Mariposa Adventure : Muchas Caminatas, (3/3/13)

The Mariposa has been keeping Colin and I on our toes, literally and figuratively, with Spanish lessons and adventures. On Wednesday night, we went for a walk under the light of the full moon. We gathered outside a store on the side of the road that seemed to be a hangout spot of the locals. Two boys, neither more than ten slowly worked their way over to us to shout English words at the "cheles" (non-offensive Nicaragua term for white people) and then giggle and whisper behind their hands. We hiked up through the dark to a sandy ridge past the loud singing and clapping of an evangelical church, horses, and curious children. At the top, a fire and ingredients for s'mores awaited us. We toasted marshmallows, and enjoyed a miraculously cool breeze as the full, orange moon cleared the dark horizon.

Yesterday, we went by van to a chill little beach on the Pacific named La Boquita. Thatched roof huts housed restaurants and provided the perfect shade and obligatory hammocks to make a day at the beach complete. We splashed in the aqua waves and walked along the dark sand beach to explore some old lava flows and sedimentary rock formations. As the waves wash in, the water streams in to form tide pools in the rocks. We scrambled over these frozen windows into other eras, to find little fish and shells inside the pools. Colin found a gorgeous pink shell, much coveted by others in the group. We returned to our hut for a feast of fresh seafood. We knew we were in for a treat, having watched the catch be hauled in off the beach only a couple of hours earlier. Colin enjoyed the lobster and I had fish in garlic sauce. Both were delicious. It was a fantastic day of surf and sun with only one moment of pure confusion when I was led to a bathroom labeled "por cheles." I wondered what strange reverse Jim Crow moment I had strayed into before learning that the restaurant was named for a man whose nickname was "chele"!

This morning we had a caminata de frutas as a local guide took us for hike among the hillside farms of marandinos, oranges, pineapples, avocados, and dragon fruit. The farmers were relatives of our guide and generously offered us our fill of mandarinos and pineapple. The pineapple here is very sweet, a white variety that none of us have ever encounted in the states. We savored the fruit, juices dripping down our fingers and enjoyed the view of the beauitful, red pineapple plants criss-crossing the slope. In the distance we watched the smoking Masaya volcano and the clouded forms of the Mombacho and Jinotepe between the two great lakes of Nicaragua.

Ok, back to studying my Spanish!