under the nicaraguan sun: Jesus

On Saturday, I went to visit Jesus (yes I know I’m a Jew, but it’s what people do here). I was in San Juan del Sur, which is a larger fishing village just south of here. It’s a launching point for most surfers that come to Nicaragua, so the town has a lot of restaurants and shops and I thought I’d check it out. Well it turns out that one month in Limon has made me far cheaper than I thought, so after I determined everything was disgustingly expensive, the only thing left to do was go see Jesus.

As with most Central and South American countries/cities/towns, there is a massive statue of Jesus on top of the cliffs to the right of the bay. My friend had told me she hiked up to see the statue and got a great view of the coast, so I decided I’d be ambitious and do the same.

A few things to note: it was 90 degrees, incredibly dry, and I was wearing jeans. So needless to say about an hour and a half later, I was nearing the top of the mountain drenched in sweat and feeling like I was going to pass out. But I pushed on…I mean, it’s the least I could do as a Jew to go pay my respects to Jesus, right? Just minutes before giving in and calling for an ambulance, I made it to the top…where there was a pearly white gate…which was locked…ironic?

After seeing that Jesus was closed for the day (and being scared to death by the guard dog decked out in a full face mask a la Silence of the Lambs) I made the hour-long trek down the mountain feeling defeated. When I got back to town, I asked a local why Jesus was closed. He asked me if I rang the bell. WHAT BELL!!! Apparently I missed the giant sign that said “ring this bell to open gate.”

I ended up sitting on the beach for a little while and then made the trip back to Rivas to meet up with the next group of volunteers. My legs were sore, my jeans were permanently stuck to my legs by sweat, and to top it all off, I got a really bad sunburn. Just a typical day in Nicaragua :)

Some pictures of Jesus and San Juan del Sur for your viewing pleasure. I'm off to watch the Superbowl. Wearing my Pats t-shirt in solidarity. Miss and love you all.