TwoBrothersSurf.com Nicaragua Surf Blog

Two Brothers Surf Resort in Popoyo is looking for qualified surf interns for 2011. If you would like to surf everyday in the warm waters of the Pacific and have a great cultural experience in Nicaragua and you meet the qualifications below, you could be eligible for an opportunity to intern at the illustrious Two Brothers Surf Resort and Lodging!

Requirements:

• Surfing and boat skills
• Computer skills (marketing, graphics and social media)
• Proficient in Spanish Language (at least somewhat!)
• Must be good driver and able to drive a stick…

If you are willing to work hard and surf long hours this internship is for you!

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”   Saint Augustine

If you are interested, check out our website at WWW.TwoBrothersSurf.com and call Robert at 904-687-1633

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Surfing in Nicaragua this Summer?

The sun in Nicaragua is intense, and we are living out in it from 6 o’clock in the morning until 6 o’clock at night most days.  Being good parents (or so we thought) we have our boys in the habit of putting sunscreen on in the morning when they wake up and brush their teeth.  Not just on their face, and not just once, multiple layers and multiple brands.  Then last week I saw on CNN that most sunscreens contain hormone-altering chemicals!  So quite possibly in an effort to protect our kids from skin cancer we are slathering on them toxic gender-bending chemicals that may, in the long run, actually increase the incidence of cancer!!  Not a good thing and it now has me reading labels I should have paid attention to long ago…

Check out what skin Biology has to say about toxic sunscreens:

http://www.skinbiology.com/toxicsunscreens.html

And you can access the CNN study at:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/01/sunscreen.study/index.html

…from one well meaning mom that will pay more attention to what goes on and in her surfers!

Susan, Two Brothers Surf Resort, Popoyo, Nicaragua

GREAT Summer SURF deals in NICARAGUA…. come see for yourself!

No need to rough it, Two Brothers is offering a great Summer Survivor Deal…  Come to Nicaragua any time between now and July 14th – rent five nights in one of our fabulous Villas and get TWO nights FREE!! Come now before the new Survivor Series puts Nicaragua on the map for the rest of the world.  Starting July 15th, the Survivor crew will start filming season 21 in various  remote forests and beaches that border the Pacific coast of Nicaragua near San Juan del Sur.  We are located along the SAME coastline that they will be filming on…  only a few short kilometers away!  Get to know the same beautiful Nicaraguan landscape as the 20 contestants that will compete against one another in a series of “tribal challenges” that will reflect the culture and traditions of this Central American country known for its friendly inhabitants and gorgeous landscape and beaches.  Survivor challenge producer John Kirhoffer is quoted as saying “For the 11 years I’ve been doing Survivor, I have never been as excited about spending six months in any other country.  Nicaragua’s Pacific is on the top of my list of my favorite places in the world to be.”

Visit us in Nicaragua and see for yourself why Survivor producers Mark Burnett and John Kirhoffer chose this beautiful Latin American country for its 21st and 22nd seasons!  Leisa Francis of Survivor says that the production team was impressed by how friendly everyone was here, as well as Nicaragua’s spectacular landscape of volcanoes and “unspoiled coastline.”

hmmm… what better place to watch the first episode of Survivor Nicaragua and a great deal to boot!

www.TwoBrothersSurf.com – MAKE your RESERVATION now!  only four villas…

TWO BROTHERS SURF RESORT, private, affordable, rustic luxury…

Could GOOGLE be the death of surfing?  Gone is the early morning anticipation of rounding the bend and finding perfect lines rolling in.  No need to even get out of bed to see what the wind direction and tide are doing, just log on to the internet.  Gone are the ritual rides to check the surf and chat (yes, live and in person) with other warm bodies willing and wishing the waves to peal in perfectly on the point.  If you can “discover” the ultimate surf spot without leaving your bedroom, why travel?  If you can “see” the beach via live cam why bother to go anywhere unless the conditions are perfect?  Why even get out of bed…  Is GOOGLE the death of surf travel and discovery?

Globalization, easy access and instant gratification, evolution or devolution?

While some foodies love to shop rural markets for local flavor, others like to be served on vacation… And for those of you that fall in the later of the two categories, we have decided to feature some of the best local flavors available along Playa Guasacate in the surf zone of Popoyo, Nicaragua. So surf hard, get hungry, and relax to a good Nicaraguan meal. First up is the garden restaurant of Dona Delores, Amores del Sol, and if the attention she pays to her garden is any indication to the efforts she puts into preparing your food, you should be in for a real satisfying meal …

Amores del Sol, which translates to “Lover of the Sun”, sits at the end of the long dirt road that leads to the southern end of Playa Guasacate and the infamous surf breaks of Popoyo and the Outer Reef. Family owned, the restaurant has been open now for almost 7 years, and you are guaranteed some of the friendliest service and freshest food on the beach. The key to their business is Dolores Mena, the owner of the restaurant, who puts a lot of effort in the kitchen, but even more love into her garden where you will find her every morning! One of the main attractions is Max, a white face monkey from the northern Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua and Brenda and Roy, the two crazy “lapas” parrots. Most likely you will also see, Scooby, the house dog that is always around. Manager and family member Angel says, “If you come, you will enjoy good food, good services and friendly people. Don’t worry if you do not speak Spanish, you can always count with me to translate for you and help you with anything you may need. So come on… surf, swim, eat and relax at the Amores del Sol!”

Two Brothers Surf Resort

Las Salinas, Popoyo, Nicaragua

When my son was young and we first moved to Popoyo, he surfed a little local break called Paranoias were the young Nicas from the village would walk from town to Popoyo along the river bank. All of the kids were about ten to twelve and the only words they could manage to communicate were “grande olas” (big waves) and tiburon (shark!). They laughed a lot and snaked plenty of waves from each other. My son was having so much fun being included in their banter that he proudly announced one day that his new Nica buddies now called him a local… What they actually said was “el is loco”, which to his young gringo ears sounded to him like “he rips like a local!’

The one that thing that stays pervasively in my mind when I ponder my life in Nicaragua and what I miss most when I’m not here, is the feeling that an eternity has gone by, by the time you’ve even reached the noon time hour.  Some of that may have to do with the fact that the days start as soon as the sun rises over the volcano! That aside, life seems to be in slow motion and I like it!   The animals move slowly on the roads, the beans cook slowly in the pot.

Even the notion of slow food fits perfectly in this lifestyle… Yes, if I were in a more industrialized nation, I suppose it would be quicker to go to Publix to buy my weekly food stores of eggs, bread, milk, fruit, vegetables, fish, & chicken… But I would rather wait for the mangos to ripen on my own tree.  I’m in no hurry for the neighbor’s hens to lay their eggs.  I can wait to decide what to serve for dinner based on the success of the boys spear-fishing prowess (with luck maybe we’ll be having grouper or snapper!).  And yes, it does takes more time (2 days actually) for the local baker to pound out the dough for bread, let it rise a couple times, find the wood, stoke the fire, and bake it in the traditional horno oven, but mmm it is so worth it to buy it fresh and warm.

And even though I can’t post this right now because the internet is so darn  S L O W,  it’s probably a good thing… I’ll just hang in the hammock and take a short siesta and press send later… Have a wonderful slow day!

Cheers,

NicaSurfer
Two Brothers Surf Resort
POPOYO, Nicaragua

Yes, there may be some things that are worth giving up today – five dollar cups of coffee, two hundred dollar designer jeans, ten dollar movies… But as families are finding ways to save, they are also finding better ways to spend their money and spend time together. When was the last time you had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with your family? For that matter, when was the last time you caught your dinner! I have to admit, my family is quite lucky… We live in Nicaragua for 6 months out of the year and every day feels like vacation. We wake every morning without an alarm clock to the sun rising over the volcano. The first order of the day is simply walking out on the porch and checking the waves. I make a fresh pot of Nicaraguan coffee (which costs less than 5 dollars for the entire bag of beans!) The family spends the largest portion of the day TOGETHER, usually surfing, swimming or hiking – but most importantly, whatever is it, even if it is nothing or simply reading – we are doing it together.

We invite you to bring your family to Two Brothers Surf Resort on Nicaragua’s Pacific Coast. It is a short flight from the United States and you will probably spend less on your vacation than the money you would spend at home during the same time!

Bienvenidos!

Susan Gregory (and Robert, Marsh and Auggie)
Two Brothers Surf Resort
Las Salinas, Popoyo, Nicaragua