*N* is for Nicaragua (and New Journey's)
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When you say the word "Nicaragua"--it's so funny to see peoples reactions. They think--lawless, war, poverty, crime, etc...which is part of the reason I chose Nicaragua and Little Corn Island as the destination for the show I did for The Travel Channel (Craving Adventure). The country as a whole had always been on my MST list and when I got the chance to go for free---well....Little Corn Island is just this little speck in the middle of the ocean, but whats funny about it is that people (meaning expats) have found it and they have thrived there--they've built affordable eco-hotels (like, Casa Iguana, the one me and my crew stayed at while filming); they've tossed up hammocks and created entire camps around them; they've started up PADI dive shops; they've slung up patchwork homes on the beach and just started cooking and then entire "in-the-know" restaurants were born. The people on this island--the real ones who stay and call it home--were/and still are pioneers and the very fact that they made it on such tough grounds is beyond impressive to me.I guess no true hideaway stays in hiding for long and I've been thinking a ton about all the places I seem to continually go back to--places like Baja, Bali and Mexico. Places I long to go back to--like Africa, Greece and Italy. And, the places I might never go back to...well, never say never...Jeez, and what about the places I've never been? The list is just so long...Anyway, I guess what I'd like to do in the future (like starting today) is to try new things. I know I always seem to be doing so...but really, I am thinking I might just be a creature of comfort--with my local Chicago haunts, with my adorable hotel on the beach in Candidasa, with my speck of sand at a particular curve in Baja, with my favorite room at Casa Ixchel on Isla Mujeres....just across the board, I like to go to a destination I have a routine at. Even if it's just eating coconut shrimp at a particular place or chowing on nasi goreng at a certain stall...it just makes me happy to go back to places and see that somehow, somewhere...something is the same. Maybe because things change so much in my every day existence, these little bits of sameness keep me content.So, how does one break away from those warm, ever-so-familiar arms of knowing and familiarity? Dunno. I guess I just have to cross some new lines and examine the unfamiliar...see what I am made of...and just how far I can go. That in itself is a journey. The exciting, take-your-breath-away kind.But, first I gotta go back to Bali. I mean, my God....have you been? It's just epic. So, after Bali, and my late summer haul through all my fave spots in Mexico (come on--I gotta have a beer at Casanova in San Miguel de Allende and shoot the shizz with Miguel and Jorge at Casa Ixchel on Isla Mujeres)...well, then...I will hit up all new territory. I promise. And, also, while I am in Bali I will finally TREK A FRIGGIN' VOLCANO. Done and done. That will be new. I've done some babies, but I wanna do Mt. Rinjani on Lombok.And, as for Nicaragua. I love that country. I love the sunny people, the amazing street food, the sparkling waters, the primo snorkeling, the hard-core cuba libres and all that was on Little Corn Island--especially the laidback vibe at Casa Iguana, with their killer mojitos, their jaw-dropping views from little rough and tumble casitas, their solar showers, their communal dinners, their curious guests...all of it. But, this time when I bum-rush through Nica, perhaps I will stick to the mountains. Well, maybe....that's the thing, you just never know what's gonna call your name... |
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