A LAMB, A PUPPY, A NEW PET

We met Cinde Jeheber, aka, the Ocelot Whisperer, in Costa Rica last year. Cinde volunteered with us at at the Monkey Park Foundation, where we prepped food for various animals, such as monkeys, marmosets, and one sultry female ocelot. 

Last week, we heard from Cinde in Nicaragua, where she traveled to build houses for the homeless. Between hammering nails and digging holes, she found a scared little puppy so shaggy it looked more like a little lamb than a dog.

She asked Carmen, one of the women her team was building a house for, if she could use her water to wash the puppy. They scrubbed it clean and dried it, and from then on, the little dog kept going into Carmen's new house and laying down, as if he lived there.

After a while, Cinde decided to ask the new home owner if she would like a puppy. Immediately, Carmen started crying, saying “I've been loving outside for 15 years all alone, now I have a house and a dog!"

And that's how Cinde's Random Act of Kindness to a lamb-looking puppy helped a lady get her first dog. 

Thanks for continuing to give back, Cinde! You inspire us!

HELLO COSTA RICA

Giant wind turbines and a spare windmill blade dwarf a parked semi-truck
near the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border.

Liz crosses the border with style.

Don't know about you, but we never would have guessed that one of Central America's largest wind farms spins off the coast of Lake Nicaragua a few miles from the Costa Rican border. 

But it does. 

With a little research we also learned Panama just unveiled its first wind turbine, which will be part of the region's largest wind project in history. 

Anyway, we were en route to Costa Rica after a fairly quick trip through Nicaragua. Highlights: volcano boarding, a boat-enabled border crossing from El Salvador, motorcycle riding, canyon jumping, and volunteering, among lots of other things.

Up next, some awesome National Geographic photography, more beautiful sunsets (obviously...our favorite) and us getting into some dirty jobs-style volunteering. 

Stay tuned!

LEARNING SPANISH IN SAN JUAN DEL SUR

Us with Kip's Spanish teacher from waaaay back, Rosa Silva. Yes, she remembered "El Loco."

Most of us remember our favorite teachers, right? 

Kip got a treat when he had the chance to reunite with Rosa Silva, the lovely and very patient lady who helped him learn Spanish some 15 years ago in San Juan del Sur. Since the days of giving leciones de vocabulario on her front porch or in a beachside park, Rosa and her daughter now have their own school and hostel two blocks from the ocean. 

If you're looking for a relaxed atmosphere where you can learn some Spanish and catch a few waves between classes, you could do far worse than the Spanish School House. 

Please tell Rosa that El Loco sent you!

VOLUNTEERING IN SAN JUAN DEL SUR

The entrance to the San Juan del Sur Library.

If you've got some time to spare between beach breaks and surf sessions, drop by the San Juan del Sur Library, aka Biblioteca Movil.

Just off the Parque Central about four blocks from the sand, the white-washed, one-story building trimmed out in ocean blue packs a big punch in a tiny package. 

In addition to hundreds of books in English and Spanish for kids and adults, they also offer computer literacy classes, study times, and best of all, a mobile library. 

For those unfamiliar with mobile libraries, first imagine a food truck, but instead of being a place to buy burritos, the library on wheels offers free books for loan in remote communities where libraries exist only in the dreams of the children who live there. 

It's food for the mind.

Travelers-turned volunteers are welcome to tag-along on the Mobile Library's scheduled three-times-per-week trips, which leave SJDS early and come back mid-afternoon. 

Sadly, the trips were on hold for a week-long holiday while we were there. If, like us, you're unable to make a trip with the Biblioteca Movil, the library also accepts new and used books, as well as supplies for their child learning and computer center.  

Drop by the Library for more info, to make a donation and of course, to sign up for a trip on La Biblioteca Movil.

Two librarians fill out library cards and educate visitors about volunteer opporutnities at La Biblioteca Movil. 

In front of the library, Kip waves hello after we dropped off some books and craft materials.

FUNNY MONDAY: TODD VISITS A BATHROOM

Todd ponders that age-old question, "To pee, or not to pee?"

You see a lot of strange public toilets while traveling--like the one in Korea powered by remote control and the one in Nepal where users are charged a fee depending on the length of their visit. 

Nicaragua took things to a whole new level though, as Kip's brother Todd discovered while at a rodeo in San Juan del Sur. 

Seen above standing precariously in flip flops on a wet, muddy board, he contemplated whether he'd be better off just walking around the back of the shed. 

Meanwhile, two ladies waiting in line for the "DAMAS" stall have a good laugh watching the hesitant gringo. 

Ultimately, he decided to wait til we got back to the hotel. Good decision, big bro!

MOTORCYCLE SCHOOL BUS

Relieved to have arrived safely, Todd and his school-kid passengers wave for the camera. 

What started out as chance to explore the hills and beaches around San Juan del Sur by motorcycle turned into much more--that is, once we finally figured out how to start and shift and stop our motorcycles properly. 

Nicaragua's booming surf town has become somewhat of a tourist haven, at least since Kip took Spanish lessons here 15 years ago. Hotels and restaurants now line the long, crescent beach. Souvenir stands and surf shops abound. 

Yet just outside of town, the area remains remote, navigated by dirt roads through monkey-filled forests and onto deserted beaches more frequented by sea turtles than sun-loving travelers.

Kip gives a student a ride home.

It's also a place where kids have to walk long distances to get back-and-forth to school, as Kip and his brother Todd discovered while passing an elementary school a few miles outside of town. 

After driving slowly past groups of backpack-toting students walking the road with no houses in sight, we stopped to talk to two young boys. Nico and his cousin Tomas were heading home, and they immediately asked if we could give them and their friends a ride. So, while driving extremely slowly and carefully, we did. And then we did again.

Finally, after dropping off the final student in front of his house and waving to his smiling parents, we got back to our ride. 

Todd doing some serious downhilling.

The road's end--Kip on a deserted beach a few miles north of San Juan del Sur.

PHOTO FRIDAY: CENTRAL AMERICAN RODEO

The crowd watches a not-quite-sober rider attempt to tame a bull at San Juan del Sur's annual rodeo.
Unlike a lot of attendees, Todd and Kip didn't climb into the ring and chase the bulls around. So they say.

Central American rodeos don't compare much to your average rodeo back home. 

Bull riders are usually well-liquored up kids from the local town, not pros who bust broncs for a living. Some of the riders actually tie their shoes together underneath the bull.

You'll see little-to-no fancy riding equipment, and rarely do cowboy boots get involved. 

Oh, and if standing atop the makeshift wooden fence doesn't deliver you close enough to the action, anyone who wants to, young or old, drunk or sober, can get in the bull ring and play "clown" for a day. It's really what most people come to see.

LIZ'S HUFFINGTON POST STORY: SOMOTO CANYON

As Kip and Todd headed south for some surfing, Liz headed up north to the mountain town of Esteli to explore Nicaragua's Somoto Canyon and write her latest story for the Huffington Post. 

Read an excerpt below or click here for the full story.

Nicaragua's New Adventure Tourism Destination
By: Liz Zipse
From hiking up one of the country's active volcanoes to speeding down the same peaks on a homemade surfboard, when it comes to adventure tourism, Nicaragua has become a place that's known to deliver unique and adventurous rides. In addition to the volcanoes, there is also world class surfing, mountain biking and kayaking.

But for thrill seekers looking for something new, there's an activity in the far north that's just beginning to draw attention--exploring Nicaragua's largest and mostly untouched canyon.

Read the full article here.

VOLCANO BOARDING

Liz flies down the Cerro Negro volcano on a sled made of plywood and hay string. Safety first. 

In the annals of extreme sports, volcano boarding has to rank in the Top 10. 

Thought up by a bored Australian backpacker turned hostel owner in Leon, Nicaragua, the activity involves riding a piece of juiced-up plywood down the steep, black slope of an active volcano at speeds of up to 58 mph (current record).

Liz and Todd wave hello, leading the train up the volcano. Yes, riders have to carry their own boards.
While everyone comes for the trip down, the views on the hike up aren't so bad either.

Breaking the legal speed limit while sliding down lava rocks on a piece of wood? We were definitely giving this a shot. 

Todd and Liz getting instructions from our guide.

The volcano, Cerro Negro, is actually Central America's youngest (born 1850) and its most active, last erupting in 1999. On the one-hour hike up, riders haul their boards past steam spewing from vents along the route. Rocks in various places are hot enough to melt your shoes. 

Despite the heat and the fumes, we hung around, took some photos, goofed off with the 20 or so others on the tour, and finally got around to boarding down the big black mountain. 

After an instructional briefing from our guide, we slipped into our orange prison jumpsuits and donned our protective goggles (both necessary to stop the flying rocks that bombard boarders like doubt all the way down). One by one, we readied ourselves for launch.

No, none of us was able to break the world volcano boarding speed record...although an American guy from our eclectic group (ages 17-43; six continents) did...58.7 miles per hour (they use a speed gun)...on a piece of thin plywood turned turbo using a thin piece of metal and some Formica. 

Insanity. For those wondering, the three of us didn't even get close to that. Maybe next time.

Todd, Liz and Kip with their volcano boards.
The white rectangle is formica, used to reduce resistance. It has to be replaced after every ride.

Liz seconds before her attempt to break the world volcano boarding speed record.

If you'd like to try out volcano boarding, get yourself to Leon, Nicaragua, drop by the Bigfoot Hostel, and say "volcano boarding" to anyone you see. They'll direct you to where to sign up. Tours leave in a huge orange construction truck around 9 most mornings. 

Todd takes his turn down the volcano.
The takeoff is scary enough, but not to worry--the last 100 yards is way worse.

FUNNY MONDAY: VOLCANO JUMP

Some days, you might as well jump. At least, that's what Van Halen said. 

That's what Kip and his brother did, from a rock atop an active volcano during our first stop in Nicaragua. 

Tomorrow, we show how they got down the mountain...an extreme sport called "Volcano Boarding."  Stay tuned...

PHOTO FRIDAY: NATIONAL BIRD OF EL SALVADOR (& NICARAGUA)

El Salvador's national bird--the Torogoz, aka Turquoise-browed Motmot--keeps an eye out
for unlucky insects flying in its vicinity.

Torogoz hangs out on a highline, catching some rays.

In some countries, the national bird has become a rarely seen endangered species, as with Guatemala's Resplendant Quetzal. 

It's nice to know that the national bird of El Salvador can be seen throughout the country, almost any day, hanging out on a high line wire in the city or flying through the thick groves of trees. 

How the colorful creature, which is also the national bird of Nicaragua, didn't make this list of Top 10 Most Beautiful National Birds, we have no idea.

These guys have popped up virtually everywhere we've been lately. Forgive us for geeking out a little, but it's been almost as insane as it was for Kip when he got to go to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur's bird parks. Almost.

Learn more about the species here. Or head to El Salvador or any other Central American country and take a look for yourself.