Limay

Somehow I managed to sneak into a group outing with Trine and Camilla and their preschool teacher co-workers. We went to a community called Limay, which is famous for its stone carvings. I left the hostel at 6:30 AM and didn't get back until 6:30 PM, so I was pretty beat, but I had a blast. It was wonderful hanging out with fun people, learning about stone carving, hiking in the mountains and swimming in the river. However, I must say that riding in the back of a pick-up truck loses its luster after about 45 minutes. (Limay is a two and a half hour drive away from Esteli, and the terrain is very rough.)

We stopped in a community called San Luis. Trine and Camilla are part of an exchange program, and this is where their Nicaraguan counterparts usually live. Right now these two Nicaraguan preschool teachers are living in Norway, and Trine and Camilla wanted to stop by to say hello to their families.This is the hike up to their families' homes. We passed a group of students hiking to their school along the way. It's definitely an effort to make it to class on time here.
One of the great views along the way.
Here I am with my friends Camilla (left) and Trine (right).
We're sitting in the park in the center of Limay.

Here are some of the stone carvings that are made in Limay.
Here is one of the artists demonstrating the sculpting process.

I can't believe that they can do so much using a machete!!!

Trine wanted to try too. Fortunately I think it was very early in the process, so she couldn't do too much damage to the stone at this phase. :-)

A view of the river where we spent the afternoon swimming.

Some of the teachers and their kids playing in the waterfall. If you look closely you can see hieroglyphics carved in the second tier of stone. It was a pretty cool discovery as I was clammering along the rocks.

Here is the group getting ready to head back.