I woke up this morning - my first - in a giant green fishbowl. My bed square center in a room that is more enormous tikihut with its high thatched cone-shaped roof, poured rust colored concrete floors and 360 degree window tightly screened against mosquitos, geckos and (ehem) scorpions all around but otherwise open - to the huge breeze, the views of hanging jungle, the rise and fall sounds of leaves moving, cicadas vibrating, birds calling. I am in casa 2 on the vast grounds of Equilibrio here in the tiny, rural Pacific coastal town of Las Salinas, 3 hours south of Managua.
Equilibrio is the labor of love creation of Gabriela and James, who bought the property in 2004 after spotting the "farm for sale" sign on a road trip through the countryside. It's come a very long way since then through an incredible amount of sheer will and manpower and 1 ½ years spent camping on the property without electricity; while simultaneously working with their new neighbors to build a library and community center for the local kids through their non-profit organization, Aprender.
Today Equilibrio is a 15 acre organic farm, complete with five bungalow guest houses, one well, a yoga room, art and music studios, and a "hangatorium" space well equipped with enough lights, speaker systems, hanging contraptions, hula hoops, and musical equipment to enable impromptu disco parties, jam sessions and circus performances alike. Basically, if you love yoga and/or have a creative spirit, you can be quite happy here.
Now that Equilibrio is officially open for business I have come to experience it so I can help James and Gabriela figure out how to spread the word. My arrival coincides with the national Semana Santa holiday as well as with Equilibrio’s first yoga retreat so I feel especially blessed to be able to come as their guest. The days are structured around 2 yoga classes and 3 organic meals a day, with pockets of time for various activities like hammock swinging or well jumping in between. The group is lovely, headed by Amber Campion, a Brooklyn transplant now based in nearby San Juan del Sur and the people she’s corralled, including her assistant Kristin; Joe and Tyler who have been traveling for a while on their own; and Joe and Stella here from NYC to attend Amber’s retreat. Our amazing young chef extraordinaire Natalie joins us whenever her work schedule permits, making us a happy 8 in total.
Things will be very different when the group leaves Sunday but for now I am enjoying this thoroughly unexpected mini-vacation. Equilibrio is beautiful, and Gabriela and James are gracious hosts, making sure their guests are well cared for - despite the million little things there are to do to ensure sure all the work on the property gets done. After Sunday, I will be mostly on my own, and free to intersperse my days with volunteer work, my own yoga practice, reading, writing and taking little trips nearby. I will also be trying to plan the rest of my visit to Central America, and deciding where to head to next. For now though, I am happy to lose myself in the rhythms of this new pace of life and my first taste of Nicaragua so far.
Equilibrio is the labor of love creation of Gabriela and James, who bought the property in 2004 after spotting the "farm for sale" sign on a road trip through the countryside. It's come a very long way since then through an incredible amount of sheer will and manpower and 1 ½ years spent camping on the property without electricity; while simultaneously working with their new neighbors to build a library and community center for the local kids through their non-profit organization, Aprender.
Today Equilibrio is a 15 acre organic farm, complete with five bungalow guest houses, one well, a yoga room, art and music studios, and a "hangatorium" space well equipped with enough lights, speaker systems, hanging contraptions, hula hoops, and musical equipment to enable impromptu disco parties, jam sessions and circus performances alike. Basically, if you love yoga and/or have a creative spirit, you can be quite happy here.
Now that Equilibrio is officially open for business I have come to experience it so I can help James and Gabriela figure out how to spread the word. My arrival coincides with the national Semana Santa holiday as well as with Equilibrio’s first yoga retreat so I feel especially blessed to be able to come as their guest. The days are structured around 2 yoga classes and 3 organic meals a day, with pockets of time for various activities like hammock swinging or well jumping in between. The group is lovely, headed by Amber Campion, a Brooklyn transplant now based in nearby San Juan del Sur and the people she’s corralled, including her assistant Kristin; Joe and Tyler who have been traveling for a while on their own; and Joe and Stella here from NYC to attend Amber’s retreat. Our amazing young chef extraordinaire Natalie joins us whenever her work schedule permits, making us a happy 8 in total.
Things will be very different when the group leaves Sunday but for now I am enjoying this thoroughly unexpected mini-vacation. Equilibrio is beautiful, and Gabriela and James are gracious hosts, making sure their guests are well cared for - despite the million little things there are to do to ensure sure all the work on the property gets done. After Sunday, I will be mostly on my own, and free to intersperse my days with volunteer work, my own yoga practice, reading, writing and taking little trips nearby. I will also be trying to plan the rest of my visit to Central America, and deciding where to head to next. For now though, I am happy to lose myself in the rhythms of this new pace of life and my first taste of Nicaragua so far.
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