Month: October 2020

Panamá is a major hub for layovers. If you’re stopping at Panamá for a long layover, here are my top recommendations to make the most out of your time in Panama. 

Some cool facts about Panama:

*The Panama Canal generates one third of the country’s economy

*Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sunrise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic

*Panama was the first Latin American country to adopt the US Dollar to their currency

*There are more than 1,500 islands in Panama

*Panama elected it’s first female president in 1999

Here is how you can make a layover in Panama work:

First, when exiting the terminals, you’ll find a line of tour guides and taxis asking if you need a ride or a tour. I recommend that you talk to a few and ask their pricing for a tour around town within your layover time. Then, negotiate a price for your tour. 

Make sure you stop at the following locations(I highly recommend):

• Panama Canal- There’s so much history there. You can ask your tour guide, but usually there’s schedules of times when ships are crossing the canal. There’s also a museum before you get to the watch deck. The museum displays notable history about how the canal was built and how it operates
• Casco Viejo- the old city. This neighborhood is filled with lively restaurants, bars and colonial era landmarks. Bring your camera because this area is a great opportunity to snap some photos of the colonial architecture and you can also snap a cool shot of the city (as pictured below)
• Flamenco Island- lovely restaurants along the harbor. One of the four small islands next to the entrance of the Panama Canal. Linked to the city by a causeway. 

So now you know…you can make the most out of your time and explore a nice glimpse of the country during a layover.

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. Many say it’s the next Costa Rica as this country is gaining momentum and expanding in development.

Nicaragua has definitely exceeded our expectations. There are some hidden gems in this volcanic terrain. There’s something for everyone to explore when you’re in Nicaragua, from historical colonial cities to pacific coastlines.

What’s also nice about it is that it still is budget friendly and you can make the most out of your trip at an affordable price!

To start, let’s briefly talk about food: Beans, rice and meat are your most common meal. For “comedores/fritangas” (local street food eateries) you can expect to have the common options of gallo pinto (fried beans and rice) and choice of grilled chicken, beef or pork. For breakfast you can also expect the same, gallo pinto. The common breakfast also includes “queso frito”(fried cheese) and a choice of meat.

Nicaragua has definitely earned a special place in Gordi and my heart. We first visited Nicaragua in 2017. The first trip was before the major floods and civil war . The first trip in 2017 was a group trip. We lodged in San Juan del Sur at Pelican Eyes Resort. We loved the resort for it’s beautiful view of the ocean as well as it being so close to everything in San Juan. Pelican Eyes has 3 beautiful pools and the villas are roomy and homelike.

BUT we loved our quick visit to Rancho Santana in Rivas. Rancho Santana is exactly as it describes itself on their Instagram Bio ” Purity, authenticity and rustic elegance. Set serenely in the Southwest Pacific…”.

At that time, our wonderful friend worked for Rancho Santana and gave us a quick tour of the premisses. Who knew we would later return to fully explore and experience Rancho 3 years later. I’ll talk about towards the end of the post.

During our first trip to Nicaragua we also visited the following highly recommended locations:

-Granada – a small town nestled next to Lake Nicaragua. The architecture preserves the Spanish colonial styles. There is also a main plaza with the Cathedral de Granada.

-Masaya Volcano- on our drive down to San Juan del Sur we stopped at Masaya Volcano to check out the caldera and craters.

– Cristo de La Misericordia at San Juan del Sur- Because we were traveling as a group, we rented a large ATV and drove it up to the Cristo. The view from the Cristo is absolutely breathtaking and worth the short walk up there after parking the ATV lol.

-Playa Gigante – as a group, we did a full day excursion to Playa Gigante. We hopped on a sailboat and returned to shore right before sunset.

Our second trip to Nicaragua was completely unexpected. Gordi text me the week before and asked how I felt about going to Nicaragua next week. At first I thought he was joking, but then later that day found out it wasn’t a joke lol.

This time, we stayed with our dear friend at Rancho Santana. We were able to explore Rancho’s beautiful beaches and restaurants, and not to mention their stunning pools.

Isla de Omepete- we hopped on a ferry to the island and rented ATVs. We rode the ATVs to Ojo the Agua, a cool natural water pool.

We also visited Mukul in Guacalito, a posh hotel and resort. It pretty peaceful and relaxing. We then moved over to Hacienda Iguana, their neighbor. We fell in love with everything about Hacienda Iguana. It was a youthful, fun and upbeat place where everyone is filled with fun and positivity. We loved it so much that we contemplated buying property there and moving there-hahaha!

Anyway, the highlight of our last memorable trip of 2020 (right before shelter in place and the pandemic) was our experience at Rancho Santana. I highly recommend their Cafe main restaurant. Their Tona Fish Tacos are fire! Also make sure to check out their bosque spa for a relaxing and tranquil treatment.

Also, I’ll never forget the howling monkeys we spotted on the way to dinner at Rancho Santana!

So as you can see, there is so much to do. We can’t wait to return and hopefully during our next trip to Nicaragua, we’ll be able to explore the Caribbean side of the country and take a trip to Corn Island.

Ooh-la-la Paris. We only spent one full day and Paris for a long layover during our voyage to Dubai. Before visiting Paris, I had a vision of what in my head I imagined Paris would look like. It was actually completely different from what I imagined. To start, I didn’t expect there to be as much traffic, and there was a lot of it. I didn’t expect it to be as touristy as it was. I don’t know why I though it would be less crowded, but then again it is one of the most popular places in the world!

Nevertheless, it was amazing. The shopping and fashion – to die for. Did I mention the shopping?! Everything about the fashion is an omg moment!

Let’s start with some interesting facts and then dive into our short trip to Paris.

Interesting Facts:

*Paris was originally a Roman City called “Lutetia.

*It’s believed that Paris only has one stop sign in the entire city.

*The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be a temporary installation, intended to stand for 20 years after being built for the 1889 World Fair.

Now, about our short trip to Paris:

We started off our day visiting the Eiffel Tower. We purchased tickets to go up and dine at one of the restaurants. I highly recommend buying your tickets online, as it will save you so much time of standing in line to buy them there at the booth. There are several restaurants at the Eiffel Tower, and they all have different price ranges. Theres something to meet everyone’s price range there.

We then met with our tour guide who drove us across the city in a cute little 2CV Citroen. It was the highlight of our time in Paris. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and so friendly. We drove across all the well known neighborhoods and monuments in Paris. We ended the tour in the Montemarte District. A district that definitely capture the raw and authentic Parisian lifestyle. You could see Parisian families walking around and just going on about their day.

We bought a lot of wine when we were in Paris. I’m waiting for the day when we’re able to return and can explore the South of France as well as Bordeaux. I dream of sipping on Bordeaux, in Bordeaux.

Merci, Paris! We’ll be back!