Nicaragua

I have changed the name of my surf tour company, and it has a new look. I am in the process of improving my ranking on Google and Yahoo, so if you get some time, I would LOVE it if you would search for my site in those programs. If not, just click on the links below and it will help with my traffic.

Not been traveling much, but I will update my blog when I actually do some traveling. I have almost a grand of printed materials coming my way at the end of the week. Once I have them in hand, I plan to put Desperado back on the truck and head down to Costa Rica and Panama, and then finally back up to El Salvador to distribute the materials.

Thanks for the visit...Nicolas

Surf Tours Nicaragua provides tours of the uncrowded surf in northern Nicaragua, where there are over 25 surf spots within striking distance of our base camp in Leon. The north coast is relatively undiscovered, and thus provides an opportunity for surfers to experience what surfing in Central America was like 20 or 30 years ago.

With Surf Tours Nicaragua </a>, you get the “local knowledge” that will allow you to consistently score good, uncrowded surf. We get you access to a number of different surf spots that otherwise would be prohibitively difficult to access on your own. If you would like to surf waves that few have surfed and would like to check out what the north Pacific coast of Nicaragua has to offer, start by checking out some killer photos , then head over and check out our packages at the Deal . Finally, get in touch with us for reservations and information . We hope you can come spend a week with us that may change your life.

I forgot that my focus now is on my new surf tour company called Da'le Pues Surf Tours. Da'le Pues means: Let's Go in Spanish. Check out my temporary website at:

http://www.dalepuessurftours.com

and send me some clients so that I can continue this adventure!!!

Much love,

Nico

After almost 2 months in Nicaragua (wow, I can't believe that...time flies when you're having fun) living on the beach, surfing, relaxing, and looking for new opportunities, the time has finally arrived for me to return to the US for a bit. My sister, Annie, and my good friends Mim and Jegan are having weddings in early September, so I am off to hang with the fam and friends in Oregon for a few weeks.

Lots of things here in Nica have been moving along quickly. Over the course of the past couple of weeks, a number of opportunities have fallen in my lap, some of which I have jumped at, and others I have had to turn down. Didn't I say that Nicaragua is the "land of opportunties?"

First, I finally came up with a winning idea for a business here in Nicaragua...and of course, it involves my new found love of surfing! I am in the process of developing a surf tour company here called <a href="http://www.dalepuessurftours.com">DA'LE PUES SURF TOURS</a> that I hope to get off the ground in the coming months up on my return. Follow the link above to see what its all about. As well, I have taken over a magazine that a buddy of mine has been producing for the past 6 months here in Leon. Harry his heading back to England, and his business partner Adam wants out of the mag, so over the course of the next few months, I am going to take it over and see what I can make of it. It is far from a money-making proposition, but something that will keep me busy and that I can enjoy...hopefully!

I have been offered three managerial positions as well, all of which I was forced to turn down, as I want to put my energy into the other ventures that I have taken on. One was a hostel manager here in Leon, and the other two are managerial positions for two different surf camps north of here. Although they are all good opportunities, and things that I might consider for the future, I really want to put a ton of effort and time into <a href="http://www.dalepuessurftours.com">Da'le Pues</a> and LeonEazy to see if I can make them successful ventures.

I have been surfing a ton, of course, chillin' with McKenzie, relaxing in my hammock, and getting in touch with the community here in my spare time. Things are going so well that it is scary at times!

All for now. More from the US in a while.

Nico (my Nica name!)

One night at Olla Quemada, another at Tortuga Booluda to celebrate La Dia de la Revolucion...another couple at the Tortuga, and I was more than tired of Leon and ready for a bit of beach time. Luckily, Josue and I made it out to the beach most mornings for a surf, so that kept me sane.

After a few nights at the beach with Josue, Olin, Ofelia, Bridgit, and a few other friends, everyone departed except me. With Josue's emphatic blessing, I decided to stay on in Poneloya/Las Peñitas for a while. Turned out that I stayed longer than just a while!

With Nicaraguan surfing buddies on the horizon in the brother's Lenin and Rafael from Las Penitas, better waves than I expected, and a beautiful house to stay in compliments of Josue, I decided that I had better stay on for a bit to see what I might discover.

I was able to take the camper off the truck and leave it in Josue's driveway, so that gave me the freedom to move about unimpeded by Desperado. I surfed the break at Penitas almost everyday, and got to know the local kids there better with each day surfing. Other than that, my days were spent reading, writing, engaged in a war with bats, swinging in my hammock, walking the beach with McKenzie, and just basically chilling out!

I spent one night in Puerto Sandino hangin' with my friend Jlili, who was nice enough to put me up in her family's hotel there. I only had a short session at Punta Miramar, as the waves were SUPER heavy, and breaking over a reef that was intent on drowning me!!!

I got down the road toward Popoyo and the competition early the following morning.

I made it to Popoyo after a rough travel day, but was VERY excited at what I saw when I arrived. The swell picked up quite a bit over the day before, and the crowds for the competition had not yet filled in. I connected up with the brother's Rafael and Lenin from Las Peñitas, and their friend (and Josue's) Bridgit, and we surfed the beach break at Popoyo and LOVED it!

I stayed for the next couple of nights at my buddy Chip's place in Las Salinas, about a 20 minute, grueling drive from the breaks. Samir, Chip's pseudo son and his girlfriend, Ashley, were there chilling, getting ready for the competition. Samir's preparations paid off, as he won the competition for the Nicaraguan Nationals! Nice work, buddy.

After a hard night of partying on Saturday with Lenin and another buddy of the brothers, I had to get up early on Sunday to head to the CR border as my vehicle permit expired that day, and I needed another one. The drive in the morning was a killer, especially with a lasting hang-over, not to mention the time and frustration of the border!

Although it cost me a fortune and the better part of the day, I was able to cross the border of CR and return the same day with a new vehicle permit in hand lasting for the next 30 days.

I was disappointed to only get 30 days, not 90 that I thought I would get by heading to the CR border, but I was happy to have done the process in one day, rather than having to stay in CR for 3 days, which is mandated by Nicaraguan customs and aduana.

I headed into SJDS after hitting the border, and was not disappointed by this shithole, once again. I had a hell of a time finding a place to stay where they would accept Kenzie, as they were afraid of her infecting their houses with fleas (more likely that their houses infected her), and ended up staying in a TERRIBLE room that cost me more than I wanted to pay for such luxury.

I did get a chance to surf Playa Maderas in the morning on my way north, which was fun, although it definitely left something to be desired in the waves. Good experience nonetheless, as I hadn't surfed there since I actually am able to surf, finally!

After my lovely night in SJDS and my night of partying in Popoyo, I managed to catch a wicked cold that drove me home early from the south back to Poneloya where I could take up my chill lifestyle of rest and relaxation.

We arrived in Leon after staying on the border for a night, and I have to say that I was completely STOKED to be back in the city where I lived for a couple of months in 2006. Of course, I headed right over to the Tortuga Booluda, the hostel that my friends Olin and Wendy have turned into a bustling little business enterprise. How good it was to catch up with all of my former "Nica" friends like Wendy, Josue, Olin, Ofelia and Rufus. I couldn't resist staying a few nights, although my plan was to skip town pronto and head off to find my little heaven at the beach.

Instead, I hung around for a few nights, visited Las Peñitas with Josue and his buddy Jordan a couple of times for surf sessions, and reminisced with old friends about fun times, and then I was finally off to find my Nicaragua beach with the break of my dreams...all to myself. Yeah right!!!

While in Leon, Lizzy and I decided to go our separate ways. She had been plagued by chronic ear infections, and thus was advised by her doctor (her dad) to not swim anymore, which is essentially impossible for her as a devote water baby, so she decided that it would be best to head inland. Therefore, she was off for Granada and I off to the sea.

I ran across Hotel Chancletas, via a recommendation by my buddy Chip, who I met my last time here in Nica when I was traveling with Blaine and Tacy. Chancletas was rumored to have some of the fastest breaks here in Nica, and a good point break to boot. I was pretty keen to check it out.

Although the place was packed to the gills when I arrived, I really never felt the pressure on the waves, as there were countless peaks up and down this beach for people to spread out on. Although I stayed for a couple of days, the beach breaks weren't working that well, and the point was a 100 cordoba ride from the hotel, so I decided to keep on movin' to find a cheaper and less crowded spot.

Back in Leon for the night after having decided that it was a good idea to extend my adventure until December. After having decided that it was probably best that I return home in September to continue my masters program, I changed my mind and think that it is a better idea if I take a good hard look at my options, at which I realized that having made it this far down, I would be a fool to rush home after only spending a short time here.

Therefore, I was off again to find a good beach with a point break to my liking and hopefully no crowds. I was off to Puerto Sandino and Miramar to hopefully find both of these.

Although the surfing at Miramar left something to be desired, I was hopeful that I might be able to rent a killer house on the ocean for a month of rest and relaxation and a break from the grinding beat of traveling in Desperado. Unfortunately, after four days of looking, I came up empty handed, but I had some fun surf sessions in the area, and really enjoyed getting to know this beautiful little fishing village for a while.

I still think that a visit to Miramar again when there is a bit more swell might be worth my effort, as the left point there called La Jamaicana really could work well with a decent sized swell and might produce some barreling lefts for LONG rides.

Alas, having struck out, I was off again down the road to a place that I had been in the past with a surf camp by the name of Los Cardones, where Blaine and I stayed when he was visiting.

I flew down the coast and made it to Los Cardones in no time flat. When I arrived, I realized that management of the place had changed, and they had little interest in my budget shenanigans, so I made haste down the beach to Comunidad San Diego, where I was hoping to find a house to rent and get a look at the famous Punta San Diego that sits right out front of the largest single development in NIcaragua, Gran Pacifica. Although this monstrosity proves to be a nuisance to surfing the point in the future, for now it is barely off the ground, so there are few people around providing pressure on the wave.

The swell when I was there was pretty bleak, but I was able to catch a few rides in the morning after I stayed on a vacant lot in San Diego, and was luckily able to find a house that I am considering renting for the next month or so. Due to a terrible forecast for swell, I decided to get on the road again and to some more exploring.

I drove from the Montelimar/Pochomil/Masachapa area down the coast on probably one of the worst roads in the country to Casares. Although I was able to find some beautiful beaches along the way, and stumbled across what proves to be another imposing development along the way, I found very little in the way of waves, so I didn't stay in Casares more than a few minutes to have a beer to wet my whistle.

Due to my drive down the beach (literally on the beach for about 5 km or so), I was now significantly south of where I had planned to be, so I ended up having to go through Managua to return to my northern route back to Leon for festivities for La Dia de la Revolucion.

I got a call that my buddy Josue was in Miramar, so I made haste back there to find that he had already left, but I was lucky enough to find my friend Yili there who was interested in a little beach time. I was looking for waves, but was disappointed to find a lake-like ocean when I arrived back at La Jamaicana. No worries, though, as the swell outlook next week looks decent, and the end of this week is filled with fiestas with friends in Leon.