It wasn?t so much that today began early as that yesterday never ended. We were scheduled to leave Boston?s Logan airport on a 6 AM flight. The revelation yesterday of a possible terrorist threat against airliners had thrown the airport into turmoil, and we were concerned about making our flight. So all three of us simply stayed up late and headed for the airport in the wee hours of the morning. (Victoria and I caught a cab around 3 AM!) Our concerns were justified ? the lines at the airport were impressive, and we made it to our plane with only a few minutes to spare. But we made it, and that?s what counts!
Our travel took us through Atlanta on the way to Managua, Nicaragua?s capital city. Upon arrival, (after being greeted by a Mariachi Band at the entrance to the airport!) we met up with Jane Mirandette, who owns a hotel in San Juan del Sur and founded the city?s public lending library. She was accompanied by Rosa Aguilar, the president of ANIBIPA, Nicaragua?s national library association, and Edwin, who works in the library and the hotel. Jane had unexpectedly agreed to transport a stove and a load of other supplies back to San Juan, so the pickup truck was pack to the brim! Somehow, though, we all managed to pack in, and we headed to El Camino Real, a hotel near the airport, for lunch.
Lunch was great ? we took advantage of the hotel?s ample buffet, and which included a great seafood stew, a variety of salads, etc. We got to know each other a bit, and Jane, Denise, and Rosa focused on the schedule for the workshops we?re going to be leading on Thursday. After lunch, they retired to the hotel?s business center to send out e-mails to potential participants. Meanwhile, Victoria and I walked around the grounds of the hotel with Edwin. The highlight of this was the hotel?s aviary, which included a very friendly acrobatic parrot-like bird who would climb up the mesh cage with his beak and then stick his tongue out at you.
After leaving the hotel, we parted with Rosa for now and began the drive to San Juan del Sur, about two and a half hours southwest of Managua. The trip was fascinating. We drove through the countryside, stoppyed at a roadside fruit stand, passed by some of the country?s impeccably-uniformed schoolchildren, tons of bicycles (many with multiple riders balanced precariously on their frames), lively street scenes, a few volcanoes, great natural beauty, and areas of obvious poverty. Jane gave us her running narrative on Nicaraguan life and culture, based on her years of experience in the country.
The highlight was a drive through the narrow streets of the town of Catarina to reach a massive forested caldera with a large lake at the bottom. On the way we saw artisans working on and selling a variety of projects such as hand carved wooden furniture, colorful hammocks, clay figurines, and other beautiful crafts. When we arrived at the mirador, we found a lively scene with more craft shops, another group of mariachis. We ended up contributing to the local economy by buying a song and a few small clay whistles, not to mention a couple of shoe shines from a very persistent young entrepreneur. Suffice it to say that my scuffed Converse sneakers have never looked so good!
By dusk we found ourselves weaving through the many potholes on the road to San Juan, and finally arriving in the town after dark. It was Friday night, and there was a lot going on. We popped up to our rooms in Jane?s hotel, and then headed back out to deliver the stove and have dinner at a local restaurant. Despite the fact that everyone takes dollars, most prices are quoted in Cordobas, which (at approximately 1/17th of a dollar) are devilishly hard to convert on the fly. Despite our mathematical impairment, Jane, Denise, Victoria, and I had an excellent dinner of local seafood and various other specialties ? including Victoria brand beer (Victoria?s new favorite) and fried plantains with cheese, which were phenomenal. We could hear the surf as we ate in an open dining room facing the beach.
We?re now all about ready to collapse due to lack of sleep, but at the same time eager to begin our two weeks here in Nicaragua.