Hola from Matagalpa!

It’s Day 7 and we just made it to the half-way point of the trip. To celebrate, we had a day full of fun. We woke up at 6 AM and had pastries, fruit and another delicious fruit juice. Today’s breakfast juice was papaya, which was amazing!! After breakfast, we headed to Mercado De Artesanias, a marketplace filled with local finds and treasures. The trip there was about 2 hours away. Most of us glimpsers bought souvenirs for our friends and family and practiced bargaining with the street vendors. Some of us were successful, and some not as successful as others. We bought jerseys, t-shirts and more! Once we finished shopping at the market, we traveled another hour to Monkey Hut where we spent the day on a lake that was once a volcano. The view was something out of a postcard! It was hard to even believe we were there. The water was so clear and blue and the hills surrounding it were covered in forests of green. Lunch at the lake was just as great as the view, a huge plate of rice, plantains, chicken and veggies. (Surprisingly, not gallo pinto)It filled us up and energized us for the fun activities ahead of us. After eating, most of us went into the water whether it was swimming or kayaking. I, personally, did both and I’m so glad I did. It felt so good to be in the water, even when rain started to pour down on us. The rain might have even made the experience even better. Sadly, we had to leave and head back to the hostel where a surprise was waiting. Upon entering the bus, we were soaked and our clothes were damp on the way home. But, everyone had a smile on their face. Mostly thinking about what the surprise could be. Pizza! After a sleepy and bumpy 3 hour bus ride, we got to the hostel and got to eat pizza. Everyone was so happy to see food from home. The pizza was amazing and if I didn’t get so full I definitely would have eaten more slices. Then, we prepared for tomorrow’s activities as living like a local. Well, signing off now to get some rest before another long week of fun and hard work. See you soon family and friends, we miss you! Don’t miss us too much.

Love, Glimpsers.