Some background – my three kids and I, plus another family of five were spending New Year’s week in Nicaragua, by way of Florida. We had spent the first night in clicking, clacking Miami, where everything is white and bright and loud.  We then flew the two and half hours from the city of DJ’s and roller blades to peaceful, lush, undeveloped Nicaragua. Known as “the land of lakes and volcanoes”, Nicaragua is nestled between the Pacific and Caribbean waters to the west and east and Honduras and Costa Rica to the north and south.

We landed at dusk and traveled two hours on a new road passing everything from old yellow school buses that serve as regular buses to horse-drawn carriages to a few wandering bulls. (Note to urban dwellers – Nicaragua is teaming with wild life. I’m not talking about some stray bruisers, but jaguars, boa constrictors, sting rays and more  (all of which feature later).

We stayed at the pristine  Mukul Resort on Nicaragua’s Emerald Coast, the brainchild of Don Carlos Pellas, patriarch of Nicaragua’s richest family. Pellas wants Nicaragua to take a leaf from Costa Rica’s tourist success story and is hoping that the four-year-old Mukul will spur things on. The luxury boutique hotel and spa in Guacalito de la Isla boasts four miles of white-sand beach and rugged coastline, seven and a half miles of nature trails,  a groomed 18 hole golf course (tee time)

and a heavenly spa where privacy and space reign.  The staff seem genuinely happy in their jobs. Nothing was ever too much trouble.

The resort is near two popular surfing beaches – El Gigante and San Juan del Sur. I’m not going to lie- the Insta opportunities – me as newbie on surf board, then me as a backflipping prodigy on surf board – did cross my mind.

But turf before surf. Day One I arrive early at reception for the 9am Nature Walk. I want to get the lay of the land having arrived at the hotel in the dark the night before.  Cap, sun block, insect spray, tick, tick, tick. I look around for the group. Turns out, I am the group. Everyone else is asleep. Or not into nature. Or walking. My guide Juan Carlos shows me some dramatic coastline, and I give him some helpful photography tips.

Stand back Juan Carlos. No, further.

My group said they weren’t ready to hit the waves until their base tan was just right. Did I want them to burn?

I did convince them to accompany me to Granada, a colourful colonial town an hour and a half away. They were pretty  excited for that.

I told them that there are some great churches and a pretty main square to explore. They grumbled a bit (nothing new there), something about feeling caged in.

Then we made a gelato pit stop …

and everyone cheered up…

Granada can be scorching so avoid doing what we did: Sight-seeing in the middle of the day.

Back at the hacienda, I was starting to fret.  It seemed everyone but us was hitting the waves. (I don’t drink and drive or surf in solitude) The hotel beach below.

My group wanted to chill just a bit longer so I distracted myself at the Mukul Spa, which is very distracting and I highly recommend it. I especially liked  the Yamuna Experience led by therapist Yamuna who was trained in India and has a real gift. He blends massage, meditation and  Eastern therapies. His wise advice is on target and  life-changing.

My tranquil state with Yamuna was disturbed when a fellow guest told us  about getting stung by a sting ray that morning. Then my son saw a fat snake outside his bohio. Then we heard about the jaguars who are very shy. (It only takes one outgoing jaguar …) Suddenly, I felt like I was on safari. To the spa I dashed. Yamuna, where are you??

The End

January, 2016

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The old San Francisco  in the 1970’s and ’80’s was a sleepy town with little traffic, a few good restaurants (French and Italian), and Union Square was about the only place to shop. If I told people  that I was from SF, they’d ask me about the gay Castro, or maybe some religious cult or nudist beach. No longer.

Last weekend I was in the Bay Area for my cousin’s wedding. Every time I visit my hometown I get nostalgic. So it was with surprised relief that I rediscovered the Sunset, a part of town that has barely changed over the years.

I visited this forgotten foggy tip of the city on the suggestion of my old college friend Tom (pictured below with my friend Isabelle who came along for the adventure).

We drove out past the avenues with the sunshine behind us and the vast coast ahead. The Sunset is still populated by an interesting mix of surfers and multi-generational, immigrant families. It looked just the same to us.

Seal Rock is still there.

And so are the surfers…

And the weird vegetation that thrives in the Sunset’s cool microclimate.

But if you dig a little deeper there are some interesting new shops and places to eat. Isabelle and I began at Woodshop, a collective of 4 craftsmen where the makers are as easy on the eye as their creations. Here’s Josh Duthie and Luke Bartels, two of the foursome. Josh reinvents old chairs and Luke makes furniture from locally salvaged hardwoods.

Danny Hess (who wasn’t there) makes beautiful custom wood surfboards, skateboards and hand planes for body surfing. The shop isn’t really a retail shop so you need to either bang on the door or book an appointment.

Luke wrote down on a spare piece of wood everything we should see in the neighborhood.  All the action happens on a few streets, namely Noriega and Judah between 45th and 46th streets. Streets are organised alphabetically so navigating is simple.

Trouble Coffee and Coconut Club is  a small, odd coffee shop credited with starting the $4 thick-sliced toast craze that’s been covered by NPR, the New Yorker and the Guardian (i.e. prepare for expensive toast to pop out of London toasters soon).

Journalist John Travois wrote a touching article about Trouble and how he started out cynical but after meeting Trouble’s tattooed, Bipolar founder Guiletta Carrelli – who opened the cafe to save herself – changed his mind.

The brief menu features “Build Your Own Damn House”, which consists of a cappuccino,  a whole coconut and a fat piece of cinnamon toast. No cell phones are allowed in the shoebox-sized spot with its extremely limited menu, space, and seating  (i.e. a piece of driftwood outside.) And yet, people love it.

Mouth-watering cinnamon and peanut-butter slices of toast are stabbed with a butter knife to make the butter drip inside the bread.

Other popular foodie highlights include the crowded Devil’s Teeth where the most popular dish is the Breakfast Sandwich comprised of scrambled eggs, cream cheese and bacon.

Or on a cold foggy day, take refuge in the all-wood Outerlands restaurant. Delicious food and cocktails, says my local on the spot – Tom who loves to surf and lives nearby on Ocean Beach.

No visit to the Sunset is complete without a stop in a surf shop. Check out Mollusk Surf Shop with its handmade boards, art, photography and cool t-shirts.

I like the new San Francisco, but I miss the old one.

May, 2015

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Kids learn to surf,

 while grown-ups learn to wait.

Manhattan Beach is ideal for the physically inclined and the neon attuned.

His…

and hers…

Age is just a number here.

For those who are better at relaxing and admiring their pedicures,

there’s plenty to gaze at…

Best of all, this peninsula of endless beaches and hidden coves offers really good photo opps for the groomed blogger.

September, 2014

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I don’t like to party.  I hate noise, crowds, drunken weirdos and why would I want to go deaf any earlier than I already have to? And yet I like this crazy island where the airport departure lounge looks like an emergency room full of bandaged, grumpy survivors. Why? Because I’ve cracked the code. My kids and their friends do the dusk to dawn shift.

And just as their angelic heads are hitting the pillow, I’m spraying myself with factor 50 . The island is so peaceful when the revellers slumber. So dear readers, this blog is not about dancing on tables at Namos for lunch and then continuing on to other tables at Super Paradise. This blog is for those who like to sit at tables versus jumping on them.

First comes my morning dip. There are tons of lovely empty beaches here. This one called Kapari on the southwest side of the island just happens to be close to where we are staying.

Mykonos has plenty of slightly boho cafes for breakfast. You just have to look. Here’s Y-not in Ornos where the eggs are so fresh I am sure there’s a hen hiding in the kitchen. I see the same locals here every day.

The Melting Pot in Psarou is owned by an ex-hippie named Kostos who apparently used to live in a cave. He’s still pretty laid-back, as is the waitress who served me breakfast and then sat down nearby for a smoke.

Can’t come to Greece without tasting its sublime yogurt. Just needs some honey and walnuts.

Most beaches have casual restaurants. Some of my favourites are in Panormos Bay, Agrari and Lia.

A cute boat ferries people between Agrari and Elia beaches.

And for those who like to surf (yes, you Dave the Wave) Kalafatis next door to Agrari on the southern side delivers.

So there’s definitely a quieter, charming side to this island, as well as the wild side where boogying to Afrojack starts around 3am. I don’t have any photos of the latter, only the former. Boring! I know.

Even Mykonos town- heaving at sunset – is calm as a tranquillised tiger in the morning.

And no decent blog forgets about shopping tips. My favorite shop for presents is called

I always strike gold here. Its near Mattogiannis street, the area where the best shops are.

Just as I’m about to turn into a pumpkin, my kids are perking up… the secret to a happy holiday.

August, 2014

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