Nicaragua Day 7

Another travel day in our Nicaraguan adventure started early as we left Hacienda Mérida and the beautiful island of Ometepe. Taking the ferry back across Lake Nicaragua, we headed for San Jorge. The view looking back at the volcano was incredible. It is a special place on the island and one which I will not forget. We made our way to our next and final destination at the Laguna de Apoyo, near Granada. Once we arrived and settled into our rooms, it was free time for us to enjoy the resort. The guys had a great big room with a series of eight bunk beds and wooden lockers to store our stuff. There was a fan for each person, but only one bathroom for all ten of us. Thankfully everyone was very laid back and patient with one another, so we had no issues. Later that evening Silvio, one of our drivers and a local boxing coach for at risk youth, brought over some kids to show us how to box. Boxing and baseball are the main sports in Nicaragua. Surprisingly soccer is not important. Participation in this sport has allowed these kids the opportunity to travel around their country and even compete in international events. Opportunities that they would have never experienced if they were recruited into gangs or got mixed up in drug use. Silvio's daughter and adopted daughter are ranked numbers 1 and 2 respectively in Central America for their age and weight class. After seeing the kids boxing demonstration, some of us put on the protective gear and went at it with one another. We finished off the night searching the nearby woods for wildlife. We found many frogs and cicadas, but were interrupted by a brief, yet heavy rainstorm. A simple reminder that we were in the tropics at the start of the rainy season.