CHRISTMAS IN NICARAGUA

After spending a couple quick days in Granada, Nicaragua, we headed to Playa Iguana (AKA Playa Colorado) to celebrate Christmas.  We have never spent Christmas in another country and were really looking forward to the experience.  Best of all, our family which included the Blankenhorns (Kim, Chip, Ben 14, Grace 13, Lily 9), the Lindens (Thomas and Allister 9), and my Mom (Connie "Noni") all flew out to Nicaragua to celebrate Christmas with us!  We rented a house on the beach that could sleep all 12 of us, and enjoyed 7 days of surfing, boogie boarding, fishing, long walks on the beach, daily sightings of howler monkeys, swimming in the pool, nightly family firework shows, and hanging out while basking in the gorgeous surroundings.  As you can imagine, it was particularly special for us to spend Christmas with family this year, and our time together in Nicaragua at Playa Iguana will always be cherished.

Beautiful Playa Iguana

Playa Iguana is known for its good surf.  Thomas enjoys a nice ride in this photo.

A house on the beach with incredible views was a special treat for our group of twelve.

Watching the surfers and enjoying the late afternoon views became a daily pastime.

Spectacular Sunset

All of Noni's Grandchildren
(Ben 14, Lily 9, Grace 13, Matt 8, Monica 11, Allister 9)

Greg enjoyed some surf fishing at Playa Iguana's beautiful expansive beach.

Each day we saw howler monkeys right on the property of the house we rented at Playa Iguana.  It was fascinating to observe this baby and mama.

Howler Monkey

This baby was just precious!

While some of the baby monkeys went off on their own, others such as this one never left their mothers.

Allister and Thomas enjoy a peaceful moment while looking out onto Playa Iguana.

Thomas, Allister, Kim, Grace, Lily and Monica ventured out to Rivas one day to stock up on MORE fireworks!   The kids enjoyed making their purchases and came back with quite a loot.  Nightly firework shows before bedtime were enjoyed by all.

Pool time for Monica and Matt

Marta, our wonderful Nicaraguan chef for the week, made fresh juices each morning.  We all agreed that maracuyá (passion fruit) was our favorite - delicioso!

Family surf lesson at nearby Playa Amarilla

Monica loved the surf at Playa Amarilla.

Matt did too!

Everyone walks back to Playa Iguana after a fun morning at Playa Amarilla.

The girls (Monica, Grace & Lily) heading back to beautiful Playa Iguana.

The guys went fishing one morning and caught several fish, including this beautiful Sierra that Matt pulled in.  Later our wonderful cook, Marta, made delicious ceviche which disappeared very quickly.

Christina and Greg at Rancho Santana

All 12 of us loaded up in the rented van and Thomas drove us to Rancho Santana, a Nicaraguan beach resort 20 minutes from Playa Iguana.  

Noni with her three children - Kim, Christy & Thomas

Nicaraguan Pickup Truck

This is one angry, but beautiful crab!

Cousins (Lily, Grace & Monica) love spending time with one another.  

Matt heads out for some beach action at Playa Iguana.

Monica

One day this Green Sea Turtle came right up the beach in front of our house to lay eggs.  We felt fortunate to witness this amazing sight!

Sisters (Christina & Kim) at Playa Iguana

Kim and I are not only sisters, but very close friends.  After not having seen her for almost 6 months, it was a special treat to spend time together at Playa Iguana.  

A family Christmas Eve dinner in Nicaragua.

We busted out the BIG fireworks for Christmas Eve, and I think everyone on Playa Iguana enjoyed the show.

Christmas Eve Fireworks Show

We all brought our Christmas stockings to Nicaragua.

We did not bring our Christmas stockings with us to Panama, so we ended making our own to bring to Nicaragua.  Monica and Matt had a blast creating their own personal designs, shopping for the supplies, and putting it all together - very FUN!

Noni with her 6 grandchildren on Christmas morning after Santa Claus filled the stockings the night before

One of my favorite parts of our Playa Iguana trip was watching the sunset in the late afternoons.  

It was a true pleasure to spend Christmas in Nicaragua at Playa Iguana with our family and of course, it was sad to say "goodbye" to everyone when the week was over.  Thank you Noni, Kim, Chip and Thomas for making the effort to travel to Nicaragua to be with us on Christmas, and thank you to all of the cousins (Ben, Grace, Lily, Monica, Matt & Allister) for enjoying every minute of it.  We will cherish these memories forever!