Little Corn Island and more

The main mode of transportation on the Caribbean coast are pangas which are large open topped motorboats that can carry around 20 or 25 people. Following our panga ride to Bluefields, we sped in taxi to the airport only to find that our flight was delayed. Unsurprisingly, I found the airport full of Scandinavians which meant Swedish once again became useful. Naturally, by the time we finally landed on Big Corn Island, our panga to Little Corn Island had left hours ago. Being a sizable group and due to the general out going nature of Hector, our director, we were able to charter our own panga for the crossing. By the time gasoline had been purchased, the panga prepared and the crew assembled, the sun was on the horizon so we crossed the ocean at night. Up until this point, all of our panga rides had taken place on rivers so to suddenly be crossing the ocean, at night, sans lifejackets was not so much frightening as a sort of an ultimate adventure. Every wave lifted the boat and sprayed its passengers. Roller coasters have nothing on the ocean.
Arriving late in the evening, we discovered that there was a problem with our reservations and that only three of us would be staying where we had planned. I was one of those lucky three as some of the beds at the other hotel had bedbugs. After dinner of lobster (it was $10 and I split it so I effectively had a lobster dinner for $5 which included desert), a few of us followed a local snorkeling tour guide to a bonfire on the opposite side of the island. The crowd was predominantly hippie expats, tourists and permanent tourists. All in all, we found this scene pretty awkward as it was the first time that we as gringos were not in the vast minority in over a month and this set of gringos were having such a different experience of Nicaragua (scuba, Caribbean and partying). At any rate we were tired and left pretty early.
The next day I was sick. Luckily, the health center on Little Corn Island is open for two hours on the weekend and I was sick during those two hours. While the rest of my group went snorkeling, I nursed my stomach and slept. By the evening, I was stable enough to attend our dinner with a local Pentecostal pastor. In Nicaragua, there is an omnipresent contrast between rich and poor. Passing through the section of the island where the locals live on our way to dinner, the difference between getting buy and leisurely scuba diving your day away was very apparent. I often have a very jaded view of religion but talking with the pastor about his vision for the community there softened me a bit, even if only for a while. He was very focused on the children of the community and helping them both survive and thrive. After dinner I collapsed and slept until early the next morning when I took time to draw and see the island. By this point, four of us had made friends with the bathroom and so our celebration for Tyler´s birthday was limited. We managed to have a cake made and the few of us who were eating enjoyed it. The afternoon meant another panga ride and another delayed flight but we did eventually make it back to Managua.