Greatness.

2/February/2011

That was the best vacation. Ever. My friend Keith form Arizona came down to visit, arriving the same day as a PC conference ended. I left the conference hotel in the dark, hoping to make the bus in time to get him from the airport. I got there in plenty of time to greet him, and we wasted no time getting into the nitty gritty. We got on a PACKED bus, standing in the aisle the whole time, absolutely crammed and sweaty. We arrived to my house to unpack, then go on a hike to a laguna nearby. I realized we wouldn’t have enough time before dark to wait around for the bus, so we went in a motto taxi, a 3 wheeled covered cart. From where it dropped us off, it’s about a 40 minute hike to the beautiful laguna with views of the nearby Momotombo volcano. On our way back, we grabbed another mototaxi to get back to my town before dark. We picked up some other people which is totally normal. What was not normal was that we picked up 3 adults, 3 kids, a goat, and a parrot. Really. For a point of reference, a mototaxi “comfortably” fits about 4. It was just the most ridiculous sight. And of course the sound effects from the goat just made everything seem even funnier. We got back to my house and I made my favorite nica dinner of beans, soymeat, tomatoes, garlic, spices, etc. It was only Keith’s first day, but I feel like he got a legit taste of life here, and he acted like it was totally normal. The next 2 days, we went for long runs towards the volcano drinking homemade cantaloupe juice along the way and getting stuck behind the biggest herd of cattle I’ve seen yet. Among the other activities in my town we went to a cockfight, walked around town, got ice cream in the square, and hung out with my counterpart.

Our next stop was the Laguna de Apoyo, a favorite of mine as well as my previous visitors; my parents and my friend Jenn. Turned out the place we tried to email was booked. They said we could sleep on mattresses outside. That was doable, but we decided to keep looking. Turns out a brand new place had just opened up this year, and it was gorgeous, super private, and had rooms right on the water! We spent our days on long swims in the laguna and going to the market in town, stopping to eat at someone’s house. This is a common small business here. People simply move their furniture and set up tables and chairs and run a little restaurant out of their living room. It’s almost always good, and the price is right.

Next stop was San Juan del Sur, a beautiful beach on the southwest coast of Nicaragua. Our first night we took a walk on the beach, watching all the soccer games and people having fun as the sun was going down. On our way back, the sun had just barely set. I guess it was the excitement of vacation and being accompanied by a tall gringo, I set out to do things I wouldn’t do normally (aka walk after dark). All of a sudden 4 guys came from behind and to the side of us with shirts tied around their heads. 2 jumped on Keith, and 2 came towards me. I threw my bag as far away from me as I could and took a few jumps back as 3 of them then focused on Keith, and another guarded me. I couldn’t tell exactly what they were doing. Usually if you’re trying to protect your identity like that, you’re out for something serious. They had a knife or something similar to his back so he couldn’t move much, but it didn’t escalate from there. Luckily Keith had a decoy wallet. Well, actually it was his real wallet, but he hardly had anything in it. Everything else important was in a pouch that hooks under the pants. They grabbed my bag, took his wallet with not much in it, and ran off. They left us stunned, but thankful that it went as smoothly as it did, and they didn’t take anything important. So…that’s why I don’t have any pictures, my camera was in that bag. Perhaps the event ruined our fun for one night, but the next day was bright and full of promise. We went surfing all day, then took a midnight tour (determined to get over our newfound fear for the beach after dark) to see seaturtles hatching. We got driven in the back of a pickup through the middle of nowhere to get to a practically deserted beach. We watched new baby turtles surface from the sand and book it towards the ocean. It was so precious. They were so tiny and so determined to get to the ocean! Our last day there we walked around town and I bought new flip flops (those jerks stole my favorite pair of Rainbows!). We also stumbled upon a parade with a band playing, nothing really our of the ordinary for Nicaragua. But this parade was special, it was the Miss Nicaragua parade! They were the tallest, most alpha female group of Nicas I’d ever seen. They strutted their stuff in super high heals through the market and along the cobblestone streets, now that’s talent.

Skipping ahead, we spent a couple days in Granada walking the city and enjoying the nightlife, then were finally off to Costa Rica. We had to spend the night in a city we didn’t plan on, since we couldn’t make it to our destination before dark. The next day we rented a car and were off to middle-of-the-mountains Monteverde. It was maybe the most gorgeous place I’ve ever seen. The rolling hills and sharp elevations were just breathtaking. Not to mention that there are waterfalls everywhere in Costa Rica! We took a hike to a waterfall, went on a run into the hilly abyss, and then we were off to our next destination. In La Fortuna, we stayed at the foot of a HUMONGOUS active volcano. It took up the entire view of the window in the room. The town is settled right on a gorgeous lake. The contrasts between the lake, the mountains, the sky, and the volcano are just far more incredible than I could do justice in writing. I bet a picture would help. Haha. Our second day we went whitewater rafting, a dream of mine ever since I went with my family when I was younger. There were waterfalls everywhere, and we were in the middle of a thicket of jungle. The rapids were pretty fantastic, 47 in all I believe. There were a few times where I thought we were going to flip the boat. My adrenaline was definitely pumping a lot of the time. Afterwards the tour took us to get lunch on a farm and see how their cattle manually squeeze sugar cane juice. A delicious end to a crazy day!

Our last stop of the trip was to Puerto Viejo on the caribbean side of Costa Rica. Aside from riding bikes along the beach every day, we did absolutely nothing, and it was fantastic.

My trip home was a 12 hour busride. It was less than ideal, but you do what you gotta do. It was the most fun vacation I’ve ever had, and I’m so thankful I could have Keith come and experience it with me!