Nicaragua is a wonderful place. We have been in a few different places
now and I have enjoyed everything. The first night was the hardest. We
stayed one night in Masaya at a little hotel before heading to the
coast. I did not like the look of my room from the start. As I crawled
up the bed I kept telling myself 'i've slept in worse places. I'll be
fine. So long as there are no bugs." I pulled back the coverlet and a
scorpion was scared from its hiding place!! It was a baby scorpion,
but they can still sting (fortunately I did not find out how hard they
sting)! After a thorough search for other critters turned up nothing I
was able to put it out of mind and get to sleep just fine, thankfully.

The next day we drove to the Pacific coast to Los Cardones surf lodge
where Joe joined us. It turned out to be a beautiful and peaceful
spot. We were in little cabins with no electricity (they did provide
very important mosquito nets that also keep out scorpions). The beach
was endless and empty. Perfect. Each morning we took a long walk
before the real heat set in. It was a gift to walk on a beach so clean
and empty. We took a surf lesson on Tuesday from Austin, the young and
very nice surf guy/bartender. It was hard. The waves were rough. As
difficult as it was we all had fun.

Four days with no electricity or distractions was lovely. I turned my
phone off and forgot about everything for days. I think I will miss
the peace and quiet almost as much as the beautiful beach and waves.