Patricia's Homework, Late as Usual

Now that Jean-François, Evelyne and Noémi are back in Montreal and Julien has moved back in with my sister, I don't have to fight with anyone to get access to the computer. So I am finally sitting down to add a few more anecdotes about the last portion of our trip. I realize I'm messing up the chronology, but the teacher in me just won't feel satisfied until I've finished the job properly. Any of you who have heard these stories, please disregard.

After boating down and back up Rio San Juan, we took a ten hour ferry to Isla de Ometepe, in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua. The island is basically made up of two volcanoes stuck together, Volcan Maderas and Volcan Concepcion. We spent a couple of nights in a beautiful old farmhouse-turned-hostel on a coffee cooperative called Finca Magdalena at the foot of Volcan Maderas. Everyone (but me) hiked to the top, a challenge indeed since it was hot, humid, muddy and extremely slippery. Why didn't I hike? Well, while we were in Halifax, I sprained my ankle walking along a paved path. As usual, I was not paying attention to where I was putting my feet, and I stepped off the edge of the path. Yes, I made it around the world unscathed, and while safely home in Canada, managed to cripple myself quite severely. I guess I wasn't used to walking on pavement anymore! I spent the first month limping around Nicaragua like an old lady, and unfortunately could not do the hike - but I consoled myself with fabulous fresh coffee, the amazing view, my book, and the hammocks strung across the verandah. In Altagracia, also on the island, we hooked up with a group of student volunteers from Liaisonneuve - the same program that Jean-François volunteered for three years ago. C'était bien amusant de passer quelques jours avec des Québécois, d'autant plus que nous avons pu fêter la Saint-Jean avec eux!

Neat Stuff We Did That We Can't Do At Home

One day, after a swim in lovely warm Lake Nicaragua, we saw several groups of local fisherman climbing into their boats. As the last pair prepared to leave, Jeremy and Julien said wouldn't it be neat to go along. And before they knew it, they were climbing into the boat and heading off for a genuine fishing experience. When they got back, two hours later, Jeremy had counted the number of fish they caught, estimated how much they could sell them for, and calculated roughly how much each fisherman had earned per hour! A great math exercise, but an even better economics lesson.


In Leon we attended a cock fight, a popular Sunday afternoon activity throughout much of the country. This is not a "tourist" activity, but truly a part of the culture (albeit mostly male), and so I felt that it was important to witness, despite my general dislike for violence. Evelyne preferred not to come, but the boys were very enthusiastic. Indeed, it was bloody, but we stayed the whole afternoon, somehow caught between fascination and disgust. I was partially consoled when I learned that the cocks who died would end up in the soup the next day (which they would eventually anyways)!

In Granada, Jeremy, Noemi and I attended the final baseball game in the national series. We arrived just before the game started, and since they sold way more tickets than there were seats, we spent the first fifteen minutes squished up against the wall, trying to peer over the ever increasing crowd. It seemed we would be standing for the whole thing, and I was starting to think that it was going to be a very long afternoon. And then, by some miracle, we managed to wangle our way into a fenced off section where we could sit (in the blazing sun, but no matter). What a relief! Although the game was not particularly exciting (is baseball ever?) ending with a score of 1-0, I was perfectly happy watching the crowd (we were just behind a group of rambunctious fans who sang and danced through nine innings) and the food vendors squeezing through the aisles, selling everything from fried plantains to ceviche. Admission: 2 dollars each.

Finally, in San Juan del Sur, on the Pacific coast, we all took a surf lesson in the morning and spent the rest of the day trying to get up on the darn board! It's really not as easy as it looks. Luckily the water was so warm that it didn't matter if we spent most of the time beside the board, or even under it! Evelyne got the prize for perseverance.

Most certainly, the highlight of our travels through Nicaragua was the opportunity to live with a family for a week in El Chaguite, a remote community in the mountains. The houses are accessible only on foot, and have neither electricity nor running water. But they do have wells, outhouses and an outdoor "showers"! Jean-Francois had stayed with Maria-Luisa, Tonio and their daughter Marling three years ago when he accompanied a group of students from Cegep de Maisonneuve, but this time we just showed up, not being able to notify them in advance. Spontaneously, they offered to put us up and within an hour had rounded up enough beds and hammocks for the six of us. What we didn't realize until later is that they had actually given us their bed and were sleeping on the concrete floor! I was constantly amazed by their generosity.

Every day Maria-Luisa would get up at sunrise (5 0'clock) to start the fire, and then spend the whole day preparing meals, mostly rice and frijoles (beans). We spent lots of time learning how to make tortillas, playing with the local kids and trying to teach them new games with our broken Spanish. And enjoying the breathtaking scenery: coffee plantations, corn and bean fields covered the mountains, everything was lush and green. El Chaguite is not in the top ten of any guide book, and yet this was certainly one of the simplest, most peaceful and enriching experiences of our entire trip.

Nicaragua was so inexpensive and interesting that in the end, we spent just a week in Costa Rica, primarily hiking in the cloud forest near Monte Verde and discovering the many species of indigenous frogs, butterflies, insects (mostly in enclosures) as well as birds and monkeys that inhabit this environment. From far away we also saw (miniscule) red hot lava rocks tumbling down the side of an active volcano. And just before we left San Jose to fly back to Halifax, we had supper with Julien's grade five teacher who was passing through - now he's convinced his teachers are following him!