1248 Marbles: A Study in Contrasts

Date Line 1244 marbles

I feel like we need some full disclosure on our trip. Based on some of the feedback I am getting, egged on by Ruth's posts, you are concerned about our living conditions. Rest assured we are doing fine.

We have stayed in a variety of places. They range from a gorgeous art deco home to a hut in the jungle. Some have hot water some don't. (The hot water issue is interesting because having it is the exception.). Some have electricity, some don't and one should have but the electricity to the whole city was out! All of them are very safe and the hosts go out of their way to make you as comfortable as possible. Labor is cheap so you have help for everything. For example we had a HUGE bag of laundry we need washed. The hotel offered to do it for $5 for line dry or $7 if they used a dryer. Try to get that done in the US without going broke.

The point of all of this is the variety and range of possibilities that is Nicaragua. It is a very poor country. However, it is probably not what you think. Think the inverse of the United States. Most of the US is (very) wealthy by the world’s standards however there are areas of real poverty. So flip that around in Nicaragua. Most of this country is poor but there are considerable areas that are doing quite well. The difference is the people. I will say this many times. The people have been great. We have been in some very poor areas but we have never felt insecure much less scared.

We have visited local markets that harken back to the biblical days and we shopped at a grocery store that would rival any in the US. They even have arugula! We have seen local artists working in the backs of their homes and I just had lunch in a cafe that was part art studio, complete with ladies painting that could have been in Sonoma, California.

The point of our trip is to see as much of the real Nicaragua as we can. There is no doubt we will spend a disproportionate amount of our time in the high tier of the country but this extended trip allows us to visit farms, villages, missionaries, local artists and other parts of the country that we would never do in a 7 day vacation. So far, those have been the best parts. These areas take me out of my bubble and really challenge the way I see these people and the world.