"When is your sister coming?"
"Why isn't she here yet?"
"Where exactly is her plane right now?"
"Why isn't she staying for two weeks?"
so on and so forth
They were just as excited as I was for the arrival of the one and only Sarah! She made it in, safe and sound, and our adventures began bright and early the next morning. Strangely enough, there were no major mishaps while Sarah was here. No flat tires, no injuries, no getting lost (well, just three times, but it wasn't life altering) no getting stuck in the mud. We made plans that actually happened! Read on if you are ready for Sarah's Adventures in Nicaragua.
1. Ziplining
After many of my own ziplining adventures and my more recent development of fear-of-heights, I decided to take the walking path while Sarah dangled between the trees.
The zipline is located on the side of a volcano. The lower part is a coffee plantation while the top part is a cloud rainforest. I was learning all about the coffee when I looked up and saw Sarah screaming her head off and hanging upside down like a monkey. Sarah was also wearing a Disney Princess helmet, which made the experience even more enjoyable for me.
After a good laugh on my part, I heard some more laughter - howler monkeys. I searched for them and found them in the tree that Sarah was just about to land in.
2. Caterina
These pictures are struggling to give justice to the beauty of the location. Caterina is a lookout point where you can see the Mombacho Volcano (where Sarah ziplined) and Laguna de Apoyo side by side. I am always amazed at how beautiful this country is.
3. The streets of Granada
Cathedrals are one of my favorite things to see in old cities. I've seen the ones in Granada many times, but I am always up for another visit. Granada is supposedly the first recorded European city in the Americas. Lots of Moorish architecture and old buildings were the backdrop as we explored the streets and looked out from bell towers.
Sarah really wanted to have a true market experience, so we set off for a market adventure. It started simple enough. Both sides of the road crammed with goods - sunglasses, shoes, cellphone cases. The cars, buses, bikes, and horses in the streets were still optimistic and thought they could get through. I suppose they did, just rather slowly. After we made a turn down a side road, things started to get more interesting. Lots of smells going on - meat and fruit and who knows what else. We started to get looks ("What's this gringo doing here?"). One more turn, and we were in the heart of the market. Huge bins of beans and rice. Meat hanging from the tops of stalls. Flies and bugs. Smells that shouldn't be mixing together. I am always tempted to take pictures, but I feel too weird doing it. It is such a normal part of life for so many people, and yet I feel so out of place. However, Sarah enjoyed the experience. After we made our way out of the market, Sarah declared she wanted a pinata, so back into the market we went. We later emerged, successful.
I think you will agree that it is a very cute mini rooster pinata. Sarah later gave it away to some little girl who happily swung it around and around as she walked down the road.
3. The Ocean
I remember clearly the first time I saw the ocean. I was fourteen years old and in Haiti. We swam around a cove and met a giant sea turtle. Immense, frightening, beautiful were my first thoughts on the ocean.
Sarah and the ocean met for the first time on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, at a beach called Gran Pacifica. It was a good day for the beach, filled with sunshine, warm water, and a double rainbow.
Stay tuned for Sarah's Adventures in Nicaragua Part Two.
