Because sometimes the only person that can make you laugh and smile is yourself…

One of the cool spots I got to check out was el Lago de Cocibolca, which is also known as Lago de Nicaragua. This is a very interesting lake. First, it is the biggest lake in all of Central America. Obviously it plays a huge role in water supply and reservoirs, so if there is ever a global water supply crisis, I’m going back to my family!

Secondly, I was told there were sharks in this lake that cross and jump the rapids between the ocean and lake. Even though I never saw one, I was ready to jump in and tackle it super vato style. I feel sorry for the person who was leisurely swimming and first discovered the [...] Continue Reading…

Poverty exists all around the world and it never ceases to astound me. Although much poverty exists in Mexico, our economy is better off than most, if not all, of Latin America. I don’t know the numbers or can’t even tell you if Nicaragua is worse than the rest of Central and South America. I can only tell you what I witnessed. The unemployment rate was ridiculously high even before the world crisis hit and it is not surprising that Nicaraguans lean towards socialist policies and government. The current government was founded on the peasant and working class majority and still heavily relies on them during elections.
As my family and I drove around, I had the opportunity to see [...] Continue Reading…

Looking back, the weather in Diriamba, Nicaragua, was amazing. Due to its high altitude, there is always a breeze and therefore the temperature is always cool. It was definitely a nice change from my beloved hot and humid Manzanillo. My second day in Nicaragua had a pleasant surprise. An aunt of mine flew into Nicaragua after having last visited over 40 years ago. Apparently, she had separated from her long-time partner and wanted to get away from anything that reminded her of the breakup. It was no surprise that as soon as they arrived from the airport, everyone but the driver was drunk. Welcome to Nicaragua Tia Rafaela!
The next day, we made it out to el “Mirador de Catarina”:

As [...] Continue Reading…

You know, sometimes it’s very difficult to find motivation or inspiration in the midst of a recession, bankruptcy, breakup, surgery, depression…the list goes on forever.
Many people also don’t realize that famous and very successful people were at some point normal human beings like the rest of us. As a matter of fact, it was the constant stimuli and reminder of failure that fueled their endless drive to find success. For example… (press play)

Many people will try to dismiss the success stories in that video as “exceptions” or “rare events”. In my opinion, that’s just a very sly and socially accepted way of justifying complacency or conformism. Why wait for the late night TV news or media to highlight your [...] Continue Reading…

So after breaking the heart of “señorita bigotes”, I counted all the money I saved up and it turned out to be enough for my bus ticket to the Guatemalan/Mexico border. The bust trip was approximately 22 hours and I filled my bag with all the pupusas any Latin man could handle and took off.
On the way back from Nicaragua, I inevitably had to cross through Honduras again. They made everybody get off the bus for protocol immigration inspection. When it was my turn, the immigration officials found it very odd that I did not carry anything but a bag filled with pupusas. Being the smart ass that I am, I made the following comment, “well, pupusas protect the [...] Continue Reading…

Hola. Buenas tardes. I’ve been doing well thanks for asking. And you? Well, that’s splendid
I just realized it’s been about three months since I last blogged. I don’t know if I’m more surprised that nobody said anything or that it took me that long to realize it. Not even my number one fan said anything It’s OK, it’s just another reminder of why I began this blog in the first place–to entertain myself. Damn straight.
So what has happened in the last three months?

I went to Honduras when the ousting of the president took place, looking to get teargassed in order to justify my liberal shenanigan tendencies. Was he my president? No. Was I very confused as to [...] Continue Reading…

My family history has been deeply colored by migration. My grandfather mysteriously left Nicaragua and became a successful entrepreneur in Manzanillo. My parents then migrated to the United States when I was a kid. I then decided to move back to Mexico. It only made sense for me to complete the full circle and come all the way down to Nicaragua.
Fortunately, I still have several close family members that still live in Diriamba, Nicaragua and that factored into my decision to pick up and go. I was originally going to take my time busing down from country to country but my cousin Richard and his girlfriend were celebrating their birthday the Saturday of my arrival. Since you only celebrate [...] Continue Reading…

I’ve never been the kind of person to make solo trips, but ever since I moved down to Mexico, it began a new trend for me. There’s nothing like flying down to your destination spot but when a one-way ticket costs almost the same as the roundtrip, busing down for a fourth of the price becomes a very attractive option. From Manzanillo to the Guatemalan border, it only cost me around 110 dollars. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Not when you have to sit for a total of 29 hours! I don’t care how clean a bus restroom may be, I will do whatever I can to avoid using it. Fortunately, the remnants of my fraternity drinking and bladder holding [...] Continue Reading…

Hello my peeps, long time since Payazaro has given any love to his blog. I’m gonna do a better job of putting some more posts with the latest shenanigans of my current adventure. As I mentioned in my last post, I decided to peace out from Mexico and visit family in Nicaragua. I was once told that, “in this life, the only thing guaranteed is death.” Tomorrow is not promised, yesterday cannot be changed, and even though the present can be dictated by so many external factors out of our control, we nonetheless can select the direction our life will take. Unfortunately, sometimes that requires a passport.

I don’t understand people that get a passport and never use it. If [...] Continue Reading…

So it’s been a while since I’ve been in any classroom and had any knowledge dropped on me. I moved to Mexico to get international business experience and there has been plenty of that. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about my income. The global economic recession has affected everyone and I think those who have appreciated this the most are the indigenous tribes who have finally been left alone from crazy tourists who do not have enough money to travel and invade their communities.
I applied and got accepted to 2 Masters in International Business programs in Madrid and London. The next logical step was to tap into any scholarships out there, but so far no luck. I have [...] Continue Reading…