Catarina Lookout, some pottery on displayThe next morning we wake a gain and head back towards the South, with San Juan del Sur the final destination. En route though, we decide to stop in San Juan del Oriente (or Los Pueblos Blancos near Masaya). Here we walk amidst some of the local homes and neighborhoods to see how the hammocks and ceramics are made. It is amazing with the hammocks as the whole little neighborhood is involved in the process. One person spins the thread, another then weaves the body of the hammock, another creates the wood pieces to hold them up, and still another makes the decorative fringe on the side, and then one storefront is used to sell to the general public (like me, here I paid $15 for a seat hammock) or possibly exported as orders come.
Next we walk to a potter's home - where in back I am able to see the process from start to finish. The gal throws the pot (with material found and mized out of their local soil that they collect). Using a mechanical wheel, she uses one foot to spin the wheel while she throws it at a sort of stand up desk she uses. Next, it is etched, painted, shined, then baked, and the process takes 22 days for 1 piece from start to finish!
Next we go on to San Juan del Sur. Here we have lunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean. Our waiter is 14 years old and very courteous for his surprisingly young age. We walk around the little beach town for a while. Here you'll find little shops, surf stores, and discos, not to mention beautiful bay views. We then go to inspect some hotels, as well as visit Marsellas Beach, which is untouched and seemingly undeveloped. In a cove of its own, it is just welcoming anyone for a private stroll through the sand as well as a nice swim. Next we visit another hotel high on a cliff with breathtaking views overlooking Marsellas beach and the Pacific ocean. In this area, just one beach North one will find Maderas beach, with surfing and boogie boarding opportunities. To the South, one will find a wildlife refuge with turtles coming on shore to next in late summer through Fall. Sometimes on e can find the beach with thousands on it! This evening, again we head for the 2 hour drive back to Managua.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.