Lake Nicaragua

You probably thought I was finished with my Nicaragua posts when I ended my last one bidding "adios" from the steps of the hotel, but I saved these photos for a separate post, which really will be the last!

On our final evening in Granada we took a little cruise before dinner, on Lake Nicaragua, to watch the sun set.

It was cooler, and very peaceful on the water and we drifted slowly along the shoreline, through the water lilies and watched the birds swooping and gathered on the rocky shore. Hundreds of them.

"The egrets come down from North America in the winter," our guide told us. "Many will be heading back soon." I thought about how thrilled Beth and I are to see even one on our wetland walks here in Oregon. That evening we saw at least a hundred, I am guessing.

They call this water-walking bird the "Jesus bird". The length of his toes was incredible.

Theses are nests of the Oropendola bird hanging like burlap bags from the massive trees.

This old bird was enjoying the ride as well. (Sorry. I couldn't resist a dumb joke...)

As the sun began to set, we headed back toward Granada.

Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America and drains into the Caribbean sea by way of the San Juan River. There is a plan for a Chinese company to connect the lake to the Pacific Ocean with a huge canal, creating a new shipping waterway between the Atlantic and the Pacific, much larger than the Panama Canal. The environmental impact could be devastating and it is very controversial. The lake is beautiful right now, and teeming with wildlife. This could all be destroyed. Our guide brushed it off as something that will never happen. I hope he is right.

So, on that not-so-cheerful note, and a beautiful view of Granada, I conclude this travelogue.

 

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