Okinawa and Nicaragua

I just got back from my winter travels, and they were fantastic! First I headed to Japan to visit my sister for Christmas. The trip started rather inauspiciously, as bad weather in Minneapolis forced us to stay a full day there. Fortunately, my brother-in-law's mother lives there, so we had a pseudo-Christmas dinner with her. Then the next day, we headed on to Okinawa, which had delightful tropical weather. Probably the highlight of the trip was going to an amazing aquarium. I have never seen fish like that except on the Discovery channel.

Afterwards, my family ventured on to Beijing for a few days, whereas I came back to the States. I was only in Memphis for 12 hours before my flight left for Nicaragua. It seemed like a good idea when I bought my tickets, but when my alarm went off at 3:30 in the morning, I was less enthusiastic about putting these trips so close back to back.

Nicaragua was great though. In addition to spending time with Gloria, I celebrated New Year's with my friend Craig Harrison from California. We went together to Granada, San Juan del Sur, Reserva Chocoyero, and Volcan Masaya. After Craig left to go back to work, Gloria had a week of vacation, so we ventured to two of my favorite places in Nicaragua, Reserva Miraflor and Matagalpa. Miraflor is only 30km from Esteli, but it is very rustic, having no electricity, no running water, and the coldest showers imaginable. Traumatic shower experiences aside, we had a great time, hiking around, lounging in hammocks, and enjoying the tranquility of our surroundings. The only thing that troubled me was a crazy bird that followed me everywhere I went, zooming right past me numerous times, and even running into me once. Gloria thought it was all quite amusing.

Afterwards, we headed to Matagalpa to visit my host family and tourism workmates. The last time I had been there was June 19, the day that I broke my back, so everyone there was glad to see me walking around and in good spirits. The weather was perfect (as usual) and we spent a lovely afternoon at the family's ranch. Of special interest was learning that my host-brother Memo is going to travel to Norway for three months to visit his girlfriend there. Since Memo has never even lived outside Matagalpa, much less Nicaragua, this trip is going to be quite an adventure for him, especially in the winter when it's dark all the time there!

On my last day in Nicaragua, we dropped by the hospital to see my surgeon. He was delighted to see how quickly I recovered, and I told him that I much preferred this kind of hospital visit, the one where I can get up and leave after an hour. It was a fitting end to a wonderful trip.

I could tell you more, but I think the pictures will convey my experiences far better:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2262970&l=ade56&id=1219341

Happy New Year everyone, and have a great 2008!