lakes and islands

Ok, so I know the title does not sound so exciting, but I am just so excited to have found internet again on the island, that I want to take a quick minute to jot down some of my recent experiences before I forget them. On Wednesday, I took a trip out to Laguna de Apoyo and did a day trip at a hostel/hotel there. It turned out to be a most perfect and tranquil day. I met a canadian couple on the bus over who were very nice and ended up spending most of the day with them and another woman from Belgium. The lake was formed in a crater from the volcano and has warm water and beautiful views. Upon arrival, I hopped in a kayak with Linda (canadian) and paddled around the lake for a bit. We had all asked to have the lunch there and it was actually brought down to us while we were sitting on lounge chairs on the edge of the lake. Lunch was a vegetarian pizza and cabbage salad/slaw placed on a small basket and banana leaf. It seemed like true $4 luxury. After that, we swam out to a floating dock and spent the rest of the afternoon between there and the hammocks all chatting away. In the evening I met up with the canadians for dinner and while I was waiting for them had a conversation with a local couple sitting on the bench beside me. I have found Nicaraguans very easy to talk to and this has been wonderful for me in a short time to get to have local perspective and practice my Spanish. On Thursday, I packed up and headed out for a day of travel (not before having one of my favorite fresh fruit smoothies though of course!). I took a shuttle and then a ferry and then 2 buses to get out to a small hotel area on Isla Ometepe. When I use words like hotel, beach, etc.....throw away everything you have ever imagined for these words and remember that I am still in the 2nd poorest country in Central America (only Haiti is poorer) and then you will get a better image of what hotel and luxury means in these standards. This island is an interesting mix of only locals and a handful of backpacking travelers who roam about the island peacefully. When I first arrived yesterday, it seemed a bit desolate and I was torn between staying and soaking up the island tranquility or perhaps just going stir crazy with so much time on my hands. I had a restful evening and woke up this morning with ganas (desire) to explore the island, so I borrowed a bike and headed out for about an hour ride past houses, farms, island coast, and a cool breeze to another hotel/hostal where I could get cheaper food, company, and internet. It has not taken me long to soak up this lifestyle. So, another interesting story of my interactions.While waiting between buses yesterday (again the buses are old school buses that go bopping along rocky dirt roads and picking up and dropping people off whenever someone whistles from the back), I asked the older woman who was sitting there about the bus that was supposed to come. The conversation went something like this (translated to English of course)
Me; Does the bus pass here for Santo domingo beach?
Senora: Yes, it will come past. I am going past there, but farther down to Balgue. Where are you from?
Me: The United States.
Senora: Ah...I see. It is cold here with the wind isn't it?
Me: Yes, a bit chilly.
Senora: I wonder when the bus will pass. I think I will go back in the bush and go the bathroom.
Me: Go ahead, I will yell for you if the bus passes.
Senora: OK
10-15 minutes later
Senora: They are having a velorio (wake) back there. A 95 year old woman died.

Then another woman came over to the bus stop and soon there chat turned to who they were the daughter of, who owned such and such store in town, etc. and before long turned into shared stories of woman's woe which were unfortunately very similar in being married off young and dealing with marital abuse and infidelity. The hopeful story out of it though is that the younger woman has two children who have finished school and are looking for professional careers. Some stories and insights like these are a good reminder for me as an ESL teacher about where some of our students come from and what factors are playing in. When I was talking to one of the tour guides, he talked about his time in Miami and how he quit school to work and was going to get his GED but never did. Of course there are no perfect answers or endings to these stories for people trying to survive in a country where there is little work or economic hope, but I can at least try to be an informed tourist. I knew going in to this trip I wanted a mix of getting to see and know the country on a political/social level, but I also wanted just plain relaxation and I have found that it has been an interesting mix to try to make happen. I do think, however, that tourist dollars can help Nicaragua, but I don't think they have the infrastructure yet to support mainstream tourism like nearby Costa Rica. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 5-10 years.

zipping through the volcano

Some people have asked about the food, so I will describe some of what I have had so far (besides beans). Tostones are also quite popular which are fried plantain which may be topped with fried cheese, chicken, beans, or pork. I am addicted to these! Nactamales are also somewhat similar to the Mexican tamales, but I cannot comment since I have not had any yet. Breakfast this morning was a bowl of succulent tropical fruits, a slight change of pace from my usual fresh fruit smoothie.
I learned another new word today...peliguey. It is a type of animal that lives on the volcano and is a cross between a goat and a sheep. Basically it looks like a fat and furry goat. I was told that it is smooth and good to eat and tastes like deer.
Today the highlight was a canopy tour of Mombacho volcano. We took a bumpy (imagine 12 bodies in the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser bopping around like popcorn) ride up the volcano while enjoying the coffee, plantain, cocoa and other plants as well as the sounds of howler monkeys. Once at the destination, we got on the gear and headed up platform one. We ziplined from platform to platform feeling like George of the jungle and taking in the wonderful green surrounding of the forest canopy on the volcano (don´t worry this volcano has not erupted for over 2,000 years and when it did that is what formed the little islands that I went past in boat yesterday. The islands are called Mombacho´s hijas...the daughters of Mombacho volcano). I also had some time this afternoon to walk around town and enjoy the colorful and unique architecture of Granada.
I will post some photos that I have from so far, but here are some links that will also describe where I am visiting.
Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel visited Granada and here is her experience http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Samantha_Brown/Granada
The people from the tour today served her on the canopy tour and said she was very friendly.
Here is the guesthouse where I am staying http://www.casacapricho.com/

no more beans, but more bus adventures

For all of you who have posted comments, gracias and no se preocupen (thank you and don´t worry). Nicaragua for the most part (outside of Managua) is super tranquilo, safe, and friendly. And of course, I am finding new friends each day along the way who make the journey more enjoyable. I started the trip off by befriending 2 guys from Chicago. On Saturday and Sunday in Leon I did some sightseeing with a guy who has raices (roots) in Nicaragua, but lived most of his life in Vancouver, Canada. Today on the tour I took of Las Isletas (the little islands) I joined two families. One of the families now lives in Honduras because the husband is from there and got a great government job. The other sister and her family are from around Chicago and she is a teacher in a dual language program. Needless to say, they have all made wonderful and stimulating company along the way.
Now...for the adventures. I left Leon on Sunday morning and on my way out I sat down for a bit to chat with the senora of the guesthouse. She talked about her life and when they moved her family to Guatemala for work and education. In the USA we always assume that immigrants are always coming our way for work, so it has been eyeopening to learn more about the stories, experiences, and patterns of migration within Central America. To get to Granada, I had to take one bus and then switch to another to get there. The first ride (after waiting 30-40) minutes for it to fill up with people was a fairly calm ride in minivan type vehicle. The next ride, however, was not so calm even though I was promised it was directo a Granada. There was only one other tourist on the bus who was an Israeli guy who I had a short broken English conversation with in the beginning as I asked him to keep an eye on my bag as he watched his (both were tucked somewhere between the driver and first seat). After that the bus just continued to fill up with people until at one point I felt the guy sleeping beside me start falling over on to me on one side and the man holding a baby start falling on to me on the other side. And just when you thought it could not get any tighter, the man who works the bus comes squeezing through all of that to collect the bus fare. If you have not seen the bus assistant job, it is quite remarkable. He flies on the edge of the bus yelling "a Granada" and hopping on and off quickly at each stop to collect more people. I can´t imagine a job much more stressful or dangerous and can´t imagine that the pay is that great. So, after all of that I arrive in Granada which fulfills all of my expectations of a charming, colorful, colonial small city. It has wonderful parks and pedestrian streets with nice outdoor restaurants, etc. It is a bit touristy, but I don´t seem too mind since the type of tourist who comes to Nicaragua is not exactly the same kind of tourist who would be going to Cancun, Mexico on Spring Break. After all of those transportation adventures, I had my most favorite transportation at the end of the day. Dubbed the "party bus" by the guide book, this vehicle is basically a few carts attached to a colorful John Deere tractor that carts mostly families around town and by the lake for less than 50 cents while blaring the latest Latin pop hits. I was in my glory breezing past the beautiful lake sunset while Enrique Iglesias was singing in the background. Today I headed out for a tour of Las Isletas first in kayak and then in a small boat. This is when I was with the group of two families. We all quickly meshed well together and I was in awe of their wonderful bilingual children. Going past these small islands with gorgeous homes built on them was when I did see that there is in fact wealth in Nicaragua (along with several of the houses in Granada). We finished up with a most delightful meal of fresh coconut water out of the coconut, fresh fish, and fried plantains...all for under 6 dollars per person.
It has been wonderful to practice my Spanish and I am learning a few local words or sayings. The main word is "chelle" (not sure about the spelling) which means foreigner and is used for anyone who does not come from here. Ironically, it can also be used to call your waiter over for service. I am not really sure why.
Tomorrow I am going to take a canopy tour of the volcano mombacho. This involves ziplining through the canopy of the forest by the volcano and getting spectacular views. I can´t wait!

beans, beaches, and blind massage

As soon as I arrived in Miami, I felt like I has already arrived in Latin America. My flight was leaving from a gate that felt like it was housed in the basement area and I was surrounded by people waiting for flights for Panama, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. It was a great transition to get my ear tuned to hearing espanol again. After some flight delay, I finally headed out for Managua. I did not arrive until almost 10pm so I was grateful to have met 2 guys from Chicago on the plane who I would then share a cab and go to the same hotel as. The taxi driver, tourbooks, and signs at the hotel all warned me about safety in Managua, so I decided to play it smart and get out of there as quickly as possible. After a quick breakfast (here is where the beans begin), I took a minibus...well actually a van type vehicle with about 12 seats to head to the colonial city of Leon. A lot of the countryside and even the city so far has reminded me a lot of Mexico, but not nearly as developed. The city of Leon is super tranquilo, somewhat charming, and easy to get around (if you dodge the drivers). Just a few tidbits...taxi service is super cheap, but never quite private. I have taken taxis about 5 or 6 times so far and every time we have either picked up other passengers, food, or made stops along the way. Today the old woman who was riding with me touched my leg and called me hermosa (beautiful). I was only wearing shorts because I had just come back from the beach and was reminded of why I do not wear shorts in Latin America. It was not exactly uncomfortable because she was a sweet old woman, just a little odd.
About the food, beans, beans, and more beans. Gallo pinto ( a rice and beans mix) seems to be a staple here and served with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Lucky for me, I like beans and they are cheap and filling.
Today I headed out to the beaches near Leon. I took the public bus (if you ever were curious what happens to old school buses, come see how they are used in Latin America). On the way there, the bus was standing room only and packed with almost 70 people. Luckily, there were several stops along the way to drop people off (the signal would be a whistle from the back and then people would just hop off or on). The beach was just a few rudimentary houses and hotel-restaurants. The waves were rough, so I just admired and took a dip in the pool. I had a relaxing time enjoying the waves and the beach soccer tournament. They had to play in socks (no shoes) because the sand was too hot. My bus ride back was not nearly as crowded and well, I had always heard of (and rode) the chicken buses, but this ride was a new one. The man in the seat beside me was bringing back a plastic bag of freshly caught fish....so I dubbed this the fish bus. With all of the windows open and a fresh breeze, you could not even smell a thing. I guess you are still waiting to hear about the blind massage. Yesterday I was exploring Leon city and found a paper advertisement for seeing hands blind massage. I thought it was just one of those funky English translations until I walked in and was introduced to ]Lissette and stuck out my hand only to have her keep standing there. I then realized, she was truly blind. I am not sure if it is a catch to get people in for massages who do not normally like to get naked in front of someone to get the massage or a way to give the blind some work, but after a day of travel, it was certainly worth the $7.00. Not exactly the best massage I ever had, but definitely a first experience for me.
Overall the landscape of Nicaragua is lush and beautiful and the people are kind and almost indifferent to tourists. I was surprised that no taxi drivers or hotel people have asked where I am from or what I was doing here. In both Argentina and Mexico, which I consider more used to having tourists, this was almost a daily question. There is definitely great poverty everywhere. From what I can see so far, it is not a question of the have and have nots, but I only see have nots. There are not so many people begging for money on the streets, but everyone lives very simply. This is all only based on my observation from 48 hours in Nicaragua.
Tomorrow I am off to Granada and look forward to staying there for several days and doing a few day trips. More stories to come.....