A day with family and friends

---

Up bright and early for a drive to the beach town of San Juan del Sur. On our way we stopped at an old family friend of Maria's parents that runs a finca of sugar cane and plantain. It was interesting to hear the process of making sugar from the sugar cane. Much of the sugar cane is hauled to the processing plants using oxen drawn wagons. The cane is cut to small pieces then pressed to get the sweet juice out. The husk is then burned to produce the heat to process the sugar and molasses for cattle. Interesting to note even in a remote part of Nicaragua they have stopped the practice of burning old tires in the facility to reduce pollution.

The farmhouse was in a state of remodeling as they have stripped the old clay tile roof and replacing the rotted timber structure. What a delightful old house with a huge veranda to get out of the sun and enjoy the breezes along with a glass of rum or lemonade and the various fruit we never heard of. Of course it included chewing on some sugar cane.

The finca is adjacent to the Lago and it was interesting to hear that Nicaragua has revived the plans to create a canal system connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It was proposed before the Panama scheme and makes much more sense, but got rejected because of the politics at the time.

A drive to the beach proved to be a little more difficult than planned. They are repairing the road now during the dry season, in order to get the culverts in the dry streambeds. It was a dusty free for all as cars, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, 3-wheeled taxis and walkers struggled to avoid the potholes and the rocks placed as a deterent to driving on the fresh roadbed.

The town of San Juan del Sur was wonderful. We had a beachside meal and then strolled the beaches and the new development of Pelican Eyes. The development is quite well done by two guys who happened on this remote area by sailboat some 20 years ago.

---