We then headed down to Ometepe Island, where we met Hector, an amazing tour guide that helped us piece together our 2 day adventure. The first night on the island, we relaxed, watched the sunset and had a nice fish dinner at the hotel. The next morning we got up raring to go on our “moderate” hike up to the beautiful San Ramon Waterfall. Apparently the fruit drink the previous night didn’t agree with Dad and during the hike he had some difficulties. Fortunately, he was able to get a ride back down from the waterfall. And do you know who gave him that ride? Daniel Ortega’s step-daughter! No matter the politics of her father, she is a very nice young lady. That night we followed a recommendation and went to this little restaurant. As luck will have it, they forgot Dad’s dinner. Are you starting to feel sorry for my Dad? Just wait… his luck with food didn’t improve the rest of the trip. (Including the time I ordered him a plain cheeseburger- just cheese, bread and meat, and they brought him cheese and bread but no meat!)
Coming back from Ometepe, we stopped near San Juan del Sur for the night. The area is known for its beautiful Pacific beaches, great surfing waves and impressive sunsets. We enjoyed the location immensely and had delicious food to boot. When we were getting ready to leave, however, we momentarily thought we might be stuck. The night before it rained ferociously and the hilly, dirt road leading to the hotel was all but impassable. We were expecting the worst and Mom and I had our running shoes in case we had to help push the car. But wouldn’t you know it, SUPERDAD got us out with only a few heart stopping moments, one occurrence of screaming pedestrians, and mud up to the roof of the car. Needless to say he was very proud of himself.
The road from San Juan del Sur took us through Rivas where we stopped for mouth watering pastries and watched the Argentina Semi-Final game in the World Cup. That night we arrived in Granada and stayed in the Intercontinental Hotel. IT WAS OUTRAGOUSLY FECHANTA!! We had a lofted room with three beds, a living room area, a bar, and a bathroom bigger than my bedroom! Throw in the scrumptious breakfast in the morning and dips in the pool at night, and it was hands down the best place we stayed. While in Granada we took a horse-drawn city tour (not quite worth the $10/person it cost), saw the exquisite main cathedral, and found an amazing restaurant. Our family fell in love with “The Zaguan” where we savored quality steaks, ceviche, sangria, and typical Nicaraguan dishes two nights in a row. Dad said that had we been there a third night, we would have gone back. Neither Mom nor I would have complained.
Finally we left the south of Nicaragua and arrived in my site, Ocotal. Our first project we had to accomplish was to get Mom and Dad a bed. I had a few possiblities, but everything fell through. In the end, we ended up moving Douglas' double bed to my house while we held it down on the Toyota roof. Douglas slept on two cots pushed together for about a week. He later told me that one night they had collapsed, waking him up with the air knocked out of him. What a sweetheart. Friday night we went to La Yunta (the first of 4 or 5 visits) and met my site mates for Nikki's going away party. Mom and Dad went home early, but we continued the party til bright and early. The next day they came and watched me teach at the University. They seemed to like it, and I even used them in my lesson (comparisons- Mom is shorter than Dad. Mom is prettier than Dad. hehe). While I taught my last class, they headed back to La Yunta to watch the Germany Semi Final Game. That night was the end of Cycle celebration for my community class. They all brought over food, and we chatted the night away. I gave out certificates and thanked them for being so diligent. One of my students recited a poem for Mom and Dad (she later learned that they do NOT know Spanish). It was a very successful night and I was my parents go to meet the class.
During the remainder of their visit in Ocotal, we just kinda hung out. We watched the World Cup Final and rooted Spain on. Dad played 3 hours of pool with Douglas while Mom and I painted each others nails and watched the nieghborhood kids color at my house. The night before they left, Mom and Dad met Douglas's parents. It was a nice evening of fried chicken, lots of coffee, a trip up to their restaurant in Dipilto and me translating every sentence. I went home and slept like a baby.
On the last day, my parents, Douglas and I headed back down to Managua. On the way, we stopped by my host family's house from training. It was wonderful to get to see them, and everyone enjoyed chatting. It reminded me house much I miss them, and I vowed to visit more frequently than twice a year. That night, we all said our goodbyes and hugged for a long time.
