The Ladies take a Retreat--

What a hell of a Holy Week I had. Here in Nicaragua, they don't just celebrate Good friday and Easter Sunday, they take the whole week off to go swimming and "vagar" as they say, which I think stems from the same word as vagabond because it means the same thing...to wander around, outside of your home turf. So a couple of Peace Corps ladies and I decided to make the most of it and head out to the North country of Honduras for an adventure... OK we had a motive to go, and I am not embarrassed to say that they consisted of Wendy's Frosties and a Microbrewery that's said to exist there. After almost 11 months of clear Bud-light-esque beer and our only Fast Food dining option being McDonald's, we decided we'd had enough, and we left and sought greater dining and drinking opportunities. If you can see what the name of the Bus that we took is called (WENDY), we took that as a sign from god that we were on the right path...

We had a fantastic time, from tuesday-sunday we were there, and without any problems! I couldn't have dreamed a more perfect vacation if I tried, it just seemed that everything worked out, in the most stress-free, easygoing way. We spent one day in the Capital, Tegucigalpa and it was refreshingly different then our own capital city of trashy Managua. There was history and depth in the buildings, and the city itself seemed to be dug right out of the mountain in which it resided. The taxi's were cheap, the hostels quaint, and the weather was cool and fresh. Let me preface by saying that I denied myself nothing when it came to food. None of us did..We came to eat, and eat we did....Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts, Chili's, and of course some local treats along the way. I feel so ashamed of the way I eat that now I am limiting myself to vegetables, fruits and water and beans until my next vacation. But we did enjoy ourselves every step of the way. The next day, we headed to the Lake of Yojoa where the brewery was. The ride up there was just breathtaking, as the country (UNLIKE Nicaragua) is still completely green and plush, and full of pine trees, and the blue ridges of the mountains painted the whole backdrop. Needless to say, the getting to-and-from part was not a problem given the beautiful views and landscape to keep us occupied.
And Finally, day 3 we arrived at the brewery! It was nestled deep in a jungle-tropical forest, filled with chirping birds, and all kinds of exotic flora and fauna. The owner, Bob, is originally from Oregon, and moved here to start a Brewery. He took a liking to us, and said we were the coolest Peace Corps volunteers he has yet to meet. I have to agree. Anyway, he took us out on his own boat one day on the lake for a swim and a good time. It was a great time until he asked my to steer. Well for some reason I wasn't looking at all at where I was going, just focused on the motor completely, and almost took us right into the canal bank. How embarrassing! I redeemed myself later when I gave it another round and succeeded. It was really nice of him to take us out, and he said all we have to do is promise to come back and visit. Will do!
Anyway at the brewery he made a Raspberry Ale, and Apricot Lager, A Pale Ale, and Amber Ale, and best of all, A PORTER! There was a pool, and good music, and tucked away in this little local boating village, off the beaten path. The 7 of us, just enjoyed ourselves..We played cards, we ate good food (blueberry pancakes with amazing hash browns and REAL bacon were definitely my highlight), and of course drank great beer, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
To wrap up the perfect week, we spent our last Saturday morning, on a bird-watching adventure with none-other then Sir Malcolm Glasgow, Professional Bird Enthusiast. See his foot long goatee? And he might just be the most enlightening person I've ever met.


We woke up at sunrise, and fully decked out in our most birdy outfits we headed to the lake, with binoculars of course. We saw Baltimore Orioles (they really know the places to migrate to if you want my opinion), we saw 4 toucans, a bunch of different herons, and parakeets, and a regular old vulture! Also a handful of Bats and water lilies, and other incredible sights that I will surely never forget.

All in all, the vacation was fabulous, the company and the money spent was very reasonable for a week ($200). Going back to my site was the hardest part.. Especially when I found out that a cow had eaten my entire garden while I was gone. I am furious. But hey, everything has to eat, right? I don't blame the cow, because the poor things have nothing to eat, so I will just try again in may.