27 Oct 2017 – Nicaragua
There is minimal around the port. I had OBC to burn. Whatever made me think that I wanted to go a botanical garden? Oh, right – I didn’t think I was in shape to climb a volcano (or was that a different port? – never mind) and riding around in a bus didn’t thrill me. This tour was touted as explore the garden and look for birds on your own.
They lied. We had a guide. He liked to talk. If you take 20+ people in a group stomping along, there are not going to be any birds. They heard us coming, they left. Saw one squirrel, and thousands upon thousands of leaf cutter ants. Since the trees and plants were all labeled, I wasn’t the only one who persisted in wandering in front of or behind the group in a vain attempt to enjoy myself.
We also made a stop in Leon. Skipped the cathedral in favor of walking through the old streets and entering the various shopping courtyards where, similar to Europe, most shops seemed to be grouped by type of product.
I also visited the Resistance Museum which was an extremely interesting experience. It really wasn’t a true museum but rather a building that had housed activities over the years. The exhibits in the first room were 15 poster size collections of newspaper clippings chronicling the history of the first resistance movement with the subsequent establishment of the Sandinistas. The second room had poster size portraits of various important people and further documentation of the last 20 years. The guides weren’t happy with me; I wasn’t interested in a guided tour, I didn’t see any need to have someone talk me through what I could read myself.
Getting back to the ship in our crowded little bus, I was more than glad to get out of the humidity…
