Parents Cont.

We also decided that we would wake up at the butt crack of dawn and take a day trip to Selva Negra in Matagalpa. We were told that we could also find a coffee tour when we got there. Once we got up there we decided that we would do a little hiking first. Before you actually DO the hiking, there is a map of the hiking paths on the wall of a building, of which I am very glad we took a picture because without the map, you see, we would probably still be hiking in the hills of Matagalpa. Although we heard many of the howler monkeys “howling” in the hills, we didn't see any, but we did have the opportunity to see an animal which was a mix between a rabbit and a squirrel, so all in all the hike was much more pleasant than I thought it was going to be once we had arrived. Upon getting back to Masaya, we decided to invest a little time and go to the market and go shopping for souvenirs for the family. We walked all over the market for a good couple of hours and we saw everything from the bread vendors and the fish market to hammock and key chain vendors. One little note for those of you that might find yourself in the markets in Masaya. There are many people that walk around and come up to Americans or White people and begin to talk to them and tell you that they know all of the vendors and they will help you get better deals on the items. Now whether or not you speak Spanish, I would strongly suggest that you let them know you do not need their help. The will ask you every from what you are looking to buy, and how much money you have on you. In the end, these people really do not help you get any lower prices, in fact you may even pay more with these guys on your side. We allowed one of the guys to talk to us, and try to “help” us, and all they really did was translate for us (even though he told me that my Spanish was “very good”) and tell us the prices that they said, and then told us, “Dis iz a berry chip price” when I already knew that the price was not very good. Then of course the real reason came out why he helped us. He let us know that with his help he saved us a lot of money, and we should give him a tip, so I threw him 5 cords; he then followed that up with, “...you should give me all the coins in your pocket.” I let him know that that was not going to happen. Another last note when trying to negotiate prices. When you find something that you like, don't walk up really excited about it (because they know you want it, so they'll charge you more) but rather ask with a kind of disgusted face how much it costs and then act like it's not worth it and you'll find the prices fall faster than the Dow Jones ticker.
Something funny happened to us while we were in Leon. We had decided to pay 2 dollars and go to the top of the main church, and on our way up we were helping my mom, as she is afraid of heights. While we were on the top of the church, we saw great views of the city, and even better views when we walked on top of the domes that were protruding from the top of the church. While getting weird looks, we were trying to figure out why everyone was looking at us with such disgust. Well, needless to say when we were walking to the bottom of the church, we noticed a sign on one of the doors (which we had missed because we were walking backwards to help my mom up the stairs) that proclaimed, “DO NOT WALK ON THE TOP OF THE DOMES”. It wasnt written only in Spanish, but in English as well. Man, did we feel dumb, so we decided to pull the “stupid American” card.
Once getting back to Masaya, I had mentioned that I found it weird while walking through the not-so-monetarily-fortunate neighborhoods that they have casinos all over the place. Once the word casino left my lips, my mom's ears perked up like a dog's when hearing the opening of the Beggin' Bits bag open. So after a few ours of asking, and a couple life threats, we meandered over to the casino to try our luck. We all cashed in 100 cords ($5) and sat down to see what we could do. Well in 30 mins, I was 400 cords in the whole, and thought I would cash in another 100 cords and call it quits. Down to a few coins I won 200 cords, then another 150 and then 200 more, so I decided to quit while I was even. My dad won 400 cords, and then my mom hit the JACKPOT!! 900 smackaroos; well cords that is, so she won about 45 bucks. The casino bit was pretty fun, so we ate a great dinner on the casino, thanks casino!!
We decided to end their trip in Granada. We met up with Liz and Diane and walked around for a while and decided to go down to the Lake (Cocibolca) and take a boat trip to the islands that are found in the lake. On the islands are homes of the rich and famous, and one islands even has monkeys on it (wonder how they got there? Can we say tourist trap?!) When we got down to the lake, it was super polluted with plastic bags, chip bags, and any other trash you can think of. It looked like it was going to rain and the the wind had picked up producing good sized waves, so in the end we decided that we didnt want to have to swim back to the shore. That night, we decided to be really American and take part in KARAOKE!! We went out for dinner, and a few drinks and made our way to “Quijote” bar, owned by 2 American women. We knew that we wanted to sing but we didnt know what songs. After a little liquid inspiration, we decided it was time to sing. Liz and I went to the front of the bar to show off our choral abilities and sang “Come together” a wonderful song from the past. After we were done, and everyone stopped applauding and wiping tears from their eyes, we sat down. Now if they want peace in the Middle East, just send Liz and I over there and I give us 3 songs and well have everyone “come together”, because that girl can harmonize like nobody's business. If you find yourself in Granada or are planning a trip to Granada, I would strongly suggest staying at the Bohemian Paradise Hotel. It is a few short blocks off the main street (Las Calzadas) but a lot less in price. We stayed in the Deluxe room and were pleasantly surprised with the jacuzzi and the AWESOME bathroom. The shower area (which consists of two shower heads, a bench and some local plants) does not have a roof, so you can shower under the stars; and best of all for a Peace Corps volunteer... REAL HOT WATER!!! The cost of this room is $80.50 a night which is a lot less than the $140 La Alhambra or Colon hotel.
The trip back to the airport came and went without problems, and I was a little sad to see my parents (mom) leave. It was nice showing them where I have been living for the last 8 months and things I experience everyday, and not to mention everything we did was funded by my parents' bank accounts and not mine :) Hope you two had fun mom and dad, and I'll see you again for Christmas.

P.S. My cat, Lupin, is still missing, so I will be getting a new cat very soon.