Now that we have left Nicaragua behind, below is a round-up of the favorite Nicaragua experiences of each member of the family.  There is a bit of overlap, but not as much as you might think!  To read our original posts on these subjects, click the underlined link.

Bob’s List

Tour of Leon Cathedral roof: This surpassed any expectation I had by at least 1,000 percent.  Never have I seen such a pristinely white environment (at least one that did not involve snow).  The sight of it was shocking.  The sensation of walking barefoot on the clean roof, with its warm — but not hot — surface was a pleasant experience and also a good lesson in why things in sunny places get painted white.  If the roof were black, it would have been at least 30 degrees warmer up there and significantly less comfortable inside the cathedral.  The contrast between the crumbling facade of the cathedral (it was still beautiful, in a rustic way) and the gleaming roof was also interesting.  It is pristine like nothing else we’ll experience in Central America — certainly the antithesis of the nearby (and scarringly sordid) folklore museum.  At $9 per adult, this is expensive for Nicaragua, but to me it was definitely worth it.

Dinners at La Mariposa School:  I think I’ll comment on the food at Mariposa elsewhere, but the environment at the school reached is high point, in my opinion, at dinner time.  It was quiet and calm once the teachers and day students went home.  Those staying at the hotel gathered at the sound of a bell and enjoyed conversation (almost entirely in English), a $2 Tona or two, and whatever food they served up on a given night.  There was no troublesome plowing through menus and ordering.  We got what we got, and at it all up.  I did, at least.  Usually, I ate some of the girls’ leftovers, too.  If the Spanish classes, excursions and interactions with staff helped us get used to Central American culture, the dinners helped us acclimate to the physical environment, eating outside in shorts and t-shirts in February was a palpable, if slightly guilty, pleasure.  The warm silky breezes and “tranquilo” atmosphere helped soothe any culture shock we experienced during the day.  We happily noted the absolute absence of mosquitoes.  The compound’s dogs and cats were always close by, often enjoying the attention of a pet-starved child. These dinners also allowed the girls to display a previously hidden talent: conversing with adults.  This is something they tend to do at home only under extreme duress. Without other children to talk to, ZN+L chatted happily with our fellow adult guests, many of them grandparents who clearly delighted in talking to young people.  Jen and I enjoyed multiple compliments about them.

Ojos de Agua:  I thought swimming in this natural spring-fed pool was enjoyable until Jen commented on its similarity to the now-destroyed UNH Outdoor Pool.  She was onto something.  There were surely differences:  palm trees, a slack line and tarzan rope, waiters carrying trays of food (we never found out how to order any).   The similarities became more obvious as I looked for them.  The clear, bluish-tinted water was cool and comfortable.  The sides of the pool were concrete and stone (and a little muddy at points).   People were there to swim and socialize and relax.  It should be noted that this attraction featured the best mix of tourist and locals of any place we’ve visited in Central America.  We even saw a car with a Costa Rican license plate in the parking lot.  One of the workers at our hotel told Jen that the Ojos de Agua is one of his favorite places in the world.  My favorite part, though, was that I felt a little like a time traveler, able to skip back into the near past to snatch one more afternoon of an experience that I never thought I’d get to have again.  Anyone missing the UNH pool can find solace that it still exists, in spirit at least, on Ometepe.

Jen’s List
1. Volcan Masaya night tour

I’ve already written about this extensively, but it remains a highlight in my memory.  I think part of the appeal was that we had no idea what to expect.  If we had arranged (and paid for) this tour ourselves, we would have known what to expect every step of the way.  But since this was done through La Mariposa, the extent of our preparation was signing up on the whiteboard.  And as it turned out, it was one fabulous experience after another: the steam pouring from the active crater, the beautiful sunset from the highest point in the park, the awe-inspiring spectacle of thousands of bats issuing forth for the night, the cool walk deep into the mountain through a lava tube.  It was a magical evening.

2. Sunset on Ometepe after a 20-km hike

Our hotel on Ometepe (La Omaja) has to be one of the best places in the world to watch the sunset.  Located in the lower slopes of a volcano, it features an open-air restaurant (with great mojitos), fronted by an infinity pool and hot tub, with Lake Nicaragua stretching away in the distance.  To the right is the dramatic cone of the Volcan Conception, rising 1,600 meters above the lake.  Behind the restaurant, Volcan Maderas rises in green waves.

It was the latter that we’d hiked that day, and it was an extreme challenge to us.  Having left the hotel at 7:30 am, we staggered back in at 5:30, just in time for the nightly display.  Sinking our exhausted bodies into the warm hot tub as the sky glowed with every color of the rainbow was an exquisite pleasure.  Later we would eat enormous dinners poolside, then return to the hot tub as the colors faded and thousands of brilliant stars (far more than we have ever seen at home) emerged above our heads.

3. Evening in Granada

Though we loved our time at La Miraflor cloud forest, Granada presented a welcome contrast – hot, sunny, full of people and life.  In the late afternoon, the glare of the mid-day sun would soften, and cool breezes from the lake seemed to blow away the day’s heat in the blink of an eye.  Around the corner from our hotel was a pedestrian thoroughfare with a grand old church at each end.  The street was lined with colorful buildings housing bars, restaurants, and shops, with café tables scattered across the cobblestones outside.  The air was filled with laughter and the sounds of roving musicians playing traditional music (and thrilled to serenade you for a $1 tip).  For another $1 we could enjoy a mojito made with fresh mint, lime and Nicaraguan rum.  It felt graceful and old-fashioned, like something out of a Hemingway novel.

Zoe’s List
1.  Climbing the strangler fig

Part way through our trip, we hiked to a giant strangler fig in the cool, misty cloud forest of La Miraflor. The fig had killed the tree it had lived on long ago, and was completely hollow in the center. We ducked through an opening in the interlocking vines and into the cave–like space inside. It was cool and damp and filled with shafts of sunlight from holes in the web of tendrils. I grabbed a vine and started to climb. The fig’s bark felt cool and rough beneath my fingers, and the different strands were the perfect size for me to wrap my hands around. When I looked up and down, the fig was like a vertical tunnel made of intricate patterns and designs. I could see my family standing in the small circle of packed earth far below. I felt as if I could keep climbing all the way up to the tree’s topmost branches high above. I peeked out of the small windows made by the fig’s stems and waved to my dad standing on the ground outside the tree. When I climbed down, I wanted to do it again.

2.  The Chocolate Museum

In the city of Granada, Mom booked us a tour of a chocolate museum, but not just any tour. This was a workshop where we got to see how chocolate is made and make some ourselves. This was the perfect tour for me because I love both chocolate and cooking. It was really cool to see how one of my favorite foods is made. Central American chocolate is different from the chocolate we have in the U.S., which is made from beans grown in Africa. It has a darker, richer flavor. I liked it. Even the plain roasted Central American beans taste good. We got to try them after roasting them ourselves over an open fire and peeling them by hand. Then, we ground them using a mortar and pestle. The whole beans seemed dry, but once they were ground, the oily cocoa butter seemed to appear from nowhere. After that, we used the cocoa paste to make two chocolate drinks. The first was made by the Aztecs. It had chili peppers in it. It was much too spicy for me! I liked the second though. It was made by the Spanish and tasted like hot chocolate. At the end, we got pre-churned chocolate to make our own bars. We could put anything we wanted in them. I put coffee, sea salt, almonds, and nibs (pieces of roasted cocoa beans) in mine.

3.  Sunset surfing

My whole family learned to surf in Jiquilillo, a town on the beach. We all took surfing lessons. I loved surfing and rented a board for the next couple of days. I surfed a lot during those days, but one time stood out. Jiquilillo had beautiful sunsets and we would go to the beach to watch them, but I wanted to keep surfing. So I surfed during the sunset. It was amazing. When you watch a sunset over water from land, the glows orange from the reflected sun. While I surfed, that color was all around me. It was like surfing on the sun.

Nadia’s List

1.  Second La Mariposa horse ride

It was my favorite because I really missed riding and I had a lot of fun because I got to canter a lot. The ride went through the countryside, a village, and some woods. I rode the same horse but I can’t remember his name. He was a brown and white paint.

 

2. Gelato in Granada

It was my second favorite thing because the gelato tasted really good. It also reminded me of Italy. The flavors were also very unique. It was special because there isn’t much gelato in Nicaragua.

 

 

3. Zip-lining

Zip-lining was my third favorite thing because it was really fun. I was a little scared at first, but by the end I wasn’t. It was special because it was a really unique and singular experience. We also got to fly with a guide, go upside down, and swing on a long rope.

 

From Lanie
1.  Piñata fiesta at La Mariposa

On our last day at La Mariposa, we had a party with great music in Spanish, dancing and piñata breaking.  Zoe, Nadia and I made the piñatas with our teachers and went into town to buy candy for them.  I felt happy, excited and good.  I liked the taste of the candy and the smell of the fresh air.  It was special to me having my friends from La Mariposa all gathered around me.

2. Zip-lining

I felt as light as a feather.  I was zip-lining at Volcan Mombacho.  It was special because I felt a good sense of accomplishment.  I tried going upside down, and the guy was jiggling my legs as we zip-lined.

3. Night volcano (Volcan Masaya)

The volcano hike was hiking up a volcano to see the sun set, then hiking to see two caves.  I felt very good.  It was nice to walk in to a nice cool cave.  It was one of the best experiences of my life because I got to see so many cool things.