Bye-Bye Grenada, Hola San Juan del Sur.....

I think I feel guilty about this. We are in a HUGE resort, high above the ocean, built by an North American ballet dancer from San Francisco. Go figure. Three pools (we just returned from a late swim in the infinity pool overlooking the ocean and the small fishing village, reminiscent of Puerto Vallarta in the 70's. It's all that I really don't care for in an underdeveloped country vis-a-vis wealthy tourists swarming in and changing the culture and investment structure, and boy is it great. Wonderful food, big huge safe salads, and we three are sharing a house meant for long-term stay, with three bedrooms, three completely tiled baths, three CNN TV's, and Wi-Fi. People in Santa Fe would love to live here. LOOKS like Santa Fe detailing, actually. All the trim, towel racks, counter tops, chairs, etc. looks like they are made in a carpentry shop on site, using a local wood. Don't know which wood, but it's teak-ish. We found a coupon in a paper for 25% off (will I EVER change?) , so we are each paying about $60 a night. It would rent in the States for about $1000 a nite. What can I say. San Juan del Sur is 1.5 hours by fast cab from Granada. And this is not even the good beach area. Many foreign investors here, I have several friends who have purchased beach front property. Values seem to double in four years. Or at least they did. Good luck Barack.

It was actually a strenuous week, mostly due to the climate at this time of the year. Sticky, sweaty, wet, and exhausting. Thankfully, our lodging was terrific. Too bad only a few of us had A/C, I felt pretty lucky. It turned out not to be a photo workshop, more of a photo tour, sort of. That was OK, but I felt an opportunity was missed all the way around. Would I return? Sure, maybe for a long week-end.

Anyway, off to Guatemala tomorrow to meet Beverley. Hooray. Time for a change of scenery, although travel with my two current companions is swell. We have been together in Peru, Africa and Seattle at various times.

One Pueblo Blanco among many

It's too damn hot here, our only real complaint. Three or four showers a day....and you try not to move too much after your shower. I leave my hair wet, hoping to catch a breeze. The People: they are incredibly friendly, even-keeled, and good natured. Tourism hasn't soured them to us yet, because there really isn't any tourism, just a large group of ex-pats, as mentioned, who live here full- or part-time. The Spanish takes some getting used to: 'mah' = 'mas' (more) . Very nasal, dropping ends off of words, and running it all together to create a huge, long single mysterious word. And as there is no tourism to speak of, there is nothing for a tourist to shop for, with the exception of wonderful hammocks, wooden rocking chairs and large pots, none of which seem to fit into my suitcase. Many people using horses and carts, oxen, bikes. Not uncommon to see 20 or horse drawn carts just in one morning.

We visited a pottery town yesterday, in Los Pueblos Blancos, called Catarina, and saw the pottery workshop of a well-known artist, who had a more modernist take on the craft. Also lunched lakeside at a lake in a volcanic crater lake, and later, viewed the area from above where there is a view park, musicians, and restaurants. Almost COLD when the winds came up. Nice day.

It's political season here too, with yesterday being the cut off day for all parades and public political events,complete with loudspeakers at full blast playing the FSLN (the Sandindista Liberation folks) theme song, John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance, in Spanish. Mayoral elections will be held on the 9th. I haven't had the courage to try to understand their politics yet; dealing with our own situation just about took it all out of me! (Uploaded image with curvy white balcony, and early morning bus is taken from my room at 5:30 am.)