Roosters in Nicaragua behave much as dogs do in the States. When one crows, they all begin cock-a-doodle-doodeling up and down the street. There’s one rooster that appears to come from next door and has a voice that sounds like a person doing a poor impression of a rooster. He’s always second to chime in when the string of cock-a-doodle-doodeling starts up. Between these guys and the geckos that sound like knuckles rapping at my door and mangoes falling on a tin roof, I slept poorly last night.
My alarm went off early, but I was long awake gazing at the sun shining in the patio garden and the mosquitoes fighting for entry on the opposite side of the mosquitero. I whirl-winded myself up and to the bathroom, dressing fast so that I’d be ready for the taxi driver at 7:15. On a whim, I opened my front door at 6:55, and the taxi pulled up 5 minutes later. Hola!
I jumped in the front seat and hung my arm out the already open window, enjoying the sounds of reggaeton and the coolness of the morning. As the car wound down towards Lake Nicaragua, I noticed whiffs of fog clinging still to the earth, joggers enjoying the rare coolness of the day, and horses grazing lakeside.
My driver took a sharp turn then that took us deeper into the surrounding forest, where the canopy of trees provided protection from the coming heat of the day. At the end of a long, winding road, I was dropped at la lancha, where I sat in wait of my next ride. While waiting, I snapped a picture of this tree that demanded attention with it’s amazing crown of fiery flowers.
In timely Nica fashion, my next ride arrived, and I stepped carefully into a boat carrying 2 other employees of Jicaro, my final destination for the morning.
The ride was spectacular. Twenty minutes spent cruising Lake Nicaragua, navigating around numerous isletas watching lake birds sitting on stones drying their wings, all with the majestic Mombacho looming closer than I’ve seen it yet, the green forest decorating the mountain juxtaposed against the bright white clouds hanging around the flat crater top. Que rico!
On arrival, I was directed to the beautiful yoga dock, where two students awaited their morning yoga practice. Surrounded by the beautiful lake on three sides and shaded by green leaves above, we flowed through a sequence incorporating backbend preps like bhujangasana, dwi pada pitham, and ardha bekasana. Our peak pose this morning was an energizing ustrasana, option for open eyes to take in the fluffy white clouds that dotted the perfect blue sky above. Truly, this is yoga in paradise!
After a juicy savasana for my two lucky students, I hopped back in the boat for a leisurely ride back to Granada. More work awaited, but I decided to treat myself to a massage mid-day with the amazing Ruth here at Pure. Ruth only stands about 4’10”, but she gave a spectacular massage, using her accupressure skills to release my tense muscles. Floating out of the massage, I then connected with some friends before returning to work a bit more and eat some fresh mango.
De acachimba!