Public Transport Safety 101
Taxis: You hail a taxi and jump in. Often the driver will stop and pick up others on the way if the hailer is going in a vaguely similar direction, so you squish up and fit in the extra bodies (sometimes entire small families). Still can’t work out at what point to pay, some pay after the journey, some pay when they get in and others just seem to thrust the money into the drivers hands whilst his other hand is on his phone when careering across a road (where I STILL cannot work out who’s right of way it is!?). Sometimes even though you got in first, the driver will go another route (which is clearly the opposite direction to your destination) to drop another passenger off first, this could happen a couple of times before you finally get to where you are going! But, you pay for per seat and for 30p to pretty much anywhere in Masaya you can’t really complain! It is however, always entertaining to ask a taxi driver for a price for a destination before we get in (as they often attempt to dupe foreigners!) Once quoted a specific price and sat in the taxi the driver will ask “where are you going again?!”
Buses: Simple concept that I’m pretty sure the Guinness book of records should be made aware of: cram in everyone and anyone where ever and when ever you can – the bus conductors have an incredible perception of capacity! The smaller “micro” buses, like a small mini bus that have 16 seats, usually fit around 25 in and the conductors constantly hang out of the window shouting the names of destinations at lightening speed! “MasayaMasayaManaguaMasayaManagua Masayaaaaaaa! Took a while to grasp hearing the names they are so fast. And when it is full – they convince people at the next bus stops that there is room, often luring one or two to cram in further. Again though, a 2 hour bus journey half way across the country for around £1 is not bad... It is amazing how some of the buses are missing a large proportion of the floor in parts (Dani tells me she got on a bus before Christmas which had a precariously made paper thin rusting metal floor – BUT worry not because it had banging new speakers complete with loud reggaeton music and plenty of signs declaring, to our relief, that “Jesus had blessed this bus” we certainly hoped so!)
There appears to be little governance with public transport though: the only evidence are a few people dotted about in orange jackets in the bus stations who check the correct number of people are on the micro buses and to ensure no one is hanging out of the door/window shouting for more spaces to be filled – this is easily overcome. Either, the driver just ignores them and drives by winding up their tinted windows so they can’t see in OR the bus leaves at ‘legal’ capacity and just picks more people up on its way out! Either way, the sardine concept and shouting out appears to prevail.
Oh yes... and all buses, taxis, cars and motorbikes fill up at the petrol station with their engines running throughout... I know we don’t do that in the UK but I’m pretty sure this is dangerous for one reason or another. Anyone?
Shops: No such thing as queuing in most places. Bustling and pushing with no sense of who was first. Amazingly when being served in busy shops on a few occasions the checkout worker will often stop for a minute or two to answer a call or text someone back. Customer service is VERY different than the UK is perhaps used to!
But the best bit about it all... no one bats an eye lid, no one complains or says a bad word as no one even notices, it is simply part of a much more relaxed way of life. I think perhaps an outlook in which we could learn from in our usually busy, perfectly planned and timely executed daily schedules.
You also get very personal relationships with people who provide services and goods on a regular basis. You know and trust well your barber, local farmer, bread maker, local molino, fabric maker, doctor etc, there is a real sense of community.
Highlights from the last month include:
Finding a SUBWAY: quite possibly the most exciting “food moment” to date!
Finding a book shop with a whole section of various books in English: I have started reading a few classics which I missed out on at school, literature on climate change and some children’s books in Spanish (in hope to improve my reading and writing!) Dani has been reading several Spanish books and was disappointed to find out that the well known Nicaraguan author of one of the books she was reading was at the same book shop for a signing the night before!
Living with nature generally!
We recently removed one MUCH bigger than this!
Meet 'Batty' our new resident - unfortunately due to health reasons we spent an afternoon waving a broom at him until he found another home!
Going to the Taekwondo ITF Central American Championships: We didn’t compete but went along for the day where we watched the competitors whom were mostly from Nicaragua and a few from Costa Rica too! The kids were of a very good standard – fast legs, flexible kicks and not afraid to get ‘stuck in’! The adults had some very impressive black belts in the final rounds too! Upon buying t-shirts as a souvenir we asked who organised the event, before we knew it the t-shirt guy had fetched to meet us the Master VII Degree who invited us to train at his ITF club right here in Masaya. Fantastic!
For the TKDers out there: Look familiar? One of the rings at the competetion
We started training a couple of weeks ago and let’s just say that the last time I sweated that much was a UK squad session in the middle of summer! The Master actually fetched a mop half way through the lesson where he attended to the slippery puddle on the floor where we had been training! The style of TKD is very similar with some slight variations on technique (which I’m sure we will have fun discussing in the pub after a training session once back in the UK). There is a LOT of stretching and kicking and fewer patterns and the instruction is something we simply wouldn’t allow here, i.e. the instructor hitting children with the kicking paddles to ‘encourage them’, un-sheathing a knife he keeps nearby to again ‘encourage’ students to perform more efficiently! Oh and generally turning-kicking the students. Old school and fantastic! Oh and Mr Crisp (and anyone else who has had this debate!)... you will be pleased to hear that they pronounce Eui Am “we am” and not “U am” ... I will say nothing more!
Washing our doboks ready for training
The Laguna de Apoyo (again): this really is a gorgeous place, this time we took a packed lunch and read our books in the sun, relaxed, had a dip and sun bathed on the floating wooden platforms 30 feet out into the lagoon and took kayaks out into the water – a well needed rest!
The day that awful earthquake and tsunami hit Japan we had a number of personal tsunami warnings: the first was from Dani’s step mum very early in the morning.. “I don’t want you to worry, but there might be a tsunami heading your way” and my Dad, rather bluntly, “Tsunami heading your way, 6 hours from now”... thanks Dad! The whole Pacific coast was put on high alert, with whole towns evacuated. It was incredible how many bikini clad (and rather stupid) foreigners were shown on Nicaraguan TV being marched off beaches by officials on the Pacific Coast after ignoring initial warnings. Thankfully the tsunami was hardly noticed at all in Nicaragua....
Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the catastrophe in Japan.
Upcoming plans
TOP RIGHT - Destination ... The RAAN
We’re going “off grid” for 2 weeks to the RAAN (Region Autonoma Atlantico Norte - the North Atlantic Autonomous Region) of Nicaragua, on a trip with the Energy Ministry to look at several renewable energy projects in isolated communities. This part of the country is dominated by 20,000km2 of protected rainforest (apparently the largest north of the Amazon), is home to Mayangna and Miskito populations, is where rivers are more common than roads, communications are extremely limited, and where, according to my lonely planet guide, “cocaine dollars” have done a great deal to fill the development gap. We’re really excited about seeing the “other side” of Nicaragua – learning about another culture, and of course how they are getting on with solar energy. Will post some photos and an update soon!
Solar panel installation in one of the communities Dani is working with
Some shout outs
Thank you everyone for your emails and facebook messages – keep them coming, we like to hear all the news / gossip! We’re both missing the oddest of things at the moment: like carpet under our feet and cold weather. On the up side it is very easy to give certain things up for Lent: Dani has given up hot showers and proper cups of tea! I have given up Xbox! (The PS2s in the local gaming shop don’t count!)
Unit 50 (and now unit 51 as well?!): we are thinking of you working those long (and possibly quite cold!) days in the unit packing, sorting, sifting, boxing, categorizing, labelling and moving everything ready for the big day!
Loading day: we will be thinking of you all and wishing you good weather for the big day! :)
Laguna De Masaya - just a 10 minute walk from our house
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