The trip to RBR was a bit complicated. We got up bright and early on our last day in San Ramon to finish packing our things and clean out our house. We already said our goodbyes and planned to sneak out of town without any more drama or hoopla. That of course did not work. People started coming over around 7:00am including our maid, the daughter of our landlady and our neighbors. We finally got our truck packed and out of dodge around 8:00am. We arrived at Aileen’s office an hour later to return her work truck and say our goodbyes to the staff of SOL (for the second or third time). Our friend Douglas arrived around 9:15 and we transferred all of our possessions into his truck. Coincidentally, his truck was the first vehicle Aileen and I used when we worked here in Nicaragua ten years ago. The nonprofit we used to work for sold the truck to Douglas years ago and he has managed to keep it going.
Douglas drove us about 3 hours to the town of Chinandega where we stopped to buy supplies and have lunch. The plan was to call the owners of the hotel when we were ready to leave Chinandega and they would meet us at a fork in the road about an hour away. From there, we were to transfer to yet another truck that would take us on a very rough dirt road to the hotel as Douglas’ vehicle would never have made the final hour of our journey. It seemed like a good plan but when we called the owners they were nowhere to be found. To make a long story shorter, they had decided to come meet us in Chinandega to meet us but were not able to find us there. After just a little fuss we finally met their driver at the designated spot and he took us to the hotel.
RBR is a small hotel on an isolated beach just outside a small fishing village called Mechapa in far northwestern Nicaragua close to the Gulf of Fonseca. Mechapa is a hard scrabble town that is very poor and can be pretty rough when the fishermen get to drinking (which is often). However, the hotel is outside of town and right on a beautiful stretch of beach. We stayed in the owner’s two-room house while they were away and a cabana when they returned. The hotel has five cabanas for guests, a small restaurant and a bar/movie theatre (both open air affairs with thatched roofs). The hotel used to be bigger but the ocean recently took 3 of the cabanas due to beach erosion. Despite the threat of being washed away by the sea the place is pretty darn comfortable and relaxing -- with air conditioning, TV/DVD and the coldest beer fridge in Nicaragua. Frankly, it is way cozier than our set-up in San Ramon. However, Mechapa is very remote and we were pretty much stuck there during our stay. The owners have a telephone that only works sometimes, satellite TV that goes off when there is a breeze and internet access that was down for most of our stay. Furthermore, they took their car with them to the airport and the closest supplies (beyond the most basic) are two hours away by private vehicle. In a pinch, we could take the bus to town (3.5 hours) and during low tide you can walk into the ocean and use a mobile phone if it is not too cloudy.
So, there was little work, no reservations and limited access to the outside world. You might be wondering what we were doing all day? Well, we got up around 5:30am to the sound of the ocean and dogs waiting to be feed. Jeff goes down to feed t dogs (Coqueta and King), a lazy cat (Lluvia) and the cranky parrot (Don Guido). Ramon (the lead staff member) usually had a few questions/concerns that he has to share before we even got the coffee going. Jeff usually made breakfast while Aileen was dragging the girls out of bed. After breakfast we walked down the beach with the girls to the two-room schoolhouse. They attended classes for a month and really enjoyed it. On the way back we usually bought some fish and or tortillas for the day’s meals. This involved fighting through the crowds that line up at the fishermen’s coop when the boats come in or sitting around while the tortilla lady cooks ‘em up fresh. This whole process can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour depending on the lines. By the time we returned to the hotel the dishes were done and staff members were half way done cleaning the grounds. Jeff then went surfing and Aileen usually read or swams. There were usually a few things to do or issues that come up (calling the electric company when the power went out, fixing the satellite dish that wild horses knocked out of alignment, inquiring about some repairs, etc). Not what you would call a stressful morning.
When the girls return from school we had lunch and while Sarah is cleaning up our dishes we did some homework, guitar practice, tutoring, writing, etc. The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming, hiking and/or playing games with friends. If dinner is early enough, we retire to the bar and lay in the hammocks watching a movie while staff was cleaning up and the sun was busy setting.
We had some amazing adventures during our trip as well. Aileen and Jeff went ocean kayaking and tried to get out past the waves which led to an amazing wipe out that the whole town was talking (laughing) about. Jeff and the girls took a more serene but sublime kayaking trip through a mangrove. We also explored both ends of the peninsula we were on and visited a river on one side and some amazing tide pools on the other. Not all of our adventures were fun. Jeff had to take an excursion to town by bus to buy supplies. It was stressful running around town shopping and then packing everything for bus for the trip home (not to mention hauling everything to the roof of the bus). During the 3.5 hour bus ride (standing room only) Jeff saw people start cursing and closing their windows. He noticed some white rain coming into the windows and quickly realized it was the milk he bought. Jeff tried to hide behind his Kindle as he stood silently between a drunk guy an very large woman; however, his cover was blown when the conductor yelled out “gringo, is that your milk.” “Not anymore,” he answered amidst the grumbling and laughter (which was not good natured).
Other than the bus trip, we had a wonderful time in Mechapa. Unfortunately the trip was cut short for Aileen when she found out that her Mom needed open-heart surgery. She left immediately and powered her way to Managua and then New Jersey which was no easy feat. Jeff, Emma and Hannah stayed for a few more days which were filled with some tearful goodbyes. It was very touching to know that the hotel staff and the girls’ classmates were genuinely sad to see us leave. Some of Emma and Hannah’s new friends even brought them gifts which I wanted to (but could not) return given how poor the town is. It was amazing how fast the girls could develop friendships without having to navigate the busy schedules, play dates and competition so prevalent in the United States.
Daddy and daughters had their own trying trip back to the United States. Being apart from Aileen was hard enough and the trip was pretty challenging too. Jeff, Emma, Hannah and all their stuff took a truck andthen a taxi to the closest city and our friend Douglas picked them up the next day. On the way to Managua, Douglas’ truck broke down and three hours later we finally found a taxi to take us to Managua. We spent a few days at the Holiday Inn, visiting with friends and doing some last minute shopping. Before we knew it we had dragged ourselves and all our bags back to the USA and were in San Francisco again. Our time in Nicaragua was over.
Our month at the beach was a wonderful way to end our year in Nicaragua but the departure was a bit overwhelming given the circumstances. However, one thing we learned in Nicaragua is that things do not always work out as planned and you have to roll with the punches. Mom and Dad managed to make it through the experience thanks to our awesome daughters who have learned many things this year, especially how to be flexible. It was an emotional and challenging time for everyone and Emma and Hannah really rose to the occasion. They missed their Mom and were a bit dazed by all the commotion but were good natured and helpful throughout. The poise, self-reliance and maturity they developed during the past year are simply phenomenal.
What a family! You guys are great. Love the photos, especially those of Hannah and Emma. It was great to see you the other week. Hope you made it safely back to NJ.
ReplyDeleteJim and Valerie