Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Saturday night

So on Saturday night we were invited to a birthday party for a woman who, along with her husband, are big financial supporters of Operation Smile. They also have a foundation called the Coen Foundation that provides education, medical care, and lots of other things to children in Nicaragua who can't otherwise afford it. We went to their ranch for a party last night.

I have been a lot of places and had a lot of cool experiences in my life, but last night was surreal. The Coens have to have 100s of millions, if not billions, of dollars. They own every Western Union in all of Central American. When you consider how many people from Cent. Am. live and work in the US and wire money back to their families in Central America, you get an idea of the scope. They also breed and sale horses. This party and the property were truly like something you'd see on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. The party was in a huge cabana-type thing (A few thousand square feet) with a straw roof, marbles floors, sofas and lounge chairs, tables and chairs, a pool table, a buffet, a bar, very fancy bathrooms, etc. It was decorated in an African theme. The minute I set foot under the roof waiters materialized to take drink orders and then they started coming around with appetizers. We had plantain chips, fruit, this really delicious fried kind of doughnut made out of mashed yucca and banana and dipped in honey, and then these strips of steak that were to die for. It was the most tender and delicious beef that I had ever had and I ate a few pieces. Then I found out (Robert, you'll love this)that I had been eating venison all along. This is quite humorous since I don''t eat venison, for 2 reasons: (1) I don't like the way it tastes and think it is gamey and (2) It makes me sad for people to be Bambi-killers. But here I was chowing down on venison and loving it. To make matters worse, I found out that the deer had only been shot a few hours before the party.

We walked outside of the cabana to a little hut where there were 2 whole pigs roasting over a pit. That would be dinner later. When it was time for the buffet we had the pork, salad, yucca, cheese and homemade tortillas, and beans and rice. Each plate was a different handpainted African scene, painted in Zimbabwe. We had a variety of delicious cookies and cakes for dessert. At one point in the party, the Coens asked if we wanted to go on a safari. We loaded up in small groups and they took us in 4 small Caterpillar type ATVs on a tour of the property. Oh my goodness!! There is a whole building just for people to hang out in, eat, drink, etc. while they view the horses and consider buying them. There are 2 guesthouses that are bigger than my house. There are gorgeous stables and we got to meet some of the horses. One of the horses that we got to meet is the all-time champion of Spain. He's won 2 Olympics, many awards in Spain, and is 17 hands tall. He was huge, beautiful, and quite cocky. They have over 300 horses on the property and about 60 new colts each year. All of the males are stallions. As we continued the tour we saw the pastures, the corrals, the main house, the family chapel, the mausoleum, the children's play area (a whole neighborhood of playhouses and a carousel, complete with ticket booth, from Italy), and a huge building whose sole purpose is to store party supplies like decorations, plates, costumes, etc for different themed parties. They also bought 3 Nicaraguan train cars since the railroad no long exists in Nicaragua. Two of the train cars have been made into guest suites with marble floors, mahogany walls and ceilings, and bathrooms. The other railcar is a bar. The fenced part of the ranch is 1500 acres, all beautifully landscaped. My words nor my pictures will do it any justice. However, Jaffe and Piedros, were very down to earth people and gracious hosts and they are doing a lot to give back to the community, not just financially, but personally as well.

After the tour and dinner, there was a DJ and dancing. You just can't sit still to all of the Latin music that is played. Just about everyone ended up on the dance floor. Yet again I have been given dance lessons by a great Latin dancer, but I think it is a lost cause. Omar, one of the PIT crew from Nicaragua, is a hilarious and friendly guy. He made it his mission to teach me salsa. Never mind the fact that I am about a foot (at least) taller than him. He was very patient and I did get the footwork down, but to move my feet, hips, and shoulders all in different directions simultaneously is too much for this poorly coordinated white girl. I kept apologizing and told him that I was sorry that I was the whitest girl (in terms of dancing ability) at the whole party. Anyway, our whole group was just being silly and having fun, so a good time was had by all.

It was quite a night in a place of unsurpassed beauty, surrounded by wonderful people. It was a fun way to end a busy work day. Pictured will be forthcoming.