This past weekend we had another grand adventure, more than what I would ever expect. Be ready to read and laugh!!!!
There are no roads leading to Bluefields. The only way to go to another town is by boat or airplane. On Saturday morning, when it was raining cats and dogs, we went on a Panga (20 passenger boat) to Pearl Lagoon, a small town 40 miles north of Bluefields. The panga went through wide rivers (we felt like we were on the Disney ride "Jungle Cruise") at about 40 mph.
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| Life jackets - but no zippers or buckles to strap on the jacket |
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| 200 hpr - Yamaha |
During our ride, it started to rain hard, so over our heads went a big plastic tarp to protect all passengers from the rain. Pearl Lagoon has a nice lagoon to swim in so we walked there. We also went to a bathing hole (a place where people bathe, swim, hang out, and wash clothes). The boys LOVED the warm water of the swimming hole.
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| Swimming hole |
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| Swimming at Pearl Lagoon |
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| Saturday wash day |
After a few hours in Pearl Lagoon, we hopped on a rickety old rusted out yellow school bus for 1 hour to arrive at the small town of Kukra Hill. The bumpy bus ride was deafening as every rivott sounded like it was going to pop out and the sides of the bus would fall off at any moment. This was the conversation on the bus ride... Peter - "if the bus tips too far to the left, mom, should I put my feet on the side of the bus so that will be my floor if the bus tips?" Jack - "if we get stuck mom (with all the mud), will another bus come to pick us up or will we have to walk?" Those 2 comments describe our bus trip. If it wasn't muddy or trying to avoid mud holes in the road, it was bumpy. I really liked it, it reminded me of a bus ride in Bolivia 25 years ago. There were even a few chickens on the bus in a bag a guy was carrying.
Once we arrived in Kukra, we needed to walk to Dina's mothers' house, who lives on a finca (farm). Reyna was with us and asked someone which road to take. We started walking, maybe 1 1/2 miles, with no idea how long this walk would be. Someone did pick us up, which was good b/c we had another 2 miles to go. He dropped us off about 1/2 mile from the farm. The road was too muddy and slippery for him to drive.
We slid and slipped all the way to the farm that had no running water and no electricity. When I arrived, I was excited to be there and experience life on a small farm in Nicaragua, where a family just tries to provide for what they need to survive day by day. When the sun set at 6:00pm, the kerosene lamps and flashlights came out. We also had marshmallows over the kitchen fire. As we prepared for bed, I wondered where we all would sleep in this 2 bedroom home, with a small open fire kitchen and a family room 9ft x 14ft. Dave and I were in one bedroom, and the kids and some adults laid blankets on the wood planks in the family room. 10 people lined up on the floor and 1 in the kitchen doorway. At 3:10am a rooster crowed and reminded Dave why he killed our own rooster. As we all settled down again, a radio was turned on in grandma's bedroom. I looked at my watch and it was 4:00am! Dave and I just looked at each other and laughed - only in Nicaragua. It was a worship service that we listened to for the next few hours.
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| Lined up to sleep at night |
By 5:30am we all got up. We had the privledge of milking a cow. Ana, Peter, Jack and Dave all did their best at milking, but that did not go so well. We had delicious coffee with fresh milk - the best cafe' con leche I ever tasted yet - it was better than J.P.'s!!!
Later that morning, Peter had a brief lesson in machete use and went to town chopping the long grass growing under the banana plants with the boys. We also filled a sack with oranges to take back to Bluefields. We were able to drink coconut water, pick mandarins, and suck on a Cocoa plant where we get our cocoa powder and chocolate. The family that welcomed us into their home were beautiful, warm and inviting. I would return there again - without a
second thought!!!
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| Breakfast of rice and beans, cheese and bread - delicious |
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| Peter's favorite place to be! |
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| roasting marshmallows over a wood fire in the kitchen |
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