Upon arriving into Nicaragua we enjoyed the very green and lush landscapes due to the start of the rainy season and fresh mountain air. Our first few nights were spent in Esteli, a pleasant and very friendly working town which is renowned for cigar and coffee production. We stayed with Isabel (couchsurfing) who is working for an NGO from Luxembourg. She has the command of five languages! We enjoyed a day off here of 'doing nothing inparticular' apart from soaking up some home cooking, daily life in Esteli, and not worrying how much time is passing over coffee and conversation. Thank you Isabel for making us feel right at home! There was a ton of second hand stores here and we thought this would be the perfect place to get some new sneakers. We ended up finding some for the equivalent of $10, however after my (Belinda) first day cycling in them they didn’t cut the mustard. So after a few handy repairs with dental floss from my lovely husband, I’m back in my old trusty sneakers once more. We donated the new/old shoes to the dump for someone else to make good use of them.Managua (the capital) is sticky hot and sprawls from one suburb to the next. Devastated by past earthquakes, many central areas were destroyed and due to no funds and the inevitability of more quakes are now left abandoned. The Parque de Revolucion was a perfect example. Right in a prime location near the waterfront with lovely large parks, museum, government buildings and cathedral was like a ghost town. We were waiting to see tumbleweeds roll past any minute. Instead, we had to settle for watching numerous student drivers taking advantage of the quiet streets.
We stayed with Lillian (couchsurfing) who is originally from the US but has been living in Nicaragua for 26 years. We really felt at home with Lillian and loved hearing her thoughts and ideas about poverty, volunteering and the such like. She is one heck of a woman and is really intertwined with the local community. She coordinates delegations from around the world wanting to experience Nicaragua. It is based at the Quaker House in which the funds of this venture goes towards ProNica; which helps support local initiatives i.e. La Chureca (see previous blog entry). While we were there we got to meet an Inuit group from Canada (http://www.nsinnicaragua.blogspot.com/). It was a group of young people at the end of a year of learning about their ancestry, traditions and government legislation relating to their territory. We got to see and listen to throat singing which is like nothing we’ve ever heard before. This is traditionally done between two woman to pass time and create a little bit of friendly competition. It really did sound cool and appears to be very hard to master.
Next stop is Masaya only 40kms down the road. It is known for its artisan market so we took advantage and bought our first serious souvenirs of the whole trip. There was hammock workshops a dime a dozen and we really liked some of the typical paintings of the area. Fingers crossed they make it in the post back to Canada and New Zealand. We got lots of attention in the market and had many gifts given to us made out of palm leaves that we hung off our bike.
We spent one night with Jorge Luis who was new to couchsurfing. We hope we gave him a good impression of couchsurfers! He lives on a beautiful Finca (lifestyle/farm section) with great views of the surrounding countryside and some good looking dogs too. He is the Director of the Canadian Christian Children’s Fund and it was interesting to learn about their involvement in Nicaragua. Jorge Luis also made it easy for us picking us up and dropping us back to the city center as the road to his place would have been tough to negotiate on tandem all loaded up. Also he is a scrabble fan, a world traveller and has a great sense of curtain style and home decor. Therefore there was no question we had a lovely time with him! Masaya is surrounded by volcanoes, parks and crater lakes. It made sense to stay another couple of nights and so we were kindly hosted by Michael (SERVAS). Originally from Germany, he now calls Nicaragua home. He is very experienced and knowledgeable about waste management and has a keen interest in environmental issues. He openly shares this knowledge with organisations in Nicaragua in the hope of improving standards. His current focus is a bike race raising awareness about the concerns of global warming which happens in the next couple of weeks. Michael was very generous and nourished our bodies with delicious home cooking and gave us access to a laptop where we could make some calls home. He was an excellent tour guide and took us on a driving tour around Masaya. Our final night we shared a meal together at his family-owned Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed some cuisine we hadn't eaten in a month or so. Mexican food is ever so good!
In the end we missed out seeing Granada which is apparently a gorgeous, colonial city set on the waterfront of Lake Nicaragua (the 7th or 10th largest lake in the world - can't exactly remember!). We were happy with our decision though as we got to spend two nights on Isla de Ometepe;an island in Lake Nicaragua which has two volcanoes that can be seen from the mainland. After cycling and pushing our bike over sand and dirt roads we were happy to rest our tired legs and feed our grumbling tummies at Karin's (SERVAS) place in the small village of Balgue. Karin is originally from Germany but has officially become a Nicaraguan citizen. She is very well respected in this community and does a lot of work in schools promoting sustainable and environmentally-friendly living. We spent our time with Karin making costumes for an upcoming play that the theatre group she runs will perform. Roland's job was making a horse's mane out of a mop and I was sewing roses to decorate the mane. Again, this was a very insightful time for us talking with Karin. Something that really stuck with me was does one have "poverty of resources or poverty of the soul". For example, maybe even with a hand-up and all the help in the world, someone with 'poverty of the soul' may find themselves back in the very same situation not far down the track. Karin is always needing volunteers to work with her so if you are interested please let us know.
Our final destination in this fascinating country (that is still clawing its way back from the devastating 'Contra War') was San Juan del Sur. It was a great way to spend our last evening in Nicaragua as it was restful with calming views of the Pacific ocean. We cycled into town early so enjoyed some time sitting on the beach and planned our route to Panama City (which since has been changed about five times!). While waiting to meet our host (Jason from couchsurfing) we were shouted free drinks by the owners of the Irish Pub we agreed to meet at. What was cool about this Irish Bar is that there was a 'real' Irish couple running the joint. Jason welcomed us in to his home and left us to it; which was exactly what we needed. It was wonderful to have a chill evening to ourselves. Thank you Jason for having us and being so generous with the use of your home. We think you've made a great choice moving to San Juan del Sur, it's a neat spot!
The next day we cycled towards the Costa Rica border. Nearing the border we started to pass a queue of trucks so thought we were almost there. Wrong. It was a queue that was six kilometers long! Apparently, they can be there for days or even weeks. So glad we are on a bike. It felt pretty good flying by!
Please note:
- The picture with the bread, peanut butter, and bananas also has 'Nutty' in it too. Nutty is the little guy on the spoon. He is now a vital member of our family and has the important job of daily scooping out peanut butter from the jar and being spread on the bread. He really is quite good at it and didn't need much direction. Now our Swiss army knife can stay clean and pretty looking for more 'not food' related jobs.
- Belinda is refusing to post crib scores until something seriously changes i.e. the scoreboard reflects her skill and talent which at present is not being showcased or in other words.... absolutely whipping my husband's cute little bottom!
- Roland is my super hero and I love him very much.
- Check out ourSalvation Army Journal Page for recent blog entry.
Belinda is still waiting for:
- a grand epiphany on what to do for work after this trip (except for having lots of babies).
- rock hard, six pack abs.
- the day when she can get up a really hard hill without shedding a tear or two.
- How accountable are mega corporations to environmental issues. For example, on Isla de Ometepe (an island in a lake) receives 9 million bottles each year without an exit strategy. So where do the empties go? In the lake. Out of sight, out of mind. And this is just a micro example!