For our last Nicaraguan adventure, the hubby and I had to choose between visiting as many of the Central American countries as we could on a week long bus trip or flying to the Corn Islands, a pair of islands off the coast of Nicaragua and on the edge of the Caribbean Sea. We chose Little Corn Island as our destination.

I was a little stressed out, as this was my first trip on the local airline, La Costena, but everything worked out …

The hubby and I ventured to Central America for the first time in August to visit Rebekah and her husband in Granada, Nicaragua. I was so excited to see them, and to see where they have been living for the past year and a half! We left super-early on a Friday morning and when we arrived in Granada, the first place we headed to was our hotel, the Hotel Con Corazon.  Our adorable little hotel had a pool, …

5:50am
I wake up, and after fifteen minutes of remembering my name and location, I put on glasses. Our patio comes into focus, and I can see the papaya growing in our neighbor’s yard. It’s Monday morning, but I definitely don’t have a case of the Mondays.

6:15am

I stumble out of bed and go grab a glass of water. I guzzle it as fast as I can. After saying good morning to my pets, I pull out my calendar to plan …

One of the best things about living in Nicaragua is the abundance of cheap fruits and vegetables. This entire group of veggies cost 155 Cordobas, or roughly $7. Here’s the breakdown:

Pineapple – $.90
Potatoes (7lbs) –  $2.54
Canteloupe – $.90
Onions – $.45
Cucumbers – $.45
Bananas – $.22
Carrots – $.63
Tomatoes – $.90 (we got the “gringo” price on that)

But here’s the real score…

Strawberries. Fresh, beautiful, red, smells like it came from the farm (via a bus from Costa Rica), real, live, strawberries. Where did …

Just in case you were sitting at your computer this morning saying “Hm, I wonder what kind of flowers grow on a volcano.” Here’s your answer. Nicaragua is this amazing lush gardening heaven. Everyone (even those living in metal shacks) has some sort of flower or tree growing in their patio. As a result, I have dozens of images of the various plants. I only know the name of two blooms. If you know the others, please leave it in the …

I wake up in the morning, slightly chilled by the mountain air. It is such a difference from Granada that I am immediately energized. I walk out to the porch. Jessica is already up and filling her journal with her thoughts. I smile and greet her, happy to be in company. I look over the porch wall, greeting the gardener with a groggy “Buenas.”

Our days are spent exploring camps and farms. Food is eaten, jokes are made. It’s a time …

Don’t hate me, but while the US is starting the long cold winter, I’m still wearing shorts and flip flops. The weather has been incredible lately, and we’ve taken advantage by traveling and seeing more of Nicaragua.

A few weeks ago, we traveled to the beautiful island of Ometepe, located in the middle of Lake Cocibolca. This lake is the largest lake in Central America and the 21st largest in the world. The island of Ometepe is large enough to take …

Hello EAD Readers! It’s been sooooo long since I’ve posted. As in, 2.5 months long. During that time, we have moved out of our apartment and into temporary housing, moved to Granada, set up our home, adjusted as much as we can to the heat, shipped one of our dogs, and attempted to learn the language and the culture.

Wow.

E has been patient while I figure out what I want to blog about and how much I want to show you …

We’re moving not once but twice in the next 30 days.

The first time will be this weekend to a friend’s house. She moved to the beach and is letting us stay (rent free!) in her house for the next month. Which includes access to her pool and extensive land with a lake (daily swims for the dogs!). This move requires separating everything we own into three categories:

Things we will take to Nicaragua
Things we will sell or donate – anything that …

I absolutely love Central America.  I’ve been to Honduras and Nicaragua, and hope to get to Costa Rica later this year. A friend who knows of my love sent over the article “Costa Rica Anyway You Want It” from the NYTimes and it confirmed my desire to travel there.

Photography by Michael Nagle.

Photography by Michael Nagle.

You can find the full slideshow here.

The article highlights the diversity of Costa Rica.  From upscale resorts to camping, rain forest to beach, ziplines to yoga, …