (ripe plantain) is definitely a good thing. We also paid for some Chinese-style rice and Churrasco all prepared for us Teppenyaki-style (think Benihana). It was so yummy, but a bit on the pricy side.


2. Comedor David (located behind Queques Melba in the Colonial Los Robles neighborhood  - De la Oficina Principal Altamira D'Este, Distribuidora Vicky 1c. al Norte) is a family favorite. It's "comida casera" - home-style dishes. The traditional Nicaraguan food is served cafeteria style and you pay per item/a la carte. The specials change everyday and you will always get a taste of Nicaragua from the Tajadas (green plantain slivers) to the Enchiladas (Torilla stuffed with minced meat, rice, and spices then deep fried) to the Pescado Frito (fried whole fish, served with tomato and onion sauce and a side of rice or green plantains) to the Empanadas de Maduro (pie-shaped ripe plantain stuffed with salty cheese). And you always have a choice of local fuit juices to choose from. Plus, you can pick up dessert at Melba's - a traditional Tres Leches cake slice or yellow cake with guayaba filling...my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

3. Casa del Café (one of four also located in Colonial Los Robles). My favorite no-time-limit wi-fi hangout...great coffee (although you have to order milk separately to put into your coffee), and the best Nica snack-type meals and Sunday buffet...EVER! You can order a mini-nacatamal with a roll and a cup of coffee for less than $3. Sunday mornings they have a breakfast buffet with some local specialties and local fruit and you can order your eggs for your meal (all included) Or you can order breakfast a la carte.
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THE RELAXATION:

1. Cinemas Galerías 10 (located in the Galerías Santo Domingo Mall). I know you're thinking, "What's so great about the movies?"... and you're right - they are pretty much the same movies we see here, some are dubbed in Spanish others have Spanish sub-titles...but the tickets come out to about $3 per person, the theaters have comfy seats and are air-conditioned (nice break from the heat), and the snacks are pretty affordable, too.  Not all the movie theatres have these comforts, so enjoy the movies at Galerías if you get a chance.

2. Nuevo malecón (the new boardwalk) - there are 2 boardwalks in Managua... the first (old) boardwalk is open to all and is at the end of the road right past the Ruben Dario National Theater...you want to turn left and keep going until you come to the gates witha guard -it's about C$15 to park and it's more secure. They have food stands and bars along the boardwalk overlooking Lake Managua. You can buy tickets to board the tourist ferry Novia de Xolotlan that take you to La Isla del Amor (Isle of Love) or just sit back with a beer or some good ol' munchies and enjoy.

3.  Teatro Nacionál Ruben Darío, named for the loved Nicaraguan poet and writer - if driving, drive from the Plaza Inter shopping mall towards the lake (pass the rotary and go straight). This road ends after about 3 kilometers, at the shores of Lake Managua, and you will see the Theater to your right just before the road ends. There is parking inside the gates during performances (approx. C$20). This theater supports all kinds of cultural and traditional performances, whether its dance or music. The theater is beautiful and all the shows I've seen were worth the money (C$150/US$8 ground floor seats - C$300/US$15 balcony seats).

Portland, Oregon (May 2010)

I just returned from a weekend in Portland.
My Faves in local fare and relaxation...


THE FOOD:

1. VOODOO DOUGHNUT is a MUST on NW 3rd Avenue. I had the Voodoo doll, my friend had the Mexican Chocolate (with a bit of a spicy kick at the end). It was great at the end of a Friday Night pub crawl around the corner on NW 2nd Avenue. I could've spent $10 just tasting all what they had to offer, but it was so much to handle when you've been drinking.

2. NINJA PLATE LUNCH food cart on SW 3rd and Ash. The Kahlua Pork plate with the rice and macaroni salad was soooooo good. (again, needed to soak up the alcohol), I highly recommend, it's making my mouth water as I think about it!

3. Food carts are big in Portland (we should get more of those in SF)...My third favorite was SMOKIN' JIM'S BARBECUE FOOD CART located Ala Carts cart pod – SE 102nd and Stark. I had the 3 rib plate (which he ended up giving me 5 ribs because it was so so slow on a Sunday), the plate came with a scoop of yummy potato salad (it looks orange from the paprika) and cole slaw for my sides.  Totally worth my budgeted money.



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THE RELAXATION:

1. We went to THE SALT GROTTO on NW 14th Ave.  Only $25 for a 45 minute session (Or you can buy a package of 5 sessions for $115 so you can fully feel the effects) in a room full of salt from various places of the world. Salt is on the walls and on the ground, and you have to put on hospital booties over your shoes to walk in there. You sit in these comfy chairs and breathe in the goodness of the salt, they turn off the lights and turn on the music. Pretty cool and kinda European. It was a great way to detox from the weekend partying. They gave us magazines and a book light, but even after reading and chatting for the full session, we walked out of there fully relaxed and rejuvenated (plus we had the magnesium water afterwards, it helped).

2. Hiking at MULTNOMAH FALLS off the I-84. I was lucky that it's springtime and that the trail was open (the ground gets frozen in the winter and they close the  trials).We made it to the 7th of 11 trails that take you to the top of the waterfall, it's beautiful, and warm and people broght their dogs and kids...Even me, who is scared of heights, enjoyed every minute (coming down was tough on my knees though) only because the slim trails were covered by so much greenery that you couldn't see how high you were. There's a point where you can see the Columbia River and Washington State on the other side. After reaching the bottom, we wanted a snow cone - but they don't start selling those until June, so we settled for Italian Soda.