Nicaragua - 31 Jan to 3 Feb, 2013

As the story goes, 'a few cold ones' always turns into 'it's too late to cook dinner so order something' and we devour a few 'Nicaraguan sampler' dishes. The fried cheese is delicious and reminds me of tofu, but Savannah prefers the fish fingers and fries. Before 9pm can roll around, I am cozy in my bed with Savannah snoring on the settee beside me. Yeah, she really did snore! We are all super-tired after our last passage of 45 nautical miles.

Our first Nicaraguan adventure takes us to 'Flor de Cana' (flower of sugar cane). Better translated as 'the oldest rum producer in Nicaragua'. Ten of us pile into the air-conditioned van and Louis takes us to the Flor de Cana factory and museum in Chichigalpa. The tour is interesting and we enjoy a sample of the 18 year old rum. Did you know?? If the rum is pure, you can pour a little in your palm and rub it around (much like a sanitizer) without any sticky residue!! Don't attempt that with our much loved Capt. Morgan!! We are now educated rum drinkers and shop a bit in the boutique ☺
BTW, Flor de Cana is available in the United States and Canada, as well as many other countries around the world. Don't forget your limes. Vive la cuba libre !!

"There's This Place"
More memorable than the rum tasting is our late afternoon meal at 'Joe's Place'. Yes, it's really called that. But you won't find Wile E. Coyote lurking around here.
It's a surfer hostile / hangout that everyone will love. We devoured the 'pollo a la plancha' served up with 'gallo pinto' (but just call it 'pinto'), salad and fried plantains. It's a typical 'Nico' meal and for $5 it's the cruising bargain of the century.
When you walk thru Joe's gate, you'll be greeted by a few 4-legged friends. Feel free to bring your pooch along as it's not only very cruiser friendly, but canine friendly too.
Joe's is easy to find and only a 10 min walk from the marina. Head out thru the main gates and hang a right at the 'Joe's Place' sign. Another right, then a quick left. It's on the right and you can't miss it. You'll be glad you ventured off the beaten path and into Joe's little piece of paradise.
Come for breakfast, lunch or dinner ... or perhaps for just a few cold Victoria's, but be sure to chat with Joe. He's happy to share the story of how Joe's place came to be.
For $7 / night you can rent a bed in the 3rd floor of the hostile. Surf reports are written on the white board and visible from the hammocks strung up in the shade. And of course, Joe has WiFi.
The ceiling fans hum and keep you cool, even on the hottest of days in Chinindega . Bring a book, or your laptop and stay a while. Reservations not required.


After filling our bellies with Joe's good eats, we visited Naomi and her daughters (next door to Joe's, but only in the afternoon). They were frying up some fresh plantain chips and tasty enchilada tacos. As Art says ... 'Lavonne, get a picture! That's a National Geographic moment!'