Final Update- Nicaragua Blog 2010/11

THE WRAP UP.- Matagalpa, Friday Feb 11^th 1 am.   

  Travelling solo is an adventure like no other- it allows you to set your own speed and agenda. At times it can be risky and sometimes it can be lonely, but strangely enough, that did not happen often. There was always someone there to talk to, pretty well every single day. Often the communication was with locals and was a struggle as I mangled their Spanish and they butchered my English, but generally the message got through.

 One little old lady on a bus was telling the guy behind her that “ this idiot next to me cant speak a word of Spanish” I just smiled and let it go although I was tempted to tell her “ I think my Spanish is not quite as bad as you think.”

  In the course of 6 weeks I have seen every spot on the tourist map except for the Corn Islands. I have also seen a lot of places that many tourists don’t even know exist.

  For being such a small country, it is absolutely amazing the extent of diversity that Nicaragua has to offer.

 Just as impressive is the fact that the people seem to be able to bounce back from every adversity that they have faced. Two major conflicts in 30 years and several natural disasters would have made most people give up, yet they seem to keep plugging away. With a cost of living only barely above Haiti, the main thing required in this country is a government that will focus on reasonable development, while protecting key ecological treasures. A government that will provide improved standards for all working and or retired citizens while refusing to line its own pockets. A government that will respectfully refuse the advances and offers of external financial support i.e. the USA and China, unless it comes without strings. In other words, probably not in my lifetime!!!

  Having spent close to 7 weeks travelling the country I have visited over 30 different communities and (counting my last trip) have been to all but 3 of the (17) departamentos (or states), which make up the country. And yet with 3 departamentos to go, there is still 50% of the country yet to see.

 Will I ever fulfill that goal?? That is a question that I can’t answer right now. While I would love to do so, with little infrastructure, travel in those areas is very physically demanding and I am not getting any younger. Besides, for me, South America remains untouched, as do many parts of the Far East. In spite of all my years of travelling, I have yet to cross the equator so perhaps that will be my next (but one) project.

  Any future travel plans will most likely hinge on the outcome of two upcoming eye surgeries, currently scheduled for March 3^rd and 10th. [That will probably be the subject of a future blog]

 My hopes are that the next trip on my agenda will be what is often termed “The Pilgrim’s Way. In other words the route across Northern Spain following the road to Santiago de Compostella. With the need to cover about 20km a day, at least, walking through various terrains in all weathers, I will need to downsize my baggage requirements somewhat. That might be my biggest challenge.

 As the clock rolls on for 1 in the morning, my sleep is being disturbed by a howling cat somewhere below my hotel window, and a couple of mosquitoes buzzing around in the semi-darkness who are determined to extract some blood from me before the night is through. And as if that is not enough, a choir of barking dogs is trying to ensure that no one else gets to sleep while they are awake. Once they are done a chorus of roosters will take over thus guaranteeing that I don’t waste too much time sleeping my life away.

  

Buenos Noches y Vaya con Dios

To anyone who has been paying attention to my occasional history lessons and wishes to follow them further, a site recommended by Gringo Mike is BBC.com then type in Nicaragua on their search engine.

  Otherwise just google: Augusto Sandino

                                        Carlos Fonseca ( the politician, not the boxer!)

                                         The Samoza Era + Nicaragua

                                          Ben Linder

For links to specific geographic areas, the searches (including video) are absolutely endless. Enjoy

 

Back in Gringo Glulch- Granada

9pm Thursday night

  With a rather full day of activity behind me, I enjoyed a long walk back to the hotel this evening after dinner at El Mason. Located a good 1.5km from the hotel, the walk back allowed me to absorb some of the street activity at both city parks as well as the km of “main street” that separated them. Up in the hills, the lights in the barrios looked like stars, making a very beautiful nightscape- a far contrast to the daytime when the shacks and shanties are revealed in all their “glory”

 Along the street the fruit vendors had packed and gone home, replaced by food vendors grilling meats over homemade barbecues cut from split oil drums. A few shops, mostly clothing were open, the boom of auto tuned digital music mixes blasting from their doors to let people know they were still in business.

 In the cathedral a packed house was listening to a sermon on what sounded to me like respect for women. [Nicaragua and Matagalpa in particular seems to have some issues with spousal abuse]

  A couple of streets over a basketball game was in full swing at a small “stadium” and judging by the crowd noise, anyone who wasn’t in church or wandering through the parks was watching the game.

  Staying in bed this morning till the ungodly hour of 7:45, I enjoyed a light breakfast before touring the town to see any churches and museums I might have missed.

  The Coffee Museum, open 8 to 5 was closed every time I walked by. The Carlos Fonseca Museum (and also his place of birth) was open. A small, home with brick floors, adobe walls and tile roof, it traced his life from birth through to the founding of the FSLN (Sandanistas) to his death [of wounds following an ambush by opposition forces in 1976. The museum featured some photos from the era of street fighting in the various towns as Samoza attempted to put down the revolt. Some towns were actually “carpet bombed” by his air force in an attempt to crush the rebellion. [The US military had also done the same in Ocotal in 1933 so it wasn’t a totally unfamiliar experience for the people]

 Following this brief history lesson, I attempted to hike up to one of the miradors (scenic lookouts) that surround the city. After wandering through one of the western barrios and climbing several hundred feet on fairly decent concrete pathways, I found myself slipping and sliding on narrow rocky paths for some distance before I abandoned my quest and returned to the city centre.

 Like most of the hills surrounding the city, they are dotted with small homes of rather poor construction. Adobe or walls of salvaged wood seem to be the norm with the odd tile roof, but more typically, corrugated steel. As I travelled uphill I found myself to be the centre of attention as kids chased me to “take my photo” Unlike Guatemala and Mexico where money seems to be a prerequisite, these kids wanted nothing more than to be the subject in someone’s camera lens.

  At one point I found myself in the middle of an impromptu soccer game with a dozen kids (ages about 8 to 14) trying out their, TV learned, English slang on me. Once they saw the camera they hammed it up while I snapped a few shots before heading back downhill still laughing at their attempts to make fun of me.

 Lunch was a pizza at El Mason while I chatted with an American “ They call me Gringo Mike” who had lived in Matagalpa for 3 years. Originally from Washington State he had, in his words, visited over 80 countries and considered Nicaragua to be one of the best he had seen.

 With lunch stretching out to a rare dos cervesas, I was more than ready for a siesta when I returned to my room.

  Apart from a quick visit to the cathedral to grab some interior shots (missed on my last visit) the afternoon was largely “wasted” as I enjoyed the (soon to be abandoned) pleasure of being busy doing nothing!!

  With most of my “stuff” packed for the return journey to Granada, I guess I will wake up tomorrow when ever my body tells me to. And after that, who knows.

5pm Granada.

    Four hours of bus then taxi then bus again found me back in Gringo Gulch by 1:20pm. By the time the bus had descended into the flatlands north of the city the temperature was already into the low 30’s with a good dose of humidity to boot.The ride across Managua was the slightly more expensive than the express bus from Matagalpa into Managua $3.00 vs $3.50 but I made it to the bus station just in time to catch an express to Granada. Unfortunately, when I arrived there wasn’t a room available at Bohemian Paradise for either Friday or Sunday so I went in search of other digs. After getting quotes of $75 a night (after discount at Casa San Francisco and $60 ( including breakfast) I settled on La Dulce Mar ( with swimming pool) for $35. While it is on the Calzada, the rooms are far enough back that I shouldn’t have to listen to the street noise unless I decide to be a part of it.

 With little planned for the next couple of days, I am close to concluding this blog, except for a final summary which I will tack on once I get it finished.

 Next week it is back to the harsh land of reality, bills and SNOW-OHHHHH NOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Wednesday in Matagalpa

Wednesday 5pm

 As if the chorus of barking dogs and a howling cat weren’t enough, my first migraine of the trip decided to interrupt my sleep plans shortly after midnight.

  The combined effects of an Imitrex and an Imovane  provided me with some relief around 1:30am and I slept soundly till 7:30 this morning.

 Heading uphill towards the bus depot, I made a brief stop at the house of Jeaneth Larios, our homestay “mother” from the last trip. An enjoyable but limited conversation followed as her English comprehension is practically nil. Leaving her some copies of photos from the last trip, I continued to the bus depot where a bus for San Ramon was waiting. Some 12km east of Matagalpa, over reasonably good roads, San Ramon is a small village of perhaps 2000 people. Set into the hills it has few amenities but provides a nice “city break” with some pretty houses and little else. A few walking trails lead off into the hills, one to an abandoned mine and a coffee plantation.  I found the road, once I had left town, to be a bit quiet, with only the odd local passing along the same path. After a km and unsure of just how much further the mine was, I turned back, but not before taking some photos of the surrounding hills.

  Returning to town, I stopped for lunch at a relatively new restaurant adjacent to the town square. Seated at the next table was a woman from Pittsburgh who I had seen about 10 days earlier in El Castillo. It turns out that we were travelling similar routes but going the opposite way. Consequently I was able to provide her with recommendations for her planned trip (after lunch) to Jinotega and Esteli.

  Strangely enough, one of the main purposes of her trip to Matagalpa was to visit the grave of Ben Linder, something she must have done shortly before my own visit yesterday.

  Following lunch, a stop in at Matagalpa tours got me an unaffordable price to visit Finca Esperanza Verde, a coffee farm west of town. While I could have done it using local buses, that route required an 8km round trip hike over some rocky roads. The tour would have eliminated the hike, but at $110 US for a single person, it was well beyond my willingness to pay. Similar to Selva Negra it would have been an interesting way to spend the day, but I am sure I can find some short hikes around town that will keep me busy for a lot less $$.

   Supper tonight was at La Vita e Bella, a small pizza/Italian restaurant near the hotel. Having enjoyed a meal there on my last visit I was a little disappointed at tonight’s speed of service and  just average food. A new place, which just opened up a couple of weeks ago El Mason will probably give them some competition in the pizza department.

 Still a little too early for bed, I entertained myself watching a few South Park episodes that I had loaded onto my I-Pod- totally tasteless!!!! But somewhat amusing.

Matagalpa- first 2 days

Matagalpa, Tuesday evening.

According to my computer, today is Tuesday and I am in Matagalpa (although I figured out the second part on my own)

  Yesterday’s bus trip from Jinotega into town was relatively tolerable, with never more than 5 or 6 people standing during the entire route. With the bus significantly less crowded than my ride north on Saturday, I was able to truly enjoy the beauty of the scenery as we descended into the Matagalpa area. The people on the bus looked at me like I was nuts as I snapped photos of various scenic areas. [“Look at the crazy gringo, taking pictures of rocks and trees!”]

 Arriving around 10am it took several requests of various taxi drivers before one knew of my intended destination.

 La Buena Onda (English translation- Good Vibes) is a small hostel with one private room, which I have for the next 4 nights [No-one would get any sleep if I slept in a common dorm!]

 Located about 3 blocks away from the main cathedral, it is within walking distance of most of the core area.

  Matagalpa is a town of around 500,000 inhabitants, located about 1200 meters above sea level and roughly 130km north of Granada [although the road distance is considerably longer] Surrounded by hills that tower over the town centre, a walk in any direction will generally involve at least one or two uphill sections.

 Walking around town yesterday, I was quite surprised at the changes that had occurred since my last visit in 2009- a few new coffee shops, restaurants and shops and a general look of improved prosperity. Meanwhile, some things hadn’t changed at all- the same fruit vendors on the same street corners and the same old ladies begging for change in front of the more popular stores.

 Walking back to the hotel yesterday afternoon, I bumped into one of the Spanish teachers from my previous trip. We enjoyed a brief chat, half Spanish, half English about work and life in general.

 Between a heavy rainfall, the 2 am barking dogs and the 4 am roosters I did not get a whole lot of sleep last night.

  The temperature was in the very low teens when I first stepped outside this morning at 7. The surrounding hills were barely visible through a very dense low cloud cover.

  Following an overly heavy Nica traditional breakfast [fruit juice. tortilla, rice and beans, scrambled eggs] I set out for a walk to the cemetery. Starting out with two layers of clothing against the chill, I was not feeling any warmer by the time I reached the southern bus depot. Passing this halfway point on what I estimated was a 3km trip, I found myself off the edge of the map in my guidebook. Faced with the choices of flagging a taxi down or just using my internal GPS, I managed to follow a route that found me, more or less at the front of the cemetery.

 The city actually has two cemeteries which are located side by side- one for locals and one for foreigners. The former was my intended destination.

 Located on the side of a hill, the grave markers ranged from simple crosses to very large mausoleums. After wandering aimlessly for a good half hour I sought the assistance of one of the staff who was doing basic site maintenance.

 Following a very meandering path across the cemetery he eventually led me to the gravesite that I had been seeking.

  A stone, much smaller than expected, marked the grave of Ben Linder, the only non-Nicaraguan buried in this part of the cemetery. The grave, surrounded by a low, pastel blue painted, cement boundary, had clearly not been attended to for some time. A few weeds and the odd flower had struggled through the dry earth that marked his burial place.

 After taking a few photographs I began my walk back to the city centre, somewhat saddened by the fact that a significant motivator and developer of the country’s infrastructure hadn’t received more attention. [Besides other things, he was instrumental in the development of several small hydro-electric projects offering electricity to villages in the Jinotega area]

 Passing through the market area I observed some sights typically off limits to most tourists.

 A couple of kids were digging through a large pile of refuse, salvaging any pieces of discarded fruit and vegetables that were still passably edible. Further along the same street, passed out from either alcohol or solvent abuse, a male in perhaps his early thirties lay face up, oblivious to the world, while dozens of flies crawled over his face and body.

 Somewhat further along the route I noticed a male, perhaps in his early forties, sitting on a small stool in front of his home. In his hands a pencil and a grade one (or two?) spelling tutor, complete with simple pictures. In a slow and deliberate manner he tried, with obvious difficulty, to fill in the words representing the pictures before him. Taking basic literacy for granted, I was somehow shocked as I watched discretely while he struggled.

  Having had more than enough exposure to the hidden side of life in this country, I was glad to be able to return to my hotel room where I could hide from the realties of life for a few hours.

 Having succumbed to the effects of a batido de mango [fruit blended with ice and milk like a smoothie] which I drank on the way back to the hotel- delicious but dangerous!(possibly bad ice or sour milk) I didn’t leave the hotel until late afternoon.

   A 1km walk to the northern bus depot to check on bus routes and schedules brought on an episode of dizziness and profuse sweating which I attributed to a combination of hypoglycemia and dehydration. Afraid of blacking out on the street, I made a hasty retreat to the hotel, only straying as far as the adjacent café for a light supper once the dizziness settled down.

 Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

 

Another Dave's top ten list- based on true events!!!

 While travelling in Nicaragua here are the Top Ten Signs you should be looking for another restaurant.

Number 10: You order spaghetti Bolognese and get boiled pasta topped with ground beef and sweet and sour sauce.

Number 9: When you look at the soup of the day it stares back at you.

Number 8:  They have the number of the local funeral home on speed dial

Number 7: The locals snicker and point at you as they walk by.

Number 6: The bathroom attendant does double duty as the tortilla maker between flushes

Number 5: All the staff behind the counter are skinny

Number 4:  The posters on the wall are ads for Maalox rather than Toña (national beer)

Number 3:  The staff are ordering takeout from the place across the street.

Number 2:  When you complain your glass looks dirty the waitress dims the lights

And the number one reason to find a different restaurant in Nicaragua is:

   Even the street dogs wont beg for food there.

Believe it or not, all but 3 of these are based on actual incidents in my travels- your guess which 3!