Bachata, Hip Hop and P90X! These are a few of my favorite things!!

Well, we all belong to the gym in this house. Some of us go fairly often that our muscles hurt everyday and others go Monday and Tuesday for good measure. In the mornings I have been taking this Bachata class which is supposedly the easiest of all the Latin dances. I just discovered that I was taking Bachata and not Salsa. They have similar cha cha moves so, you know i just thought it was Salsa. There are salsa classes at night that I have yet to do.

Jeanne and I have been taking this ball class that is this lady teaches. She is pretty hard core and is always pointing to us to up the weights or do more. She knows we don't speak Spanish so she just gives us some stern faces. Well, as I was looking for a picture of our hip hop teacher I came across this YouTube video or her. BEWARE...she is intense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbnusL3_GB0&feature=related

Well, our hip hop teacher Juan Ernesto he is an amazing dancer and he teaches Bachata and Hip Hop. Somehow he does these sweet moves and then I try them and it's just not the same. In most the dance classes there are people of all ages and both sexes.

I am very impressed with all the Nicaraguans moves. The women can shake their shoulders,cha cha, and roll there body like they were born that way. My goal is to leave here knowing Spanish and being able to shake my shoulder.

I hope to get a picture with my Hip Hop teacher and my P90x teacher.

Beachin it in San Jaun Del Sur!!

This weekend was my last hurrah here until I return in January. San Juan is one of the more popular destinations in Nicaragua because it is great for surfing and has the most developed tourist infrastructure. Well, the town was quaint, colorful, and easy to get around on foot. We stayed at a little hostel called Rebecca's Inn. "Rebecca"--aka Marta--is the owner and offers a handful of rooms for people to stay in. We had a room for the four of us with 3 fans, a tv, 3 beds and our own bathroom. It also came with the guard dog, whom we have dubbed in retrospect "Schnitzer"...you can be the judge if you think he would protect us.

Sleepy Schnitzer

The town of San Jaun is pretty small, so it's very easy to get around. There are tons of surf shops, backpackers, hostels, restaraunts, cafes, and of course, beaches. Well, we took a bus from Managua to San Juan on Friday night. It cost three dollars per person AND we got to watch the movie "Salt"--not bad if you ask me, I always love to be entertained on a 3 hour bus ride.

When we arrived in San Juan we checked in to our room and then headed out for some dinner and drinks. It was a good night overall, as we actually bumped into 3 people we knew from Managua--what a small world.

Whether it's breakfast with a view of the beach or a pastry for the local pastry store, you can't go wrong. I'd like to think I was eating delicious pastries because I wanted to support the local economy but that isn't completely true. Pastries are so inexpensive, it's ridiculous, maybe 50 cents to 1 dollar for 2 or 3 things.

After breakfast we were off to Playa Maderas and Maderitas, two beautiful beaches on the other side of San Juan. When we arrived to the first beach it was filled with surfers and their cars and surf boards getting ready to hit some big waves...not really any room for swimming. So we headed to some more attractive sand just a short walk away. Here is where we found our peace and quiet...big waves and some beer, smoothies, and snacks. Cullen and David went exploring while Jeanne and I relaxed on the sand to work on our Nicaraguan tan. We spent most the day there and then headed back to the town for some dinner and relaxation.

Sunday we woke up and decided we wanted to see the Cristo on one of the huge mountains in the distance, so we rented a motorcycle and an ATV and headed our way up the mountain. It was tons of fun riding up the mountain. We got back early and cruised around town for a bit as well. Always makes for a good weekend getaway when you get to do something fun like that.

The view of El Cristo from the bay

Sorry Rio, maybe next time

Could it get any more bad to the bone?

 Well, I hope you are enjoying reading about our adventures...we might be having some very famous guest bloggers soon....

xoxo

Matagalpa, a Beautiful City in the Mountains!

Well, I can't say enough about Matagalpa. It's is located north of Managua in the mountains. It is known for having a lot of coffee farms and a much cooler climate. Well, it was a delightful surprise driving to Matagalpa. It is about a 2 hour drive and after and 1 hour you see this huge mountain range in front of you. Incredible.

For those of you that have never been to Managua there aren't many mountains around or at least not ones that spread for miles and miles like you are in Colorado. So this is our first glimpse at a new place.


So we arrived in Matagalpa and we decided to stay at Selva Negra http://www.selvanegra.com/.

After dinner we went to this club called the Tequila House where people were celebrating Halloween, it seemed like it was the place to be. We did a little dancing and then headed back to our room to get a good nights rest so we could hike in the morning.

Well, If you know me I get cold really easily and everyone was making fun of how bundle up I was, but in my defense I was comfortable. In the Matagalpa it was probably 60-65 degrees and in Managua it is usually 100 degrees, so my body was a little chilly. As Jeanne likes to say "I look like I am ready for the winter Olympics!" Notice me wearing a scarf, hoody and long leggings. Brr.

Our Room number 13 for a spooky Halloween Stay!

Well, the next morning we wake up and we all slept really good with the cool fresh air coming into our room. We headed the lodge for a yummy breakfast and then off to hit the trials.

Homemade yogurt, ham, eggs, fresh fruit, and pancakes.Yummy!

You haven't seen a beautiful Church in Nature until you see Saint Nicholas Church in Selva Negra. This church is to die for I would love to get married here again in a long white dress it is truly breath taking. I'm not sure the pictures even do it justice.

  

The hike was gorgeous it tooks us around 2 1/2 hours to complete. While we were hiking we saw all kinds of animals transparent butterflys, caterpillars, snakes, and monkeys. The monkeys were by far the scariest because we were walking in the forest an about an hour into our hike we heard these loud apes sounds. We couldn't see anything, but for all we knew the monkeys sounded huge. (Also you need to remember it is Halloween.) So we are paused in the forest and freaking out while we are constantly having false spotting's of these monkeys...then we see them. They are ahead in the trees,these black monkeys they must of known we were there and that is why they were making loud intimidating noises. Well, luckily we didn't have any confrontation with them and we were on our way.

Also, along our journey there where huge intricate trees and great views of the Matagalpa.

The owner of the property told use that we should take the Romantico trail to the Peter y Helen trail. He said that the Peter and Helen trial were named for the people who explored the trail and didn't return. Then he continues to ask our names and said that he might have 4 new trails if we don't come back. Could our Halloween get anymore scarier...

 After hiking the trails we headed into Matagalpa's city center for quick peak at this church we had spotted and then off to Managua.

Can't wait to go back!

Our Escape!

Well, on the weekend we have been escaping to the nearest hotel and it's pool for some sun and relaxation. Sometimes it's so nice to feel like you are on vacation!! Got to love it. Those who are reading this might be laughing because you think we are always on vacation. Well, we went to the Barcelo Hotel and it has a great pool to relax at all day at. We have done this twice since we have been here and would do it more often if we could.

Very artistic picture taken by Jeanne