Vive le Dash

In Nicaragua, one must get used to the water.  It is the rainy season, so that may have something to do with it.  Also, the Boss and I just seem to be drawn to bodies of water.  Of all shapes and sizes. Rainy afternoons.   I share a bond with this Nicaraguan as we both sit and watch the storm roll through Chichigalpa. Las Penitas. First time I've seen a sunset over the ocean.  Pacific for the win. Some afternoon reading and relaxing.  Not much has changed from Charleston. Except the hammock.  It's a nice touch. Water sports!   Kayaking in the Laguna de Apoya.  Old volcano turned peaceful 200 meter deep lagoon. Lake Nicaragua.   This sucker is massive.  Seriously, go check a map.  So massive that it has fresh water sharks. And an island where we saw monkeys! Me on a boat in Lake Nicaragua.  Drinking a tasty beverage. Picture uploading problem resolved: check.  Borrowed watch: check. I've got less than a week to go.

That's right, I'm fortunate enough to get to pretend to be in the Peace Corps before I'm actually in the Peace Corps.  This thanks mostly to the grace of Boss Tony.  And a cheap plane ticket. Lesson one: Gather important information prior to leaving country. Half of that lesson is knowing what exactly one might need.  Some smart doctor-like friends were kind enough to mention I might need such things as anti-malaria meds before going.  Booked an appointment the week before departure and discovered a few avoidance shots were also necessary.  No, I don't want Hep A or Typhoid, though I've no idea what either do.  Actually, I've no idea what Malaria does.  They are all bad and possibly deadly.  So I lucked into avoiding those things. It did not really occur to me (or the others that take care of me) that I might need simple information like an address or a phone number where I can be reached in country.  These are things for which both the US Department of Sta

Anyone who has lived in Charleston loves the bridges. (Well, save one friend who invariably would get on the wrong one and have to wait till the end to u-turn.)  They always offer a grand view of the water, the marshes, and the city.  I've left and come back a few times and, just like seeing the Washington Monument in the distance when I lived in DC, crossing over a bridge into the city lightens the heart.  That feeling of coming home.  It's hard to see that in the rear view and know you won't be returning for a long, long time. I've been having trouble writing of late.  Hell, I've been having trouble doing anything productive really.  It's these incessant goodbyes.  I've been hitting one after the other for the past month.  Traveling is worth writing about (aka productive in my limited scope) but the time to write is always after I've left.  Immediately after another goodbye. Normally goodbyes don't bother me.  I usually joke around with wh