Today was really nice to be able to get out and experience some of the neat things going on in my region of Nicaragua. This morning my brother Ernesto accompanied me to Granada. I was finally able to get a cup of really good coffee. Although Nicaragua grows some of the best coffee in the world, the only coffee available in Catarina is instant coffee. This doesn't exactly fulfill my deep addiction for a quad shot venti latte. I can thank Starbucks for helping me acquire such an addiction. Ernesto, David, and I spent much of the morning walking through the market and seeing what Granada has to offer a Peace Corps Volunteer. Although it is actually one of the sights, Granada is known for it's high population of ex-patriots, and certainly it is more expensive to live in for the very reason that it is very popular for backpackers. Among some of the interesting images we found in Granada were dying dogs, clowns who defenitely make the children laugh, and an abundance of foods sold in the local market, some more appetizing than others. The trip was a nice day in a place that seems so different than where I'm living now. My brother enjoyed getting away, and I was able to take a deep breathe before heading back to Catarina.
On the bus back to Catarina I met one of the coolest backpackers I've every come into contact with. The Portugese Neuro-Surgeon decided that his days in the operating room were no longer satisfying his need to experience things he wanted in life. So without a second thought he decided he was going to spend the next 3 months of his life traveling from Costa Rica northward to Mexico City. He is a brillant young man with a promising future as a doctor, but he told me that neuro-surgery was just not for him. I don't think he'll have any problem finding his place in this world because he can speak Spanish, Portugese, Italian, English, and French. He defenitely has plenty of places to choose from when he decides what exactly he wants to do next. Needless to say I am defenitely planning a trip to Portugal to hang out with my new friend soon. There are great people out in the world, and it is cool to come into contact with them a long the way. In reality it reminds me that there really aren't amazing things to be done, but small things to be done by amazing people. I think I'm stealing that from Mother Theresa, but it sounds good.
