Driving to the beach....

We own a home in the northern mountain region of Esteli, Nicaragua close to the border of Honduras. This is a small farming town of about 3,000 residents. Coffee is the principal crop, although they also grow corn, tomatoes, cabbage, beans, green peppers, onions and beans. Most people walk or ride bicycles to get from place to place. Although others, ride horses and travel in carts pulled by giant oxen.

In order to get to the beach from here, you must engage in a long adventure. Driving in Nicaragua can be fun and strenuous. You start the adventure on the Pan American highway. Here you can reach speeds of 70 mph. However, you must constantly slow down each time you pass a small town. Why the freeway cuts right through these towns is beyond me. Next you have to worry about huge trucks up ahead barely going over 20 mph. All highways in Nicaragua are 2 way roads. Therefore, you must fly around the slow moving vehicle onto oncoming traffic in order to get ahead. The problem is that in some areas, this is illegal, and there is usually some cop dressed in blue standing on the side of the road who promptly signals for you to stop. I always try to argue the logic that he should really pull over the slow moving truck instead of me. That logic is usually lost on the 20 yr old policeman, so I go with the old “I’m a diplomat and any ticket must be sent to my embassy”. This line works about 80% of the time and the cops normally get frustrated and send me on my way. If all else fails, a crispy 50 Cordoba bill (donation) always does the trick and I am on my way once again. 50 Cordoba’s being the equivalent of $2.50.

After turning off the Pan American highway we are in for one of the worst roads in Nicaragua, a potholed broken asphalt mess. This road is about 70 miles yet takes about 2 and ½ hours to complete. At some points the road is so bad you actually get off the road and drive in the dirt next to the road just to avoid the agony of slamming into the potholes. This is the point on my journey where I begin inventing new swear words after tiring of using all the old faithful. Once you manage to get pass this hell road, you then have the pleasure of entering the huge city called Leon. The only way to the beach is to drive directly through the center of this crazy, bustling city. Here you must negotiate pedestrians and bicycles flooding the streets and taxi cabs flying past you on the left even though this is a 2 way street. I’m often amazed how my car does not get completely scraped up as it narrowly passes cars, motorcycles, bicycles and sidewalks. Many of the streets here are one way but you can’t find a single sign to apprise you of the fact to save your life. Eventually, you must pull over and ask directions to the beach. Inevitably, somebody will tell you go 5 blocks north 2 blocks south and at the statue take a right and go straight, no street names whatsoever!

Somehow I manage to maneuver my way through the city and get onto a new dirt road which lasts for about another 30 minutes. Although this is the worst road on the trip due to the fact that it is all dirt… It is also my favorite road. This is my favorite road because I know at the end lies the beach. At a certain peak on a hill you get your first view of the Pacific Ocean lying in wait in the near distance. Time to step on the gas….

So I arrive at the beach. AHHHH, so happy. The hotel I normally stay at is closed for the day. Closed? What the hell hotel closes? They say they are tired from all the partying from Semana Santa (Easter Week) and everybody went home to sleep. Huh? What the ???? O.K….

So I decide to stay at a little place down the beach. I get a cabin right on the ocean. My room looks out onto the sand and I am pretty happy. Guess how much per night? $25. You gotta love Nicaragua! The surf is strong and unorganized. The sun is bright and fierce. The water is warm and inviting… like bath water. I spend the day alternating from the water to the sand. The beach here is about 5 kilometers in length. However, there is one group of 4 German girls, the occasional Nicaraguan and myself on this entire stretch of beach. Nice!

Later that evening, I decide to walk down the beach to find a restaurant along the ocean to grab a late dinner. I am tired from being in the ocean all day, my muscles are sore and my face is a red from the strong sun. A Nice fish dinner seems in order. I’m relaxing having a beer in the small fishing town of Las Penitas waiting for my fish to arrive when the electricity goes out. You would think there would be some small panic in the air… but no, slowly the waitress gets out of her hammock and goes into the kitchen and other people start emerging from different locations with candles and flashlights. My waitress places a candle on my table and returns to her hammock. After another beer or so, a plate of beautiful fried fish and rice arrives and I dine with my feet in the sand, under the stars by candlelight. The food was good, the beers were cold. By the time I arrive back at my hotel after my long walk on the beach, I am sweating profusely. The ocean breeze has disappeared and the night is warm and sticky. I’m looking at a hot night in my room w no fan or A.C.! Not having electricity is no longer romantic! I keep the windows and doors facing the ocean wide open in hopes that the Pacific breeze will pick up during the evening…. It does not!

Thus, there exists the dichotomy which is Nicaragua; the positives and negatives. Nicaragua is basically the same country I lived in 10 years ago. Progress is slow. Politics move forward then backwards. The people are still the rich, giving, happy people I have grown to love and respect. Nicaragua is a tough country. It is not for the weak. The elements can be brutal. Nicaraguans embrace foreigners to their country. They always have open arms and hearts. Their history is full of examples of foreigners taking advantage of this attribute, from the Conquistadors down to the American government. Nicaraguans are minimalists and can survive on very little. They are also survivalists and they can weather most any storm or adversity.

Tomorrow I will pass the day in a hammock reading a book and taking siestas and playing in the ocean. Hopefully the ocean will calm her fury and the surf will be a little more manageable. Perhaps the electricity will return… perhaps…..

Back in Nicaragua...

So I have arrived in Nicaragua. The weather is warm; the days lazy and relaxing. Each day passes so slow. People travel up and down the street in front of our house. They are buying tortillas and vegetables, firewood and sodas. The goal for today is to eat, drink and be happy; such a simple and lovely life. There is no pressure, there is no race. The people hang out with their neighbors and chat about the latest gossip… the soap opera from the night before, the family, the gringo who is town. The cat crawls into a shady plant in a pot and escapes the fierce sun. There is a steady breeze that blows through town that keeps the heat manageable.

Tomorrow is Easter. Last night the local neighborhood put together a makeshift outdoor movie theatre. They were watching a religious movie under the stars. The neighborhood kids were perched on a nearby wall and others pulled out their chairs in front of the screen of white sheets. Religion (Catholicism) is very deep rooted in Nicaragua. Tomorrow there will be parades and mass and religious gatherings. There will be fireworks and celebrations throughout the day and night. Nicaragua actually celebrates Easter all week called Semana Santa or The Week of the Saints. Thousands will go to the beaches to escape the heat. Others build pools in the ground to use for just this one week of the year. Others will make specials meals and gather family and friends together to celebrate the life, death and rebirth of Christ.

Coming to Nicaragua during this time of year allows me to reflect on the true meaning of this special occasion. At times in the States, we get wrapped up in the commercial aspect of Easter and the holiday becomes a way to make the kids happy with egg hunts, gifts and chocolate while the underlying meaning gets clouded and mostly lost. Hopefully, I can find a way to bridge these two aspects of this holiday with my own children. I want them to understand why we really celebrate Easter. We’ll see. ..

A child sips soup from a bowl, banana trees flutter in the wind. A blackbird soars overhead, searching… A rooster crows in the distance as a goat slowly struts down the rocky dirt road to my left. A mango tree now follows the sway of the banana tree… soon the fruit will be ripe. No hurry. A cowboy trots down the dusty road, cigar in mouth.

A group of children pass holding hands. Ah the innocence of Nicaragua. No hurry, no destinations, no timetable. Only the passage of a day, a week a month….