Travels with Dad

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I met my dad at the airport on Thursday March 29th. He was hungry after a day of travel, but since we were staying in the middle of a forested area with no comedors, his welcome to Nicaragua meal was fried chicken at a fast food place along the highway with our cab driver sharing the booth with us. Dad pointed out that Narcy´s, the fried chicken place, was exactly like fast food restaurants in the States, except with an alter for the Virgin Mary on the wall.

We stayed at Laguna de Apoyo, just down the road from where I took Spanish classes in December. His second day here we hiked 3 hours up the side of the crater (Laguna de Apoyo is a volcano lake) to a lookout point called La Catrina. I neglected to realize what this experience would be like for my dad, not yet accustomed to 95 degree heat, steep hikes, and a Central American dry season. I was not used to having a sidekick. He had yet to make the transition from hyper to tranquillo (although it only took a couple of days). We climbed up and up, sweaty and red from heat and sun when I noticed two monkeys in the tree above us.

"Oh my God! Look- two monkeys!”
“What! What! What? Oh yeah!”
(Hushed Voice)
“Oops, shhh! If they get mad they will throw their shit at us.”
“You mean they sit in a tree and their excrement falls on you?”
“No, really, they pick their shit up and throw it!”
“Quick quick, get my camera.”
“Dad, it´s in the backpack you´re wearing. Just get it yourself.”
“Janine! Will you just come over here and help me get my camera!?”

Dad turns on his camera. Technology + Dad = Frustration for him, Comedy for me.
This is a newly purchased digital camera, his first. He points the camera at the monkey, but the monkey is camouflaged into the jungle background when he looks through the viewfinder.

“This darn camera! Where is that monkey? Oh! OK! Now I see it. Let me figure out how this doo-jobber works.”

He takes a series of pictures. As he starts to put the camera back into its case, we turn and notice a clan of about two dozens in the trees behind us. Some of them are moms with babies on their backs. I thought about anthropology class and prehensile tails. Why did we lose those? They look so useful. Another series of pictures is taken. We quietly continued climbing until we are high up and looking back down on the monkey tree. It was unreal. We talked about National Geographic and a series on the Discovery Channel that we were missing, but maybe someone would tape it for us.

This was the first of many brag worthy volcano hikes that my dad has done in the last ten days. Next we climbed Volcan Maderas (on Isla de Ometepe) and Cerro Negro. Cheers Dad!

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