Last Day! Sightseeing and Shopping
Our last day in Nicaragua is always a roller coaster of emotions. We are saying goodbye to our friends; sad to leave them, but looking forward to the day. Tired from an exhausting week of clinics, but excited to experience the sights. Grateful for a day of rest from the endless patients, but unable to rest because this may be the longest day yet!
David, Julio, Yorleni
Terry, Arlene, Rigoberto, Roberto
Jessica (el pequeño), Mariella, Oscar, Herman
We have a long drive to Managua to drop off our luggage at the hotel where we will stay tonite. Once we do, then we head to Tipitapa and the canopy tour. The road is not good (are you beginning to detect a pattern here?) and is full of holes…no…holes, craters and the occasional abyss.
On the side of the road, little boys, girls and old women stand with a finger raised asking for a cord. They have filled potholes in the road with dirt from the roadside to make our ride a little easier.
At first, I view this as begging and it feels intrusive to me, but after considering it, this is quintisential bootstrap capitalism. With no resources whatsoever, they have found a need, filled it (literally) and are saying to the passing motorists: “if you think we have provided you with a useable service, pay us; if not, pass on. Once we’ve had time to cogitate on this, people start tossing out coins as we pass.
The canopy tour is in Parque Nacional del Mombacho; Nicaragua’s first and only (I think) National Park. It’s well cared for, the canopy tour is safe and there are plenty of guides. The equipment is first class and safety is emphasized. The tour is on the side of Mombacho volcano. Below the trees, platforms, and zip lines is a coffee farm. Apparently volcanic soil and shade are the perfect combination for coffee.
The canopy tour takes longer than we expected, so we’ll have to skip the visit to Masaya volcano this trip, so we go to lunch, then shopping in Masaya.
Before the bus pulls up at the open-air market in Masaya we are spotted a block away by the “guides”. These are young men ages 10 to 20 or so who offer their services as you shop. They will carry your bags, take you to find specific items, bargain on your behalf (yeah, right!), and help you find your way around. In the end they expect you to give them from $5 to $10 USD!
They swarm the bus and many in the group, unsure how to ask how much something is, or unsure of their math to do the exchange, hire one to accompany them. It’s really an OK thing to do. They need the money, God knows, and I’ve not known any of them to rip anyone off. After 2 or 3 hours of shopping, everyone has found their treasures and loads back onto the bus.
For supper, we’re going to a place called “Catarina” it’s a rather large complex of 4 restaurants and another “touristy” kind of open-air shopping area which sits on the rim of a not-quite-extinct volcano-lake. Even though the volcano is full of water, there is a rather active “cauldron” at one end which serves as a pressure relief valve.
The view from the restaurant is other-wordly: (click picture for a larger image)
To the right is Masaya volcano and below that a private home nestled in the trees. It is quite cool here as the wind is whipping off the lake at about 30 mph.
They have a great selection of foods which I could not possibly detail here, but I was able to get 3 lobsters for about $11. Everyone enjoyed a great meal, a little more shopping and an uninterupted time of fellowship.
We load the bus one last time after dinner and travel to the hotel in Managua just across the street from the airport. In the morning, we’ll take the shuttle across the street to check in at about 6:00AM and get home in time for dinner.
Many of the ladies are excited because the hotel has hot water and they look forward to a shower; but nothing is a sure thing here. All of our showers have 2 handles, but many have only one temperature. No matter…we’ll be home soon enough. Too soon for some of us.
Don’t forget - Terry and Arlene will be at Forest Park on Sunday, May 20th. They are bringing David and his wife Tania as well - it will be their first time in the states and you will enjoy hearing David sing.
If you just didn’t get enough of Nicaragua, consider coming with us again in September when we will be going to Honduras to do a building project and evangelism. Here’s a link to more information: Honduras Building and Evangelism Mission / September 23 - 30, 2006
