MAY 1, 2017 | Central America: Maya
Nicaragua has been a dream. We started off the week leaving Bona Fide which just about everyone was excited for. Getting up before the sunrise was hard for most but we managed to make it to the bus stop in time. The day was full of a lot of ‘playing it by ear’, running to catch the next bus and being squished by random Nicaraguans. We eventually managed to make it to Granada in one piece. Granada is a lot like a Nicaraguan Antigua. We stayed at the Panda Lodge and thoroughly enjoyed not having to wake up at 5:30 AM to work. (Although the lack of AC made it almost impossible to sleep through the night anyway.) That night we all made our way over to the active Masaya volcano to look at the lava in the dark. It flowed bright red and I swear it was like we were looking through the gates of hell. The next day we all went back to Masaya after shopping around Granada and enjoying Kathy’s delicious Waffle House, this time to check out the artisan market we had heard so much about. Overall it was a relaxed day of shopping and soccer game watching. The next day, we left Granada and headed off to San Juan del Sur! We were back at the beach and everyone was all the happier for it, especially with the promise of Chase’s return so soon the next day. A lot of us spent time on the beach and meandering around town. The majority of us finally got a room with AC and a good nights sleep. We stayed at the Casa del Oro (House of Gold) and all the rooms are so beautiful. The following day was a lazy day full of shopping, strolling around town, and just generally chilling out. It was sunny and hot and the beach was to die for. Later that night, we finally got to welcome Chase back after 2 long weeks! Our group is whole again! The next day was full of activities like paint balling and hiking up to see Jesus, a huge statue overlooking the bay. We mostly relaxed for what was left of the day, enjoying our time with our long lost brother. Our last day was the laziest day to end the lazy days. We spent most of our time soaking up every last drop of San Juan del Sur that we could before we left for Costa Rica the next morning. We only have 2 more weeks left until we come back home. We miss our families and our phones. Our hearts go out to Chase’s family.