I am in Nandaime.
I get up very early because I think it's time to get up because I hear the shower running, but it's 4am. Marvin, the father of the family, has to travel an hour by motorbike to go to work in Managua, the capital. I try to go back to sleep... Finally, at 6 am I take the opportunity to do my laundry by hand, it was time! Magaly prepares me a delicious lunch which I share with Chepe and Paola. Then, with my team, we will try to find the families that I had photographed during an awareness training course with the students in 2016. Luckily my little friends are helping me in my research. Here is the result of our efforts... Then we take a natural lemonade in a bag to refresh ourselves. I buy Bermuda shorts for $3 because mine were torn. I decide to go explore the surroundings by bike, I can't sit still and honestly these little kids have A LOT of energy. So I head to the Laguna de Apoyo, an old volcano now filled with water. It is a beautiful place for lovers. On the road I meet little baseball players. I also see the small park and the village church named Diria. I also take the opportunity to visit Diriomo to see my friend Alicia and her husband. I have known Alicia since 2004 during my first trip to Nicaragua. She now lives in Granada. I eat an excellent pineapple for 15 cordobas (60 cents), it is delicious. The nativity scene and the church of Diriomo are magnificent. The landscapes on the road are very beautiful. Here is the Mombacho volcano, which has been inactive for a very long time. Sometimes on the road there are sidewalks, I take the opportunity to use them. I eat a hot dog for 10 cordobas (40 cents) I see stores, I think of my family. To come back to Nandaime I use another path that I saw on Google Maps... It's great! I see miniature taxis and buses to go to the small towns around. However, the path is getting narrower and narrower. At this moment I see a charming gentleman on his horse. The path becomes more and more special. I finally arrive in a dry river, because it's summer here. You can see the scars left when the river overflows during the rainy season. I finally find the true path which looks like this. I finally get off the beaten track and I can observe that all means are good to get around. I buy honey in an old rum bottle, long live reuse! I pay 70 cordobas ($2.80 cad). I see a baseball game in a very small space. Everything is in place for guaranteed pleasure. Life is simple. Returned to town I attend the most popular party the "Quince años" ie the party of fifteen years. Guys and girls are very well dressed for the occasion. I finally arrive home and go shopping for the family. It's time to pay it forward. I buy rice, sugar, chicken, soap, toilet paper, vegetables, etc... a nice grocery store that we obviously have to carry on foot. A very good meal...thank you!!!
David Beauchesne