For those of you who did not know, every 2 months my entire squad gets to come together for a few days of “debrief”. Some people think it sounds strange, but regular debriefs are incredibly necessary on a trip like this. After two months at a time of roughing it in our living conditions, maneuvering team dynamics, and seeing heartbreaking poverty and violence, we all NEED a chance to unwind a bit and discuss what we have experienced. Our debriefs may also be the only chance to truly bathe, wash clothes in a washing machine (via a local laundromat), choose what we want to eat, sleep in, and contact family that we haven’t been able to get in touch with.
Granada, Nicaragua. If you are looking for a great option for a cute, historic, easy little town in Central America to get away to, Granada might be it. For our first debrief, my entire squad was so blessed to have 4 nights in a lovely hostel for around $6 per person per night in this quaint little town. Given that these are our little 3-4 day “vacations” within the year, we do tend to spoil ourselves a bit. To give you an idea of some of the cool stuff that myself and/or my squad mates got to experience in Grananda….
-the best chocolate chip pancakes I have ever eaten. I had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast for 4 mornings in a row. 🙂 (hey, like I said, it's vacation!)
-spa treatments for about %20 of the price in the US.
-”seeing hands” massages…i.e., get your entire body massaged for less than $20 by a blind person. warning: you may have to occasionally grab the masseuse’s hand when their hands don’t “see” quite as appropriately as you might prefer…
-delicious, free-refills coffee (free-refills are not the norm in third world countries)
-horse-drawn carriage rides around town for next to nothing
-random farm animals wandering through the park by the lake…they may or may not have owners.
-fresh sliced fruit for sale for around $0.15.
-one seriously hilarious “Freaky Friday” squad dance party in which you had to switch clothing/identities with a squad mate! (outrageous. not kidding.)
-tons of great hand-made souvenirs
-time with our squad coaches, Mama C and Karen, who help guide and mentor each and every one of us goofy racers on E Squad. thank you mama’s, I hope yall enjoyed your last day!
-relaxed meals, and almost all cafes/restaurants had open-air tropical gardens in their center.
-and finally, my team mate Becki and I went on a bike/boat tour…complete with riding bikes through the Nicaraguan countryside, taking a nearly private boat ride through the inlets on Lake Nicaragua to see monkeys on monkey island, climbing mango trees and eating the mangos, swimming in a beautiful secluded swimming spot, and doing some of the funnest and hardest mountain biking I ever have encountered.
The World Race is literally littered with constant, daily, unique, culture-soaked interactions that we have through our contacts and ministry opportunities. I will go home from this journey with a unique impression of each culture I encounter, and for that I am incredibly grateful. But having a few days to just take it easy every couple of months is going to prove both fun and relaxing, so enjoy the pictures on facebook and feel free to comment with any related vacation stories of your own!
