An amazing weekend - part 1

It will be nearly impossible to capture everything that happened this weekend while in the mountains outside El Sauce, not only because it was a busy couple of days but also because some of the experiences I had cannot truly be described in words. Hopefully, some of the photos I took will help readers envision the breath-taking beauty of the landscape, the simple, yet intriguing lifestyles of the people, and the ways in which my perspective on life has changed as a result of some amazing experiences. Here goes!

On Saturday morning, we headed up to the mountains via pick-up trucks, and I was proud to say I am the owner of a Toyota after seeing what those trucks could do! Our final destination was Ocotal, but we stopped a few places along the way. First, we visited the school in the community of La Flor that the Lupisellas came down to help build last year. It was a long hike up to the school building, and we found out that the teacher rides horseback to work every day and the kids walk long distances to get to school as well. Many people in the community showed up to meet us as it was a Saturday. We presented some school supplies and a photo album that the Lupisellas had put together. 

On our walk back down, we met up with the head of the community of La Flor and a young, blind boy who Jeanine and Rob Lupisella got to know last year. The boy loved to play guitar, so they brought one for him. They presented him with his favorite instrument  in what was one of the most amazing moments I have ever experienced. He was shy at first, but as soon as he got that guitar in his hands, he started strumming and singing a Spanish tune that brought tears to my eyes. Here was a young boy living in a small, poor village in the mountains of Nicaragua who cannot see the beauty that surrounds him and does not have the luxuries that we take for granted every day, and he seemed to be the happiest person on earth. I wish I could upload the video I took, but that will have to come later. 

We also stopped to see the site of the new school building in Buena Vista. The original school on this site was built by US Aid after Hurricane Mitch, but it only lasted 15 years. 

On our way up to Ocotal (which is at the top of the mountain) we met the tourism cooperative to go for a horseback ride. (Sorry, Jeanine, I didn't have a picture of myself!)

We rode to an organic coffee farm on the mountain for a tour and explanation of how the coffee is made. It was truly amazing to see how the process works, and we got to try some of the coffee at the end! The same coffee from this organic farm is also sold at the public Market in Rochester. Unfortunately, last year, the entire crop harvest was destroyed by a disease, so the farmers needed to find a heartier strain of coffee to plant. Some of the other plants harvested on the mountain are chia, sugar cane, corn, wheat, and pine trees (for the needles and wood). We also had lunch with the family before heading to the Ranchon (a meeting area near the top of the mountain). 

At the Ranchon, we played games, ate dinner, and watched a beautiful sunset over El Sauce.

Then, it was off to meet our host family for the weekend. Bernardo and Maria were very hospitable and provided us with some coffee as we chatted for a while. I pulled out the game "LCR" that I brought (a very simple dice game that involves passing chips around) and their grandchildren loved learning how to play. I was able to explain most of the directions to them, and Sean, our interpreter and guide, filled in the rest. 

After several games of LCR, we headed to bed. I slept ok waking often to the sounds of the countryside (specifically, roosters) and a chilly wind that would be more of a warm breeze in Rochester, I'm sure. Not to mention, they are accustomed to sleeping on much harder surfaces than I am used to!