We took our first bike taxi of the trip from the bus terminal to the center of León. Angie, Osman and Kaiden arrived a few hours later, with a deceivingly shy Kaiden in his mom's arms. It only took about 30 minutes before he remembered our faces, content to ride on our shoulders and hold our hands while walking down the street.
The afternoon was spent chasing pigeons and scoping out the Parque Centro in León. We ate our dinner at the amazing buffet style stand near the cathedral. Each of us loaded our plates full of meat, fried fritters stuffed with cheese or banana or zucchini, fried sweet plantains (my favorite), and slices of avocado; on average, a plate piled high cost $3-$5 depending on the amount of meat. We returned to our small hostal which had turned into a happening bar. Angie and Kaiden headed to bed while Micah, Osman and I had a drink before retreating to our quarters where we turned the fans up high to cool us down and try to drown out the Latino music blaring from the bar.
Monday we all did some shopping before returning to Gran Pacifica. After walking through the market and a few used clothes stores, Micah and I found a well organized and well priced thrift store. Micah was on a mission; after seeing the man with the 2008 NCAA Final Four shirt at lunch on Saturday, he then saw another man (he says the same man) on Sunday morning wearing a Jayhawks shirt. Ten minutes after entering the store, I heard a whistle a few aisles away and looked up to see Micah with possibly the biggest smile I've ever seen, proudly holding a $4 Kansas Jayhawks shirt in his hand. It only got better for him, when he found a pair of Footjoy golf shoes, a half size too big but good enough, for $5.20. When I asked if the shirt fit him, he replied, "it doesn't matter" and walked to the cash register with his new treasures.
We arrived to our temporary home by mid afternoon on Monday. It looks just as we left it, with a few minor marks on the wall we painted from Kaiden's bike riding, and many more June bugs and fruit flies swarming the kitchen this time of year. Monday afternoon and Tuesday were spent cleaning: our clothes, our backpacks, our shoes, our bodies. I had never felt so dirty as I did the last few weeks, and felt like nothing I did- hand washing clothes, scrubbing my skin- made a difference. The combination of sun and sweat along with dirty clothes will do that to a person.
From Tuesday until today is all one long blurred day. We've slept well each night and woken each morning to Kaiden pounding his fists on our door yelling, "Julia, Micah.... Wake up!" and then he usually walks in to steal our water bottle/ camera/ alarm clock and not even acknowledge us. We have enjoyed a full kitchen to cook meals in and a fridge to keep our water cold. Each afternoon, Kaiden, Micah and I spend nearly two hours in the pool at the house, working on our tans that are beginning to fade. We watch HGTV and the US Open, without any guilt of laziness.
There have been a few exceptions to the typical day. On Tuesday, Micah decided the hair had to go. He hadn't cut his hair since we left Portland (5 months) and hadn't shaved since Easter (2 months). We were lacking proper equipment and I lack skill and experience in this field, but he pinky promised that he wouldn't get mad at me when all was said and done. One pair of scissors, one razor (sans attachments), a child's comb and 2 hours later.....
Then he spent another 30 minutes trimming selective parts of his beard and mustache before the whole thing was gone. If I do say so myself, the end result is pretty good.
Yesterday we decided we better make sure the golf course has been well maintained during our absence. Micah also got to wear his new used golf shoes! We both felt a bit rusty but enjoyed the ocean views from the 4th hole and the wind blowing through our hair. I even practiced my Spanish, warning some guys working on a house to the right of the green that I'm not very good and they needed to be cautious. I do love that everytime I golf, I feel like I get the sport just a little more.
Our biggest time occupier at the house by far is the 2.5 year old bilingual. Part of me feels like we never left, but when I look at him and see how much changed in 4 months, it seems like we were gone an eternity. He now answers questions, although the answer is almost always yes unless you're asking him to do something, then it's NO. He's funny, sassy and intelligent; he can go from English to Spanish as easy as flipping a switch. He's also potty trained which is a huge relief for all living at this home, and he likes to yell, "I'm watering the plants" when he pees in the grass. He also loves to play hide and seek, but we're still working on the logistics; he always hides under the table and tells me where he is when I start looking.
Life has definitely slowed down since arriving back at base camp and we realize now how nice of a break this will be from the road. My parents have purchased tickets to visit their grandson for the beginning of August, which means we'll have a week or two of catching up on life and playing pinochle with them before Micah and I head south. There's discussion of other visitors for us in the fall, which we're excited at the possibility of. Our first real visitors arrive tomorrow. Megan, my country music and wine drinking sidekick, and her boy Brock, both of whom we played kickball with, will be with us for the next 10 days. We hope to give them a dose of everything during their trip; some Pacific coast surfing, a glance at real third world Nicaragua, the colonial town of Granada, a chicken bus, and a few days just relaxing on an island in the Carribean. We promise to keep you up to date on our abilities as tour guides.
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