CLICK here for Andy’s Video Recap of JTOG’s visit to Nicaragua!

Good but long day… woke up in Real InterContinental Metrocentro Managua, played Nejapa Golf & Country Club (walked), drove through Granada and found Paradise in San Juan del Sur though I know Ponte Vedra is Paradise too… heading into Costa Rica tomorrow morning… getting close to South America!!! (-:   (Facebook Post, Andy Reistetter, 11/26/13

Torch’s back left wheel is tilted again, 1500 miles south of where she was fixed in Mexico City…

My new friend Javier Cabanellas helped me out in several ways during my short stay in Managua. When I was leaving the Hostal Ulap Yasica on my way to Managua I noticed Torch’s back left wheel was tilted again like it was back in Mexico. Not as bad but definitely slanted for sure. Also her shocks and struts were getting worse and she was moving all over the road especially on turns and uneven surfaces. Javier put me in touch with his mechanic Virgil Martinez who worked out of the Centro Nacional Inspeccion Vehicular y Taller Automotriz facility in the Suoeste section of Managua, not far, only about four kilometers from the Real Intercontinental Managua Metrocentro.

CLICK here for the Highlight Video of my Motorcycle Ride through the Streets of Managua!

CLICK here for the Full Video of my Motorcycle Ride through the Streets of Managua!

Thank God because I would be riding back to the hotel on the back of Virgil’s motorcycle!

CLICK here for Mechanic Virgil Martinez’s Assessment of Torch’s Condition in Managua, Nicaragua.

Mechanic Virgil Martinez & his assistant with Torch’s Strut & Spring assembly.

Virgil and his assistant came by the hotel to pick me and Torch up and we followed him over to the garage. He did what I considered a heroic thing by literally dismantling Torch and then taking her struts and springs all over Managua looking for parts that would fit her. Sadly, he was unable to find replacement parts and put her back together again so we could continue our Journey south. Like others before him—Jiffy Lube in Houston, Bridgestone in Mexico City and Olaf in Guatemala City—Virgil in Managua was of great help to me and gave me confidence that Torch was able and willing to continue the Odyssey with me to Rio. Or in other words, I was completely confident her wheels were not going to fall off. Beyond that there were no guarantees. Torch was the perfect car for this Journey. If I had to do it over again, on  another assignment, I would take a more sturdy 4X4 with a heavy duty suspension package and have a working GPS at my disposal for sure.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with  Jeasson Camacho, Concierge.

The Real Intercontinental Metrocenter Managua is a splendid place to stay!

For the more relaxing side of my Monday in Managua I thoroughly enjoyed my day at he Real Intercontinental Managua Metrocentro. I went across to the mall for a haircut and reviewed some videos from El Salvador and posted them on line. It was always a challenge to process the material I was gathering and share it while at the same time planning ahead and networking for places to stay and where I could play golf or in the the words of one Golf Channel producer—where I could voyage in the golf world.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Juan Jose Canas, Director of Sales & Marketing.

I did video interviews with Concierge Jeasson Camacho and the Director of Sales & Marketing Juan Jose Canas. The Real Intercontinental Managua Metrocentro, like all the Real Intercontinental Hotels in Central America, is a fabulous place to stay.

With Javier Canabellas at the beautiful Club Terraz in Managua.

My buddy Javier gave me a call and invited me out to experience his Club Terraz which was very nice and exciting, even on a Monday night! I met his beautiful wife Gabriela and a bunch of other family and friends of his. It seemed like Javier knew and was friends with everyone in Managua. He even gave me a contact—Mario Perez at the Cariari Country Club in San Jose, Costa Rica. As would be the nature of this ‘Journey to Olympic Golf,’ I would meet Mr. Perez as we say in the golf business ‘down the road.’ The people in Nicaragua from Matagalpa to Managua were very friendly, accommodating to me and Torch and a lot of fun to be with.

At Club Terraz with Javier and Gabriela and my new friends in Managua.

Monday was a good day in Managua. Even though Torch’s mechanical health was not completely restored, our confidence in our ability to go forward was replenished by another trusted professional in Latin America. Best of all, Javier invited me back out to Nejapa Golf & Country Club to play a round of golf with he and his friend Alex Palazio. Another golfing experience to come, more insight into the history and tradition of the game in Latin America and another step in the right direction to define the ‘Olympic Spirit of Golf’ along the way to Rio!

There are some more stories in the pictures below this request to make a donation to The First Tee… please make a donation today. Much appreciated.

I am looking for 100 new friends in the next 100 days to make a $100 donation (or any amount that you are able to make) to The First Tee. Each day I will be reliving the original “Journey to Olympic Golf” and hope to find a new friend in golf. Is that you? Please join me in giving back to the game we all love.

CLICK here to make a donation to The First Tee.

The First Tee has a positive impact on young kids in life and on the golf course.

Please select ‘Andy Reistetter’s Journey to Olympic Golf’ on the drop-down menu for the question ‘What inspired you to make a gift today? This is for tracking purposes only, Andy does not receive any part of your donation or anything financially from The First Tee organization.

There are interesting incentives for making your donation to the First Tee…

PLEASE click here to make a donation to The First Tee.

Thank You!

It was a thrilling ride on the back of Virgil’s motorcycle through the streets of Managua!

The view of Managua from the Intercontinental with the Masaya Volcano in the distance.

Lake Managua with the New (foreground) and Old Cathedral (background) from the Intercontinental.

Anyone with contacts at Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa, Los-Suenos-Marriott-Ocean-and-Golf-Resort or The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal, an All Inclusive Resort? Have bed tonight in Nicaragua, playing Nejapa Golf & Country Club in the morning and heading into Costa Rica in the afternoon… may have to pass by and go directly to San Jose? Surely they want to be a part of this epic, historical and unique “Journey to Olympic Golf!”   (Facebook Link, Andy Reistetter, 11/25/13)

Loving today staying at Real InterContinental Metrocentro Managua and Torch getting repaired. Another bulging tire replaced and new shock absorbers! Should also correct wheel tilt and good news wheel will not fall off, hear there are cliffs in Costa Rica!   (Facebook Post, Andy Reistetter, 11/25/13)

Waving goodbye to Grandma Maria Luisa and her granddaughters Janna & Marcela after an impromptu introduction to golf!

JTOG Day 45 was Sunday, November 24th, 2013 and with less than 100 miles to travel from the hills surrounding Matagalpa to the capital city of Managua it was a day of leisurely voyaging and documenting on both ends and in between. I knew I had a bed for the next two nights at the Real Intercontinental Managua Metrocentro. Hopefully finding it would be an easy thing to do. Easier said than done, of course, for Torch and me in Central America!

Click here for a Highlight Video of an Introductory Golf Lesson for a Grandmother and her two Granddaughters!

Before I left the Cantu’s next door neighbor Maria Luisa brought over a plate of fresh papaya. Spurred by the friendly gesture and in the spirit of The Journey, I offered to introduce her and her two granddaughters to the game of golf! It was a special part of the 100-day odyssey for sure. Golf has so much room to grow around the world.

An enjoyable Sunday morning breakfast with Connie and Ernesto at the Hostal Ulap Yasica was a great way to start the day!

Connie and Ernesto wanted to take me to a special place that meant a lot to them. The Hostal Ulap Yasica was where they stayed for twelve nights when they first came to Matagalpa. Billed as “Your Home-away-from-Home in Nature while you Visit the Cooler Northern Mountains of Nicaragua,” Ulap Yasica is a family run eco-lodge that has a heck of a Sunday morning breakfast waiting for you. As you can see in the video below Connie and Ernesto are a warm, spirited couple of love birds that has escaped the rat race in America, at least for the time being. I liked Connie’s father’s perspective of life—”let’s explore, let’s learn, see what you can see and go where you can go.” I am very thankful to have gone to Matagalpa and have had the opportunity to meet the Cantu Couple that can do!

Click here for a Video Interview of Connie & Ernesto Cantu at the Hostal Ulap Yasica.

One of the yellow trees next to a tribute to Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela who died earlier in the year.

The drive to Managua was uneventful for the most part. At a gas station stop I did notice two things with Torch that brought me concern but more on that tomorrow. There is no doubt that each country in Central America has a different feel to it. Nicaragua was no exception especially when I saw my first 45-foot high yellow metal psychedelic tree entering the central part of the city. Raised in honor of the 34th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution celebrated earlier in the year, they are prominent along the Avenue Bolivar, with many Christmas exhibits. Nicaragua’s official slogan is “Christian, Socialist and United.”

The entrance to Nejapa Golf & Country Club was beautifully lined with palm trees. The banner proclaiming a big club golf tournament in progress!

After finding the Real Intercontinental Managua Metrocentro which was not too difficult to do, and checking in, there was still a couple of hours of daylight so I decided to head out to the Nejapa Golf & Country Club. I had not yet made contact with the club but it was less than ten minutes away and Concierge Extraordinaire Jeasson Camedro had a map with directions so I decided to go for it. I knew it would be my only chance to play golf in Nicaragua and the earlier I could make contact the better and what better way than to show up in person to say hello “Would you and your club like to be part of the historic ‘Journey to Olympic Golf.’

The first tee at Nejapa G&CC with a view that never ends!

As fate would have it, the timing of my appearance at Nejapa Golf & Country Club was fortuitous. Today was the day they were having the Torneo Presidencial 2013. The competition was over and the victors were lingering around enjoying their success and were open to meeting a curious American golf travel writer. Some of the winning team was from out of town and staying at, you guessed it, my hotel, the Real Intercontinental Managua Metrocentro and they were planning to move the celebration over there. Now I had a personal escort, Javier Cabanellas, that Torch and I could follow back to the hotel. Needless to say I learned a more direct and shorter way that the circuitous route Torch and I took coming over.

With my new friends at Nejapa G&CC—from left-to-right—Don, Javier, me, Alex, and Mario.

We spent the evening toasting their success in golf and life, mine too! It was fun to make new friends and learn about the rich and interesting history of the club of Nejapa, a municipality in Managua and the country of Nicaragua. While I never did learn the origin and meaning of the word ‘Nejapa’ I suspect it comes from the indigenous people of Nicaragua. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire, they have a festival on the last day of August where they honor their patron Saint Jerome and his victory over the devil by having what is best described as a snowball fight but with real fireballs!

All in all this was a great day getting settled in the heart of Nicaragua. With only Costa Rica and Panama to come, my time in Central America was running out. Not only was I trying to network and plan ahead for those two countries but also a new continent—South America was in my sights and on the horizon!

Tomorrow would be spent addressing the one thing that could stop The Journey as I know it today. There would be no golf in Nicaragua yet but the party from Sunday night would carry on for a bit longer.

There are some more stories in the pictures below this request to make a donation to The First Tee… please make a donation today. Much appreciated.

I am looking for 100 new friends in the next 100 days to make a $100 donation (or any amount that you are able to make) to The First Tee. Each day I will be reliving the original “Journey to Olympic Golf” and hope to find a new friend in golf. Is that you? Please join me in giving back to the game we all love.

CLICK here to make a donation to The First Tee.

The First Tee has a positive impact on young kids in life and on the golf course.

Please select ‘Andy Reistetter’s Journey to Olympic Golf’ on the drop-down menu for the question ‘What inspired you to make a gift today? This is for tracking purposes only, Andy does not receive any part of your donation or anything financially from The First Tee organization.

There are interesting incentives for making your donation to the First Tee…

PLEASE click here to make a donation to The First Tee.

Thank You!

Torch and me saying goodbye to the Cantu’s at the Hostal Ulap Yasica in Matagalpa!

Central America is the Land of Volcanoes, here is Masaya Volcano, always looming in the background in Managua.

Christmas is coming and so is Santa Claus… a blue one, like everything in Nicaragua!

Thoughts of two inspiring people and one eco-friendly place… Connie Cantu & Ernesto Cantu… at Hostel Ulaf Tasica in Matagalpa, Nicaragua…   (Facebook Link, Andy Reistetter, 12/17/13)

Connie & Ernesto Cantu

Les compartimos esta nota que escribió Andy Reistetter, periodista y golfista, que se encuentra en un viaje hacia Río de Janeiro para celebrar la inclusión del golf en las olimpiadas 2016 y para recaudar fondos para obras de beneficiencia. Hace unas semanas tuvo la oportunidad de pasar por Matagalpa y conocer el hostal:

Connie y Ernesto son grandes amigos. Decidieron venirse desde Texas a vivir a Matagalpa y se hospedaron en el Hostal Ulap Yasica mientras encontraban una casa en la ciudad. Fue un placer haberlos recibido!
Thanks Andy! we wish you the best in your journey!

I share this note he wrote Andy Reistetter, journalist and golfer, which is located in a trip to Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the inclusion of golf in the Olympics 2016 and to raise funds for works of charity. A few weeks ago, he had the opportunity to go through matagalpa and meet the hostel:

Connie and Ernesto are great friends. They decided to come all the way from Texas to live in matagalpa and stayed in the Hostal Ulap Yasica while they found a house in the city. It was a pleasure to have received!

Thanks Andy! we wish you the best in your journey!

Translated from Spanish

(Facebook Share, Ulap Yasica via Hostal Ulap Yasica, 12/18/13)

Andy, it was wonderful having you in our home. Your first time in Nicaragua and our first house guest here; it was meant to be. We wish you all the best in your Journey to Olympic Golf! For those of my friends who love golf and/or travel, please check out Andy’s website. He is on an epic roadtrip from St. Louis, MO (where golf was last played in the Olympics in 1904 to Rio de Janerio, Brazil (where golf will again be an olympic sport in 2016). He is doing this for a great charity and would welcome your support (in spirit or in the bank)! Here’s his website:   http://www.journeytoolympicgolf.com/    (Facebook Post, Connie Cantu, 11/24/13)

CLICK here for Video Interview with Connie & Ernesto Cantu at the Hostel Ulap Tasica in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

Connie & Ernesto Cantu outside their room at the Hotel Ulap Tasica in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

There are some people you are destined to meet and some places you are destined to visit on an odyssey like “Journey to Olympic Golf.” Connie & Ernesto Cantu and the Hostel Ulap Tasica in Matagalpa, Nicaragua made me know that statement to be true. I first heard of them from a tout who helped me at the Guatemala/El Salvador border. From his stories of a couple that was many weeks ahead of me I knew they were someone I wanted to meet along the way and get their story. So I asked for and he gave me their email. As Ernesto says in the video why not meet someone that comes into your life. JTOG is about finding inspiration, the inspiration to be an Olympic Golfer and the inspiration to be good people sharing a little time and space on this Earth with others I think may be the same inspiration. Golf is like life after all. Even if one does not play golf, we all play life.

Connie & Ernesto quietly rocking their life away in Matagalpa…

So I ventured off the main road to Managua to a little town called Matagalpa arriving as the sun set. We simply visited the evening away and upon awakening the next morning headed to the Hostel Ulap Tasica which was nearby. Connie and Ernesto stayed there for 12 nights when they first came to Matagalpa. We went there for breakfast and I could see how it would be hard to leave before lunch a week or two later in one’s life. So here is to the inspiration of Connie & Ernesto Cantu, gosh, I love how you love and love life to its fullest. As Ernesto said “live life until you die.” Always, all the best to you!

[Show slideshow]

Video recap of visit to Tegucigalpa, Honduras… with several other interviews including these two junior golfers… think Honduras, think Golf, I do now! (-:   (Facebook Post Video & 1 Pic, Andy Reistetter, 11/24/13 )

Capturing the Spirit of Golf & the Olympics in Honduras!

Video recap of visit to Tegucigalpa, Honduras… with several other interviews including these two junior golfers… think Honduras, think Golf, I do now! (-:

A sunrise good bye to the Pristine Bay Resort, my Tranquility Base in Honduras!

Planes, Torch and a border crossing was the flavor of the day for me today. I awoke and said goodbye to the Pristine Bay Resort on the Island of Roatan, fly back to Tegucigalpa by way of La Cieba, picked up Torch at the Real Intercontinental Tegucigalpa, crossed the Honduras-Nicaragua border at Los Manos and made my way to the home of Connie and Ernesto Cantu in the mountains above Matagalpa. As I would learn in Central America, elevation dictates temperature and being on the ‘Journey to Olympic Golf’ precipitates new friendships, adventures and certainly the celebration of life each day!

Torch was right where I left here among the United Nations election observation cars!

After three nights at the Pristine Bay Resort and two rounds of golf on The Black Pearl, I did not want to leave Roatan. But it was easy to do as I would be venturing into the sixth country of this golf and life odyssey to Rio. Due to the elections in Honduras there was no room for me at the Real Intercontinental Tegucigalpa, hence the manic travel day. My flights out to and back from Roatan were my first on the JTOG. That in of itself would be enough to fill one day. So too would a border crossing as they can be dicey, confusing and challenging, especially taking a vehicle across with you. Besides the flight and the border crossing, there was the 300 km (nearly 200 miles) and five hours of drive time (as estimated by Google Maps) between picking up Torch and  my bed at the Cantu’s.

Click here for a Highlight Video of the Day’s Travel.

Playing the CC of Tegucigalpa with Henry and Rodolfo was a highlight of my visit to Honduras!

I took a few minutes on the drive out of Honduras to collect my thoughts on my time in Honduras. Starting with the kindness of Roger the customs officer who personally escorted me through getting my vehicle permit for Torch. I couldn’t thank Henry Kattan enough for hosting me in Tegucigalpa—meeting his father, playing the Country Club with his childhood buddy Rodolfo and giving me a tour of the Honduras Olympic Village and introducing me to a couple of Olympians who competed in London. Same for Enrique Toriello, I couldn’t thank him enough for hosting me at the Pristine Bay Resort and playing The Black Pearl two and a half times. And of course there was the luxurious stay at the Hotel Real Intercontinental Tegucigalpa. It has been a great visit to Honduras, I can’t wait to return!

Click here for the Recap Video of the Spirit of Golf & the Olympics in Honduras.

Going into Nicaragua Torch really got fumigated this time, even on the inside!

The day evolved perfectly and pretty much as I estimated timewise though I did get a little lost finding their home in the mountains above Matagalpa. I was going by handwritten notes off Google maps and the last part from conversations with Connie and Ernesto. Signage and numbering is definitely less available and if available, less prominent, in Central America, at least to me and Torch. After a timely flight and a taxi back to the Intercontinental we left at a little after 10 am. Estimating two hours for the border crossing, that would have us arriving around 4 pm. As it turns out we made it by 6:30 pm pretty much right at dusk. Maybe travel, like work, fills up the time available?

The road was beautiful and so was the countryside in Nicaragua!

The ride on both sides of the border was absolutely beautiful, easily navigated (for the most part except when I was lost) and a safe passage for Torch and me. I took the northern route up through the mountains and high flatlands through Danli and Ocotal in Honduras and Esteli and Secaco in Nicaragua. The ride through Matagalpa and up the hillsides, through what I think were coffee fields, was appealing and fascinating. I took 70 beauty videos. I especially liked the stonework, actually volcanic rocks, along the parkways right after entering Nicaragua. The craftsmanship reminded me of La Reunion Resort & Residences and the entrance drive into Chenango Valley State Park back near my hometown of Binghamton, New York. I guess when so much is visually new and culturally different it is natural to make comparisons to what is familiar in one’s life. As much as I loved the resorts and the golf courses along the way, the people and their customs were what really intrigued me.

Connie and Ernesto with Torch outside the El Torro Bravo restaurant in Matagalpa.

The Cantu’s are awesome people. Remember I was connected to them through the tout Jorge at the Guatemala-El Salvador border a week ago on JTOG Day No. 37. Not only were we were fellow Americans but I guess Jorge saw a similar zest for life and a sense of adventure. He was right. After settling into my comfortable room, we headed back down to Matagalpa for a celebratory dinner at El Toro Bravo, The Brave Bull, streakhouse. Torch, my brave bull, got a premo parking spot right outside the restaurant. It was a fabulous evening of stories and perspectives about life and traveling and living in Central America.

More on that and the Cantu’s tomorrow as it has been a long, tiring, though invigorating day of travel. I was in bed and asleep by 10 pm. In the haste and fast pace of the Journey this was a one night stay, with the Saturday evening before and the Sunday morning after.

Tomorrow would be an interesting day as the Cantu’s showed me a special place in Nicaragua and I made it to the capital city of Managua and found another Real Intercontinental, this time the Real Intercontinental Managua, my home away from home in Central America!

Pleasant dreams…

There are some more stories in the pictures below this request to make a donation to The First Tee… please make a donation today. Much appreciated.

I am looking for 100 new friends in the next 100 days to make a $100 donation (or any amount that you are able to make) to The First Tee. Each day I will be reliving the original “Journey to Olympic Golf” and hope to find a new friend in golf. Is that you? Please join me in giving back to the game we all love.

CLICK here to make a donation to The First Tee.

The First Tee has a positive impact on young kids in life and on the golf course.

Please select ‘Andy Reistetter’s Journey to Olympic Golf’ on the drop-down menu for the question ‘What inspired you to make a gift today? This is for tracking purposes only, Andy does not receive any part of your donation or anything financially from The First Tee organization.

There are interesting incentives for making your donation to the First Tee…

PLEASE click here to make a donation to The First Tee.

Thank You!

With a young Nicaraguan police officer at the border.

Thinking this is a World Cup soccer ball trophy at the bus stop but I am not sure.

With the Cantu’s and the manager at El Torro Bravo.

CLICK here for Andy’s Video Recap of JTOG’s visit to Honduras.