Dana & Christian | Epic Wedding on the Nicaraguan Coast

Dana & Christian | Destination Wedding Photography - Nicaragua

Gorgeous Wedding in a Truly Epic Venue in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua.

Classy, gorgeous, filled with love - these few words I could use to describe the destination wedding of Dana and Christian - an amazing couple that has traveled from Miami to Nicaragua for their ceremony.

The wedding venue was a marine house established on the top of a cliff that crowns over the San Juan Bay.  The location provided a truly epic setting for the couple to get ready with their closest friends and family. It offered a venue bursting with color that had an unbelievable view of the Pacific Coast. A relaxed atmosphere, tropical greenery, ocean backdrop, sounds of waves crashing onto surrounding rock formations and this beautiful couple all comprised one of the most beautiful weddings I had the pleasure of photographing.

The Wedding Location: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
The Wedding Photographer: Kuba Okon

Christian & Dana just married. Nicaragua Wedding Photography.

At any time, you can email me at jakubokon@gmail.com, connect on instagram or leave a comment below. To see more wedding galleries visit www.kubaokon.com/weddings

WEDDINGS:

Robert + Grace | Destination Beach Wedding

Aram + Abril | Costa Rica Wedding Photography

Jenay + Andzia San Juan Coastal Wedding

San Blas Islands - Photography Blog

San Blas Islands

SAN BLAS ISLANDS PHOTOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL

Island hopping in Kuna Yala.

In January my friend Tomek was visiting Central America. I picked him up from San Jose Airport and then we travelled across Costa Rica, Panama and of course Nicaragua. One of the destinations, I haven’t visited yet, that I considered interesting was located in the Northwestern part of the Panama archipelago of islands called San Blas. The archipelago is comprised of more than 360 islands that are scattered around, 49 of which are inhabited. As you can imagine when thinking of the Caribbean Islands, they have it all: blue skies, pristine white sands, clear turquoise water, and coconut palm trees. However, what really drew my attention is that San Blas is an autonomous territory (also called Kuna Yala) ruled by the indigenous tribe of KUNA (also referred to as Guna) people. They preserve their unique cultural heritage, have their own laws and customs, and they control tourism on their own terms. They also speak their own language called Tulekaya which, what is interesting, is only written phonetically; they do not have their own alphabet or written language.

To get to San Blas we left Panama City early in the morning in a 4x4 jeep. The ride is around 3 hours long including one hour of crossing the jungle. The views on the way are spectacular - lush vegetation, huge trees, hills and valleys, a real glimpse of what the jungle looks like. The road is super curvy, going up and down all the time, and even though it has been recently paved, it is still a challenge to get across. Arriving at Porvenir we had to cross the border, pass passport control and pay the Kuna entrance fee (20 dollars). Then we took lancha (motor boat), which was our main mode of transportation from then on. This is where the real fun began. You could see the water changing its color from yellowish to deep blue and finally reaching clear turquoise.  There are basically two rules while using lancha which I’ve learned them from my previous travels: (1) if you sit in the front it is going to be a bumpy ride and (2) if you sit in the back or on the side you might get wet. So I chose the bumpy version, mainly because I wanted to have a better view for taking photos and I didn’t want my photo equipment to get wet. After one hour we reached a small island, inhabited by two Kuna families, which was our destination and home for next few days.

Kuna people are quite timid, generally friendly, but sensitive to having their pictures taken. Kuna women wear their colorful traditional clothes (hand-stitched molas, scarves, beadwork worn on their arms and legs) while most of the men tend to wear regular shorts, T-shirts and baseball caps. They live mostly off of fishing, tourism and trade. I was told that taking photos of Kuna women is not permitted, unless they agree. Kunas, especially those in areas frequented by tourists, will often ask for $1 to have their photo taken, which feels a bit awkward. It’s also prohibited to pick up coconuts on your own. This is understandable considering the amount of tourists passing through. At the end of the day these islands are in fact home to the Kunas. San Blas is also a popular stop for travelers sailing from Panama to Columbia, and vice versa, that want to avoid Darién’s Gap on their way to South America.

All the time we spent in San Blas we were completely disconnected from the mainland - no internet, no cellphone signal, just us on the tiny Island surrounded by clear seas. Every day we were island hopping and visiting new destinations. In general, San Blas offers a stunning diversity of cays, from small tiny oases that are completely uninhabited to relatively big ones inhabited by large communities. Also, I sailed through the Caribbean Sea during a pitch black night for the very first time on this trip. Reaching the shore you could see marine creatures emitting light (bioluminescence) when agitated - magical to say the least. In fact, you can find coral reef surrounding almost every island, so snorkeling is quite an experience as well.

If you want to go to San Blas you can contact MAMALLENA hostel that will help you organize your trip, and put you in contact with the Kuna host.

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My friend Tomek covered in warm, morning, sun. We left Panama City at 4 am..

Well, that's me, my camera bag and my first morning coffee.

Glimpse of the jungle on the way to San Blas

Carti Port, Kuna Yala.

Lancha ride.

That was our home for a few nights. San Blas

Kuna's people laundry.

Famous Molas - Hand sewn panels that make up the front and back of a Kuna woman’s traditional blouse.A traditional Mola is made of several layers of cotton fabric.

Colors of San Blas islands.

Menu is quite similar to other Central American regions. Variation of rice, fish or other sea food and plantains.

Cooperation - Navigate, repel, pump out the water and row.

Playing games at night accompanied by a big bottle of panamanian rum - "Abuelo" - which I personally find delicious.

Jenay + Andzia | Nicaragua destination wedding photography

Jenay + Andzia Wedding

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua Wedding Photography

Two beautiful women got married on the hills under a tree, near the sea. The Nicaraguan coast surrounding San Juan del Sur is so dramatic and diverse: tropical beaches, rock formations, hills, and abundant greenery. Jenay, Andzia, their family and closest friends came all the way from California to celebrate their love in this gorgeous scenery. One of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve witnessed. Enjoy.

Deep into RAAS, Nicaragua - documentary photography for NGO

Photography for NGO

I've worked with Fabretto Children's Foundation for some time and this time we travelled really deep into Nicaragua’s most isolated region: the Southern Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RAAS). The whole goal of this journey was to document the effort and commitment of both kids, and teachers who  travel long, dangerous distances to learn and share their knowledge.

To get there, we first drove six hours from Managua to Nueva Guinea, and hitchhiked in the back of a truck along a  dirt road for four hours. When the road ended, we made the switch to  horseback riding for another five hours on a long ridge traversing across valleys and rivers. There were moments I felt as though I was back in the XIX century, traveling with a group of cowboys, somewhere in the wild west. Nicaragua can be as treacherous as beautiful. One of our guides fell off the horse and got injured while trying to climb a knoll. He had to walk the rest of the way, which slowed us down.

The heat and harsh sun got us – we arrived at our destination really exhausted. Luckily, we were very well received with a "sopa de gallina" (chicken soup). It's quite delicious and helps to get your energy back. I had brought my own hammock to spend the night, but when the  host –a local  teacher–offered her bed, I could not refuse it.  Little did I know that the 'bed' was basically a wooden board covered with a sheet.

“I can get use to it,” I thought to myself.  Let’s just say - it wasn’t the best night of my life. OUCH! Such is life in the tropics :) In places like this, without electricity and running water, it's the sun that determines the rhythm of the day.  You go to sleep shortly after the sunset, and wake up with the first rays - around Five o'clock in the morning.

Kids are not exempt from this rule. Jarelis, a nine-year-old girl, wakes up when it’s still dark outside to help her mother at home. Everyday, she  collects  wood for the stove, feeds the animals, takes a bath in the nearby river, and washes her own clothes.Once she’s done with household chores, Jarelis walks for over an hour across the jungle – crossing rivers and mountains – to reach school.   During the rainy season,  her journey to school cannot be completed. Due to the strong currents, crossing the river is too great of a risk, forcing her to turn around. I had the opportunity to witness her dangerous trip to school.  We've accompanied her on that journey.

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Z Fundacją Fabretto współpracuje od jakiegoś juz czasu. Tym razem podróżowaliśmy daleko w głąb Nikaragui. Do osady położonej w jednym z najtrudniej dostępnych regionów -  Południowo Karaibski Autonomiczny Region Nikaragui (RAAS). Celem wyprawy było udokumentowanie wysiłku i poświecenia uczniòw i nauczycieli - tych pierwszych w zdobywaniu wiedzy, tych drugich, w dzieleniu się nią.

By dotrzeć do RAAS wpierw musieliśmy przebyć drogę z Managui do Nowej Gwinei, co zajęło nam około sześć godzin. Potem cztery godziny na pace 'pick-upa' wyboistą drogą (a raczej zlepkiem dziur i mulu). Gdy owa ‘droga’ się skończyła , przesiedliśmy się na konie i dodatkowe pięć godzin spędziłem na grzbiecie pokonując wzgórza, doliny i rzeki. Podróżując w grupie jeźdzców poprzez dziewicze, dzikie, tereny czułem się niczym kowboj przeniesiony w czasie. Ale Nikaragua potrafi byc zarówno piękna jak i zdradziecka i jeden z naszych przewodnikòw spadł z konia w trakcie pokonywanie jednego ze wzgórzy. Spowolniło to nieco nasza podròż, gdyż nie był juz w stanie wspiąć się na grzbiet i zmuszony był kontynuować resztę drogi pieszą. 

Upał i palące słońce nas dało nam się we znaki i na miejsce dojechaliśmy wykończeni. Ja miałem zostać w domu z nauczycielem, jego synami i przewodnikiem, podczas gdy moja towarzyszka z Fabretto, Elena, zostala oddelegowana do domu o zenskiej przewadze domownikòw. By ugościć przybysza w Nikaragui w zwyczaju jest by ubić kurę i zrobić rosół. (nieco inny w smaku niz ten polski ze wzgledu na bardziej egzotyczny dobòr warzyw). Wyborna i ożywiająca strawa dla strudzonego wędrowca. Nasz gospodarz zaoferował mi swòj pokòj i łoże, a ja ja nie potrafiąc odmowić, zaakceptowałem (pomimo iż zabrałem ze sobą hamak). Jak się okazało, łòżko to zwykła deska z nałożonym cienkim prześcieradłem. Nie żebym byl wielkim mieszczuchem, ale poobijałem się przez te kilka nieprzespanych nocy. ;) 

W miejscach jak to, bez elektrycznosci i bierzącej wody to słońce wyznacza rytm dnia i ludzie kładą się spać zaraz po jego zachodzie, a wstają wraz z pierwszymi jego promieniami - o piatej rano. Dotyczy to wszystkich, także dzieci.
Jarelis, dziewięcioletnia uczennica i jedna z bohaterek naszego reportażu, wstaje kazdego dnia o tej porze. Przed pòjściem do szkoły musi zdażyć pomòc mamie; nazbierać drewno na opał, nakarmić zwierzęta, wykąpać się w pobliskiej rzece także uprać tam ubrania. Zaraz po tym czeka ją ponad godzinna wyprawa do szkoly przez dzunglę, rzeki i wzgorza. W czasie pory deszczowej bywa to niemozliwe. Ja towarzyszyłem jej w tej podróży - tam i z powrotem.

It might look fun but that's actually the least pleasing part, packed on the back of the truck through the bumpy dirt roads.

Across the Nicaraguan rivers.

The house I stayed in.

Good night RAAS. 'La profesora' (the school teacher and my host) lighting the candle on the little Altar before going to bed.

Good morning.

To get to school you need to break through the jungle first. Jarelis - first on the left.

Then there is a river. It may look beautiful during the dry season, but becomes dangerous during the rainy season - really deep with strong current.

And as you can see above it's not that easy to cross it even during the nicaraguan summer. One bad step, and you end up soaked.

Classroom Nicaragua.

Jarelis, a nine-year-old girl, gets up for school at 5AM. She helps her mother prepare breakfast by bringing the wood for the stove. After, she will feed the animals. She must cross two rivers and go up and down various hills to get to her school. You can fin out more here

Older Grades.

Map of Nicaragua.

Walking back from school - Up the mountain with umbrellas to hide from burning Nicaraguan sun.

Crossing the jungle on the way home.

Everyday you learn something new - it' not an orange. It's 'lemon dulce' (sweet lemon)

Little ducklings. During the night, while sleeping, they we attacked constantly by ants. The ants bite duckling causing paralysis. Then they it it alive. Most of the homes are of dirt floors and wooden boards for walls, and people live with their animals.

5 am. Getting ready to go back.

Nicaraguan green conure Parrots (chocoyos)

Western movie feeling.

On the left - That's how we roll. On the right - Fabretto Foundation Annual report cover with pictures that I took in RAAS. You Can see the whole version here (click)