I went to Managua Thursday for a med appt, but also as an escape from the boredom that was overtaking me. I dropped off some things at the PC office to donate to the free bin for PCVs who might want anything I was giving away. Giving things away in the form of a donation is always a liberating feeling. I feel like I'm sort of doing a cleansing as I'm literally cleaning my room, but getting rid of things that I don't really need, at least not for our post-PC trip. Also, it feels good to share these things with other PCVs who come into the office and need a pick me up. I also grabbed a couple books and magazines off the bookshelf for my Access students and teachers--they could always use the English materials :)
I stayed in the office with Frank for awhile as he was doing some last minute preparation for his charla for Friday, and then we went and hung out at the hotel with others while we waited for his dad to arrive. Since his dad's flight wasn't coming in til around 8pm, we got a little bite to eat before to hold us over until our real dinner which came at 9pm. It was a nice dinner out at a restaurant near the office & it was almost surreal seeing Kevin in Nicaragua again, especially since we're leaving in just a couple days. Crazy, but cool.
That night we all tried to get to bed at a decent hour because our ride was leaving early. Unfortunately, my hot shower I had been dreaming of did not arrive because of who knows why. I even got up a little early to make time for a nice soak, but nada. The water was cold so I didn't even bother.
After a good breakfast, we walked over to the PC office and hopped in the vehicle, where we sat sideways in the back bench seats, and enjoyed our free ride to Frank's charla in Masaya. They were kind enough to let us tag along in the truck instead of taking a taxi or something. Anyway, we sat through the first charla which was about tech stuff, then came Frank's charla which he co-gave with another PCV who is in the environment group after us. They did well and incorporated a lot of activities to keep the trainees on their toes. I even was rallied into participating...pictures to come later, since those were not taken with my camera.
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| Frank didn't put his contact info, just his countdown :) |
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| Getting ready for an icebreaker |
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| Participating in another activity |
After the charla we were driven over to Catarina (again Thank you to PC!) to catch a taxi to Granada and got there in the early afternoon, just in time to check into our hotel and grab a light lunch. Then we walked around and looked at art in a few different galleries. It was really nice being back in Granada--haven't been there in awhile--and it brought back memories from when my family visited last December because we stayed in the same hotel :)
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| Lunch at The Garden Cafe (one of our faves) |
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| I look a little exhausted here, but we still enjoyed the beautiful courtyard. |
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| Granada's big cathedral in the central park with the Mombacho volcano in the background. |
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| The sky was competing with the art galleries that day. |
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| Checking out some local art |
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| Neat little courtyard with shops |
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| Volcan Mombacho |
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| View of the volcano while walking to our hotel |
We went out for dinner & drinks later on the main strip and talked away the evening.
Today we had a small breakfast at the hotel since we were pretty much still stuffed from last night's dinner, and then lounged in the hotel room until check-out. We left our bags there while we walked around the town--first stop, the bell tower of a church that provides an awesome view of Granada. Of course I've been here about 5 times so I didn't really take any pictures up there, but Kevin took some and I used his camera to take a few of him, so I'll have to get those later.
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| One of the many narrow staircases in the church |
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| The church with the bell tower we climbed |
The boys decided to buy some art--I opted for some neat postcards which I will later turn into art, and some t-shirts which I will later turn into a quilt. Yep, I'm feeling crafty :)
We had a nice time just cruising around the town and had a snack at a little cafe--that bagel and cream cheese had been calling my name! Then, we headed back to the hotel and waited a short bit for our taxi driver (someone from Frank's town) to pick us up. It was a quiet ride as we all let the cool air hit our faces and reflected on the past few days. I almost fell asleep, but then I remembered I wasn't going all the way up to Matagalpa. Bummer. I hopped out in San Benito (the bus stop in between mine & Frank's sites) and said goodbye, then waited for a bus to take me home. Fortunately, one came soon after and I gripped the bars and slithered my way through the sea of people on the bus to a safer middle standing spot. I eventually got a seat and relaxed. It's been a long day and I'm ready for some shut eye. Thanks Kevin for your visit & for spoiling us! Thanks Lisa for giving up time with your man so he could come and visit his boy!
While I'm saying thank-you's, this reminds me of the surprise. Frank's parents decided to change our post-PC travel plans slightly and offered us plane tickets to Panama instead of the 25 hour bus ride we were planning on taking (9 hours to Costa Rica--2 hour break--16 hours to Panama). THANK YOU! Now we'll be traveling just one afternoon/evening and get an extra day to check out Panama :)
Ok, it's time for bed for me. I think I might have caught something, but hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.
**Today is the last Saturday for us in Nicaragua (and it's pretty much over)!
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