We are MaGui and Benito, we come from Quebec (Canada) and in September 2019, we acquired a land in Nicaragua where we will, we hope, erect a cocoa plantation.
He works in new technologies, she is in the field of advertising and together, they improvise themselves farmers at more than 5000 kilometers from their apartment in Montreal.
How do they perceive themselves?
So what’s the point?
Okay. Our original intention was far from what we are currently doing here. In fact at the beginning, we were looking for a small lot on the beach and, like any other good average gringo, we hoped to sell smoothies or offer tours down south.
Something simple.
But life has taken us elsewhere. As it often does 🙂
And so?
Over the course of our adventures, we ended up buying a lot of 2.5 manzanas (just over 4 acres) to build a cocoa plantation. But not just any cocoa! We chose to bet on quality rather than quantity, and as we are a little deranged, on the rarest variety in the world: criollo.
Criollo cocoa accounts for about 2% of world production. It is a fine cocoa, difficult to grow, fragile and capricious. We know that the challenge is far from over… But we are good players and ready for the next rounds.
It is in Nandaime that the Menier chocolates have chosen to settle almost two centuries ago, we have confidence in the flair of these famous chocolatiers!
What else?
The project also aims to publicize our new village, Nandaime, which definitely wins to be known in Nicaragua. It is a small, humble village, but oh so authentic and picturesque. Here on a daily basis, 4X4 vehicles, luxury cars, ox carts, horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, motorcycles, motocross, pedestrians and tuk-tuks go hand in hand.
Without traffic lights. Without stop signs or any other signage.
In fact most of the streets are dirt, and during the rainy season, no one has any guarantee that he will be able to return home after a heavy downpour.
Us inclusively.
In Nandaime, one lives sometimes as in another century.
And this is very well so.
And what will you be offering?
It is in the heart of the village, at the small central cafe, that we will welcome our visitors to bring them on the plantation on a carriage pulled by two horses. A ride of 4 kilometers in the small barillos nearby, in order to really feel the get away!
Once on the plantation: a visit, a tasting of chocolates and liqueurs (with or without alcohol) and a Bean to Bar chocolate workshop where we will teach the traditional way of making chocolate.
Back in Nandaime, our visitors will have the choice to go back to more touristic destinations or stay among us to swim in nature in our lagoons, climb the Mombacho volcano, visit the Domitila reserve, see a roosters fight, stroll in the park, meet extraordinary people, eat in one of our restaurants (pizza, chicken, typical comedors, seafood, meats, restaurant-bar, etc.), sleep in one of our hotels or at local people’s homes.
Nothing seen before and lots of memorable things to discover. Guaranteed!
Nandaime is an absolutely unique experience in Nicaragua. Leaving the country without having tasted it is to miss all the authenticity of Nicaraguans.
The charm of the countryside: nothing compares to it, right?
Follow us! Our project goes a little further with each new publication!
So today we own a land of 2.5 manzanas in Nandaime, a small farming village located about 25 minutes south of Granada, on the road to San Juan del Sur, 5 minutes from the Panamerican, in the heart of the most important touristic axis of the country.
A small village that is, in fact, rich in history since it was the first to export mass commercial cocoa from Nicaragua to Europe.
Thank you to the Menier chocolates, which we already benefit from experience and reputation for quality.
We enjoy here a unique climate, refreshed by « las brisas del Mombacho », a wind of the lake that comes crashing against the famous volcano, which offers us a great perpetual breeze. This fresh air (unique in the center of the country) is conducive to the culture of cocoa, that fears intense heat. In addition, the soil, enriched with volcanic earth and ancient minerals inherited from the time when Nandaime was under the sea, makes the place perfect for culture in general.
Here, everything grows without problems.
For the purpose of this trip, we rented a room at the top of a pharmacy until we could move into our new building.
For several reasons: the price, the fact that the doors are hermetically closed for the cocoa fermentation process and for the speed with which we can benefit from a floor, a roof and four walls: we chose to build in containers.
Two weeks ago, we bought the first two, but since imports and exports have been declining in the country since April 2018, containers are rarer than usual… which increases their value. In the end we would want four, but for this year, we will have to (unless a miracle) be satisfied with two.
The delivery was impressive! Two 40-feet trucks, a crane… The whole neighborhood was there to see that 😀
It allowed us to meet the people from the neighborhood and explain a little bit about the project.
Last week, we went to see the electricity company. We will have it in only three weeks… So many papers, procedures. It’s been 3 times that we go to the office of the Disnorte Dissur, 3 times we are told that this is missing, that is lacking… Passport, proof of residence, inspection of bomberos (firefighters), official request to have a pole removed on our land, an official request to ask for electricity… All in duplicates, in photocopies, and I do not know what else.
Not for nothing that there are plenty of families who illegally connect to the poles! Muy complicado!
In the meantime, we had the water installed.
Our cuidador * has dug us a trench from the main pipe to where we will have to install a water tower.
As our piping did not fit in the taxi of Candido (the best taxi driver of Nandaime!) Our pipes had to be delivered on horseback.
As I mentioned before, here, we sometimes live like in another century 🙂
So we’ll have to buy the water tower and build a structure of 4 meters to support it.
We need a water tower because in our barillo, La Orilla, we only have water every other day for the moment. We have contributed financially to a new project that is coming up, planning water 24/7 by next year. Apparently, it should be done in 6 months, but we prefer to insure in advance.
Anyway, with a water tower there is a good chance we have a little more pressure, which, virtually, does not exist here. 🙂
What is good is that in our barillo, the water comes from a common well. It’s not the water of the city as such. We were happy to learn it, basically, because even if it has certain disadvantages (for now at least it seems): we can irrigate the soil with the water of this well, which comes from the sources of Mombacho.
Pure water.
El Cuidador tells us that here in La Orilla, the water bill is $ 4 per month for a large family. So to irrigate the plantation, we expect to pay around $ 40-50 per month during the dry season. We will irrigate by drip, it should not take us too much …
Future will tell.
At this moment, we are waiting for Claro’s call to get the Internet installed. Essential before moving into our new home. But Claro does not have a great reputation, even though it’s the largest supplier in the country. We will have to shop I guess.
Yesterday, we found our welder / painter to make our doors and windows on one of the two containers in which we will make our personal spaces: toilet, bedroom, kitchen, living room. We will paint everything in white and possibly build a straw roof. Here, we call it the ranchito style.
We are lucky, El Cuidador knows how to do this type of roof!
But we are focusing on the essentials for the moment. Once liveable, we will see what is left of finances for the rest.
If we have enough money for this year, we will first have to plow the land because it is super hard! It’s volcanic soil so it’s going to be difficult to plant anything without first making the soil lighter. And, again if we can, we will plant our protective trees before sowing the cocoa next year. Because cocoa grows half-shade and for now, our land could not be fuller sun than it is right now!
So we will first have to plant coconuts, cashews, bananas, avocados, mangoes, lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit, almonds, jocotes. We have most of these trees for free, because it grows in nature. For the rest, Catarina: the capital of nurseries in Nicaragua! It is located only 15 minutes from Nandaime. We should find there what we are missing.
Our story began in Costa Rica (before the price spike!) as we explored the possibility of opening a small « Batido » (smoothie bar) by the sea or a small jungle tour company in the area with Benito’s army vehicle.
It would have been great! The jeep could pass everywhere. We’ve experienced it in a thousand and one ways in Quebec and it was perfect for wild adventures in the jungle.
Costa Rica Jungle it was called.
We had created a website and everything.
We just needed a land. A little lot we could call our home at the end of the day.
We explored the country up and down, looking for the perfect place, without really finding it. I liked the Jaco style, but Benito is more… conservative?
He liked Matapalo or Peninsula de Osa. I thought it was too far.
We went four years in a row, but the last two years (from 2013 to 2015, if I remember well) there was nothing more to do down there. I thought buying four stakes and a rusty tin roof for US $ 500,000 was a total non sense.
One day I remember, we were at Dominical waiting for the bus. Suddenly a guy shows up and asks us where we come from, what we are doing in Costa Rica. So we tell him we are from Canada looking for a land. The guy tells us he does have a land for sale and that for us, he would let it go for 5 million US.
I told him I was not Celine Dion.
***
Aside from landing in Liberia (where it’s always very economical to arrive), that was, I believe, the last time we’ve been to Costa as visitors.
That year, we were told about Nicaragua, which apparently was « like Costa Rica twenty years ago ».
But like any North American who has studied a bit of history in elementary school, obviously, we have also asked the question that kills:
-Yes but ist’it dangerous in Nicaragua?
🙂
Incults of « Cheles » * we are.
The answer is no. Nicaragua is safe and not more dangerous than Costa Rica.
So the following year, we left for Liberia, but this time with the intention to cross the border of Penas Blancas and visit the straightest touristic places in Nica: traditional San Juan del Sur, Ometepe and Granada.
So this is what we did and, despite the ups and downs that we have lived there for 5 years, today we agree that this is probably the best move we made in all of our life.
San Juan del Sur Our first trip to Nicaragua was (almost) smooth, except for an old pair of shoes stolen in San Juan del Sur. They were not pretty, but I liked them because they were comfortable.
It was a Sunday where, every week, San Juan del Sur young fauna celebrates the legendary « Sunday Funday » by the sea. I should have known … Alcohol, fiesta, music, delirious crowd: the perfect atmosphere to steal in sweet any tourist that isn’t too much on the lookout.
THE SUNDAY FUNDAY OF SAN JUAN DEL SUR
I got blown away. Mea culpa.
VOLCANO CONCEPCION ON OMETEPE
Ometepe Besides the fact that the island is incredibly beautiful, what we learned at Ometepe is to check the rented equipment before using it. And when we say « check well », we are not just talking about visual inspection, but also a thorough manual inspection: solidity of the parts and their fixings. We rented a scooter on site to see the petroglyphs in the center of the island and we lost a rear wing, without even realizing it. We looked everywhere on our way back: nothing.
Volatilized.
OUR SUPER BOLIDE
Was it a shot to get some money from us? Who knows.
Nicaragua is a beautiful country and people are extremely hospitable.. but you have to constantly watch your back. The least opportunity to make a « money pass » is exploited by the less scrupulous, and as tourists are often the ones who bear the costs.
The golden rule: constant vigilance.
GRANADA: A JEWEL IN NICARAGUA
Granada A pearl. Strolling through the streets of Granada is a step back in time. Romantic and rich in history, for little, we can imagine the hordes of pirates and filibusters cross the lake to invade the public square! Granada was, from the 17th to the 19th century, an important commercial center and that, Henry Morgan and William Walker knew it well 😀
It is a very organized (and very touristy) safe city where several expatriates live.
No incidents to report.
***
San Juan del Sur, Ometepe and Granada are therefore among the safest values in the country for a first exploration of a week. There is all the comfort desired by the less adventurous visitors, and the shops offer, for the most part, a service in English. There are restaurants, hotels and activities for all tastes: a first winning visit during a short stay.
POPOYO, MY FAVORITE BEACH!
For a two-week trip, I would add to this list Popoyo, Masaya, Leon and Montelimar, which are also charming and well organized places for tourism.
:: POST MORTEM
And Nandaime?
On our first trip, Nandaime went straight under the radar. In fact, the municipality goes under the radar of all popular destinations in Nicaragua. Because Nandaime is a rough diamond. Although located in the center of major tourist routes, its reputation as an « agricultural municipality » has never really provided it an opportunity to develop itself very well. For us, on the contrary, the wealth of its lands, the know-how of its inhabitants and its strategic location are real blessings.
The dream spot, in fact, to found an agro-touristic company.
Our second trip to Nicaragua marks our first visit to the Chocomuséo of Granada. Casually, this visit was a major trigger that would change the course of our lives. After the chocolate making workshop that we followed there, as we did not have much time left on the trip, we wondered where it would be possible to visit a cocoa plantation not too far from the touristic axes.
THE CHOCOMUSEO DE GRANADA
In Nicaragua, the cocoa and coffee plantations are all in the vicinity of Matagalpa, 3-4 hours drive from the capital, Managua.
Far and painful back and forth it goes without saying …
It is by pushing his research in more depth that Benito came across an article about an old plantation located in Nandaime, belonging to the famous Menier chocolates and which we have a superb poster at home.
So we went there to visit the place, as good North American tourists that we are.
Okay.
First, we have to know that even the people of Nandaime, for the most part, have absolutely no idea what Menier Chocolates are, and have only a vague idea of where Valle Menier is exactly in their municipality.
Our taxi driver has also asked us a great deal about the reason for this interest, his eyes filled with perplexity. It was only once we got there there that we understood why the old Menier plantation (apart from its intact architecture since 1827) no longer has any meaning.
This is because the plantation has been sold to foreign interests in order to cultivate teak. Today, you can not access it without having a valid reason.
After having negotiated with the security guard for a long time, our taxi driver finally got a VERY SPECIAL permission to pass on the other side of the gates in order to get closer to the historic building … but under the strict condition that we stayed in the car .
Following this impromptuous visit, we told ourselves that it was absolutely necessary to revive the cocoa history in Nandaime.
From then on, we had a project. Enough to get to work and to think it would be easy…
During our third trip, we stayed at the hotel El Manchon, which has a swimming pool and where the atmosphere is resolutely focused on « holidays », with its straw roof restaurant, its festive music and its many rooms.
HOTEL EL MANCHON, NANDAIME, NICARAGUA
At the beginning of the trip, we had hope to find a land near the Menier plantation, but we quickly abandoned the idea. Valle Menier is located about 7 kilometers from the center of the city (and from the Panamerican), which is quite a detour for visitors, especially since there is not much to see or to do in the vicinity of the old plantation. Today, there is only teak as far as the eye can see, which is not particularly charming.
Nevertheless, we had the immeasurable chance to finally visit the old Menier plantation in full, thanks to the mayor of Nandaime who became very fond of our cocoa plantation project.
During this visit, it was a shock to see the dozen of old surviving cocoa trees, abandoned and left to their plight. Attacked by termites, most did not even have leaves anymore. Some of them had thin pods, blackened and rancid by disease.
Very sad pictures that will follow me all my life.
We would have liked to share them with you, but it was also during this trip that Benito had his cell phone pricked… with all our photos.
New lesson: NEVER get on a crowded bus.
Sad also because the cell contained our first images of the El Manchon barillo, where we stayed for almost a month.
Just enough to fall in love with the place.
The small road between the Panam and the Domitila reserve offers a magical setting where the Mombacho volcano sits majestically. Fabulous!
Here is a picture rescued from this landscape… It does not say much but well… It’s sadly all we have left 😥
VOLCANO MOMBACHO, NANDAIME, NICARAGUA
Further on in the Domitila reserve are the lagoons, where we can find small pristine beaches and where we can swim in a clear lemony taste water: the aguas agrias. A local micro-business has humbly established a small installation there, and visitors can enjoy the best « spot » for a few dollars (the minimum to keep the place clean and safe).
AGUAS AGRIAS, NANDAIME, NICARAGUA
Convinced that we would settle there, we consulted an engineer specialized in cocoa culture to evaluate the viability of our plantation in the El Manchon sector. Following his analysis, positive in the extreme, we told ourselves that we now had:
• a viable project • a privileged area
Just remained to find someone who would sell us 2 manzanas at a reasonable price.
We thought it would be easy, given the vast agricultural areas at the feet of the Mombacho. « Two fingers in the nose! » We thought.
How far we were from suspecting the long road ahead!
So we spent our 4th and 5th trips in search of a land for sale between the Panamerican and the Domitila Reserve.
FEBRUARY 2018 In February 2018, we walked the street at least 30 times, up and down, knocked at every door, asked every family living along this road, dialed countless phone numbers, talked to every landowner …
… and refused offers at frankly exorbitant prices.
We have walked so often this road that we ended up making friends. We were invited to a wedding and it was great! We made lots of photos and lots of videos for the newly weds. It gives them beautiful memories!
Meanwhile in Canada, we were trying to sell the house by any possible means. More than 70 visits, no offers. Even at discount! We wondered why? Why such a great opportunity did not interest anyone!
The moment was, it seemed to us, ideal to settle in Nicaragua where the economy, tourism, health, education were going well! But no… Everything was going quite wrong, actually.
Additionally, destiny can sometimes be some kind of a prankster.
It was only in the middle of the revolt in Nicaragua that the house in Canada finally got sold.
Suerte Maldita.
Clinging to 100% Noticias (the most popular news media in Nicaragua), we wondered whether we should revise our plans, of course. But we know that the Nicaraguans are people of heart who still refuse, to this day, to take up arms against their government, fighting with fireworks, strikes, saucepans and faith. Faith in justice, faith in the goodness of human beings, faith in God.
So we decided to stay the course, against all odds.
JULY 2018 Once the house was sold and emptied, our goods secured in a warehouse and enriched with the necessary to buy our land in Nicaragua, we went back and walk the streets of El Manchon again in pursuit of our beautiful project. Obviously, the atmosphere was gloomy and people were much less smiling… Nothing to do with the Nicaragua we knew.
But the prices had come down somewhat, of course. The country was upside down and many investors were gone, many expats too… Tourism was almost non-existent. Many people were losing their jobs and the economic situation could not be more uncertain. So there were many landowners who wanted to divest some of their plots of land, in order to ensure a few months or even a few years away from starvation.
We received an interesting offer to buy 3 manzanas, exactly where we wanted, overlooking the Mombacho and with a personal well to irrigate our land as needed.
One expense less.
Because here, a well is more or less US $ 900 in addition to the pump (another $ 250) and the water tank (another about $ 250) and the tower ( about $ 100). A total of 1500 US $. Not given.
We went to celebrate our victory with 2 cold Toña before going to the restaurant where we made an appointment with our salesman and our lawyer.
But once at the restaurant, the price had changed.
To our disadvantage, it goes without saying.
Misery…
So we left the table and we thought that El Manchon was well and truly over. Basta!
We never went back.
***
During the rest of the trip, Nandaime was explored from East to West and from North to South, visiting a string of lands for sale at very convenient prices.
However, a new problem was waiting for us: papers in order.
Of all the lands we visited, none of the owners had legal papers to sell them.
We knew that fact existed in Nicaragua, but what we did not know was that it’s like that in the majority of cases.
New empty-handed return in Canada, this time without a house, without furniture, without a car.
And there goes 2 gringos in the street.
…
Thank you mom for those two months of squatting at your place! I don’t know what we would have done if you had not been there 🙂
APRIL 2019 A year after the Nica clash, stubborn as we are, we returned to Nandaime with, again and again, the hope of finding what we were looking for. This time though, with the requirement to see the legal papers before visiting.
So we met our lawyer to tell him about our needs during our stay.
During our meeting with him, the lawyer tells us, like that, that he has a friend from Quebec who is in Nandaime right now and he offers us to meet him, which we accept with joy!
The same evening, we meet our compatriot, J-P., Married to a Nicaraguan and living in Costa Rica for many years. From one thing to another, we listen to his story and tell our own… We laugh a little, a we learn a lot. J-P has experience. He knows much more than us about the country, it goes without saying.
At the end of the conversation, our host finally tells us:
– I like your project. Everything seems viable, well-honed… My wife has a land she inherited seven years ago, but she does not know what to do with it. It’s here in Nandaime, in the Orilla sector. I’ll talk to her about you both tonight when she comes back, I’ll call you tomorrow.
As Benito and I now refuse to create ourselves false joys, we did not want to react too much… But I admit that J-P lit a spark of hope..
And what if…?
The next day we had a lot of people to contact and a myriad of lands to visit.
So we went to the Cafetin of our friend Ricardo (a nice little cafe next to the church and Parque Central that we adopted as our headquarter whenever we come here) to scedule our appointments in front of a good cup of Nicaraguan coffee (always an absolute delight!) when suddenly the phone rings. It was J-P.
-Are you ready to visit the land? -When? -Now. … -Err… Okay!
We handed over our appointments to the next day and so we went to visit the land in question 🙂
Just: WOW!
One of the most beautiful land we have visited so far, just 4 km from the city center, in our prices and… with a view of the Mombacho!
We were thrilled!
AUGUST 2019 Between April and August, our lawyer took care of the legal papers and prepared everything so that the sale could be done without problems. So it was during our August 2019 trip that we finally bought our land and, against all odds, made an almost 10 years dream come true.
Now remains to build. And that’s where we are today.
J-P, never, oh, never, we’ll forget what you did for us, you and your dear half.
Nuestra casa es sus casa por la vida, estimados amigos!
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