Today we rose early to climb the mountain. The community is planning on building a small ecotourist resort with a couple of small cabanas and trails around the mountain. They have one trail partially finished and they are training their youth, ages 16 - 21, as guides. They asked us to be patient as we were their first group of tourists to take the tour in the rainforest. It was both educational and enjoyable for both of us. Katie was wonderful and truly enjoyed her first rainforest experience. I was fortunate to be there with her. It was my first experience acting as the interpreter for our group.
In addition to the beauty of our surroundings it was a spiritual experience. The nicaraguan people pray and give thanks before and after a journey such as this.
After our four hour rainforest tour, we were invited to lunch with the family who is spearheading the coffee association in the area. When we arrived at the bottom of their driveway we realized the truck could not make the climb because the rain created extremely muddy conditions. As a result, we grabbed our walking sticks but had no idea that ahead of us was a 45 minute climb to their house. When we arrived, soaking wet and incredibly muddy, we told them this was the hardest we have had to work for our food since we came to Nicaragua. However the view from this beautiful chalet was well worth the trip. The father built the house from one 250 year old tree and planed the wood using only a chain saw. In addition to coffee he is growing nine species of banana, three species of oranges, numerous herbs for both cooking and medicinal purposes, and many flowers including orchids. They also have chickens to provide eggs and meat, their water is from the mountain spring and no means of electricity. At home people refer to living off the land but for the first time we were able to see that first hand.
I must say, for my students reading this, you know that i am used to being muddy from hiking and jumping in the river so this was a great experience but not far removed from what I do at home. However, I was SO IMPRESSED with Katie Beit. The guides told her how strong they thought she was because on each climb she was the first to reach both the top and bottom. She was dirty, wet and to be honest, a bit smelly, but she never once complained. What a great travel companion!
Bye for now, we need sleep!
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