Ocean Playground.

  Playa Maderas, Nicaragua
Sunday, June 17, 2007

 

The watering hole.

At first light on June 16, 2007, we received a knock on the door from the security guard telling us it was time to pack up and leave the parking lot.  Rubbing our eyes and coming to, we were none to happy about our early awakening, however that was the deal we had struck.  We asked the guard about use of the bathrooms and he pointed us to a small shack in the middle of the parking lot.  Inside was the guard station complete with machetes and shotguns hanging on the wall.  Past the table and chairs sat a lone toilet in the corner of the room.  It was basic, but had all the essentials.  We also inquired about the shower that the guard had mentioned the day before, however we both passed on it when he pointed to the garden hose hanging on the wall.  The town was active with people and we just did not feel comfortable hosing off in front of hundreds of onlookers, besides we were headed to the beach with plenty of water to soak in.


Packed up, we got set to pull out of the parking lot, when once again we realized that 'Nilla was still plugged in to the wall.

One float parade.

Stopping abruptly, we pulled the cord, wrapped up the extension cord and were ready to vacate the parking lot for a second time.  Given the recent concern about our safety, we again hit the Internet Café to check in with the folks back home.  We had connected with our laptop, but for some strange reason, during our internet session, we lost the connection.  We have yet to figure out what went wrong, but assume that we now have some sort of computer virus.  We finished up a few more e-mails on a terminal at the Internet Café and as we were finishing, a random parade rolled down the street.  Geraldine ran outside with the camera to watch the one float parade roll down the road.  The float had a full band leading and another following, which in volume made the event seem much bigger than it was.

Knarled tree on road to Playa Maderas.

With numb fingers, we logged off the computer and jumped in 'Nilla anxious to get in some beach time.  We headed out of town with no map and very poor directions on how to reach Playa Majagual.  The dirt road off the highway snaked through the hills along the shore of the Pacific Ocean and we happily followed it waiting to reach a fork in the road.  It was only supposed to be a few kilometres down the road, however we had driven into double digits and realized something was amiss.  Again, we asked some locals for advice and were sent back in the direction we just came from.  We were now looking for a side street just past the first bridge.  Easy enough.  Down this side street we found the fork in the road that had been referenced in our earlier directions.  Back on track, we followed the narrow road under towering trees toward the ocean.  Nearing Playa Majagual we noticed a concrete wall surrounding the entire place and construction of some sort was in full swing.  We drove further and reached Playa Maderas.  The road reached a dead-end next to Camping Matilda's and we stopped in to enquire about camping.  The owner explained that he had no place for us to park, however across the way Casa Maderas had ample room.  We also learned that all the land in front of Playa Majagual had recently been sold and the new owner shut down the other camping place and is developing the land into a gated community of residential vacation homes.  The only access to the beach now is along a small path next to the security wall that is built around the land.

Our perfect spot.

We walked over to Casa Maderas and the security guard agreed to let us camp and have access to electricity, a bathroom and a shower in one of the cabanas.  This was on condition that the units did not get rented while we stayed there.  The guard had no idea how much camping would be, but figured it would be reasonable, so we pulled 'Nilla up and parked.  We were literally steps from the beach and could not have asked for a better spot.  The inviting sun was shining bright and we spent the entire afternoon under its rays rotating between sitting on our beach towel to playing in the surf.  Just what we needed.

Action monkey.

When the sun started to fade, we hit the van to rejuvenate our bodies with some much needed water.  Michael prepared a massive pot of goulash, while Geraldine busily worked on getting some journal updates done.  Geraldine only managed to get a few paragraphs typed as Michael's constant interruptions made it  difficult for her to get anything done.  Michael decided to antagonize her by commenting on her lack of progress in an effort to motivate her, however this tactic backfired.  As dinner simmered, we had a knock at the door.  The security guard had come to get us to see the family of howler monkeys that had gathered  in the trees above our van.  The monkeys were so active it was difficult to get a good look at them as they constantly ran back and forth along the branches and even jumped form tree to tree.  Amazing experience to have right at camp.


The darkness brought with it a driving rain that did not let up all night.  We have now officially started to see the start of rainy season in Central America and it sure is wet.  The group of travelers that set up hammocks in the trees had now run for cover under the covered patio at Casa Maderas.  Stringing their hammocks from the poles in front of the cabanas, this would become their new home for the night.  Exhausted from the sun exposure and physical exertion, we settled in for an early night.


A baby blue sky and a blazing sun was the perfect sight to wake up to on June 17, 2007.  We decided to walk across the beach to the second bay of Playa Maderas.  The sand had not yet heated up and still had enough moisture to make in cool under our feet.  The tide was halfway out and there was ample sand and exposed rock to walk on in order to round the point.  The second bay is filled with surfers as the waves roll perfectly into shore.  There is not much for accommodations on that side except a run down shack with basic rooms.  There was also a restaurant that had decent prices given how remote the place was.


On the way back to our perfect location for more beach time, we passed a sign that offered surf lessons through a place called The Hide-Out.  Michael has been eyeing these types of signs ever since we got into Mexico, however had yet to take anyone up on their offer.  Today just might be the day.

Surfing is neat!

We headed up the steep narrow cut in the rocks to the Hide-Out.  As we walked, the nearby crabs hustled to get out of our way and scurried into the dense foliage that lined the path.  It almost felt as if we should have been wearing rain gear as the sounds of the little crabs scampering about were those of raindrops.  The proprietor of The Hide-Out, Dave, was in the kitchen when we reached the top of the path and greeted us with a solid "Hello."  Upon questioning the man, we found out that Crazy Dave was an ex-pro surfer from California.  This sounded promising as who better to get lessons from.  The price of a lesson and all day board rental was fair, and we continued to ask when the best time would be to set up a lesson.  Immediately we were told to show up at high tide in the morning.  Great.  What time does the tide come in, we asked.  Oh it comes in an hour later every morning, was the reply.  Okay...so what time did the tide come in this morning we inquired.  We were told 5:00 am and finally we felt like the past five minutes had not been a complete waste of time and breath alike.  We thanked Dave for his helpfulness and advised him that we would think about it and get back to him.  Not more than 15 feet back down the path, Michael stated that he was not completely sold on hiring the services of Crazy Dave.

Nothin´ but beach time.

Back at our little strip of paradise, we had a quick lunch before resuming our place on the beach directly underneath the suns rays.  While working on a crossword puzzle, we were approached by a young lad who was intrigued with our Alberta tire cover.  We soon found out that Brennan, a fellow Canadian from Victoria, had been offered free room and board by Crazy Dave at The Hide-Out in exchange for construction assistance in completing his Bed & Breakfast.  Brennan had taken Dave up on the offer and had several amusing stories to tell.  Sounds like Crazy Dave was quite the character, but Michael still chose to pass on the lessons.


A short while later, a Ford Escort rolled into the parking lot of Casa Maderas and three men and one woman jumped out.  Immediately, we were attracted to the newcomers as they were sporting a British Columbia license plate.  Chris, Rueben, Wisse and their female friend were originally from Holland and had flown to Vancouver to start their journey of the Americas.  From there they had purchased a worn down Ford Escort for $400.  Piling into the Escort, they had followed a similar route to ours and ended up next to us in Nicaragua.  What a small world it can be sometimes.  As beat up as their little car looked, they claimed to have had no mechanical problems thus far.  They had encountered a few other issues, however nothing they could not live with.  Firstly, their drivers side window was now made out of plastic as someone in Antigua, Guatemala had decided to break it for them.  Secondly, their rear driver's side shock had blown directly through the wheel well and ended up behind the head rest of the rear seat.  Apparently, the car still worked fine in that state, so they had not bothered to repair it.  We wondered how they were ever going to make it back to Canada in that car, and they advised us that they were planning on selling the car in Panama and flying to Buenos Aires.  What an interesting crew.  They continued unpacking and we returned to sunbathing and playing Frisbee along the shore.


As it neared dinnertime, hunger got the better of us and we headed to the van.  We had just finished eating when we looked outside and saw the sun was retiring for the evening and leaving behind it a palate of colours.  We jumped out of the van and quickly walked the narrow path around the point to Playa Majagual.  We made it just in time to catch a wink of the sun before it was swallowed up by the water and rocky point in the distance.  Knowing that there would be another sunset tomorrow, we walked back to Casa Maderas.


The Holland Connection had set up a table and chairs and were in the throws of a card game when we arrived back home.  They had seen us depart in haste and enquired if we had made it on time to catch the sunset.  When we explained that we had missed it by a hair, Rueben informed us that they had watched two sunsets from their perch at Casa Maderas.  Apparently there were two suns in the sky and they had set directly opposite each other.  To this point we had not heard anything about two suns, and although Rueben was adamant about what he had seen, we were sceptical.  As we excused ourselves from Two Sun Rueben, we met up with the security guard.  He asked us if we had any interest in seeing Sea Turtles and we both replied with an affirmative answer.  The guard said he would come knock on our door when the turtles came in and would take us to the beach to see them.  We retired to the van and passed the time reading, working on crosswords and typing journal entries.  Somewhere along the way we both fell asleep and neither one of us heard a knock on the door.


Geraldine awoke with extra energy on June 18, 2007 and decided to strap on her sneakers and hit the soaking wet dirt roads for a morning jog.  She returned about 30 minutes later, muddy, sweaty and partially exhausted, but good on her for getting in some exercise.  Showered up, we bid farewell to the Holland Connection.  They had to take off back to Granada as they had all handed in their passports in a hostel and had forgotten to retrieve them when checking out.  We laughed.


Michael had a productive morning hammering away at the keyboard and getting caught up on our journal. 

Playa Maderas.

Geraldine earned a much needed rest from her run and spent the entire morning sunbathing and moving very little.  After lunch, Geraldine headed right back out the beach, while Michael decided to follow the routine of locals and catch a siesta.  Refreshed, he later joined Geraldine on the beach for another rousing round of Frisbee and swimming in the ocean.  The ocean at Playa Maderas is fairly shallow and we generally only go out waist deep as the pounding waves and strong currents can be intense.  At one point we had gone out a bit too far and when the water level rose to about chest height, we headed back for shore.  Just as we reached the comfort zone of waist deep water a wave broke right on our backs and sent Geraldine twisting and twirling forward.  When the bubbles settled and she stood up, she complained of an instant headache, which was likely due to the few litres of salt water that was forced up her nose.  We called an end to the swimming day, however salt water continued to drip out her nose for the remainder of the day.

Skipping rocks.

Getting back to the van as the sun was starting to head behind the hills, we rushed to get ready.  Not wanting to be late for another sunset, we packed up our beach chairs, a bottle of wine and a bag of peanuts to head over to Playa Majagual.  We arrived at the beach just in time to watch the sun sit atop the horizon like a shining dome over the edge of the world.

Two Canadians enjoying a Nicaraguan sunset.

Time seemed to stand still as the sun sat in the distance.  Like children, we skipped rocks into the waves breaking on shore.  We even scratched our initials in the sand just to watch the water roll over them and roll away leaving only a faint trace.  As the sun rounded the point and continued to be swallowed up by the horizon, it left a dotted path of reflected light back to the coast.  With wine in hand we toasted each other and all our blessings as we watched the sun go to bed for the night.  Once the sun was entirely out of sight, we waited patiently for the resplendent swipes of pink, orange and yellow to light up the clouds like they were brush strokes purposefully placed on a canvass scene.  It was remarkable to watch the royal blue night sky enter from the east and take over like a powerful advancing army.  We waited for the final advancement, which was when night consumed the sky and all we had left to stare out into was darkness.

Breathtaking.

We had not formally had dinner and were both a bit peckish and decided to check the pricing for a plate of fish at the beach front food shack.  A full dinner that usually fills up the two of us was only $3, so we decided to try it.  Just as the plate of fish was dropped in front of us, a gathering people along the beach started to form a semicircle around the east side of the shack.  A church service was forming right in front of us.  The crowd began singing with the accompaniment of background music from a CD player.  Geraldine recognized some of the tunes and started to sing along, even though she was the only one using the English words.  One of the men conducting the service spotted her clapping her hands and bopping her head to the music and he called her over to join the circle.  Leaping to her feet, a cloud of sand dust was all she left behind.  Geraldine enjoyed herself while Michael kept himself entertained as a spectator.  After the service, we finished our dinner and then headed back to 'Nilla for the night.

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