Bocas del Toro, Panamá

Well, I left off when I was about to go explore Granada.. What an amazing town! Nicaragua was definitely my favorite country yet. Everyone had warned me about it being unsafe and a bit questionable, however, with poverty also comes humility and Nicaraguans are that at best. First of all, let me describe the hostel. It was a typical Spanish colonial home. Small insignificant facade when you look at it from the street but immense once you walk in the door. It had a huge central courtyard with a garden surrounded by hammocks to sleep in as well as tons of rooms and couches against the walls for backpackers that would arrive and had no beds available to sleep in. The ceiling fan above my head was not working so I chose (because I was getting bit by hundreds of mosquitos) to sleep on a hammock and watch the moon(I took some shots that turned out much better than the ones I took from Washington) and the stars every night as i fell asleep. You almost feel you're watching what people saw 300 years ago when Granada was an important Spanish town. The night breeze was much better than the stuffy room with no ventilation. Anyway, when I first arrived, I met Sharon and Leah. They are two Israelis in their mid 20´s who had just finished the army and wanted to travel. After I spent the day walking around town and admiring the beautiful cathedrals, squares, and alleys I took up their offer to go have a drink and enjoy the breeze blowing from Lake Nicaragua. We talked about the Israeli-Palestinian problem and how they deal with constant terrorist attacks. It puts things in perspective and proves how much you do learn when you travel.. You don´t necessarily learn about the country you´re in, but about the countries the people you meet are from. I have enjoyed immensely getting close to people in each place I visit and being able to share things about Puerto Rico as well. That same day, I also met Madelon and Kirsten. They are two girls from Holland who spent the rest of the time in Granada with me. We would spend our days walking around town, and resting at the hostel. I had had many days of intense travel and chose Granada as a resting spot to recharge my batteries if you will, and continue on. On Christmas Eve, Kirstin told me about an orphanage/school called Carita Feliz (http://www.caritafeliz.org/) that feeds children three times a day and offers schooling, medicine, jobs and a social community for free. There are certain rules to follow geared toward discipline. They must not miss school three times. This discipline creates a responsible environment so that kids learn to be on time and know that they must put effort on their part to get the free food, education and medicine. They are also tought about work. The children make bracelets to sell and whatever money they earn selling these bracelets, they get to keep. It´s a great organization and if you wish to help them out, there is a way on their link above. That afternoon, Madelon, Kirstin and I went to visit the school and had an amazing time. We met kids of all ages and parents as well. I gave the kids money (about 1% of their parents YEARLY salary of $750US) so they could buy themselves toys, candy, or whatever else they wanted. After I gave them the money, they all ran toward the corner store and I saw them return with lots of candy. The eldest boy, took the money and as I saw him return, I watched as he distributed everything evenly. There was no selfishness in his heart and as I said earlier, it would have happened nowhere but in Nicaragua throughout Central America. It was Christmas and I really wanted them to enjoy and remember this time of the year. For a while I spoke to some of the parents about life in that neighborhood and how this school affects their life not only economically but how they truly wish it will give their children a better life. It was truly inspiring. After that, we went back into town and sat around the hostel and planned a Christmas game. Everyone we met was to buy a gift not exceeding $2.00US and we would exchange them at the table over dinner. The group of people consisted of Kirsten(Holland), Madelon(Holland), Sharon(Israel), Leah(Israel), Nathan(US), Claudia(Switzerland), Lieske(Holland) and I, and we chose a pizza place to celebrate together. I got a small flashlight which has come in very handy since many places are literally PITCH BLACK! After that, I met some more people at the hostel and we talked about the problem with children around the world until about 2A.M. I met one guy specifically, Brett, who is from Calgary, Canada and has travelled the world helping kids and hungry people. It is funny how sometimes you think you are taking on a huge challenge and you visualize yourself doing something great and there are people out there who have been doing this forever making one feel so inexperienced. This guy has traveled through sub-saharan Africa and Southeast Asia working with children. He told me about mothers who literally bathe their children in battery acid and break their bones on purpose when they are very young to have them grow up deformed. That way, they feel, they will be able to get some sort of pity from tourists and have a source of income outside of their regular jobs which may be out in fields. I could not believe these sort of things happen and perhaps at some point, I'll make a point to visit Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and the rest of Southeast Asia to get a true feeling of what goes on there. I guess I truly haven´t seen anything. Brett said Central America is nothing compared to other regions which in consequence, fueled my desire to continue doing this type of work in the future. On Christmas day, Kirsten, Madelon and I went to the ¨beach¨(I put it in quotations because it is a marshy area on the shores of Lake Nicaragua). We spent the day on a bench taking the sun and watching locals swim in the lake. The lake is interesting because it is one of the biggest lakes in the world (I think number 7) and has a hugely diverse animal life. There are areas with bull sharks (in fresh water!) and crocodiles and people actually swim in it(it's also pretty filthy). We drank beer and talked about how amazing it was to be sitting across from this immense lake in the middle of Nicaragua learning about the world and about ourselves. During that day, we also saw monkeys and a huge crocodile at one of the local restaurants. This area was somewhat of a ¨Piñones¨ (beach area in San Juan with many little bars playing salsa, bachata and selling traditional and local food). While at the beach, there was a couple that seemed to be so in love it was almost inspiring. I know bla bla bla but you could see it in their eyes when they looked at eachother. I spoke to them and they said they had not seen eachother in 13 years and reunited again after so long. It was truly a great moment. There were also tons of naked little kids running around. It was quite funny to watch them run and splash around. I had a great Christmas day with my new friends. That evening, we walked around the market (there are tons of markets in throughout the towns of Central America that are giant mazes which you really have to be careful in). The markets are filled with people selling all sorts of things from fruits to underwear to "licuados" (shakes) to bus tickets. It is extremely overwhelming but an experience in itself. Madelon and Kirsten were trying on immitation sunglasses and checking out zip-up panties for the kinky Nicaraguan women! After this, we went back to the hostel to plan the next day. Since nothing was open on Christmas
day, all of the buses would begin service on the 26th. Everyone was leaving in different directions and no one knew where they were going. I decided to skip San Juan del Sur in southern Nicaragua and make my way closer to Panama. Madelon met two American surfers and a Canadian guy that was going up north to the Honduran bay islands and she decided to follow them. Adam, the guy I was travelling with, decided to go back home because he was tired of travelling around. Kirsten was on her way to Bocas del Toro in Panama via Costa Rica with Jan (Cologne, Germany) and Ryan (Winnipeg, Canada) and I chose to travel with them. Leah and Sharon ended up going to Ometepe Island (a volcanic island in the middle of the lake with a very relaxed atmosphere). The Granada experience came to an end and we were all to be separated the next morning. Once we woke up, we all had our last breakfast together and parted ways. Kirsten and I went to the Tica Bus counter to buy tickets to San Jose, Costa Rica and to spend the night there. We payed $12 dollars for an 8 hour bus ride. Once we got on, we listened to "Queen" on my ipod and sang to 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Don't Stop Me Now', 'We Are The Champions' among others. It was the first time I really listened to music and somewhat became an escapist to my surroundings. I really needed it! Once we arrived at the border, we went through the typical 'pain in the ass' procedures they make you go through. The Costa Rican side was quite thorogh compared to the other countries since they have a better economy and many other Central American citizens try to get in for a better life. I really didn't want to spend time in Costa Rica since everyone had told me it was really geared toward tourism with tons of westerners everywhere and supposedly really expensive. It was quite a turn off and I made my choice to pretty much skip the country entirely. Kirsten had lived in San Jose for 4 months working for the Dutch embassy and had lived with a family there. She took all four of us (Jan, Ryan and I) to sleep at their place. They were really nice and it was great to take a hot shower for once. We all went straight to bed after the first McDonald's of the trip! We had such a craving for fries!! Anyway, where was I? Ah.. back to bed.. We went to bed and woke up quite early to take another bus to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca or otherwise called Puerto Viejo. Puerto Viejo is a small rastafari town on the south east coast of Costa Rica (the Caribbean side) with a few bars, a few hostels, and TONS of rastafaris and surfers. It was quite a change from what we were used to but I just wasn't feeling it. I was getting sick again, sneezing constantly, sore throat, taking benadryl, tylenol, vitamins and drinking beer.. I know, I know.. I shouldn't mix alcohol with medicine but hey, I was in Puerto Viejo and that happens only once. Why not eh? We were sitting at this little place by the beach, listening to the waves crash, with huge anti-mosquito torches lit and the most amazing sky you'd ever see. I was even able to take pictures of Orion's belt and if you look closely at the pictures, you would be able to see the nebula and a few galaxy's. The shapes are just different from the regular stars. Anyway, I was personally shocked at the fact that I was able to get this on 'film'. Soon after my 'picture taking' spree, Kirsten asked me to dance salsa with her and we all went to the dance floor of this little beach bar. It began getting packed as they switched from salsa to gwen stefani and beyonce to real Caribbean reggae. It was great! Jan and Ryan were trashed drunk and because I was taking medicine, I was only able to have two beers. The next morning we had a 6A.M. bus to 'Bocas' as everyone calls it, and I needed the rest. My body had taken a huge beating and I just really needed to rest. Kirsten and I went to bed and the other two stayed out. In the morning, we went straight to the bus for an hour ride to the border. I didn't even have time for breakfast so I smoked a cigarette on board the bus (not allowed but I hid behind a curtain). Once we got to the border, we had to walk toward Costa Rican customs to exit the country, cross a dilapidated bridge over a river that divides both countries, and enter Panama by foot. On the bridge, I saw a crocodile resting on the shore. It was amazing to see nature like this at its best. Once on the Panamanian side, we did customs and I had to get a tourist visa ($5) which was a breeze. From there we took a small bus to a small town where we would wait for a boat that would take us to Bocas. Once there, I went to a small shop run by a chinese lady (funny huh?) and overrun by kids from town. Mind you, this town is not even a town, it's a village with about 5 houses, one dock and one general store run by a chinese lady! Everyone calls her 'China' which made me crack up. You had to be there. I bought all the kids snickers bars (.50 cents) and there were about ten of them. Now imagine this muddy town, no paved streets, EVERYONE was barefoot, the children were brown and gray from dirt and dust yelling around as they chased eachother playing some sort of game. The ladies (all indian) spoke some sort of language I could not understand which made the experience all the more exciting. After I bought my 'vicks vapo rub', a pack of marlboro lights, a fanta and a snickers for myself, I went back to the dock where everyone else was waiting for me to board the boat. The boat was incredible! It was this fast 'miami vice' like speed boat cruising at about 50 miles an hour through lush jungle. We were told there were crocs in the water but didn't see any. We sped through indian villages and inpenetrable jungle until we reached the area where fresh water met the sea. The waves got very choppy once there, but it was really cool to just be in that middle point of fresh/sea water with all kinds of fauna and vegetation. Bocas was about an hour boat ride from the village we started out from so it was quite a ride and an unforgettable experience. Once in Bocas, I swear, I felt like I had arrived in Culebra (Culebra is an island off Puerto Rico that has a small town full of locals and upper middle class Puertoricans from the mainland that use the island as their playing ground). I was a bit disappointed by the fact that it was overrun by tourists from all over and that there was no real local vibe. I haven't witnessed poverty or begging children in a while so it's pretty hard for me to do what I really want to do around here. The hostel we're staying in is basically built over water. It's these large wooden planks supported by tree trunks impaled into the sand underneath. We have a sort of 'balcony' where we can watch sailboats, speed boats, and local fishermen in their wood canoes. It's pretty cool to see the fusion of modern and traditional. Today, I jumped in the sea to avoid taking a shower with buckets. Bocas rarely has running water and we all must shower with rain water. My clothes are in the local laundry place being washed with rain water.. It's pretty primal but it blows your mind at the same time. I leave you now probably until after New Year's which I will spend here in Bocas. After that, I'm off to Panama City for a few days and then almost certainly, to Quito, Ecuador. I'm basically done with Central America and had an experience that will last forever. Until the next time. **Remember if you have still not donated, you can still do so here on this site. I'm planning to do something with kids for 'Three Kings Day' on the 6th of January which is coming up soon. If you're interested and have not donated already, go for it! You have no idea how happy these kids get when they get something unexpectedly. Volunteering is a shit down here because they actually charge you about $1,000US to volunteer with an organization. Obviously, as you've already seen, I preferred to go into the poor areas of town myself and do it my way. Anyway, any help is greatly appreciated! I'm off to rest now.. I'm not feeling so great.. **

Antigua, Guatemala through to Granada, Nicaragua

TWO THINGS - One, I will apologize for not posting pictures on this entry. The internet in El Salvador was very expensive ($1.00 for 30 minutes) and the internet here in Nicaragua is too slow and uploading pics would be hell so eventually, you'll see everything I will write about here in photos. Second, let me say that I shot myself in the foot by not writing for three days. I had to write everything down on a pad of paper because the travelling was hectic and I had not ime to sit and get online. That being said, let me catch you up where we left off. The day before I left Antigua, I spent all afternoon playing with homeless kids on the street. We did handstands against the walls and I took loads of pictures. I bought them all food and I can't wait till you see the smiles on these kids faces. Their names were Anthony, Alberto and Adrian. Three little brothers that caught my eye because the middle one looked just like my nephew Jose Luis. It touched me to think of everything my nephew has and how little this boy had. I spent a good 4 hours just sitting on the sidewalk talking about toys, tv, video games, what their favorite food was and where their mom was. I was surprised at the maturity level of the eldest brother. He was only 10 years old and he was telling me how his mother had been sexually assaulted 4 times and that the last time, she was killed after she was raped. He said this so casually when I asked him that I realized how immune he was to the difficulty of life. Being hungry and trying to feed his brothers had numbed the pain of losing his mother. Truly my friends, this was one of the best moments of my entire life. All I did was play and yet I was full of joy and the definition of doing something positive for someone came into fruition. Later that afternoon, after I said goodbye (the youngest boy gave me a hug when I left that I'll never forget) I went to the ruins of the old cathedral. It was basically destroyed with the earthquakes and you feel more like you are visiting a damaged Italian basilica than you are walking through a Guatemalan cathedral. The inside is amazing and it is almost untouched by time. Wild flowers grow freely inside and the pillars are all where they originally fell as the earth shook 300 years ago. It is both eerie and inspiring to walk through the church´s nave in silence. After an hour of just thinking and talking pictures in the old building, I went back to the hostel and ate a bit. When it got dark, I went out with a few people for drinks, told them about my day and how it had made me think about life, our experiences, and how we got to where we were today. Involved in conversation, I realized (although I have always known) how truly important our family is. The conversation revolved around why we all were doing what we were doing and the reasons for it. Each person had a different answer and most of them (a sort of catharsis if you will) talked about running from something be it a good or a bad thing. I was also running but not fleeing. I was running from the establishment, from the mundane, from the boredom of not having something to look forward to. In that realization, as we talked out loud, I mentioned to the group how we have our parents to thank. Most parents of travellers, voyagers, explorers are never quite content with the idea of them venturing off into foreign lands where they are exposed to crime, disease, theft and the many many other "ridiculously crazy ideas" that creep into their minds. However, it IS because of our parents that we are who we are. They may not have pushed us into this abyss of neverending excitement, experience and knowledge yet they did contribute a great deal to our life experience and to the formation of our every need, desire and curiosity. From my mother, I have compassion, empathy, the ability to argue and win, stubbornness, impatience, anxieties, the ability to give without expecting in return and family values. From my father, I have the desire to discover, the questioning of ideas and knowledge, the art of manipulation, determination, charm, a sense of humor, the facility to say things that would embarass even the dirtiest minds and yet the capacity to distinguish when it is a time to have class and show a more serious side. From both, I was given the freedom to have been who I am and unconditional support in every aspect of my life so that I may continue on this search for truth, happiness and to make a difference somehow in the world. I thank my parents from the deepest corners of my heart and soul for everything they have done for me and everything they have given me without even knowing they are also a part of this experience; Every second of it. I thank them for indirectly feeding hungry children and for indirectly getting me a bit drunk, for putting me in a path full of love and despair and mostly, for giving me freedom. Mankind's most prized posession. If we don't have personal freedom, we don't have anything. The philosophical conversations came to an end at the small Antiguan bar as we spoke of a million random subjects. We went across the street, danced for 30 minutes at a very nice club and decided to leave. In the end, we all went to bed and the evening came to its close. The next morning, I arrived at the corner of a travel agency to get on my 'minibus' to Guatemala City again. From there I would take the 11A.M. bus to San Salvador, El Salvador. I was not really looking forward to El Salvador but because it's Christmas time, ALL OF THE DIRECT BUSES TO NICARAGUA WERE OVERSOLD! Well, to get to Granada, Nicaragua before Christmas, I already knew it would be an ordeal of gigantic proportions. Back on track, my bus left on schedule from Guatemala City (it was a nice pullman bus with air conditioning and reclinable seats..that would be the last time I saw a bus like that). As I arrived at the Guatemala-El Salvador border, I was surprised at the lack of immigration hassle I encountered. I was told by the authorities that Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras & Nicaragua) have a consortium of entry/exit requirements for foreigners. When you enter one of the countries, you have 90 days from that day to exit any of the other countries. That was all I got. No stamp, no search, no nothing. I could have been importing a backpack full of cocaine and they would have never known. Anyway, the ride through was quite smooth and we arrived in San Salvador at about 3P.M. WHAT A SURPRISE! I could not believe how culture shocked I was. It was like being in the U.S. I don't know why there are so many Salvadoreans in America when they have a country completely funded by the Americans. The national currency is the U.S. dollar and downtown San Salvador (all of it.. I went everwhere) looks like Atlanta or Omaha or Orlando or Minneapolis. Ultra modern malls, highways, Wendy's, Burger Kings, KFC's, Pizza Huts, Taco Bells, Diesel, Zara, YOU NAME IT, they got it. San Salvador has an incredibly bad reputation in the 'west' because of their bloody revolution years back but since then, the U.S. has funded the country to help stabilize the region. I met one bum (Richard) who happened to be American roaming the streets of San Salvador near an area called "MicroCentro". He is called "El Pintador" or the painter by the kids around the area because he draws portraits of people and barely makes a dollar a day. I found it interesting how the tables were turned. The Americans that don't have jobs and live as bums in America have headed down to El Salvador in search of warmth and sun and the vibrant latin culture. I personally did not enjoy San Salvador because it is not what I was looking for. I want contact with the people. I have been talking to many locals and getting their perceptions on the economy, politics, the U.S., Cuba, Chavez, and a million other things. In San Salvador, they turn their face and continue walking, minding their own business; Classic San Juan! The big "rich" cities of Latin America have lost their old flair charm. Anyway, I found this cool little hostel called "Doña Ximena's Hostel" where I stayed for the night. In San Salvador, I had to take almost a whole box of Imodium (stomach problems my friends) because I was stupid enough to go to Wendy's. I have been eating street food the whole time (no water though) and have been perfectly fine. I ate at Wendy's and I wanted to die. What a shame! Well anyway, back to San Salvador.. At the hostel, I met girl named Debra from Calgary, Canada. She was living in Mexico and had decided to travel through Central America before she had to go back to work in January. We decided to go out to the new "hip" part of town and watch the locals and mingle a bit. She was advised to go to a bar called "Lipps" which at around 9P.M., we took a taxi to. IT WAS A TITTIE BAR! I was laughing soooo hard because the poor girl was sent to a whore house for a good time. We briefly went inside and these girls were literally naked rubbing their bare shaven vaginas on the chins of dirty poor Savadoreans. I had never seen something like that and obviously in life, there's always a first. When I say rubbing my friends, I mean rubbing. It was a sight to be seen! I hope no one was offended, I've said it as I've seen it. Anyway, Debra did not want to stay there and we spoke to the taxi driver about going somewhere more central. Somewhere where all the locals hang out. I also needed a pharmacy because I got pink-eye. Conjunctivitis is rampant in Central America and with all the shit you touch, you need to wash your hands every 5 minutes. I must have skipped a 5 minute interval at some point *grin* (I guess my hand sanitizer wasn't all that great). Anyway, I bought my eye drops (I'm completely fine now) and we continued on to "La Gran Vía" (the supposed hangout). Well people, WHAT A HANGOUT! The Gran Via is a mall, like any American mall, designed to be the congregation center for all of the Salvadorean youth. It is a mall full of bars and discotheques (literally real dance clubs) so that they have a safe area to go out and party and meet other people. For those of you who travelled to Europe with me 3 years ago, I was even surprised to see BERSHKA (a cool italian store that exists all over Europe) next door to "El Mono Loco" (a bar with live music). I had one drink and we headed back. El Salvador is expensive and I wanted to spend the least possible amount of Dollars that I possibly could. I arrived at Ximena's place at around midnight and went straight to bed. By the way, until today, it had been 5 days without a shower. You can imagine the smell that was exuding from my armpits and my crotch area. The water from the faucets is literally disgusting and the one coming out of the shower smells like volcano sulfur (I'm not surprised given that this region is one of the most volcanically active in the world). I have a few scratches on me from falling down that hill in Tikal so I don't want that water (I'm not an expert but maybe bacteria can come in through my skin) giving me an infection of some sort. I have cleaned my scratches with Piure Hand Sanitizer if you are worried that I will catch something. Anyway, I'm clean now and we'll get to that story later on. The next day I woke up late. Not too late, just a bit late to arrive early in Granada if I ever wanted to get there before Christmas. I took a taxi to the "Estación de Oriente" or Eastern Station in San Salvador to take a bus to the Honduran border. LORD JESUS MOSES MOHAMMAD AND BUDDHA! The bus was one of the worst "chicken buses" I have ever seen. It was going to be a 2 1/2 hour journey on an incredibly packed and incredibly uncomfortable chicken bus to Santa Rosa de Lima (a town near the border and you couldn't beat that price! $4.00) Eventually, I arrived in Santa Rosa and it was about 3P.M. The sun felt close to setting and I was beginning to worry. There was another bus (this one even worse) that took me to the border (another 30 minutes) and from there, I had to walk or take a sort of peddaling machine that had a driver and a kind of poopy scooper in the front for your bags. I took that because I'm suffering from my famous back pain and didn't want to strain my back muscles any more than I needed to. I did immigration on the Honduran side and had to pay $3.00. As soon as I walked out into Honduras (it's all actually open air) I had culture shock once again! Now THIS was poverty. Mexico is in good shape, Guatemala is very touristic and quite beautiful and I recommend it to anyone, Belize is shady and somewhat like the Dominican Republic, El Salvador is like being in Puerto Rico and Honduras felt like I was about to adopt a Malawian baby with Madonna. People were screaming, rushing me to take their bus, there were used diapers on the ground, syringes, dead dogs and food vendors among that plethora of FILTH. I know I will encounter this type of thing and I'm not by any means judging it. Simply put, if you go south in Central America it goes from good to tolerable to bad to scary to disturbing to better to good again as you travel from Guatemala to Panama. I had reached the scary / disturbing part. Well, they put my back pack on top of the CRAMMED "pisa y corre" or "colectivo" or in simple English, ghetto minibus and I hopped in. The problem was there was no space and I had to sit up front with the driver, a strange lady WHO WAS CARRYING A CHICKEN BY HER FEET (I was wearing flip flops and was terrified that the chicken would start plucking at my toes) and to top it all off, the stick shift was between my legs (one of those long ones that wouldn't really disturb anything but added to the agony). Once again, you can't beat the price. For a 2 and a half our ride to the Nicaraguan border, it was .90 cents U.S. I didn't really see much of Honduras because there was seriously no time. I drove through the southern coast and it was spectacular. It looks like southern Spain or Southern California. Pretty dry with greenish / yellow mountains, lots of goats, cows and bulls and no matter how poor or solitary a home was on the side of the road, the roof was covered in "tejas" or those orange looking Spanish roof tiles. Very classic and beautiful. Once at the Nicaraguan border at Guasaule, I was swarmed with about 10 people begging me to hire them to take me to immigration for 10 Cordobas (about .55 cents). Well, when travelling, they say to do it in luxury so I took the little tuk-tuk in the dusty border town with horns honking everywhere, the smell of cooked dead dog and more delicious diapers dotting the "boulevard" I was travelling in style. Mind you, it was already dark and the government officials were charging me left and right for entrance and exit fees. I truly did not care what they charged me as long as I got out of there safely. I was taken into a dark area (I was seriously TERRIFIED for the first time on the trip) to exchange dollars / lempiras / cordobas illegaly. I wanted a good rate and they truly rob you at the borders when it comes to exchanging. I made friends with my tuk-tuk guy and told him I would give him a nice tip (remember he charges .55 cents) if he got me someone that could give me a good exchange into Nicaraguan Cordobas. Well, he did what he needed to do and took me into the dark area.. I still must say, I shit my pants (not literally though.. that comes later). Aurelio (tuk tuk man's name) was talking to me about the political situation and the economy. Practically the moment you enter Nicaragua, that is the ONLY topic of conversation coming from any local's mouth. The average salary in Nicaragua is $850 a year so you can understand how simple this country is. It is not as dirty as Honduras and the people are much nicer and are more willing to help. Bush's danger warning on Nicaragua is simply a political move to punish Nicaraguans for voting left instead of right. Anyway, back on track once again, I gave Aurelio $7.00 for door to door service (he took me to the bus I had to take). That is 14 times what he makes in a ride. This guy even gave me a hug. I got on my bus happy and smiling. The bus I got on was going to a town called Chinandega. From there I would have to take a bus to Leon and then the next day, a bus to Managua and then a transfer to Granada. I was exhausted. Well my friends, as they say, you give and you shall receive, I met Don Julio on the little minibus to Chinandega. Julio was an incredibly smart man whom I interviewed extensively during the whole ride and much later throughout the night. I would say he is about 55 years old and had the typical lined gold teeth abundant in the region. He is a bit dark skinned and seemed a genuine, honest, hard working Nicaraguan man. As we rode, we got to know eachother. It was about 7P.M. and we had a long night ahead of us. Julio began talking about the road we were on. In Nicaragua, it was a highway but it was a rock road; not dirt, not mud, ROCK. We were jumping up and down the whole way to Chinandega because it was unpaved. He told me the story of how Venezuela funded the road to be paved and the Nicaraguan government stole the money and it was simply never finished. He talked about the governments of Nicaragua from the 45 year dictatorship to the Sandinista movement to the "democratically" elected thieves the country has had since Violeta Chamorro in the early 90's. He isn't exactly for Daniel Ortega (the leftist ex-sandinista from the 80's) but he says he's the only viable option right now for the country. Most people here trust that this guy will actually pull Nicaragua out of "poverty". On the list of countries in the western hemisphere, it is second to last only after Haiti (the poorest country in the Americas), yet Nicaragua is extremely modern and western. I asked Julio how this was possible. He explained to me that Nicaragua produces NOTHING and pretty much exports NOTHING. It's GDP is 900,000 dollars which is practically NOTHING. Everything in Nicaragua is foreign. The roads are built by Japan or Taiwan or Korea. The oil is sent by Venezuela or Ecuador. The meat comes from Argentina and so on. Most of it for free! Simply donated. Venezuela has just offered to begin selling oil for 25% of the price only because Nicaragua cannot afford it. In El Salvador, gas for your car costs $3.06 a liter! and in Nicaragua it was about .90 cents a liter. Still more expensive than in Puerto Rico's .60 cents a liter but nonetheless, cheaper than the rest of Central America. Don Julio talked about his affairs in Honduras and Costa Rica and how he smuggles people across borders for better lives. In the middle of that conversation, Adam (the guy who is travelling with me) tells me he just shit his pants and he feels sick. He got the bad diarrhea but he couldn't hold it on the bus and told me how there was a 2 inch terd squishing itself with his thighs and butt cheeks. Could it get any more ridiculously uncomfortable. I had a headache, I was hungry, I've got an American on a Nicaraguan bus shitting his pants (I was telling everyone he was Canadian from Toronto to avoid any anti-american bashing) and I was trying to pay attention to Don Julio's interesting stories. Once we arrived, Julio was kind enough to help with directions in Chinandega to take my next bus and even showed me where there was a gas station mini mart to go to the ATM and get money. Adam went to the bathroom and shit on the walls.. As he did that, I had bought myself french fries, a fanta, a hot dog and a redbull (I had not eaten for 12 hours) when I went into the minimart. Once I walked out, there were 2 kids standing in front of me staring at me straight in the eyes. You had to be there. They broke my heart. I went back to Don Julio with just a red bull. I couldn't eat that food in front of those hungry kids so I gave them my food and really almost made me cry to see them fight for the fries. The fry box (I mean, who has ever talked about the thing you put fries in) was ripped apart. In my backpack I had an extra coke. It was warm, but I was sure it would do. I ran back to the children and gave them the coke. There was a guy there that was looking over them and came over to tell me how some people are sent by God to help the misfortunate. As much as I'm not religious and don't really believe in God as most people do, I had to keep myself from breaking down. I WAS JUST HUNGRY and wasn't expected to be put in that position. All things happen for a reason. Anyway, Don Julio was waiting outside and Adam was out of the bathroom. Julio asked me if I wanted to take a taxi from Chinandega straight to Granada (a 4 hour drive) and I asked him how much it would cost me. He said $30 and he would stay on the way there and the driver would continue on to Granada. I could not believe it. It was as if karma was on my side and this man had just dropped from the sky. I did not have to go to Leon and find a hotel and sleep in a shady town and deal with 3 bus rides the next morning. I could just arrive in Granada that evening at around 1A.M. and have a good nights sleep. On the way to Granada, they stopped in Leon for us to see the cathedral, and then we stopped at a little restaurant on the highway to Managua where I ate a DELICIOUS churrasco with rice and tostones for $2.00. The restaurant was blasting Reggaton music and all the kids were asking me if I was Italian. When I said I was from Puerto Rico, they started asking me if I knew Daddy Yankee and if it was possible for them to meet him! It was quite funny. We left soon after and continued on our way. By the time we got to Managua, it was about midnight. Managua was well lit, and the area that I drove through was very beautiful. The call it "La Cara de la Suegra" which means, the mother in laws face. Julio told me the reason they call it that is because when you have your mother in law over, you clean the house and show the nicest side to her. Behind that living area, you have the ugly aunts and grandmothers waiting for the mother in law to leave so they can come out. So basically, it was the nice part of town and they were showing us the pretty area so we wouldn't judge Managua. I had already made up my mind. Nicaragua was amazing and I was loving every second of it. As we left Managua, we approached a town called Masaya (where Julio would be dropped off). I said goodbye and he gave me his number so that he can hook me up with a place by the sea at the end of the month. I thanked him for everything and we said goodbye. The drive to Granada was only about 20 more minutes and I was thankful to finally arrive. When I got to the "Bearded Monkey" (the name of the hostel) they had no beds available! Just my luck! They offered me a hammock to sleep on though and I gladly took it. The hostel has a gorgeous colonial courtyard in the center with hammocks encircling the courtyard. It's a beautiful place but I have not explored Granada.. I have met tons of children and done amazing things. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve so I'm off to explore Granada and see who I meet and what kids I play with.. I'm looking forward to it. Sorry about not posting pics here but the computers in Nicaragua are slow and it would take forever to upload them. I'll upload them when I go to Costa Rica in about 10 days. Until the next posting my friends!