The Team Has Arrived in Albany!

 Good evening, all! We have arrived safely back in Albany! Here are some photos from our journey today.  Thank you again for your prayers, support, and following our adventures!

Day 6: Sightseeing and Heading to Managua

 Good evening all! Today was our day to have some fun.  Not that every day here hasn't been fun! This was just fun without work. We got to do some sightseeing and make our way to Managua to spend the night before our early flight tomorrow.  So, I will post a bunch of pictures from our day, in as close to chronological order as I can. Then, I'm going to sleep because early flight.

Breakfast.

The team left a lot of items behind for Wayne and Megan to distribute. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, shoes, clothes that will be laundered. 

Arrived at Selva Negra. It is a resort, farm, and coffee plantation that is very popular for tourists from all over the world. It is also a wedding destination.  It was settled in the 1890's by immigrants from Hamburg, Germany.  Because of this, there is a heavy German influence on the architecture, and parts of the property resemble the Black Forest.

Most of the roofs have vegetation growing like this.  It was not done intentionally.  It was deposited by birds, bats, and other natural means.

Wishing well.

Historic chapel for said weddings. 

Angel's Trumpet flowers were growing all over. They are an evergreen plant in the same family as deadly nightshade.  Beautiful to look at, but can cause hallucinations, psychosis, and even death if eaten.

Coffee plants.

The pods of the coffee plant, referred to as "cherries," are picked when they are red. The green ones are left alone.  This is José, by the way. He was our tour guide and José was awesome!

This is a ripe coffee cherry.  The husk is edible and has a flavor that is sweet.  Gwen said it reminded her of a sugar snap pea pod. I liked it, but couldn't really think of a good comparison. 

Each cherry contains two coffee beans. These are cleaned, dried, roasted, and eventually ground up to brew coffee.

This is the employee village.  Selva Negra has 250 full time, permanent employees.  They are housed on the property.  They have ceramic floors, hot running water, flushing toilets, laundry facilities, and satellite television.  There is a primary school on the property attended by 80 children of employees. 

Gwen found the biggest lemon I have ever seen!

Just to prove it's a lemon!

Bananas!

Coffee doesn't get any fresher than this!

Lunch.

A building near the entrance adorned with flags and names of the countries and states visitors are from. 

On the way to Managua.

There is a steaming volcano in the distance! I zoomed in for the next picture. 

Steaming volcano!

Sunset in Managua. 

The Tingles had pizza delivered to the hotel lobby?!?!?

By a guy on a motorcycle?!?!?

They did! Thank you Tingles!

This is the coolest Best Western I have ever seen!

Pool!

I just couldn't take it anymore. I almost made it the whole trip, but the beard had to go! 

Well, that's our day! We are meeting in the lobby at 4:44 a.m. because that is two hours before our 6:44 a.m. flight to Miami.  Thank you everyone for following our adventures and for your continued prayers and support.  I will do one more blog post tomorrow, when we are all back in Albany!  Until then, Buenos noches, Amigos!