BinTang and Bali

"Kuta, Bali, This place is out of control" should be the slogan.  We arrived Thursday afternoon and after an hour getting through customs we got in our cab to find our place to stay.  It is a gong show of people, scooters, cars and more scooters.  My best comparison would be like Tamarindo, but on steroids.  Instead of Cali ex-pats it is tons of Aussies.  It is fun to be in the atmosphere but we are soon going to head out of Kuta to other regions of Bali.

I purchased my new baby (used) the first night we arrived.  Shopping with BinTang in hand makes the experience so much better.  I purchased (for those interest) a 6'0" round tail DHD short board and it is bright and flashy. I have only had one truly good session, which was Sunday at Uluwatu.  Friday and Saturday and Monday was at Kuta beach break.  Each day progressively getting better but smaller.  Everyone has been catching waves and having fun which is all that matters.

Uluwatu's on the other hand was a me wave.  There is a cave you have to paddle through which then the current takes over and sucks you out.  There are a few peaks down the cliff face and it is very crowded.  I don't necessarily enjoy crowds as it gets hard to catch waves especially when it is a new place, bigger waves, and reef underneath.  I made my way out to Temples the farthest wave down and got a little room to work my magic. Epic and the board works great.

Yesterday I rented a scooter to go visit some other beaches in the early morning.  What a great way to see the island.  I got lost which meant I got to see more of the island. Unscathed found the beach I was looking for and then eventually made my way back.  Rented a long board which I will never do again and surfed with the girls.  I saw Laura catch one of her best waves.

General comments so far.
Balinese people are nicer than Canadians and they say sorry more than us.
Burritos at Mojo's are worth the trip to Bali
When you are on the side walk, watch out for scooters.
Everything is cheap - scooter for the day 5$, meals 1 to 5$, tank tops 2$.

Last But Not Least
2:30am games are worth it to watch ARGENTINA make it to the quarter finals!!!!

GO ARGENTINA GO !!!!!!!

Padang Padang

Walk down to Padang Padang

Uluwatu

One must stay trendy when wiping

Me paddling out after the cave

"Massagi Massagi"

Every country or region has its thing.  Certain cities have words that are engraved in my mind.  "Taxi, Taxi - Avellanas, Playa Grande" comes to mind.  Here in Hong Kong a guy in jeans and t-shirt 90% of the time East Indian "Taylor, very nice suit, shirts, sir, sir, taylor very very nice".  Then there is the guy without a watch "watches, impersonation watches, hand bags, copies, very very nice".  But my favorite to date was on the elevator where an Chinese woman of the oldest profession (at least she looked like it) looks at me smiles and says "massagi massagi"  I don't think massagi meant massage.

Hong Kong is basically over for us.  We leave early in the AM to get back to the ocean.  High light would be going out with Laura's (not my girlfriend) family friends who spoiled us all.  We are all very thankful for what they did for us as they did not have to go out of their way to feed and tour around some surf bums.  First was dinning at one of the best Chinese restaurants in HK where we ate jellyfish amongst other things.  Then a few days ago we went for a day of sailing.  A 64' custom made yacht, two masts, more sails and space than one could imagine.  It had one full time crew member and then us giving a hand.  Coming to HK with no expectations has turned out to be a lot of fun.  We sailed from 8:30 am until 2pm where we ate amazing lunch then motored back and had some drinks on the boat where we arrived back at the club at 7pm.  Money does buy happiness.

Light Show

Wine, cheese, bread and light show

Palate change

Nicaragua is complete and we feel satisfied. The last week there was spent with Laura's aunt on the Corn Islands and Managua. We all agree that the Corn Islands are beautiful and Managua is a dump. We spent a total of four days in Managua but three of them were shacked up in their nicest hotel where A/C, hot water, king size bed and clean towels awaited. I went outside for no more than an hour in-total during that time.

The Corn Islands are a paradise on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua. It takes a little effort to get there and is not suited for all. The easiest way is taking a twelve seater plane from Managua to Big Corn. Then you get into a Panga Boat for 45 minutes to Little Corn in open ocean with no life jackets and the only thing keeping you alive is either your God or the 14 year old driving the boat. On the islands the people are Creole and the food is lobster. Very nice people and delicious lobster which just came into season. We lounged around eating great food, playing games (mostly yahtzee) and enjoying some drinks oceanside. The rain kept us inside quite a bit but constant breezes and good company can be all one needs.

On June 15^th Laura and I packed our bags and headed to Managua International, then Miami International, then LAX, equaling flight time of 25hrs, also losing a day, we arrived in Hong Kong minus my backpack.  To say HK is polar opposite to Nicaragua is an understatement. The only creepy thing was there was nobody around when we showed up. The subway was empty and so were the streets. It was out of a sci-fi movie. That soon all changed once we got closer to business hours.  My first impressions of Hong Kong is big, bright, a little crazy, but very well organized. 

We are now five as we have met up with Laura's sister (Kristen) and two friends (Nicole and Laura). We've wondered around and eaten a lot of food. Friday was Disney Land, which was great to see all the family peace signs. The lines were surprisingly short, the noises we heard while riding Space Mountain were hilarious and the family outfits, well, you can only imagine! Today we took a cable car ride up to the top of a mountain where we went to see a giant Buddha. It's supposedly the largest Buddha in the world - very impressive. 

So far Hong Kong has been a nice stopover before we get back to the beach life which is only a few days away.  I think HK would be a better trip on business or with a little more bank roll. If you like big bustling cities this is it.

So with Nicaragua in the past I should answer some questions. Would I go back? Definitely for surf. I think it's safe to say that Laura and I saw all that could be offered in Nicaragua as far as sightseeing goes. Would I have changed anything? Possibly going to El Salvador or cutting out Ometepe now knowing about the bugs but no regrets. Would I recommend it? Yes if cheap, fun, unorganized, and developing tourism is your bag. No if you like the comforts of home, even though there are nice resorts you still have to get around and that can be a challenge.   

Not only is the happy face eating a sad and surprised hamburger, it is also eating the burgers tears

One reason to leave

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Ometepe exit-us

Ometepe - an island paradise and jewel of Nicaragua.  Also home to a billion little flies (chayules) that come out a handful of times a year and stick around until they die or it rains.  We did not stay long enough to complete the study of their demise.  I was going to reference something biblical about plagues, fleas and locusts, but I doubt our infestation was as bad as one of the plagues.  However, it did make us leave, along with a few others, "Let my people go".  We packed our bags and caught the first ferry out.  

That's not sand haze, it's the flies

We arrived Saturday, as mentioned in the last blog, after a trip which took us seven hours to go about 100 km in distance.  The buses are cheap (like 2$ for the both of us compared to a $40 cab) but can be well more than double the time in travel.  So Saturday on the island we relaxed and decided to do the same Sunday.  Monday was meant to be the big day for us to see it all but Sunday afternoon the bugs arrived.  It was neat for the first hour but when there was a drunk guy passed out and covered with a couple thousand and the sun set, and they continued and continued, we got fed up.  Morning came, (thankfully we had our bug net during the night) we packed our bags and took off a day early.  The travel back to Granada was smooth except that my fever was peaking which I had been nursing for a few days with beer, rum and cigars.  One night in Granada to regain my health and we are now in Managua waiting for our flight to the Corn Islands. 

We took the boat in the front

My kind of Eco-Lodge - A/C and Hot Water

Quit monkeying around

The battle of two cities, Leon vs Granada. Through my basic Lonely Planet history of Nicaragua, these two cities have always had a rivalry. Politically, artistically, economically, etc. Either one was meant to be the capital city but instead, as some odd compromise, Managua was awarded the title. Now, to the average tourist, which city is better depends on what you like. We left Leon after seven days or so and felt content and accomplished. Food great, accommodation great, people great. Then we took a trip to Granada which many if not everyone we met on our trip said was nicer.

First impression of Granada is that it is very colourful. All the buildings are painted bright colours, horse-drawn carriages everywhere and people bustling. It was a nice vibe. We found our place which was next to the locals market. It is the sister hostel to Lazy Bones where we stayed in Leon. It was called Oasis which was not as laid back and a little more traveled but still cozy and nice. Unloaded our stuff and off to get some food where we realized we are back in the tourist plague. Everywhere we went, “Taxi, Taxi”, sunglasses for sale and little arts and crafts. The food is back to Costa expensive and people constantly trying to rip you off. At least when someone tries to scam you here it is for at most 2$.

So Leon vs Granada - I would say I enjoyed Leon more for the atmosphere but Granada is more picturesque. We spent our first day walking around and checking out the sites. Second day we went for a four hour kayak though the islets of Granada on Lake Nicaragua. The islets are a group of over 360 small islands that were formed thousands of years ago when a volcanic erupted. Many of the islands are occupied by local families, others with nice houses from rich Nicaraguans or ex-pats. Beautiful scenery and going by kayak instead of boat meant we could go into hidden places and see more wildlife. Our guide showed us some interesting stuff and we ended up at a monkey island. As we arrived you could see them swinging from the branches and playing around. We pulled up to the rocks and hand-fed them some fruits and orchids that we had picked. Very cool and definitely made the expensive excursion worth it.

VIDEO

Monkey 1

Monkey 2

Monkey 3

Thursday was our journey to Masaya which is essentially a market town. We got dropped off in the 'new market' which took us by surprise. It wasn't what we pictured at all. Totally unorganized, dirty and more or less mayhem.  We managed to weasel our way through the market jungle of people and unscathed, walked to the old market where it is all arts and crafts. It was interesting to see how they do business.  I would get quoted a price, then without saying a word, they would say "well...we could sell it for a special price and give you a discount".  One woman said three bucks for something and as I was reaching inside my wallet to give her the money, she dropped the price by fifty cents.  Laura and I purchased our first souvenir of the trip, an abstract painting by a local artist. It shall be displayed once we have a fixed address that is not a storage unit or our parents house.

Friday was going to be a hike up a volcano but it was raining so we went to the gym and then got a massage. I think they weren't RMT's when my masseuse climbed onto me and crawled up my legs and back. I don't get massages very often so I was relaxed and content. Laura, a seasoned veteran on the table, said laughingly that “this was the worst”. We compared notes and we got the exact same treatment. If I had a camera there would be a picture of some Nicaraguan lady kneeling on Laura's back. Did I forget to mention that 'her' lady was possibly 65!

Count down to Bali has commenced in my mind as I am starting to get the itch to get back in the water and the swell has been pumping there. We are currently on Ometepe Island after a six hour journey of wrong information (there is no Saturday ferry from Granada anymore), buses, taxis and ferries. We are hanging out here until Tuesday where we will make our way to Managua for the night, meet up with Laura's Aunt Ann and fly off to the Corn Islands.

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Another day another dollar made on the bus

  

"Don't even think about touching my Tip Top Chicken"