Monkey Business

What a great way to become acquainted with a fun group of people: Pile into a dinghy which takes us to a sailboat moored in the middle of a narrow harbor, sail an hour or two north along the rugged, nearly uninhabited coast line, and pull over at a secluded beach where we could swim ashore. Would you like to swim, walk the beach, marvel at the exotic birds, or pet the dog (or two) that always seem to appear when animal lovers are around? On board we were served fresh guacamole, ceviche, fruit, and of course dessert. Were you just a bit queasy on the voyage? A few of you were not eating, and laying as still as a corpse. Its kind of funny how that can go either way, because those on my team were absolutely loving the rock and roll of the boat as we silently cut through the wavy sea.

There will be another video of the sailing, but internet connection issues always seem to plague me on these trips. You'll be the first to know when they are available... did you know that we now have an underwater camcorder?

Our beach for an hour

At the bottom of the long, serpentine, lumpy dirt track that leads up to the villa a few of us had fun with a Capuchin monkey that the eco-compound keeps as a pet, her name is Panchita. (Additional photos are also in our carousel)

Erin and Panchita

Where we are staying is called Finca Las Nubes, meaning Farm in the Clouds. It is a certified organic farm that works in partnership with the local community. In addition to livestock, they produce a large variety of fruit and vegetables through permaculture principles. "Perma-what?" I didn't know what that meant either! But they have a few really fantastic videos on their website explaining and showing what organic farming looks like in this region of Nicaragua. Here are my favorite two:

Tomorrow we begin our Spay and Neuter Clinic, which will be located in the shell of an old sweat shop factory. Hopefully the locals have been persuaded to bring their pets; or collect & bring any of the numerous strays that you see drifting about town. Without cars, most everyone must walk, so the bulk of our work will be drawn from the local barrio/neighborhood. We are all pretty excited, especially our veterinary students, eager to begin honing their developing surgical skills.