A side trip to Leon

Tuesday, June 19^th

We thought this was going to be a quiet day without event, maybe just exploring the city of Leon again. Instead, Colin invited us to go see his other property which is on a semi-deserted island off the northwest coast of Nicaragua. It was quite an adventure just getting there.

We headed out from Leon toward Chinandega and beyond. After another half hour, we turned onto a dirt road and headed toward a village named Alemania (“Germany”), which is a tiny fishing village, not a tourist destination. We hired some of the locals to take us across the estuary on one of their fishing boats. Once we got off the boat, we had to cross a make-shift bridge across a swamp, hike through a bit of jungle until…Voila! A beautiful beach on the Pacific Ocean. Victor (I believe that was his name), who was our guide across the estuary and on the island, told us that he had lived there his whole life and that the place is “pure happiness”. The breeze from the pacific, the warm waters and the friendly people served to prove his point.

We swam in the ocean then wandered up the beach toward a home that is only occupied some of the time. It felt a bit like Gilligan’s Island or perhaps an abandoned resort. The caretaker and his family showed us around while we lounged on the grass-roofed veranda. His son chopped up some coconuts for us to drink which was an odd sensation – nothing like the coconut I am used to. Everywhere we go, we feel welcome. Unlike in the states, where people are very protective of their stuff, it did not seem like trespassing or intruding to sit on this property and enjoy the place while the owner was away.

The trek back through the jungle and to the boat meant getting bit by a thousand mosquitoes. Heidi bore the brunt of the attack and, because the fear of malaria and dengue fever are real, this always puts a bit of a cloud over our experiences. Fortunately, it does not appear that any of us are going to get sick. Aside from that mild intrusion into our experience, it was a delightful day on a serene beach with friendly Nicas treating us like family.