We spent the last few days as a squad in a hostel in Granada. You learn to love simple things on the race, so killer fast wifi and cheap smoothies make for satisfying mini vacation. I had a citrus smoothie made with passion fruit, pineapple, and lime that made my knees wobble. Granada is hipster/backpacker paradise. There are Europeans, and locals, and all kinds of lost American twenty-somethings searching for something. I’m still not sure what. It’s the Kafka and unfiltered cigarette crowd that I saw so much in college. So, if you’re looking for the hipster scene, come to Granada.
After a few days debriefing in Granada, it was time to push on to our new ministry site in Nicaragua. Travel days are always interesting. This time our journey came with kittens. Ada, our animal loving weirdo, rescued two baby kittens abandoned alongside the road so of course they came along too. Traveling five hours on three buses and one taxi, with kittens, is actually pretty incredible. She’s a superstar. Travel in Central America is hot, cramped, and really confusing. Seven of us, along with all our overstuffed packs, crammed into two Honda civic hatchbacks that taxied us to our home in Candelaria. Half our packs dangled out the back of the hatchback while Kathryn hung on to them with one hand stretched around from the backseat. Well, we made it.
We went swimming yesterday. Along trails cut through the sugar cane fields, we walked to the dam. Joey cracked open a sugar cane stalk and peeled it with his teeth. He says it gives him the buzz of coffee, but without the shakiness. I haven’t found that to be true. It’s just sugar. The sun is blisteringly bright here. It feels like I’m stuck in an oven, set to broil. The water by the dam felt warm near the surface and freezing a few feet down. Crater and Joey jumped off a small cliff nearby and took turns doing flips off the bridge, trying to outdo each other. We threw sticks at a mango tree on the way back, trying to dislodge ripe fruit from the branches. I must have eaten half a dozen. I’ve still got those orange strands stuck in my teeth. I’ve been trying to get them out for the past day.
It feels like an indulgence to have a bed this month even if it’s just a foam pad. It’s the first bed I’ve had on the race, and it’s like heaven. I sleep like I’m dead. The heat is draining and I find it hard to make it past ten every night. The sun is like a sponge that just saps all your strength. Tomorrow is the beginning of our weekend and we’re going to the beach in Leon. I promise to drink my fair share of lattes and smoothies while trying to get all the sand from between my toes. It’s a tough job.
