This post is long overdue. I had all the time in the world to write this post while in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua for 11 glorious days of beach town relaxation and fun, but I just didn’t feel like it. Don’t get me wrong; I did not turn into a sloth. I did not sleep late and nap all afternoon. I did not zone out in front of the television (they didn’t have one at the hostel, thank God). I did not surf the internet all day. That is not what I find enjoyable and relaxing.
In Nicaragua I learned the art of doing nothing, and it’s a lot different than I thought it would be.
I never thought I could do nothing. I always thought, “I am just not built that way.” I have to be productive at all times. Of course, I did not literally do nothing for 11 days; that’s not really what it’s about.
It’s about not making plans, not making commitments (not even to yourself), not having a schedule. It’s about waking up in the morning not knowing what the day will bring. It’s about spending time relaxing and enjoying your hobbies and the people around you. It’s about deciding to do something (or nothing) in the moment.
I was broken of my “planning” ways by being in the perfect environment conducive to doing nothing. The hostel was relaxing and comfortable and overlooked the beautiful bay. The people were tranquilo. This is quite possibly the most over-used word in Latin America, but it was completely true in San Juan del Sur. And I was with Juan who seems to have already perfected the art of doing nothing, and it quickly rubbed off on me.
I woke up in the morning when my body had enough sleep.
I usually only slept between 7 and 8 hours because my body was not stressed and did not need more than that. I would enjoy many cups of tasty Nicaraguan coffee and perhaps work on my photography or walk to the market to buy ingredients for breakfast.
In the afternoon, I might hang out on the beach for a couple hours after the heat of the day passed. Sometimes I read a book but more often I’d simply soak in the beautiful surroundings or even juggle (yep, there are pictures to prove it).
The afternoon might bring a rest in one of the many hammocks at the hostel, writing in my journal, interesting conversations with other travelers at the hostel, studying Spanish, or a walk to the ice cream shop. The key was not planning any of it, just letting things happen and doing whatever pleased me at that moment.
The evenings were always my favorite.
Would we make dinner tonight? If yes, walk to the mercado and carniceria for the ingredients. If no, wander until we found some food that we were in the mood for. Then maybe enjoy a couple of Tonas back at the hostel. Although we were in the mood to go out a few times to the local bars, we typically stayed in and waited for all the young backpackers to finish “pre-gaming” at the hostel and go out for the night. Then we had the place nearly to ourselves and could enjoy whatever it was we wanted to do, whether it was salsa dancing together or practicing our hobbies separately. I went to bed when I felt tired and repeated the same routine the next day.
Juan and I would often joke about how we had a “very busy day” and needed to “rest a bit.” We kept telling the German guys we might go to Playa Maderas to surf with them mañana. Then tomorrow would come, and we just wouldn’t feel like it. We’d much rather hang out at the hostel where we had more options to do or not do anything. Everything would be mañana, but the beauty of it was that it wasn’t actually a plan for tomorrow. Mañana began to symbolize the whole concept of doing nothing, refusing to commit to plans.
If you’ve read this far, you probably have figured out that I’m not talking about literally doing nothing for days on end. The goal is to be able to intersperse periods of doing nothing with periods of self-entertainment and enjoying all of it.
One of my goals is to learn to live simpler, and I think this is a big step in that direction.
We didn’t need to spend a lot of money (only $20 combined for surfboard rental and transportation for a day of surfing) on organized activities in order to have fun. The self-entertainment I witnessed for other travelers in San Juan del Sur was more like self-medication. We actually nicknamed a 20-something kid from Austria Borracho because he was drunk and/ or stoned all of the time. The kid didn’t even sleep. It was sad. That behavior is actually the opposite of the goal.
After 11 days, we were not bored at all. I wanted to stay forever. Of course, I don’t think I can live every day of my life like I did in San Juan del Sur. Since I left, I’ve been busy and have had plans to keep. I traveled for three days through seven countries to get to a wedding in Puerto Vallarta where I had a blast seeing good friends and participating in the wedding activities.
After only four nights, I was on the move again to Mexico City. Once I got to Mexico City, I realized there is so much I want to see during my four days here, and I’ve been on the move and enjoying the art and culture this city has to offer. But I think it’s important to keep a little bit of mañana with me. And when your body and your mind need it, take a break and do nothing for a little while. Although I wish I had more time in this vibrant city, I am also looking forward to having two weeks standing still in Antigua, Guatemala over the holidays. Hopefully, I will be successful at practicing the art of doing nothing while I am on my own. Hasta mañana…
Pictures from San Juan del Sur are now posted. Click here to view the album.
Hola My sweet baby !! I miss making you lough like creazy in the restaurants in san juan del sur… I miss you ! juan
I haven’t laughed like that since we left. We will do it again soon. Miss you too!
Chica! love the pics! can’t wait to share my stories from Thailand:)
Talk to you soon!
I need to learn how to perfect this “art of doing nothing”! You must teach me!!
Buy a flight to Central America, and I will impart all of my new wisdom
Hi Stephanie,
Anna Marie and I really enjoy your posts and pictures. We’ve been back to minus temperatures and lots of snow here in central Alberta. No problem having a white Christmas this year. Yanapuma was really a lot of fun!!
Russ and Anna Marie
The art of doing nothing needs to be practiced more often, by everyone!
its no wonder there are so few comments here. …. this is over most people’s head’s today …. as simple as your message is it’s IRONIC that so few want to imbibe this wisdom – or are even mentally strong or capable of doing so …. you are the only blogger i’ve come across on the net who is travelling for all the right reasons….. and those are to simplify and balance a life so use to the inundation of ‘excess’ we get back home …. I have almost 10 years on you and am just now learning what you already know so palpably at such a young age : God bless you for that Stephanie… oh I am going on my own (in about a month) sweet sojourn : to europe and middle east however …and it was reading blogs like yours that precipitated me in buying my one way ticket as quickly as I did! ciao
And it is indeed an art which although many will laugh, requires to be mastered. Letting time slip by is not something many can do, and requires adjusting!
Federico recently posted..What to do in Hawaii: Visiting Oahu in a Day
It really is hard. Months later I still have to stop myself periodically and remember to take some time to just do nothing.
The Travel Chica recently posted..A Delicious Welcome Back to Buenos Aires
Doing nothing is SO blissful!! Love it!!
dtravelsround recently posted..Speaking for the Elephants … in memory of Mae Sai Roong
It really is wonderful. Unfortunately, it has been beaten into me since I think high school that if I am not doing something, I am wasting time.
The Travel Chica recently posted..A Delicious Welcome Back to Buenos Aires
always have to re-learn this one… one of those things that’s easy to forget!
Margo recently posted..Getting Around Hong Kong
I think I need to re-learn this every day! Oh, how things have changed since I was relaxing on this beach.
The Travel Chica recently posted..Spring is Here!
I am a huge fan of taking it slow and taking it in. I get sucked into surfing the net though in my do-nothing state. I’m not as dedicated a do-nothing’er as you.
Raymond @ Man On The Lam recently posted..The Throwing of the Up
The last thing I want to look at is my laptop when I’m in a “do nothing” mood
The Travel Chica recently posted..Spring is Here!
I really needed to read this post. I’ve been finding it difficult to cope these days starting a full-time job after nearly 2 years of continuous backpacking while trying to kick-start my blog. I’m often putting in anywhere between 80-100 hours a week these days between the two; however, taking time to relax and enjoy is important. I’m going to start taking a full night off each week to just do nothing.
Nomadic Samuel recently posted..Friendly Children | Jaipur, India | Travel Photo
Good for you! A lot has changed for me since I wrote this post. I think I need a weekly do nothing night as well… or maybe 3
The Travel Chica recently posted..Spring is Here!
This post made me so happy! On Saturday, I leave for a week-long solo trip to Costa Rica. I will be spending two nights in a beach town and then several nights at a yoga and meditation retreat (and I haven’t done a whole lot of either). I work so much and am always in such a perpetual state of stress that I decided I needed to go do something where I could learn how to unwind. I hope I’m able to become at peace with it like you did–sounds lifechanging!
Emily @ Maiden Voyage recently posted..Awesome Happenings at Vail Resorts This Winter
That’s wonderful! Enjoy!
The Travel Chica recently posted..Spring is Here!
I was harassed because all I did at first when I got to Peru was go out for drinks, relax, walk around town and have afternoon hammock naps.
But I had spent the year working my ass off to save up for my RTW trip and needed a week or two of down time before I started to really explore. The lazy life is pretty awesome though…
This is why I like slow travel. Downtime, then explore. More downtime, then explore
This is a great post…something that everyone thinks about. In Asia being alone is one the most fearful things for alot of people. Even in mountain walking paths there is music…so you are not alone. In Western society it is often looked at in high regard with authors such as Throeau at Walden Pond. Either way it is something that each person has to figure out and to be able to strike a balance.
Kurt W recently posted..Kijŏng-dong, North Korea
The art of doing nothing is awesome! Everyone needs a bit of this. It is something we need to make a conscious effort to do, but is totally worth it. Keep it up!
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What’s up everyone, it’s my first pay a visit at this site, and article is in fact
fruitful designed for me, keep up posting these types of content.
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I think you have enjoyed your eleven days glorious vacations at Nicaragua.I have never gone there,but seems that it’s really an interesting place for spending vacations.I liked the hammocks which you have used there at beaches for comfort and relaxation of body and mind. I think the hammock shown in the picture is at your living place where you are staying during your vacations.It’s something different and beautiful designer hammock.Thanks for sharing your feelings at vacations.