Week #1 Superlatives
Quote of the week: "The grass is always greener when it is not in black and white." -Katrina Liebsch
Nickname of the week: Pantopajaro (scarecrow) AKA Chase Alexander
Funny of the week: Rosie getting pooped on
Peppiest Team Member: Laura Moreno-Vasquez
Fashionista of the Week: Justin Davis
Achiever of the Week: Madeline Edwards
Best Tan Line: Abdul Aqaroot
Most Musical: Rita Collier
On-Site Photographer: Julie Westerman
"GWOW" Factor: Jade Jackson
Nickname of the week: Pantopajaro (scarecrow) AKA Chase Alexander
Funny of the week: Rosie getting pooped on
Peppiest Team Member: Laura Moreno-Vasquez
Fashionista of the Week: Justin Davis
Achiever of the Week: Madeline Edwards
Best Tan Line: Abdul Aqaroot
Most Musical: Rita Collier
On-Site Photographer: Julie Westerman
"GWOW" Factor: Jade Jackson
Justin Davis AKA fashionista of the week.
Laura Moreno-Vasquez AKA the peppiest of the week.
Hello everyone, it's Jade here with your weekend update!! This past weekend we went on two excursions. The first was to Laguna de Apoyo (Saturday), and the second was to Granada, Nicaragua (Sunday). Laguna de Apoyo is this huge fresh water lake inside the crater of a once-active volcano. Once we got to the entrance of the volcano, we spent at least 10 minutes following the winding trail down to the lake. The view at different intervals along the drive was breathtaking. Following the slope down to Laguna there were a lot of trees and wildlife, and surrounding Laguna was a community and a few tourist hostels and restaurants. We went to the Monkey Hut, and when I finally got to the water I was amazed by how perfect the water felt. We spent the day laying out in the sun, swimming, reading, and enjoying each other's company.
On Sunday morning, we woke up at the crack of dawn to go to Granada. It was the first Spanish colony in Latin America, and the Spanish influence is very apparent in the architecture of the homes and churches. The first activity of the day was kayaking Las Isletas. Las Isletas is a collection of about 300 islands all near the beach of Granada. Our tour guides were Miguel and Brian, who both made kayaking look very easy, which was definitely NOT the case once I got into the boat. Truthfully going to our stopping point wasn't that bad, it was coming back that felt like the last leg of a marathon. While on the water, Miguel told us about the different people who lived on the islands and the wildlife that lived there. He said that a lot of Americans and Europeans buy islands and retire there, and their homes were gorgeous, following the colonial Spanish architecture within the city of Granada. We also passed some islands where locals lived. We saw fathers and sons fishing together, and women taking care of their children.
In my opinion, there were three really awesome places that we went. The first was seeing the fruit bats on the way to the island restaurant. Brian told us to be very quiet and lead us to a tree that apparently had fruit bats on it. The funny thing is, no one could see anything on the tree; the bats were perfectly camouflaged. I know that I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to be looking at until Brian scared the bats and they flew around us to a new tree. Even still, it took a few times of Miguel and Brian doing this for us to figure what we were supposed to be looking at. Next, was the island restaurant, which was awesome for two reasons; 1) it was where we got to rest, and 2) we got to eat there. They did not have regular water to drink, but coconut water. Once we finished drinking out of the coconuts, we broke them open to eat them. The coconut tasted very different from the coconut that we were used to back in the States. It wasn't as sweet, it was wet, and had a slimy texture, but most of us seemed to like it. After our much needed break and snacks, we went to our final location before heading back; we went to La Isla de Monos (Monkey Island). Miguel had a monkey friend named Pancho. Though the monkey was wild, it responded to his name and came to greet us on the water. Pancho was cute, but I think that the most precious monkeys were the mother and child duo that came to meet us on the water by way of an overhanging tree. The baby monkey was holding onto the side of his mother while she ate the fruit from Miguel and tried to figure out why were there and what we were doing. Then we began the long journey back to the beach. With sore arms and some sun burns, we returned to the shore feeling accomplished, tired, and hungry (we are always hungry).
In my opinion, there were three really awesome places that we went. The first was seeing the fruit bats on the way to the island restaurant. Brian told us to be very quiet and lead us to a tree that apparently had fruit bats on it. The funny thing is, no one could see anything on the tree; the bats were perfectly camouflaged. I know that I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to be looking at until Brian scared the bats and they flew around us to a new tree. Even still, it took a few times of Miguel and Brian doing this for us to figure what we were supposed to be looking at. Next, was the island restaurant, which was awesome for two reasons; 1) it was where we got to rest, and 2) we got to eat there. They did not have regular water to drink, but coconut water. Once we finished drinking out of the coconuts, we broke them open to eat them. The coconut tasted very different from the coconut that we were used to back in the States. It wasn't as sweet, it was wet, and had a slimy texture, but most of us seemed to like it. After our much needed break and snacks, we went to our final location before heading back; we went to La Isla de Monos (Monkey Island). Miguel had a monkey friend named Pancho. Though the monkey was wild, it responded to his name and came to greet us on the water. Pancho was cute, but I think that the most precious monkeys were the mother and child duo that came to meet us on the water by way of an overhanging tree. The baby monkey was holding onto the side of his mother while she ate the fruit from Miguel and tried to figure out why were there and what we were doing. Then we began the long journey back to the beach. With sore arms and some sun burns, we returned to the shore feeling accomplished, tired, and hungry (we are always hungry).
We ended the day with a tour of Granada led by Harry Callejas, our driver. We drove by the first fort that the Spaniards built in Nicaragua as well as the covent where nuns helped the indigenous peoples. Granada also had a train station that ran all the way to a dock that the people from the islands used to get groceries and trade. However the train and the tracks were destroyed by the government in the eighties. Actually, one of our contractors, Jose, is from Granada. He travels for two hours and takes three buses everyday just to get to work. I am just amazed at how hardworking and genuinely nice and welcoming the people are here. They aren't stressed or concerned about frivolous things that don't really matter. I hope that we all leave with a different perspective on life and happiness, one that will make life more enjoyable for us.
Peace and Happiness,
Jade Jackson
Peace and Happiness,
Jade Jackson