San Juan del Sur and the Pitaya Festival

There were some beautiful sunsets around San Juan

  After our travels in Granada and Omotepe we were looking forward toward being back on the coast.  A chance meeting in Granada with a musician named Matty Powell helped to fuel this anticipation. It turned out he was one of the organizers and performers for the Earthship Pitaya Festival in San Juan which was slated to begin on the 19th of February.

Matty, Gavin and Mitch Jammin' after the surf contest

San Juan del Sur is one of the biggest tourist locations in Nicaragua because of it's enviable location.  Though the beach at San Juan itself is nice, it's the beaches North and South of town that are the real attractions.  Beautiful and secluded beaches make for great day trips and there are some incredible surf spots around as well.

Lene playing in the sunset

 There are no high rises along the horseshoe shaped beach of San Juan and many of the waterfront bars keep a cool, relaxed feel.  We checked into the wonderful Rebecca's Inn which let us come and go as we pleased and gave us access to a kitchen.  Even though Lene and I aren't great cooks it is nice to have a few things around to at least make snacks.  In touristy places like San Juan the food prices are a little higher as well so we can save money by making our own.

Catching a wave during the contest.

The Pitaya festival had quite a few events leading up to it including a surf festival at the beautiful Playa Hermosa.  Many of the beaches around San Juan are renowned for their waves and people are just starting to take advantage of them.  The owners of Playa Hermosa have put in a restaurant and are building some dorms just off the beach.  Otherwise the beach is completely unspoiled and there are no other buildings in sight.  We got there early in the morning and stayed all day watching the competition in between swimming and lounging on the sand.  The festival closed with a jam session on the beach between a few of the musicians playing in the festival.  It was a great way to end the day; watching a beautiful sunset while listening (and dancing) to good music.

Dancing

We took it easy that night in preparation for the festival the next day.  The festival was being held in a field outside a sustainable home called the Earth Ship.  Built from things like old tires and glass bottles and equipped with solar panels on the roof the building works towards being as low impact on the world as possible.  They brought bands from all over Central America (and Canada) to play and the music varied from Reggae to Indie rock.  There were vendors all over the place selling cheap food and drinks and all told some 3000 people came out.  This is only the third year they've done the festival and there were a couple hiccups as a result but overall it was an incredible experience.  I'm sure the festival will continue to grow over the years and I hope that I can come back and check it out one day.

Fire spinners infront of the stage at the Pitaya Festival

After our time in San Juan, Lene and I headed for Managua where she was flying out from.  I'm now in Leon after a brief stop in Esteli and I'll be taking two weeks of Spanish classes before heading back to the states myself.  Hopefully I'll be able to kick my Spanish up another notch before I go and keep practicing it once I'm gone.

The beautiful and secluded Playa Coco

I'll see about getting some pictures up but for now you'll have to be satisfied with what's on Facebook since I don't have a cable to connect my camera to a computer.

Edit: Photos up

Big dogs

If you ever feel like traveling on a budget there are a few things to be aware of; some of these are fairly obvious (such as only eat at a cheap restaurant if other locals are there) while others can be a little more surprising.  One of these surprises is the numerous animals you'll find living in the hostels you stay in.  It is not uncommon for there to be at least two dogs in a given hostel and often a cat as well.  If you are allergic or scared of dogs this can obviously be a problem; especially when some of the dogs are absolutely enormous.

Hector and his ever present drool.

 At our hostel in San Juan del Sur we met a wonderful dog named Hector who, at just a year old, still has some growing to do to catch up with his giant head.  Heacts like an enormous baby and we had a great time playing in the back courtyard with him (even though Lene could never get him to fetch).   However, Hector was dwarfed by the next dog we met, Lugs.

I wanted to compare my head with Lugs'.

After San Juan del Sur we went to an incredibly beautiful beach called Playa del Coco.  Lugs, brought from Canada by his owners, is one of the largest dogs I've ever come across.  He used to top out at just over 150lbs but I guess the Nicaraguan diet has given him some trouble so he's fallen to a slimmer 130lbs.  Also a big sweetheart, Lugs wasn't quite as interested in playing as Hector was but he did like to cuddle up on the couch even though his skull is the size of most lap dogs. 

 

Lugs cuddling on the couch with Lene

I love staying in hostels with dogs and cats as it usually gives them a more comfortable, homey feeling.  If you are traveling by hostel though, be prepared to run into gentle giants like these, as they aren't the first I've seen while traveling, just the first I've taken pictures of.