March 17 Perspective

Thanks to my teammates, who allowed me a few days away from the computer while we were enjoying some down-time.

We awoke to our last full day at the beach hotel. It's hot, and it's only 7am. This morning requires pants, socks, shoes, and long sleeves for some of us...we're hiking a volcano just outside of Leon. We pick up a guide/sherpa named Wilbur and off we go. There's a 1.5 L water bottle for each of us...I guess we're in for some more heat!

We stop en route to see the well drilling rig that they've been using, thanks to a Rotary Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

We drive 30 mins outside the city, and stop at the check-in to sign some waivers and pick up our gear. It isn't much, but has us a little timid for what's in store. The safety gear is goggles and knee/elbow pads, and the sleds are rigged plywood. What are we doing?
It's hot as we exit the vehicle at the base of the volcano. This isn't regular hot. This is 39 plus humidity, plus ridiculous amounts of UV. We're about to climb a massive hill/small mountain that is completely black.

As we ascend, the wind gets stronger. It's so strong I use my board as a sail to assist me in climbing to the peak. The Kim & Doug allow Wilbur to carry their boards so they can walk safely. At the peak we find a group just about to slide down on their boards. They are wearing canvas overalls and gloves, and it's really steep. There is talk of walking back down. We watch, cameras ready to see how crazy it is. It isn't. The loose pebble & sand don't allow speeds anywhere near what we would experience on a normal toboggan hill in the winter.

Of course we're all going to do it...even Doug, who swears he's the oldest person to sign into the guest book. Two by two we head down, getting covered in black dust, and trying to avoid a crash. There were no deaths, although we were told many Canadians perish.

We're dirty, hot, and very tired. We opt to go out for tacos when we return to the beach. It's one of the heartiest and best meals of the trip...good call Kim!
We get a few hours R&R, although we all stay out of the sun and get some rest. Heading to our first Rotary meeting in Nicaragua, we stop to meet Mickey Moore, a hard working man from Tulsa who has been the key cog in bringing water to over 30,000 people in Nicaragua. We present to 9 members of the Leon Rotary Club, as well as Mickey and his translator. We're off for our last night in Leon...Latin music & dancing at a popular night-spot.

It's busy. Sardines in a can busy. Sweaty, pushy, young people are everywhere. They dance. They really dance. Salsa, meringue, tango, and lots more. It's sexy. A man and a woman interacting on the dance-floor. I am ashamed for our culture. We have no dancing like this.

Wilbur is there with his brother, Angel, who is a dance instructor. He takes turns with all of us, and we let loose. It's hard. The steps aren't easy, the rhythms are difficult to recognize, and there are pushy people everywhere. We laugh at ourselves, and each other. It's St Patty's day, and there are some people painted green.

Watch those feet Kim...it's a meringue!

The dancing ends at midnight, which saves us from too hurtful a morning. We're off to Managua tomorrow first thing!!
I'm happy to be back blogging.
CGD