Nicaragua

(2/14-2/20)

This picture was taken from the bus as we passed through the narrow strip of land between the Pacific and the lago de Nicaragua. The volcano is on an island in the middle of the lake.

Our first night (monday) we stayed in an inn in the capital city of Managua. The following day we took a tour of the city. We visited a group of former banana plantations workers who live in a shanty town in the park as a protest against the health problems they developed due to pesticide use. That afternoon, we drove to Matagalpa, a small city in the north. There we split up, some staying with host families in the city and others with families in San Ramon, a nearby town. I was in the latter group. While I liked San Ramon, I didn't have the best experience with my host family there. Others actually bonded with their families, but mine seemed disinterested in me and we didn't really talk.

On Tuesday we visited UCASAN, an agricultural/tourism project of a local indigenous community. Wednesday we had two lectures, one on the communal movement in Nicaragua and the other on the Nicaraguan perspective of migration to Costa Rica. Afterwards, most of the group went to the Castillo de Cacao, a museum/chocolate factory where they roast, grind by hand, and process chocolate from cacao. The resulting product is very dark and rich because they do not add milk.

Thursday morning we went to Chaguitillo, where we saw some petroglyphs and a museum of pre-columbian art. We also heard a talk about the community group that is supporting these sites. In the afternoon we traveled to Masaya Volcano, which had the most amazing scenery of any place on this trip.

We spent the last two nights in Granada, an old city with beautiful colonial architecture. Our hotel there, the Oasis, was really nice. It had a common area with hammocks, a garden/atrium, a pool, and a rooftop terrace. On Friday we visited La Casa de la Mujer, a government sponsored womens organization. We went through the central market, where I got a cheap hammock. That night we had a talk with some members of an opposition party about some of the problems with the current political scene. On Saturday we made our return trip to Costa Rica.

There is one aspect of our trip to Nicaragua that all who were there will not soon forget: the ordeal of crossing the border. For all intents and purposes, there is only one point to legally cross between these two countries. Due to the sheer volume of people, understaffing, and corrupt officials, it can take hours to get a simple stamp on your passport. The line curls backs and forth in front of, and then around, the immigration building. On our way in it didn't take too long, but to leave Nicaragua we had to wait about four hours in the hot sun.

This is the giant Nicaraguan flag in Managua