Rodnitzki Aventures in Central America #1: Pitching Stones in Mango Trees

We just crossed the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica, so as I sit back, eyes upon Arenal volcano (have yet to see the lava, but it is quite active with lava flow on a daily basis--- though we have been assured, and have subsequently assured Sheleg who asks periodically "What do we do if the volcano erupts on us?" that we are quite safe. In contrast, perhaps, were bad luck to strike, to our (amazing) four day stay on Ometepe Island in Nicaragua, where the "Evacuation route" signs everywhere are a startling reminder that were the active Concepcion Volcano to erupt-- well, we hope we could figure out what to do!!!
So it is too early to share reflections on Costa Rica, but Nicaragua left a deep impression on us... so where do I begin?

How about with some quotes from the kids, as they sit beside me, reflecting, too:

Keshet: I think Nicaragua is fun.
Sheleg: I do too.
Keshet: It is an upgraded India.
Sheleg: There are volcanoes in Nicaragua.
Keshet: The people are very tan. Really, really tan.
Sheleg: Trees and mangoes. And feet in pools.
Keshet: The people throw stones to get mangoes. I threw stones too.
Sheleg: We rode on horses. White birds!!!

Yes, that about summarizes the kids impressions! We'll get Paz's later...

We set out on the 17th, the kids and Yuval via Amsterdam and I via Miami.... our flights both landed on Panama. Theirs was scheduled to land an hour before mine, but as mine was about half an hour late, I literally arrived as the connecting flight was almost completely boarded... just made it, greeted by hugs and kisses and sighs of relief (from all of us)!!!!

Felt like a VIP as I landed in Nicaragua, for the first time in my life WE were met with a person standing with a sign "Rodnitzki family"-- those signs were always for OTHER important people (but that's what we get when we order a door to door shuttle!)

Our first destination: Granada (skipped Managua altogether- just a city... ) A beautiful city from colonial times, one of the oldest preserved cities in central America, with impressive churches, cathedrals, horsedrawn carriages and barely a car in the streets (indication of poverty level...) and the nicest, kindest and friendliest people around (not a person walks by without saying hola! with a smile on their face!) We slept in a hostel-- we had two private rooms, but the backpackers reminded Yuval and I of our own travels two decades ago... Hammocks strung in the open courtyard of the traditional Granadan house, an open, lush green garden in a courtyard surrounded by rooms in the all-wooden structure) Family run, and with a little hammock co-op on site, so we got to observe hammock-making to our heart's content... Wonderful!

Hmmm.. Billy Joel's Piano Man in Spanish in the background-- that's a first!!! Sheleg dancing to the music...

So after a few days of wondering the streets, horseback riding and more, we set off to Leon, the other old beautiful colonial city in Nicaragua. (in case you are wondering, historically, Leon is a leftist city with universities and students, Granada is a rightest city with bishops and pro-monarchists, so both vied for the right to be capital, almost to the level of civil war-- and thus Managua, smack in the middle, is today's capital, to ease the tensions between the two cities.)

In Leon the boys went volcano surfing (really!!!!) while we girls took a cooking course-- shopping in the local shuk, then heading off in a local bus (aka pick up truck that you have to run and jump into as you then bump along side by side with large women and their small children) to a small village outside of Leon, where we made tortillas (the women were astounded by the girl's tortilla-making talents) and we cooked "Old Indian Stew", a veggie stew with plantains, cornmeal, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and sour orange juice-- sounds odd, but quite yummy indeed!!!

After Leon, we headed off by local buses (OK, so I learned that just because those young men who take your suitcases and load them up on the bus with swift efficiency have embroidered shirts that appear to be quite legitimate, it does not mean that you pay them for your bus tickets... Yuval was the smart one who figured that out) A few hours south to the ferry (launch, to be precise, as it was a mid-sized boat which chugged along, and not the big car-carrying ferry), towards the island of Ometepe, the largest fresh-water island in the world, in the huge Lake Nicaragua, to be met by a truck which took us to our hotel (thanks, Lonely Planet, it was a perfect choice!) A little cabin perched at the top of stairs leading down to our own private, sandy beach, the kids in one room, we in another, air conditioning and hot water (what luxury!) Looks more like an ocean's beach than a lake-side beach (attesting to the size of the lake)

The island was everything you would expect and hope for... small villages scattered about, traditional life and friendly people, (one ATM on the island apparently, but who needs it?) Nothing to do but climb volcanoes (and hope for the best), ride horses, swim in the lake, eat in the lake-side restaurants, and kayak.... and of course, now we have figured out why Nicaraguans love baseball so much-- they have the best arms from hours of throwing huge stones at mango trees the size of red woods.... we gave a go at it, and paled in the light of those other 6, 7 and 8 year olds' pitches. Needs work, but were we to have some more time on the island, I am sure we could have begun to perfect our mango pitch.

Could have stayed there many more days, simply chilling out, but decided we should move on, and thus we find ourselves now in Costa Rica (after an arduous pick-up truck to small boat to taxi to school bus to walk across the border to bus to another bus to another school bus to taxi and phew! made it (after eating really yummy pizza in the taxi, thanks to the cool taxi driver's suggestion) Had a social worker seen our kids after THAT journey, they would have all have been removed from our custody) And ever wondered where your old yellow school bus ended up? They're all in Nicaragua.

But now, after a lovely fresh fruit yummy pancake hot Costa Rican coffee scrambled egg breakfast, we are debating whether we should first go to the Hot Springs (complete with water slides), the grade 3 or 4 rafting (in which case the girls and I would spend the day water sliding), canapy jumping, bungee jumping, volcano climbing (guaranteed lava flow sightings, otherwise take you up again the next day...), or, well, laundry.

So, signing off for now, since the girls have been so patient-- (I think Paz is finishing up his third book on this trip -- in English, yeah!) and will update you on our Costa Rica adventures soon....