I woke up early and had coffee with Rachel. She pointed out that most Nicaraguans don't drink real coffee, but instead drink the more affordable, instant, "Presto" brand (distributed by Payless, Nicaragua's biggest and wealthiest corporation). Soon there will be attempts to market Nicaraguan grown Fair Trade coffee in the city, to those who can afford it. But in a country where coffee is one of the primary exports, it remains a luxury item. She made the coffee by pouring boiling water through grounds in a strainer - coffee machines are not a typical convenience here. Nor are washing machines! While I read my guidebook and finished my coffee, Rachel washed her clothes in a tub in the backyard.
I spotted a lizard crawling up the backward wall, a pero son paca - "ant dog" - they call it. Beyond the wall come the sounds of kids yelling and setting off firecrackers. While coffee is not readily available, it appears that fireworks and firecrackers are, and it was New Years Eve. The kids are on break from school over the summer months of December and January, which are full of celebrations like the Day of the Conception of Mary, Christmas, New Years, and this year a national holiday celebrating the inauguration of the president elect, Daniel Ortega. We talked some, and played guitar with Martin singing everything from Jack Johnson to religious music to ‘What to Do With a Drunken Sailor.’ After that, we snapped some photos and walked with Rachel to the bus stop, where she pointed out the bus to Rivas, our next destination.
Tim and I squeezed aboard the crowded bus and we were on our way, truly on our own now! I was proud of myself for translating the bus fare from Spanish - 35 cordobas. This was one of those "Jesus buses" I had heard of; our risen lord and savior's likeness was printed in vinyl in the back windows, and we spent our first hour listening to a man standing in the isle giving a sermon. The man looked into my eyes and I looked down as I flipped the pages of my Spanish dictionary. "Pecado!"...sin. "Retribucion!"...payment. "Calendario!".. oh... I see... he was selling calendars. After he was finished, we spent the rest of the ride listening to songs on the bus drivers radio, like "Gangster's Paradise." I was admiring the paradise outside the windows...all the beautiful green plant life, scurrying humans, and a volcano looming in the distance.
In Rivas, we stopped at Pizza Hot, not to be confused with Pizza Hut. The lack of western chain restaurants in this country was a pleasant surprise. After a brief walk around town, we hoped a cab to San Jose, and were charged an 80 cordoba premium for our lack of Spanish skills. We would continue having difficulty establishing cab fare throughout the rest of the trip. Once we got to San Jose, we caught a little ferry boat across Lake Nicaragua to the island of Ometepe. I didn't get sea-sick, but it was a rocky ride! On the boat, we were joined by tourists, some boisterous Nicaraguan men, and a lovely Nicaraguan family on vacation with two kids who seemed to be as enchanted by the view as I was. The island we were approaching consisted of two impressive volcanos topped by rings of clouds and mist, rising out of the the blue waters, covered in green, tropical forest. 
We docked in the port town of Moyagolpa, where we found a quaint hostienda to spend the night. Went out to dinner at El Indio Viejo, where we had some fun with three boys (Christopher, Jorge, and Gulerjo) who were setting off firecrackers a few feet from our table. Then we met Juan Alberto Galmes, a Argentinian man who was biking the Pan-American Highway from Panama City to Guatemala City, 70 kilos a day, 2000 kilos per month. He told us all about his travels, which he writes about on his website: www.sanluisembicicleta.com.ar. After dinner, we walked around town with Juan, past a big dance party, and past more kids throwing firecrackers into bonfires in the middle of the streets in celebration of the new year. A bottle rocket came shrieking to a halt a few feet away from Juan. Mom would love this. Lots of older folks sitting outside, enjoying the night. A truck rolled past carrying a mariachi-like band, filling the streets with festive music. An evangelical church service was in session, with a full crowd. We walked down to the water, enjoying the quiet warm night, cool breeze and the stars, and then back into town to wish everyone a happy New Year at the stroke of midnight. 
Back at the Hospedaje Ali, the doors had been locked for the night. Thankfully, a guy pointed us to the back door, where the proprietor let us in. When Tim switched on the fan in our room, a lizard went flying off it onto one of the beds...which were lined with 101 Dalmatians sheets...classy, indeed! That evening, Tim got to talking, and it reminded me of being back in Crete with my monkish friend, Josh Wopata. Tim is a student at Texas Lutheran University, and is involved with the “emerging” church/alternative Christian communities. He was going on about his mentors and his spiritual preparation for the trip. I probably could have done more to prepare for this trip myself and I was impressed with Tim's intentionality and purposefulness. We agreed that we've both come to an appreciation of the priority of relationships, of "being" vs. "doing", etc. This reflection and contemplation was a fitting way to welcome in the new year, before falling asleep for the night. I slept well; the first full day of the trip had been a good one.
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