Author Archives: Libby Tucker

Today I was told from Bank of America that my visa card was ‘massively compromised’ and was cut off – rest assured, they sent a new card to my Seattle address…

I thought I was being well prepared by notifying the travel department ahead of time. However, this wasn’t the issue.  A random, compromise from a 3rd party that affected several accounts was all they would disclose.  So, basically, I’m S.O.L.

The options are:

1) emergency cash via Western Union

2) emergency debit card sent in mail

Let’s talk about the Nicaraguan mail system. ‘Overnighting’ probably takes 3 weeks, if it arrives at all.  It may get to the capital of Managua, but trying to navigate the roads, if they exist or if they aren’t being fixed for hours on end for several tire-piercing rocks or perhaps a sudden steep dropoff in the middle of the road into a deep river valley, and trying to find an address, if it exists, is a miracle.

An address might be ‘1 block south from the restaurant El Timon’ or ‘200 meters north of the beach, next to Sanchez store’, then the town name, no such thing as a postal code.

SOL… and i don’t mean the sun.

Actually, I am very fortunate that I decided to bring a backup debit card to another account.  This card was not compromised.  So, potentially (until my next adventure) I will have access to some funds. Hooray.

At least I can soak my feet in the pool to lessen the sting of the ants that bit – or was it stinging pee – all over my feet last night.  I ‘got in their way’, of course, and they were angry.  Ouch.  At least they didn’t get in my hair like a friend in Samara, Costa Rica.  I don’t know how long I could hold my head underwater!

I can’t complain. Yesterday I was invited to Fincas las Nubes (fincaslasnubes.com) to help out on a website project, and was invited to stay. Words can’t even begin to express. Full maid service, including meals from the farm made fresh and served, incredible views, 400 acres of a self-sufficient permaculture community overlooking San Juan del Sur. Here’s a quick picture of me working this morning from the pool on my laptop. Yesterday I was living in a dodgy smelly place for 5 bucks a night, now I’m in the lap of luxury.

El turista no sabe donde ha estado; el viajero no sabe a donde va” -Paul Theroux.

I’m going to work my way backwards in my posts since I’ve been a bit lazy for the past couple of weeks. Trying to get into a routine in Nicaragua has been more of a challenge than I anticipated. Next week being Easter week, or the famous Semana Santa, everywhere – at least in San Juan del Sur, a beach town on the Pacific side, is becoming chaotic. A town of about 20,000 quickly will turn into 200,000 in a few short days and prices are going up for apartments. Instead of finding a room for usd $65/mo, it’s costing $150-$400 and there are few spaces available.

This morning I went for a jog on the beach. I was supposed to have a meeting for a website for Finca las Nubes (fincalasnubes.com) but once again no call back or moved to another day. After living in Spain I should be used to this but the guy is American so I was trying to stick to a schedule… no such luck.

Just a minute ago the power went out. This happens nearly daily. Luckily, I moved from a cafe/coffee shop to a ‘cyber’ which has a generator (and … air conditioning). I have to cheat on the air today because all my clothes are soaked in sweat. Fortunately, not only did I come during the busiest and most expensive time of the year but also during the hottest season. Next time maybe I’ll do some homework.

After my jog on the beach at 6:30 am when it was nice and bright, and already warm, while walking home, there was a street vendor squeezing fresh oranges on the street. I couldn’t resist and bought some fresh, amazing orange juice for around .75 cents. To-go juices come in a plastic bag tied up with a straw poking out. I love it.

After my orange juice, a local Nicaraguan friend helped me get a private room and bath in a local hospedaje / establishment for usd $5/night. No free wi-fi but at least I’m blending in with the locals and not paying $10/night to be with all tourists. I’ve met a lot of great people and have some great friendships already forming, but I’d rather blend in a bit more.

My Spanish is getting better, but the slang here is doing my head in! I think I learned 5 new slang words for money yesterday. But, it’s fun to pick up some slang. I don’t want to be speaking so formally all the time. However, I’m scared for when I travel back to Spain – they’ll kill me for the way I speak! So, I’m trying not to be too informal.

Yesterday I met some kids from Menagua, the capital of Nicaragua and largest city. The rumor is that flocks come from Menagua for Semana Santa and they fight, get drunk, sleep in the streets, rob you, and so on. So, I was a bit leery. But I had seen them vending in the streets earlier and had a laugh and even bought some sunglasses (after gifting mine to a young Nicaraguan girl in Ometepe last weekend). So when they invited me to swim and body surf, I was happy to join – and glad I did because I had a great time. Today I passed by the group of them, maybe 5 people, and they all waved to me. They taught me about cusoquitos: the ugliest bug/shelled animal in the world. They come out only when the water is warmer and they dive into the sand. You can see their tiny legs pop up when the wave goes away. Millions of them! Que asco! Gross! They make them in soups… not for me, nor for many others, but somebody has to do it.

So that’s all for now. I’ll post some pics and tell more stories as I go. As my first post, it’s just a quick picture and catch up of the happenings here. I can also tell I’ve been hanging out with a lot of Brits and Australians, and also translating in my head from Spanish so the wording isn’t what I’d usually write. Kind of fun. Hasta luego.

El turista no sabe donde ha estado; el viajero no sabe a donde va” -Paul Theroux.

The tourist doesn’t know where they’ve been; the traveler doesn’t know where they’re going.

Great start to the day. I went to the beach for a morning jog at 6:30, and now am enjoying the birds and some fresh squeezed orange juice that I just bought on the street for 75 cents. Of course it’s in a bag like all the to-go juices, and I couldn’t complain, it tastes perfect. Also just checked into a place for US $5/night, private room/bath. Headed off now to a multi-million dollar finca in the country to discuss a website.

I’m going to start slowly blogging about my trip and general tumblelogging, working backwards since I have so much to add. But, yesterday I finally decided on tumblr versus WordPress, at least to start (although wordpress has a facebook connect plugin… oooh tempting). I added a new tumblr theme and I’m off!

I spent the past 10 years wanting to travel. I spent the last 10 years accumulating stuff. Finally, I drew a line in the sand. I was going no matter what. Not an easy decision and something in need of planning but well worth the effort.

I decided to reduce my life down to FOUR BOXES. I had two houses, a car, a cat, a relationship, tenants, a business, a job, a car, a social life, photos, cd’s, DVDs, furniture, paperwork – you name it!

What I decided to do was make a list of the things that were most important to me and what I couldn’t do without. Then, I decided to get rid of everything else. It’s unbelievable how much ‘stuff’ we can build up! After simplifying my life and liberating myself and reflecting, I really don’t know how or why we do it. Of course there’s the old “keeping up with the Jones’s” or simply adding more things for the space we have available. Either way, it’s not fulfilling and somewhat narrow minded. To release yourself of the ‘ties’ we have, whether real or imagined, is quite the freeing experience.

My list:

• Picture albums (with a backup digital copy)
• Legal paperwork for house / business / etc
• Precious items that were gifts or could not be replaced

Really that was about it. I had two houses at the time and I made a plan to sell the first one. It took 3 and 1/2 months but finally after cleaning, prepping, and marketing it sold. Huge check off the list!

What next?

My job. My car was easy, I got in a small bumper crash and it decided no longer to run. So, I invested in the city bus. I had a heart to heart with myself. In another post I talk about the loathe I have for the corporate world, and although a great opportunity for me (there are many if you are a glass-half-full person), I released the chains and gave my notice.

Everything else was easy. Several trips to Goodwill, many posts on Craigslist, happy and willing friends to offload stuff onto, digitizing all music and movies, and online storage for everything that was important to me (with backup).

I’ll go through little by little what I use for tools to help me be mobile and work virtually.

I wasn’t able to sell my other house since, as we all know, the market went South. But it still feels good to have a place to call home and go back to. For several months I tried to find the right tenant to occupy my home. Giving them a few deposit slips and contacts in case something goes wrong or needs fixing and voila! Off to Central America to prove that living and working abroad can not only cost you less in stress and also in the dollars you spend.

jack

I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.

Joseph Campbell