Inside Coolibar

A Memorable Trip to Nicaragua

Yosseling and Anna

Regale with Coolibar’s Creative Specialist, Anna, and her husband Bevin on their culturally immersed journey to Nicaragua. Hiking volcanoes, cooking exotic meals, attempting newbie surfing and visiting a young girl they sponsor though a charity organization is just a taste of how this couple travels. Oh, and they did it all while learning and speaking in Spanish, which they claim is definitely not their first language!

This summer my husband and I decided to spend our five year anniversary exploring the country of Nicaragua and meeting the young girl that we sponsor through Compassion, a Christian organization that focuses on the spiritual, physical, economic and social needs of children in poverty.

After arriving in Nicaragua, we boarded a 12 seat plane and flew from the capital, Managua, across the country, and 50 miles into the Caribbean Sea to Big Corn Island.  We then took a boat, which my husband described as a giant bathtub, seven miles North to Little Corn Island, the most remote place we have ever been to, for some much welcomed relaxation.

After traveling back to the main part of Nicaragua we decided to explore some of the more than 40 volcanoes that cover the landscape of Nicaragua.  We drove right up to the mouth of Volcano Masaya, one of the more active ones, and hiked around the smoking crater.

Later in the trip we took a cooking class in Granada.  We were given our list of ingredients and guided down to the local markets to purchase everything we needed to make Indio Viejo, a traditional Nicaraguan dish.  Once back from the market, our teacher talked us through every step in Spanish.  Talk about learning a language through immersion.  Our high-school level Spanish was put to the test!

Eventually we made it to the Pacific coast of the country.  It was the first time either of us had ever tried surfing and we both stood up on our boards right away!  Not bad for a couple of Midwesterners.

After working on our Spanish for a week, we went to meet Yosseling, the young girl we sponsor.  It was great being able to meet the girl we had written letters to and to learn more about the organization and the work they are doing in Nicaragua.

Coolibar generously donated some clothing and hats to give to her and her younger brother.  She was very excited to receive new clothing, especially the Coolibar shirt in her favorite color.  It was a great ending to such a memorable trip.

– Anna

Anna’s Photos

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July 28, 2011
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3 Comments

  • Janet Fell

    That was a great blog !! You both look awesome in your Coolibar clothes. Congratulations on 5 years and your trip to Nicaragua 😉

  • Liz Breuer

    What a fun blog to read. So clear that I can nearly see myself traveling with you on this great adventure. Fabulous.

  • Rose

    Sounds like an amazing trip!

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