The town was hoppin’ last night. One restaurant was completely packed. Others were also jamming. And the beach was full, with a final game of soccer under the lights.  John E Field and I and our friend Summer Shacklette were looking at each other in shock, feeling like we’d time capsuled back to last year. “Managuans,” our waiter Ricardo at Buen Gusto said, as I sipped on our Macuas (Buen Gusto serves THE BEST Macuas). “They are here because of the Santo Domingo holiday.” On the beach was the ice cream vendor, the sunglass guys, the surfer, the dogs, the …

I did a double take today when I saw a bowl of peeled oranges. That’s exactly how we used to peel our oranges when I was a kid. Well, until we learned the American way; a way which never seemed quite right. I’m from Puerto Rico and there, like they were in this bowl, oranges are peeled circularly. (Or at least they were, I don’t know about now. It’s been 12 years since I’ve been in P.R.) I saw the oranges, saw the juicer and stopped in my tracks, because of course I had to have a cup of fresh-squeezed …

Yesterday, I saw a post on the FB Page Life in San Juan del Sur which sparked my interest. It was about the relocated Indio del Sur Coffee Shop. So this morning John and I decided to find it and check it out. There are no addresses in Nicaragua as we know them. But once I knew where to look, from the fb post, it was easy to spot. It’s tucked in around the south side of the church. As we glanced back out the door from our seats, John pointed to Cristo (note the Rio de Janeiro-esque statue on …

Hooray! My favorite smoothie bar is still open. Simon Says. Patricia, the General Manager and waitress, welcomed John and me this morning with her great smile and open arms. They’ve closed their awesome back patio for the time being, but their funky front space is still great and probably ample space for the folks still around. They’ve adjusted their hours too, deciding to close at night, and just open during daylight hours, but they are still open everyday but Tuesday. I’m like a broken record when I go there, always ordering their Brazil smoothie, but an expat friend who recently moved away …

Two doors down from the Sanchez store there’s a new and awesome ice cream shop called Bolingo Gourmet. I had a scoop of Maracuya (Passion fruit). John had Chocolate. Next time in town I’m having Coco (Coconut) so I can see if it’s as good as the Coco I used to get as a child on the plaza in Ponce, Puerto Rico, which in my book is still the best ice cream I’ve ever had in my life. (And a runner up is the ice cream shop along the malecon in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.) John swears the …