Little Corn Island: A Tale of 2 Yoga Retreats
Over the last month, as Omicron has wreaked havoc, it seems it is time to reclassify the pandemic as an epidemic. I have lived the past 2 years being as cautious as possible: vaxing, boosting, and stockpiling enough N95s to supply an island nation for a year. Starting around Christmas, it was suddenly one COVID exposure after another. After another. After another. Ten days of isolating over Christmas with a family member that tested positive, followed by being around coworkers of whom 80% suddenly were testing positive for COVID (yes, after making it nearly 2 years without anyone ill – don’t worry, no one was seriously ill), I somehow survived it all with numerous negative tests and no symptoms for me. Mid-January, it was like a blanket was lifted. I felt free! Alive! And to celebrate the robustness of my immune system, I immediately signed up for a yoga retreat through Little Lotus Yoga focused on self care. A little self care would do everyone good right about now.
The yoga retreat was in the tiny town of Saratoga, WY. If you haven’t been…well, this is authentic small town Wyoming. A yoga retreat in a rustic Inn desperately need of some upgrades, in an even more rustic town (which even has a bar called The Rustic – have you been? If you aren’t a regular, you might get some stares as you walk in). Why come to Saratoga? The ultra-wealthy come to Saratoga for Brush Creek Ranch, an all-inclusive elite resort that starts at $1500 per person per night (and which I learned is loathed by the locals, since the resort doesn’t hire locals…although the talk of the resort’s fantastic wine cellar with hidden speakeasy, as well as its goat farm with fresh made cheese on sight, still piques my curiosity). The rest of us hit up the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort for none other than the hot springs. Tepees cover small thermal hot spring pools, where during the day one can find a moment of peace and tranquility. At night, the large naturally-heated pool is the place to hang while the snow falls and breath mists in sub-zero temperatures. And if you haven’t taken a leisurely midnight dip in a warm cozy hot spring, then sprinted to your hotel room bare-footed in 0 degree weather, trying not to slip on the ever-accumulating ice on the sidewalk…well then, frankly, you haven’t lived.
Which brings me to the real topic of this post, which was my first yoga retreat with Little Lotus Yoga on Little Corn Island in Nicaragua back in 2017 with many of the same group of yogis. Reminisce, we did this past weekend. Little Corn Island was a happy discovery deep in the Atlantic Ocean, off the shores of Nicaragua. A location that is off the radar of typical beach destinations, this is a place to go to get off the beaten path. No cars or roads, no televisions….the kind of place where the WiFi is weak and the rum is strong….and the warm ocean water makes you forget 0 degree weather exists.
Getting to Little Corn Island
The trip to Little Corn Island is a journey in itself. The main international airport in Nicaragua is in Managua (MGA), and from the United States, American Airlines (AA) has the most flight options to Managua. We booked our round trip ticket to Managua using 75,000 American Airline’s miles each, obtained from two AA credit card sign-on bonuses. Another friend was able to book the same flight on the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal using Ultimate Rewards points, a good option if you don’t have AA miles; American Express Membership Rewards points are another option and are directly transferable to AA. Given the timing of flights, you may or may not need to spend a night in Managua on day of arrival and prior to departure. Our flight arrived in the early evening, so we spent the night at the Globales Camino Real hotel, a short distance from the airport. The hotel had a lovely pool area and felt very safe.
The next morning, a small prop plane operated by La Costana shuttled us over to Big Corn Island, about an hour’s flight. A short drive from the airport is the boat dock, where an open air pagna boat was waiting for us. The boat ride was at least 30 minutes, and can be quite a wild ride, depending on the wind and waves – there was definitely air between me and the seat a number of times! The boat arrived directly on the beach in front of our resort, where we waded through the water (the waters are too shallow to house a dock) and we were greeted with welcome drinks from the hotel. A little splash of rum was certainly welcome after that boat ride!
Life on Little Corn
Lodging options on Little Corn Island are quite limited. We stayed at Yemaya, a beautiful boutique hotel (and really, the only place resembling a resort on the island) where our yoga retreat was to take place. Jeffrey, the residential cat at Yemaya, demonstrated daily life at Yemaya to us immediately upon arrival: lay around, chill, eat, and maybe swat at a lizard or two. That is precisely what we did for the next week. Well, that and yoga.
As in most retreats, yoga consumed about 2-3 hours of our day, starting with an early morning sunrise session each morning. After a sumptuous breakfast, a second yoga session was usually next. Then it was time to enjoy activities at the resort: There was, of course, a small spa. There were snorkeling excursions on the hotel’s boat, or one could easily snorkel from the hotel’s beach – the water was shallow and crystal clear. Yemaya provided all kinds of equipment included with our stay, from snorkels to paddle boards. One of the more unique activities was a chocolate truffle making class where we peeled and ground our own cacao beans and actually made the truffles ourselves from scratch. Afternoons consisted of lazing on the beach, sipping piña coladas and munching on lobster tacos and lobster ceviche. Did I mention the lobster? There was lobster on every menu and at every meal.
The beauty of Little Corn Island is its small size and peacefulness. There are actually no motorized vehicles on the small island To get to town from Yemana required a 30-40 minute walk, partly through jungle, partly on a paved sidewalk.
Little Corn Island has a very different culture from mainland Nicaragua, in part due to the mix of Afro-Caribbean cultures on the island, but it is primarily English speaking as it was colonized by the British. You may hear some Spanish spoken but we predominantly heard Miskito and other dialects. A Miskito-speaking resort worker convinced us all to come to the local drumming night in town. As nightlife was limited at Yemaya, we couldn’t say no!
After walking into town, we stopped first at a little mom-and-pop restaurant called Habana Libre which served Cuban food, and I had the best Cuban pork of my life, as well as the lobster – one can never have too much lobster on vacation. The drumming was held in front of the Tranquilo Café, a popular watering hole. The drumming and dancing went late into the night, the makeshift dance floor flooded with vacationers, backpackers, and locals of all different cultural backgrounds. That night, we did have to walk home through the muddy jungle and had a few slips on rotting mangoes – worth it.
Managua
As I mentioned, you may find yourself in Managua for a bit of sightseeing before your flight departs home. We flew back from Big Corn island mid-day, one day prior to our flight back to the US, so we hired a taxi to take us to Mercado Roberto Huenbes for a little souvenir shopping. We haggled and brought home some lovely hand woven blankets and hammocks.
Masaya Volcano is a don’t-miss evening activity. It’s $10 a person, and a car or taxi is required (we had our taxi driver take us after shopping). At the top, you are greeted with views right inside the live volcano. I couldn’t help think of the movie “Joe vs the Volcano”. I also couldn’t help but think in the US, tourists would never be allowed to get so close to an open live volcano.
If we had additional time to spend in Managua, I would have fit in a day trip to Granada, as well as boating on Lake Nicaragua where freshwater sharks reside. I The hope there is a next time!
Yoga Ninja Smoothie
This was our favorite morning beverage at Yemaya, and brings me back to Little Corn Island every time I make it! I do modify it to add some protein powder, and I often use yogurt instead of coconut milk (with a little extra water to blend).
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- ½ cup coconut milk; can also substitute almond milk, or Greek yogurt for probiotics
- 1 cup diced pineapple, fresh or frozen
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger (to taste)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2 grinds black pepper (this increases the bio-availability of the turmeric to your body)
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup ice
- ½ cup water or as needed for consistency
All images © Buona Forchetta