Favourable report on tourism in Nicaragua

New York Daily News has posted a great review of tourism on our beautiful coast.  See:  http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/07/26/2010-07-26_road_less_traveled_nicaragua.html

San Juan del Sur Guide Blog has a new home.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for visiting our blog. We have a new blog address at www.sanjuandelsurguide.com/blog . Same great news and weekly events hosted on our website! Please update your bookmarks and check back often for the latest happenings.

Saludos,

San Juan del Sur Guide

Volleyball

Volleyball

Two more girls’ team will be visiting SJdS from the USA.

Berry University will be here from March 14^th to the 18^th and will play the Nicaraguan National Team at the Sports Park on March 17th

Club Fusion a Juniors Club Team from the Chicago Area will be here from March 22^nd to 26^th. They will play the Nicaraguan Junior National Team at the Sports Park on
March 24

Brooke Rundle is running both tours, and both groups will be participating in community activities on the days prior to their matches. If anyone has any projects that could use some help or attention, please contact one of us via email.

Brooke:  brooke@cbnicaragua.com Tim:  bringitusa@aol.com

Ox Cart Tours, Fashion Shows, and a Telethon

This week’s events include an Ox Cart Pub Crawl on the Chocolata Road; a Fashion Show at the Crazy Crab; and a Telethon Day on the south side of the market.  Not to mention St. Patrick’s day parties!  Find more details in our list of events: http://sanjuandelsur.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/this-weeks-events-march-15-22/

This Week’s Events: March 15-22

Mon March 15

Water Aerobics @ Pelican Eyes Family Pool 10am

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 7:30am & 6pm

Martial Arts Class @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 4pm

Live Reggae with”The Bush Doctors” 8pm @ The Pier

Pizza & Movie night @ Bambu Beach 8pm

Tues March 16

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 7:30am; 4;30pm and 6pm

Wed March 17

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 7:30 & 6pm

Water Aerobics @ Pelican Eyes Family Pool 10am

Martial Arts Class @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 4pm

Happy Hour @ Pelican Eyes 4-8pm

St Patrick’s Day : Party’s at the Irish House, probably at Big Wave Dave’s and others.  Ox Cart pub crawl on the Chocolata:  contact either Irish John or Irish/Yoga Edward.  Don’t know who they are?  Ask any regular at Dave’s; the Irish Bar; or Buena Vida Fitness Centre… you’ll be able to find them.

Thurs March 18

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 7:30am, 4:30pm & 6pm

Open Mic Night @ Pau Hana (The legendary Open Mic Night held at Coquitos, has moved next door to Pau Hana aka Kenny’s place)

El Timon hosts Nicaragua Cultural Night most Thursday evenings with live music and sometimes dance performances

Fri March 19

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre  7:30am & 6pm

MUNICIPAL TELETHON DAY 8:00 am until 4:00 pm on the south side of the Municipal Market

Water Aerobics @ Pelican Eyes Family Pool 10am

Martial Arts Class @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 4pm

Happy Hour @ Pelican Eyes – La Cascada Bar y Restaurant 4-8pm

Live music @ The Irish House 8pm (or thereabouts)

Live Music @ Bar Restaurant Vivian on the beach

Fashion Show Moda del Mar  8:30pm – 10:30pm @ Crazy Crab Disco

Sat March 20

Farmer’s Market @ the Sports Park  9am-2pm

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 10am & 6pm

Karaoke @ Agua Azul Bar Restaurant

Live Music with Don Bigote y los Pobrecitos @ The Pier 8 or 9pm

Sun March 21

Yoga @ Camino del Sol 5pm

2010 BAMBU POKER SERIES EVENT TWO  7:00PM.

Mon March 22

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre  8:30am & 6pm

Water Aerobics @ Pelican Eyes Family Pool 10am

Martial Arts Class @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 4pm

If you have an event you would like listed here, please email Sandy Iverson directly at sandy@sandyiverson.info

Local Community Organization Receives International Attention

Communidad Connect, a local community development organization, was recently featured on an international travel blog for it’s VolunToursim program.  VolunTourism is a volunteer program that connects visitors with a wide range of ongoing community projects..  see:  http://www.tipsfromthetlist.com/22176.html

Comunidad Connect focuses on community development projects around the San Juan del Sur area in the southwest of Nicaragua. These projects include recycling, financial literacy programs, sports, and VolunTourism.  http://www.comunidadconnect.org

Reality Shows Discover Nicaragua

It has become fairly common knowledge in San Juan del Sur that the US tv show, Survivor, will be arriving in a month or so to begin filming just south of town.  The Nica Times published a story today about the Corn Island’s experience of having the crew of a similar popular Italian reality tv show: L’Isola dei Famosi (Island of the Famous).  The article also confirms that the US show is in final negotiations to film “Survior”… something we, of course, already knew.

If the US crew is anything like the Italian crew, San Juan businesses shouldn’t get their hopes up too  much about an amazing influx of business cash.  According to this article, some of the businesses contracted to provide services to the film crew haven’t been too thrilled about how it’s working out.  One provider is quoted as saying “They’re disrespectful and they want everything for free.”   Maybe San Juan will have a better experience.  In any case… it should be interesting… and San Juan will survive “Survivor”.

See:  http://www.nicatimes.net/nicaarchive/2010_03/0312101.htm

Smart House Open House – This Saturday March 13

SIP Paneles SA is constructing sips in Nicaragua and they have built one of these homes in San Juan del Sur. It will be open to the public this Saturday, March 13, from 9 am – noon & 2-5 pm.

Drop by after (or before) your stop in at the Farmers Market (Sports Park) and learn all about the new building system using SIP Panels for an affordable and faster construction solution.

Structural Insulated panels or sips are essentially a sandwich of Expanded Poly styrene (Styrofoam) glued to cemntous fiber board or plywood under extreme pressure. Using proven technology from the United States and Germany, SIP Panales claims they are capable of producing a house in a day.

The company also claims that these houses have the best R factors of any homes being built in the country today; that the construction system is environmentally friendly and will produce a home that is 30% less expensive to cool.

Check it out on Saturday and see what they have to say. The Smart House is located before the port on the left across from the blue warehouse. Look for their green and white signs.

http://www.sippaneles.com

San Juan del Sur gaining tourist attention

An increasing number of articles and reviews of the advantages of vacationing in Nicaragua, and more specifically San Juan have been appearing in blogs and e-zines and print publications lately. Here is a recent example: Top 5 Travel Destinations in Nicaragua

This Week’s Events: March 8 – 15

Mon March 8

Water Aerobics @ Pelican Eyes Family Pool 10am

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 8:30am & 6pm

Martial Arts Class @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 4pm

Live Reggae with”The Bush Doctors” 8pm @ The Pier

Pizza & Movie night @ Bambu Beach 8pm

Tues March 9

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 7:30am; 5pm and 6pm

Wed March 10

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 8:30 & 6pm

Water Aerobics @ Pelican Eyes Family Pool 10am

Martial Arts Class @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 4pm

Happy Hour @ Pelican Eyes 4-8pm

Thurs March 11

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 7:30am, 5pm & 6pm

Open Mic Night @ Pau Hana (The legendary Open Mic Night held at Coquitos, has moved next door to Pau Hana aka Kenny’s place)

El Timon hosts Nicaragua Cultural Night most Thursday evenings with live music and sometimes dance performances

Fri March 12

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre  8:30am & 6pm

Water Aerobics @ Pelican Eyes Family Pool 10am

Martial Arts Class @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 4pm

Happy Hour @ Pelican Eyes – La Cascada Bar y Restaurant 4-8pm

Live music @ The Irish House 8pm (or thereabouts)

Live Music @ Bar Restaurant Vivian on the beach

Sat March 13

Farmer’s Market @ the Sports Park  9am-2pm

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 10am & 6pm

Karaoke @ Agua Azul Bar Restaurant

Live Music with Don Bigote y los Pobrecitos @ The Pier 8 or 9pm

Sun March 14

Yoga @ Camino del Sol 5pm

Happy Hour @ Bambu Beach 4-6pm

Mon March 15

Yoga @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre  8:30am & 6pm

Water Aerobics @ Pelican Eyes Family Pool 10am

Martial Arts Class @ Buena Vida Fitness Centre 4pm

If you have an event you would like listed here, please email Sandy Iverson directly at sandy@sandyiverson.info