An Elegant Sufficiency

View Original

Monday in Nicaragua

Another new country for us! 

See this content in the original post

Three new and interesting countries in as many days, it’s interesting to see similarities and contrasts between them.

See this content in the original post

Our first glimpse of land was a little rocky outcrop at the entrance to the harbour. 

See this content in the original post

Our parking space for the day was in the container port, alongside the Los Angeles, which was loading as we ate breakfast on deck.

See this content in the original post

We always admire the precision and speed with which these containers are moved around.  Whilst I muse on what might be inside them, my Hero is looking at those workers, sitting on the framework, swinging about high above the ground.

See this content in the original post

Though it looks like he’s wearing a harness and helmet, it doesn’t look like the kind of job either of us would care for.

See this content in the original post

Anyway, welcome to Nicaragua!

See this content in the original post

Our first impressions are that it’s a good deal poorer than Guatemala.  In the area around the port, there are few private cars and the main means of transport is pedal-powered.

See this content in the original post

It’s flat and there’s a watery landscape in this part of the country.

See this content in the original post

Soon, however, we are on the open road and driving through an increasingly hilly countryside.  Occasionally, I put my camera above my head and take a photograph of the road in front of us.  Quite what we were doing on the wrong side of the road at this point, I have no idea!  But these, Japanese funded highways are well maintained and in somewhat of a contrast to the rest of the infrastructure, which is pretty simple and more in keeping with the way of life here.

See this content in the original post

We slowed down at one point to allow a few cows to cross the road.  It felt a little like home!

See this content in the original post

For a couple of hours, we drove along such roads, passing mostly commercial vehicles and small agricultural carts.

See this content in the original post

And the view?  Volcanoes!  Some active, some dormant. 

See this content in the original post

Our first stop was Old Leon, the original capital city, abandoned in the 16th century because of the volcanic activity nearby.  Though in a similar situation to Pompeii, here the inhabitants took action before there was a major disaster and rebuilt the city some miles away.

See this content in the original post

First curiosity: what’s that fruit hanging from the tree up there?

See this content in the original post

One was retrieved for our inspection.  It’s a gourd, has an incredibly hard shell and is used to make bowls and cups and of course, to make maracas.

See this content in the original post

We began by the map of the ruins.  Though this is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the funding covers only maintenance and not development and as a result, the interpretation of the site was poor.

See this content in the original post

Though we walked through the remains  like this, it took a while to register that the main structures are 3m below us.  The layout and what the city might have looked like was not well explained and even though many details of the original city are held in museums and university archives, nothing was available for us to see.

See this content in the original post

The only excavation which had taken place was in one of the churches, where a couple of bodies had been found.  I think they were of greater significance than I credit here, but by this time I was losing the plot.

See this content in the original post

It was a good job that our next stop was to look over Lake Managua at the Momotombo Volcano where there was a cool breeze and a fine view.

See this content in the original post

I almost missed the smaller, ?Momotombito? volcano, there in the distance, so closely was I watching some activity on the largest and closest one…

See this content in the original post

Hmm.

Time to return, I think.

See this content in the original post

It was a 30km drive to the new city of Leon, along similarly well maintained roads, overtaking the local traffic from time to time.

See this content in the original post

The city’s entrance is guarded by a terrace of stone figures.

See this content in the original post

Here too, were the low-rise streets of a colonial city painted in colourful designs but looking rather less prosperous than Antigua Guatemala yesterday.

See this content in the original post

The city centre was a busy place though and crossing the road a little perilous!

See this content in the original post

We had lunch in a former convent, now a pretty hotel with the most beautiful gardens.

See this content in the original post

Some aspects of the convent had been preserved and this gave a cool, peaceful atmosphere.

See this content in the original post

Walking off our lunch, we strolled through the bustling streets, watching this young woman deftly peel what looked like green mangoes using a huge knife.

See this content in the original post

The marketplace around the Zocalo was selling mostly fruit snacks and drinks, though business was slow.  The cellphone shops and stalls seemed to be faring rather better, with a brisk trade going on in most.  I was keeping my eye open for a bottle of Kola Shaler to try but it appears that the big boys have succeeded in overshadowing the local brew.

See this content in the original post

The local souvenirs were pretty much like local souvenirs the world over, though the subject of the “art works” were of questionable taste!  Anyone fancy a picture of a woman in the loo on their wall?  Strange…

See this content in the original post

I apologise for the poor picture of the Cathedral, which stands on one side of the square and is most easily the grandest, most attractive building in town.  Freshly painted, it shone in the sunshine and the simple interior was a cool haven of peace amidst the noise and bustle outside.

See this content in the original post

I’m sorry, I didn’t catch the significance of the huge figure in the Square.

See this content in the original post

It was far more interesting to watch three small boys bang a drum, tumble and clamour for attention!

See this content in the original post

For one small boy, it was all too much.  A siesta under his mother’s market stall was needed.

See this content in the original post

No, we really didn’t need any souvenirs, but it’s always fun to see what’s on offer, isn’t it?

See this content in the original post

Driving back, later in the afternoon, we passed a funeral.  It seemed discourteous to take photographs, but I thought the crowd following the cortege gave a good impression of the people we encountered today.  Far from prosperous, there’s nevertheless an optimism here bound with a real sense of traditional values.  It had been an interesting visit although we’d hardly scratched the surface.

See this content in the original post

We made it back to the ship just in time for another lifeboat drill!