Welcome to Nicaragua

On our last night in Costa Rica we watched the sun set go down and it was very beautiful to watch.

On Saturday we left Costa Rica and headed for Nicaragua. That was quite the experience. It took us about 30 minutes to exit Costa Rica, but to get into Nicaragua was very stressful and long. We sat on our bus while our tour guide took our passports and sent them through customs. We were on the bus for over three hours waiting to get out passports back and everyone was on edge. We weren't fans of handing over our passports, since that is pretty much our hole life right there but our guide said it was going to be the fastest way. It still took forever.  We were all pretty much ready to get to our hotel and just eat and relax. It was a very stressful day. After we went to eat at a restaurant acrossed from our hotel we went to bed since we had to be up and at breakfast at 6 am.

We travled by ferry to Ometepe Island for the day. The island is formed between two volcanoes in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, which has an opening to the ocean and bull sharks are now swimming in to the lake. So most of us were not game on swimming in the lake due to the sharks. The ferry ride was about an hour and a half long and we all did really good with no one getting sea sick but there was a family up top with us and the little girl was getting sick. She was sitting down to start and when she stood up everyone who was sitting on the left hand side of the top was given a shower in vomit. It was really gross and all of us we not happy with the family or the little girl. Granted we understood she couldnt help getting sick but she should have never stood up! On the way back we had to wait for another ferry to leave the port so we could dock. We were sitting in the middle of the lake with the waves hitting us and we had a few souls get sea sick and it wasn't fun. Once we got on to the island we went for a short hike, but didn't really get to see anything but it was fun see the difference between the two countries. We also went to swim in a spring. That was a lot of fun, There was a rope swing that was fun to go off. You had to use a lot of upper body strength to hold on since you needed to make it to the middle of the pool in order to miss concrete and rocks. The spring we were in is like the local pool to them and some of the local boys were showing off their moves and flips off the rope swing. It was fun to watch them. 

It  is amazing to see the way people live here. Most of their houses dont have running water and to go to the bathroom you take water in with you. You use the bathroom and then poor the water out of a milk carten with the top cut off into the toilet to make everything go down. Most of the houses dont have carpet or tile floors they are just dirt, and they are very tinny houses with huge families living in them. Seeing all of this makes me value my life and everything I have in it so much more. We have to buy and drink bottled water since the water here isnt good to drink, Not being able to go to the sink and wash my hands amazes me and makes me value our water and life back home. Even being able to go to the bathroom inside is something we take for granted. Most of the homes have their showers and bathrooms outside. I am truly having and eye opening experience here in Nicaragua. We all have seen those commercials of kids in countries that need help, Well seeing how this people live is like being in one of those commercials. Even our bus driver was talking about how he was working for a stronger house, Not a better house but a house that is stronger and better put together for his son so he can grown up in a safe home. For most of us we talk about wanting a big house for our families for him he just wants one that will still be standing when he gets home. It is very sad to see but I am thankful for getting to see this first hand.