Random Thoughts

Some random thoughts – 39 days into our Nica Adventure

·         I have gone 39 days without TV and I don’t feel like I have missed a thing.  I did watch 2 hours of the Super Bowl and I know Rachel is recording The Walking Dead for me.  Other than that, I can do without the old boob tube.

·         I am officially addicted to the internet.  I can do without TV but I do feel lost and disconnected after a few days without the internet.  The weird thing is, in most cases it is easier to get wifi here than at home.  Virtually every business has it and makes it available to their customers.

·         Nicaragua is plagued by the same two problems that plague most third world countries – government and water.  I have written about the government earlier.  The issue of water is quite simple.  Half the year they have too much and the other half they don’t have enough!  It is amazing to see how they have adapted to take advantage of these realities.

·         Zucchini squash won’t grow in Nicaragua.  The temperature is perfect.  The soil is incredibly rich and you can water them to meet their needs.  The plants will flourish but you will not get a single ripened vegetable.  Why you ask?  There is not enough sunlight.  The Nica day is 12 hours of light and dark all year round.  The squash needs the longer daylight (i.e. summer in the northern hemisphere) to make the flower ripen and form a vegetable.  So all you get here is a gorgeous huge squash plant and never a zucchini to eat.  Who knew?

·         I have now spent 39 straight days with Ruth.  I mean 7x24 days.  That means I am doing what she tells me to do most of the time.  We hike up mountains.  We ride horses.  We hike down mountains.  We take pictures of every horse, cow, pig, gate and door in Nicaragua!  Then we hike some more.  You know what?  It is fun.  I cannot imagine doing this with anyone else.

·         Nicaragua is very diverse.  From the remote Rio San Juan in the south to the cool mountains of Matagalpa in the north.  From the surf crazy pacific beaches to the laid back creole Caribbean.  Throw in two of the oldest colonial cities in the Americas and a huge island in the middle of a small great lake and you have a very diverse country.

·         This country is very much divided over the canal.  No one trusts the Chinese.  Everyone is concerned about the environmental impact.  Most see the need for the infrastructure investment but cannot understand the lack of transparency surrounding the deal.  Most find it ironic that the Sandinistas came to power based on the support of the campisinos (farmers) and now they are confiscating their land (they don’t want to sell at any price) to build a canal for the Chinese.  This will be very interesting to watch.

·         When you book a hotel here, ask about hot water.  In some places it is the exception not the rule.

·         When doing your number two business the general rule is: if there is a trash can next to the toilet, deposit your paper waste in it rather than flushing it.  If no trash can, flush away!  It is a little weird at first but you get used to it.  They had the same rule in China.

·         The best part of the day is natural frescas – any fruit but lemonade is one of the best.  All natural and cost a dollar.  Beer costs a dollar.  Rum drinks cost $2 dollars.  Watch out if you are a whiskey drinker, that will set you back $4 bucks.  Forget about finding a good bourbon, it does not exist in Nica.