Stormy winds

     We had lots of rain and wind at False Bluff during the 2013 rainy season.  Frequent storms blew in quickly and just as quickly blew out again.

     And, inevitably, we lost some things to the winds.  Some of our old coconut trees were the first things to go...

Richmond? False Bluff?

     I split my time between projects in both of these locations.  One in Virginia, USA; one in RAAS, Nicaragua. There's a wonderful difference between the two that makes for a pretty eventful life.      
     Other Richmonders have visited me, their trips separated by a couple of years.  One couple, in my east-end-of-Richmond neighborhood, has bought property on Bluefields Bay and will move to Bluefields (the small city eight miles by water from False Bluff) full time within the next twelve months to finish building.
     The other couple's maneuvering to do the same.
     So far visitors to my part of Nicaragua have become that attached that quickly and it's easy to understand why.  It goes back in part to that old real estate adage:  location, location, location!
   
   

Passion fruit

     Growing somewhere most everywhere in the world, one of these vines produces a fruit for nearly every taste.  Each of the many varieties has a flower that is similar in general shape but differs in color and size, as do the fruits of the vines.  Next time you check the ingredients of a fruit drink and see 'passion fruit' you might wonder just which passion fruit's juice was added.
     At False Bluff we have two varieties. The 'granadilla' (not the 'grenadilla' which is a small tree known for its dark wood) is shown here as flower and not-yet-ripe fruit. The fruit is bright yellow when it's ripe and about the size of a tennis ball:

     And the one known along the Caribbean as 'calala' with a purplish flower and a fruit that's much larger than the granadilla, oblong rather than round, and eaten while it's still a lovely green color, seeds and all:

How to prepare a coconut for drinking

     Palm trees are a major feature at False Bluff so they're in several posts (and will be in more to come).   
     Here a couple of visitors on the beach enjoy coconuts right off the tree.

     And in this short video Julio Castillo demonstrates just how to prep a coconut for instant consumption.  (More about Julio on False Bluff's Facebook page.) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFEIqhVgLng

False Bluff on the Caribbean

     When La Costena flies to Big Corn Island, a long lovely stretch of the Caribbean coast is left below and behind.  Here's a picture taken from a flight to the island that shows Bluefields, El Bluff, Smokey Lane Lagoon, miles of white sandy beach...and False Bluff.
   

Don't forget Facebook...

     Two posts today.  We invite friends to the False Bluff Facebook page where there's similar information about Bluefields, RAAS (Region Autonoma del Atlantico Sur), and the surrounding area.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/False-Bluff/142899219245180

Across Nicaragua

     Lots of people go to Nicaragua, and lots of those people fly on to Big Corn Island.  Few of those people end up in Bluefields - a shame for them and a shame for Bluefields.  
     La Costena Airline, a member of the Taca Group, is based out of Managua's Sandino airport and flies to ten domestic destinations.   Nicaragua's about the size of the state of New York and to fly from Managua to Bluefields takes less than an hour.
     La Costena's planes cruise at an altitude far less than 37,000 feet, so you get a good view of the countryside as you cross over it.

      Bluefields, located in RAAS, the southern autonomous region, is Nicaragua's largest port city, and is on a bay within sight of the Caribbean. You can see the bay in the left of the photo below.

        The runway stops just short of the bay...

     Easy to catch a taxi at the airport for the short ride to town where there are a lot of hotels.  I know only the Caribbean Dream Hotel in the heart of 'downtown' Bluefields:  clean, comfortable, with a restaurant on site, and close to most everything.