nica nica

And I´m back! Backpacking. lol. We arrived in the capital of Managua on Friday and embarked on this this adventure. It feels so goos to be back out in the world! Submersed in learning and trying to wholly take in the vitality of another country. Makes me wonder how I will ever accept a routine that doesn´t allow me to routine travel.

Managua can be kind of a pass-through city for a lot of tourists just becuase there aren´t exactly many sights to see and it certainly is not a walking city. But we spent a few days going to those few sights and just having fun getting there. The getting there IS always the best part. And in Nicaragua, I have to say that I am completely impressed how efficient their transportation systems are. I was under the impression that the Latin American schedule is somewhat, uh, relaxed. But the buses, which are the main form of transport, leave pretty frequently and on time. And they don´t break down! Which is a huge relief for me! The buses in the city are actually really interesting because they are American school buses that have been partially gutted and installed with bars on the ceiling for people to hold on to. We were so proud of ourselves when we finally rode the buses, for some reason, the locals kept telling us that they were too dangerous. Multiple Nicas(the local slang for Nicaraguan) keep warning us about the dangers to the point of exagurated. I´m not sure if they think we can´t watch out for ourselves or they just want to encourage tourists to take the most expensive route.

I did run into a dangerous situation the other night walking to dinner. We were walking along a fairly busy road and a boy , about 15, approaches us asking for money and offering grass oragami flowers. Because we were walking on a busy road, he was able to corner me up against the wall in a way that I couldn´t quite get away from him. He started bumping up against me, still asking for money and finally he leaned in a spit in my face. Thank God that that he walked away at that point because if he had the nerve to spit on me, I´m sure he could have done worse. I still feel terrible about this situation. It takes serious hatred and contempt for another person to do something like that. It saddens me that this boy could feel that way about me. Cearly I understand that he has had a seriously difficult life and maybe my undeserved luck in life warrants that kind of hatred.

There is poverty in Nica, of course. The clearest example I saw in my short stay thusfar is outside the hosptial in Managua. Sick people set up shacks in a lot adjacent to the hospital because there is not enough space for them and perhaps because they cannot afford the stay.

The most interesting thing about Managua, however, isn´t poverty. The presence of an elite Nica class is in such sharp contrast to the poeple living in poverty. The gap between the two is larger than in any other country I´ve been in. There are malls that house United Colors of Bennetton and Roxy stores and then there are barrios with houses made out of metal sheets. I just couldn´t believe it. We went out on Friday night with some friends we made and the nightlife is equally as elite. They have these complexes with very swanky bars, restaurants and discotheques. People drive nice cars and sing along to American pop songs. Girls wear scandelous dresses and drink with there friends. It´s so similar to America. On some level, I find this enlightening to go to anouther country and be presented with similarities to my own culture. As opposed to just differences.

Our first stop outside of Managua was a trek to San Juan del Sur. It was so easy to get here! Just a few bus transfers and short walks and we were in this incredible surfing oasis. There are an astouding number of young gringos (Spanish for white person OR foreigner) walking the streets. And there are bars and restaurants catering to this niche-like backpackers community. It is so awesome to be around so many young people that are doing exactly what I am doing - wandering around just trying to find something more interesting.



The beaches are just gorgeous and I actually went surfing. I think I´m addicted! Although I got pretty banged up before I finally got the hang of it. Mel (my travel partner) has some righteous bruises. Its the same thing about riding on a motorcycle that makes it so awesome. There is nothing separating you from the elements. Getting in touch with the rhythm of the ocean is actually a pretty spiritual experience. We were going to leave San Juan today, but its going to be necessary to just stay here until my body can´t surf no mo´.