Somoto canyon

Various projects are supported by Cafe Lina (see www.cafeluzyluna ) which is run by Jane who used to live in Bristol. Tourists help to add to the money that people have.
I joined a trip to Somoto Canyon, which was only discovered within the last decade by a Czech geologist. Now groups trek up there, and then scramble down, wade, swim and jump into the River Coco (and at the end you get rowed), which rises in the nearby Honduran hills and then as the longest river in Central America makes its way to the Atlantic. I was the only taker that day - my guide and I had it to ourselves.
I felt sorry for him as the day was overcast and he thought the water was frio - but it was warmer than any English river I'd been in. There are lots of YouTube clips of Somoto, but none of me, so I'll just say I went for the 10 foot jump. I slept well that night.

It's summer now in Nicaragua, and children's summer holidays are the whole of December and January. Summer lasts from November to April, but is cooler than winter, which lasts from May to October. Winter is wet, summer is dry  simple really

Murals, reading, revolution and Spanish

Estelií has lots of murals - most of them on a social theme, exhorting people to take care of each other & the wrold they live in - it seems to be Nicaraguan tradition

In Salman Rushdie's book about Nica in the 1980s, 'The Jaguar Smile', he refers to the fact that a lot of the leading Sandinista were poets - because they hadn't time to write novels.
In 1980, one year after the Revolution, the Sandinistas mounted a literacy crusade - you could even get a Literacy Guerilla badge or a Cruzada certificate. Literacy levels went up  from 50% to 88%. But I have been here for a month now and only seen 1 Nicaraguan reading a book - and that was in the libaray in Estelí. I have seen about a dozen reading a newspaper.
So what happened?   The Sandinistas lost power for one thing, and a lot of their programmes were stopped as the god of privitization was worshipped.. 
And then as people got electricity they got televisons - and the telenovelas. These are the Central and South American version of soaps - and in Nicaragua they are watched all day and night long. There are some differences to soaps in the UK. For a start all the women are thin, have long hair and are somewhat beautiful - they may be under-employed models.  Then there are the sets - they all seem to live in modern large apartments or large haciendas where they have numerous horses and cattle - a bit different to Coronation Street. Most of the actors are in the 25 - 35 age range and spend a lot of time looking anxiously at their latest amour.   For most peolpe here life is exactly the opposite. So television and the clichéd tyranny of the music video has taken over. More crusaders please to switch televisons off so folk can do summat more interesting.

It could also be due to the nature of Spanish as an oral culture. It's a loud language, but an  easy one in that its pronunciation is very regular (unlike English with our umpteen pronunciations of -ough). The stress is nearly always on the penultimate vowel, as in aZUcar - unless there is a stress mark as in Málaga.
BEsides the names that seem Mexican, like Ocatal, I think some pre-Spanish influence may be at work in the place names here that stress the last vowel, such as Tonalá, Estelí, Potosí and Yalí.
In the bus station the conductors shout out the names repeatedly - TonalatonalatonalatonalatonaLA or EsteliesteliesteliesteliesteliestelliesteLI. Sadly as yet I haven't been there when the bus for Wiwilí has been in.

Some folk have got taste!

Y bienvenidos a Estelí.

MaggieJo in Bristol had spent a lot of time up in the north of Nicaragua and had said I should visit Estelí, describing it as a ' cowboy town '. The Lonely Planet guide says it has a 'multi-faceted soul'.
There are yoga centres with vegetarain cafes. It has a one-way system that most people abide by. It has a central park in front of the cathedral. It has clean gutters. There are horses tied to lamp posts and the men who ride them have cowboy hats on. There are a lot of pick up trucks and an air of relative prosperity. It lacks the scruffiness of León. It has a bus station with named bays and streets that are numbered. The sky has been overcast since I got here so it is like an English summer's day. It has 2 museums but only 1 is open. There is a library.  Being in the north, it saw a lot of action in the Contra War, and a lot of land hereabouts was given to people in recognition of their efforts, so there are umpteen cooperatives. It is on the Pan-American highway so there are big trucks passing by. The only tourists seem to be backpackers enjoying Café Luna's WiFi.  

The motor taxi

A pulperia and the cyber cafe in Tonalá

Some buildins in Tonalá

Some buildings in León

Adios a Tonalá

On the Saturday morning Rosa and I joined a bus full of people who were going to visit a spa at Jinotepe. Alexis came along too  as he was on his way for his Saturday English course at the University.
 We left Tonalá at about 5.20 and drove through the dark. The sun started to rise as we got to El Viejo. Just out of there we hit a big traffic jam. People got out and when I asked what was happening, I was told it was 'The Virgin'!
It turned out to be a religious procession, walking with an icon to the church in El Viejo.
After half an hour we got going again, and at 7 they dropped us off on the edge of León. We got a taxi in, and I got out at the bus station at 7.15, leaving Alexis to guide Rosa to her hostel for her 3 weeks in León. 
I got talking to a lady going to Estelí who told me the bus came at 9, so I had a bit of a wait. At 8.45 a man came up and started handing out playing  cards. I was 3rd in line so I got the 2 of clubs - aces were low.
The bus turned up at 10.20 and after it had filled up, set off at 10.40. It stopped after a few blocks to fit in 4 more people who had been at the end of the queue. The man in charge had some fold up seats that covered the aisle. I almost expected him to put folk on the roof.
Well off we went again and eventually got into the hills - reminded me of Spain a lot. Then when we joined the Pan American that joins North & South America highway the trucks and cars increased and the towns started to look more prosperous.

The last week in Tonalá

was a busy one. On Sunday Rosa had organized a meeting with a group of women who wanted to set up a cooperative to produce chicken feed from the head of prawns that could be provided by the shrimp cooperative at Puerto Morazán.
Kristin from the Peace Corps joined us, and afterwards we went to see the town representative of PLAN Nicaragua, Dolores, to see if PLAN might be able to provide the chairs, tables and latrines for 4 new pre-schools if BLINC provided the buildings. She said yes!
On Wednesday I woke to the sound of people in the back garden. In the night a coconut tree had shed its crop, and people had come around to buy them. One didn't get sold as it provided my breakfast sitting in the garden - a cup of coconut water then the coconut itself. Another one was for Rosa.
At 9 we were at the alcaldia for a meeting with the new Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Gioconda, BLINC's representative in Nicaragua to find out the scope of their 4 year plan, outline BLINC's plan for 4 new pre-school buildings, as well as raise the issue of  proper pay for the pre-school teachers.
Afterwards I went off in a motor taxi to visit one of those pre-schools, presently under a mango tree,
In the afternoon Rosa and Kristin ran a staff development session at El Arbolito, Mercedes' pre-school.
Thursday evening we went to Kristin's house for a vegetarian Thanksgiving.
On our last day we said goodbye to the school director in the morning and then finished the day wi th an informal meal - montones de fruta with the afternoon teachers who presented us with school T-shirts - so Rosa is now a Maestro!

Humming birds

In the week of the foot I moved from chair to bed to hammock trying to keep out of the sun, which can only really be tolerated before 7.30 and after 4.
Time went very slowly, but it gave me a chance to observe the wildlife in the backyard - the blue-tailed lizards, iridescent blue magpies and hummingbirds. It was fantastic to see the latter in the feather, as it were. Sadly they came and went so quickly that I didn't get a photo.
There was one particular tree that they fed from. I once saw one, after hovering for nectar at various flowers, stop for dessert at a spider's web and take a beakful of flies.
Rosa's backyard was different - chickens, a big ferocious looking turkey, 2 cages of parrots, pigs and piglets all added their noises together as well as made sure the earth was well fertilized - a much more sensory environment.

Rural tranquillity

I have already mentioned that the vice-alcalde would wake me just after 5 every morning with  muy buenas dias. But before then at 4 would start the deep hooting of the buses in the bottom of Tonala calling people to get out of bed, get on the bus and go cut sugar cane. At 3 would start the crowing of the innumerable cocks. And then was the bounteous barking of the dogs - every house had at least one.  

Teaching in Tonalá

The schools have 2 sessions - a morning session that runs from 7.30 -12, and an afternoon one from 12.30-5. The morning catered for children from the nearby communities, some of whom had cycled for 7 kms. to get there, and the afternoon was for children from Tonalá itself. There was a morning shift of teachers and an afternoon one.
It was suggested that I work with Alexis, the afternoon teacher of English for the 2nd half of my 4 weeks - and it was fun. He also did some dance classes with the children which were great fun, but my foot stopped me from joining in!
The school is in serious need of some money spending on it, especially as Nicaragua has a very young population - Tonalá families tend to be big.  There weren't enough cairs for the students, so some leaned on windowsills. In one class there was a hole in the back wall which provided a seat. The side walls also had holes in them, and at one point a dog wandered in from the playground, through the class and out the door! Later a  pig wandered past outside in the playground, but at least he had the courteosynot to come in.

OJo de Agua

The sun rises at 5, and even on a Saturday breakfast is finished by 7. As I was eating, I was told we going for a paseo at 8.30. At 9.30 a truck full of children arrived, and we climbed aboard - we even took the parrot.We were on our way (and the way was very rough) to an ojo de aqua, which turned out to be a spring-fed swimming pool near the sea. The water was clear and warm and contained little fish that seemed to find me tasty. The children loved it.The pool drained into a creek, and as the water in the creek rose two dugout canoes appeared laden with wood to be cut up for firewood.
That was at Tempisque, and two weeks later just the family went to the bigger swimming hole at Campuzano. Rosa came, as did Kristin - a Peace Corps volunteer who is halfway through her 2 year stay!. This time we didn't take the parrot.
Campuzano has 3 pools - the first deep enough to dive in with very few fish, the second larger and warmer with lots of fish, and the third a smaller shallower padding pool. It was really quite an idyllic spot and in the warm water you could easily forget that the sun was very strong.
As you can see from the photo of Framvi, there were lots of fish in the big pool. For some reason they found my flesh very tasty - especially my shoulder blades. It's quite a nip when they bite, but strangely they didn't seem to find anyone else quite to their taste.
Rosa had no problem with the fish, but she has with mosquitoes.Now you would think my B rh.negative blood, being somewhat rare, would be like champagne to mosquitoes, but  thankfully they seem to like common fare.

Rosa - mi companera here as representatives of BLINC - the Bristol link with Nicaragua, is fresh from university, but went to Cotham in the 6th form. Alice went to Cotham, as did Sara's sons Ben and Arran. And every Monday night I can be found there banging away at the Javanese gamelan that they have (for non-aficiandos have a look at us on YouTube - type in Subokastawa Bristol Cardiff gamelan).

Alex, a teacher from Cothan came 3 times to Francisco's house. OTher teachers and one time they brought 30 students. THey slept on makeshift beds in on of the school classrooms!

Cotham did some fundraising and in 2009 that enabled Gary, the teacher of English in the mornings in Tonalá, to come to Bristol. Due to the foot, I only helped Gary in his classes for 1 week, but we had some fun

La Semana del Pie

... the week of the foot in other words.  My second week was a disaster. My new trekking sandals has rubbed skin off my toe. I went to the beach for the weekend to a place called Jiquilillo (pronounced hee-kee-lee-yo). It was great to swim in the warm Pacific with baby turtles, watch the sun going down, the stars coming up and an electrical storm over the sea. BUT
My toe got infected so by the Tuesday I was in a doctor's in nearby Chinandega getting an armful of penicillin, 2 loads of anti-biotics and instructions not to walk for 3 days! I had a string of volcanoes down the length of my toe. Luckily Virginia's sister was a nure and she came round morning and evening to get rid of the lava. VIrginia also provided some local plants to decrease the swelling.
So my 4 weeks of tteaching turned into 3, and I stayed at the local school in Tonalá instead of going to  Puerto Morazán where I would have to do more walking  

1st November

I am staying at the house of Francisco and Virginia. She works in the school in the afternoons teaching Spanish. Francisco teaches history on Sundays to adults, but the rest of the week he works on his farm. His bananas and plantain are processed in Honduras, 50 miles to the north.  
They have 3 children - Layris aged 22, Francis 17 (whi is bigger as she has inherited Francisco's tallness) and Framvi 7. Layris is about to leave University and look for a job, and Francis is about to go to study accounting.  
They have played host to over 15 people from Bristol. They have included Andy who came back 3 times, George who told them about the beauties of Scotland, Mike who just lived a few doors away from me in Montpelier and who stayed with his sister Roz who ran the Montesorri school in Clifton, Olly who was muy lindo, Alistair who was grandisimo, Amy, Isobel and others..  
You enter the house via a porch that contains Francisco's motorbike, the sink for washing up, the washing machine and the well - and Tomi the dog. He looks fierce but isn't. In the porch also is the green parrot called Yi-Yo.
They have a tiled living room, and off that is the kitchen and various bedrooms.   Bedrooms don't tend to have windows. At the back is the shower, with a curtain for privacy, and the separate latrine, which you have to remember not to put paper down.  
Across from the house there is a church. There are quite a few in Tonalá which is surprising given that it is a pueble of about 10 roads by 5 (apparently if places have electricity they are thought of as urban) .   The church isn't finished, but they have already started holding services there. Lots of singing, clapping and there must be a particular place where they train the lead singers, as they are usually flat. The preacher gets very loud at times with lots of alleluias.     
The children are teaching me about the range of fruits - today I received 2 coconuts, 4 sweet lemons (which aren't), some oranges and 2 bananas de rosa. I struggled home with a heavy bag.

30th October

To get from León to Tonalá took 2 buses. Rosa said that Leán was different as it was a city - with drains, cars, cafes, backpackers, a university, a theatre .... Tonalá is rural, very rural. Some of the roads are covered with tesselated concrete slabs, but the recent rains mean that the crossroads are often little muddy lakes. People travel by bike or motorbike or by a sort of bicycle rickshaw called a triciclo. Some have motorbikes and there are a few trucks, but I haven't seen a car yet.
I don't need an alarm as the vice-alcalde (deputy Mayor) wakes me every morning just after 5. Not personally, but her voice comes over the Tannoy a few streets away. She tells me what's going on and where I can buy men's trousers and the like. She's a nurse and still gets paid as one, whilst receiving a salary as vice-alcalde and payment for telling me where to buy things - she has the entrepreunerial spirit. But maybe not for long - there are municipal elections here on Sunday.
There are 5 parties going against the Sandanistas, but I haven't fathomed out the differences yet. Yesterday in school we had to stop teaching a couple of times as trucks went by laden with loudspeakers playing LOUD reggae - there isn't a Noise Party, but some of the songs apparently have political messages. In the afternoon (I'm in the school 7-12)
Rosa dropped by and we went for a walk through the banana plantations, across the river - nice views across to the largest volcano in Nicaragua - San Cristobal. In September it erupted but seems quiet now. She has been here 4 weeks already so has experienced and learned a lot and is a mine of information. It would have been difficult without her here as it is refreshing to be able to reflect upon things in your own language.
On Tuesday afternoon we went to a PLI (Partido Liberal Individual ) rally where a pastor was calling on God to help his party - God is big in Nicraguan politics. Then in the evening Rosa went fishing with people from the shrimp cooperative in Puerto Morazan.   Wednesday afternoon we achieved a bit of political balance by jumping on one of the 30 Sandanista buses going to Puerto Morazán for a rally there. Rosa decided that sitting in the bus was too hot so joined some jovenes on the roof. It was good to see Puerto Morazán - the river and wetlands were fresher and more open than Tonalá, but apparently the proximity to the estuary means that
well water is too salty to drink.   The Sandanistas certainly go in for politics with enthusiasm as well as noise. There was an odd performance from a duo who were introduced as revolutionary but as the miniskirted singer sang, the other squirmed in her hot pants - not my idea of revolution! I took an early bus back and was quizzed by some women as we waited for the bus to go. Their political anaysis was that the PLC and PLI want power so they can get big farms for themselves, and that the Sandanistas are concerned with the poor.    -