We just finished out Final camp. The camp served as our last visit to Topochcalli, which has been our countryside base for the majority of our trip. Our departure is to be early in the morning on December 4th, one week away.
The camp was bittersweet. We discussed many of our most pressing issues such as: Workplaces in Canada, Life in Canada (For the Nica´s), fundraising; and of course, our trip from Somoto to Prince Albert. Although the camp was very helpful in answering our many questions on these topics, it really brought home the fact that our time in Nicaragua is at an end.
The funny strange part is that following the camp all of my feelings and attitudes changed regarding my place in Somoto. Upon our return to town tonight I felt, once again, like a tourist. My room no longer feels like my room and I no longer feel like a member of the household, but like a guest who has overstayed his welcome. I´m starting to realise just how hard it is going to be to leave Somoto. I now understand why CWY prepped us for culture shock upon return. Not because we would be unajusted to Canadian Life, but because we will be leaving a place and lifestyle (possibly forever) which has become so familiar and dear to us. Jeez that´s sappy.
Anyway, so I plan to have a great last week. I´m going to fully enjoy all of our most frequented areas, take tons of pictures, and say goodbye to all my new Nicaraguan friends. I´ll try to post again before I leave, as I realise this is a terrible blog post and I don´t want it to be my last in Nicaragua.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Cross Country Voyage..
Our cross-country trip to Montelimar was fantastic. I´ll give you a little runthrough.
Although the final destination was Montelimar, we stopped at an additional 3 destinations to sightsee. These stops ended up being the highlight of the trip.
We set out from Somoto at 4:ooAM, beginning a long treck across Nicaragua to the historic city of Granada. We arrived in Granada at 8:30 or so and were given about an hour to wander. Granada has been the Nicaraguan destination which I have been the most keen to visit, and it was easily the most disappointing. VERY touristy. I saw more white tourists than I did local Nicaraguans. All the prices were in American dollars. It made me feel like a tourist, which I hate. All this aside, Granada is a beautiful city (The little that we saw). We started our sightseeing at the large Cathederal and finished at the massive Lake Nicaragua. Lots of statues, canons, and ancient buildings along the way.
We continued on to the town of Catarina, elevated over Granada and the Lake. Another tourist destination, but definitely one worth visiting. The streets are lined with artists selling their goods. Lots of tacky stuff among which is some cool pottery and woodwork. The town´s Mirador (lookout or viewpoint) faces Granada and a gigantic lagoon directly below Catarina. Very picturesque.
We left Catarina for our primary destination, Montelimar. The resort was huge. We spent all of our time feasting on the free food and swimming on the beach. It was amazing to have such a variety of food. Surprisingly, there isn´t much to say about Montelimar itself, beyond the fact that it was a very relaxing experience.
We left the resort at 2:00PM the following day. On our way to the final destination, Leon. The road was very rough. Sometimes the bus drove on the shoulder because it was in better condition than the road itself. We arrived in Leon at 4:00, with little sunlight remaining in the day.
Leon and Granada are the two of the most historically significant cities in Nicaragua. Their significance in history was primarily political : Leon being the most liberal concentration in Nicaragua, and Granada being the most conservative. The two cities were constantly opposing each other. Whenever there was a change in government the capital city changed between the two. Both of the cities have been the capital of Nicaragua several times. Eventually, in the mid 1800´s, the neutral city of Managua was chosen as the permanent capital city.
Anyway, Leon has easily been my favourite location in Nicaragua. It has the history of Granada, without the tourists. The city gave off a friendly, welcoming vibe. We spent the spare time we had viewing the breathtaking Cathederal, and strolling through the streets. The Cathederal and its grounds were littered with large lion statues, which seem to be the cities primary symbol. My best pictures to date have come from our visit to Leon (it helped that we had a beautiful sunset).
We left at 5:30 to suffer the remaining 4 hours of our trip, with the bus arriving home at 10:00.
What a fantastic trip. Spanning western nicaragua, we were finally able to experience the geographical diversity which the country has to offer. I would love to come back and spend some more time in Leon and Granada. Granada deserves a second chance, and Leon is a city which simply needs to be explored.
The Drive itself was an interesting experience. Spanning from the mountainous area of Madriz to the picturesque region around Granada, along the Pacific ocean, and back up to the volcanic lowlands of Leon. I feel much better knowing that my time in Nicaragua was not limited to Madriz and the mountainous highlands, however beautiful they are.
Although the final destination was Montelimar, we stopped at an additional 3 destinations to sightsee. These stops ended up being the highlight of the trip.
We set out from Somoto at 4:ooAM, beginning a long treck across Nicaragua to the historic city of Granada. We arrived in Granada at 8:30 or so and were given about an hour to wander. Granada has been the Nicaraguan destination which I have been the most keen to visit, and it was easily the most disappointing. VERY touristy. I saw more white tourists than I did local Nicaraguans. All the prices were in American dollars. It made me feel like a tourist, which I hate. All this aside, Granada is a beautiful city (The little that we saw). We started our sightseeing at the large Cathederal and finished at the massive Lake Nicaragua. Lots of statues, canons, and ancient buildings along the way.
We continued on to the town of Catarina, elevated over Granada and the Lake. Another tourist destination, but definitely one worth visiting. The streets are lined with artists selling their goods. Lots of tacky stuff among which is some cool pottery and woodwork. The town´s Mirador (lookout or viewpoint) faces Granada and a gigantic lagoon directly below Catarina. Very picturesque.
We left Catarina for our primary destination, Montelimar. The resort was huge. We spent all of our time feasting on the free food and swimming on the beach. It was amazing to have such a variety of food. Surprisingly, there isn´t much to say about Montelimar itself, beyond the fact that it was a very relaxing experience.
We left the resort at 2:00PM the following day. On our way to the final destination, Leon. The road was very rough. Sometimes the bus drove on the shoulder because it was in better condition than the road itself. We arrived in Leon at 4:00, with little sunlight remaining in the day.
Leon and Granada are the two of the most historically significant cities in Nicaragua. Their significance in history was primarily political : Leon being the most liberal concentration in Nicaragua, and Granada being the most conservative. The two cities were constantly opposing each other. Whenever there was a change in government the capital city changed between the two. Both of the cities have been the capital of Nicaragua several times. Eventually, in the mid 1800´s, the neutral city of Managua was chosen as the permanent capital city.
Anyway, Leon has easily been my favourite location in Nicaragua. It has the history of Granada, without the tourists. The city gave off a friendly, welcoming vibe. We spent the spare time we had viewing the breathtaking Cathederal, and strolling through the streets. The Cathederal and its grounds were littered with large lion statues, which seem to be the cities primary symbol. My best pictures to date have come from our visit to Leon (it helped that we had a beautiful sunset).
We left at 5:30 to suffer the remaining 4 hours of our trip, with the bus arriving home at 10:00.
What a fantastic trip. Spanning western nicaragua, we were finally able to experience the geographical diversity which the country has to offer. I would love to come back and spend some more time in Leon and Granada. Granada deserves a second chance, and Leon is a city which simply needs to be explored.
The Drive itself was an interesting experience. Spanning from the mountainous area of Madriz to the picturesque region around Granada, along the Pacific ocean, and back up to the volcanic lowlands of Leon. I feel much better knowing that my time in Nicaragua was not limited to Madriz and the mountainous highlands, however beautiful they are.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Mountains...
The last week has been jam packed with activities. I hope I can remember an adequate amount of detail about the best events. Should have brought my Journal along with me to the Internet Cafe.
The First event was an excursion to the countryside, facilitated by one of the INPRHU employees who we´re familiar with. He wanted to show us some of the Petroglyphs which can be found in the mountains outside of Somoto. The event turned out to be focussed less on the Petroglyphs and more on the journey to the location. We drove to the base of a mountain nearby Somoto, and he lead us up to the top. Beautiful view. I snapped some photographs, but they never quite do the landscape justice. The Petroglyphs consisted of a number of bowl shape indents in rocks on top of the mountain. They were used for storing food/water, and bathing. I have a good picture of Josue lying back in one of the bath shaped indentations. The climb down was the most exciting part of the excursion. The guide decided that instead of backtracking along the well used trail, it would be a better idea to bushwhack down the side of the mountain. The trip down the mountain added just enough adventure to make the excursion a complete success. I ended up being covered by big nasty ants which stung like hornets and left marks which still remain, more than a week later.
Earlier in this blog I posted a picture of Somoto, the backdrop being a large mountain. Since the beginning of our stay in Somoto it has been our objective to climb to the top of the mountain. I´m happy to say that this Saturday we were able to do just that. Two of our Somoto contacts were able to get us a guide.For the past couple of weeks the weather has been quite ugly in Somoto. Rainy and Cold. Saturday was not an exception.
We set off at 6:00AM, walking all the way to the base of the mountain and it quickly started to sprinkle as we arrived. We climbed for a couple of hours, and quickly the sprinkle turned into a downpour. Soon we were all soaked to the core along with our backpacks, everything they contained, and our shoes. However, we had waited too long to achieve our goal. We persevered. Soon the path disappeared and we found ourselves climbing up a very steep and muddy incline. We made it within a couple hundred feet of the summet and the muddy path literally began to fall away under our feet. A couple of us chose to continue, and a couple to stay behind. I stayed behind. The entire time the mountain had been enveloped in fog, only clearing for a couple of minutes while we waited for the rest of the group. The view of Somoto was fantastic, everything antlike. The elevation of the mountain is something around 5000 feet. Our climb back down was extremely muddy and wet (constant rain). Upon our return to Somoto we were soaked and dirty, but we accomplished the feat! Easily one of the most extreme activities which we´ve attempted during our stay in Nicaragua.
Tomorrow is the 47th anniversary of the creation of our province, Madriz. Somoto, being the capital of Madriz, is also the centre of celebrations. For the past week or so there have been celebrations at the Central Park, including music and food. Although the celebrations last throughout the month, the big days are tomorrow and the Carnaval on the 28th. Tomorrow we hope to view a Rodeo, go to the little fair that they have set up, and enjoy some of the food which is sold via vendors on the street. Anyway, I´m being rushed to leave. Meeting in a matter of minutes at INPRHU. I´ll post after Montelimar (this sunday) with details about the festivities, and our trip to Granada and Leon. Ahhh! No time to read over what I wrote here.
The First event was an excursion to the countryside, facilitated by one of the INPRHU employees who we´re familiar with. He wanted to show us some of the Petroglyphs which can be found in the mountains outside of Somoto. The event turned out to be focussed less on the Petroglyphs and more on the journey to the location. We drove to the base of a mountain nearby Somoto, and he lead us up to the top. Beautiful view. I snapped some photographs, but they never quite do the landscape justice. The Petroglyphs consisted of a number of bowl shape indents in rocks on top of the mountain. They were used for storing food/water, and bathing. I have a good picture of Josue lying back in one of the bath shaped indentations. The climb down was the most exciting part of the excursion. The guide decided that instead of backtracking along the well used trail, it would be a better idea to bushwhack down the side of the mountain. The trip down the mountain added just enough adventure to make the excursion a complete success. I ended up being covered by big nasty ants which stung like hornets and left marks which still remain, more than a week later.
Earlier in this blog I posted a picture of Somoto, the backdrop being a large mountain. Since the beginning of our stay in Somoto it has been our objective to climb to the top of the mountain. I´m happy to say that this Saturday we were able to do just that. Two of our Somoto contacts were able to get us a guide.For the past couple of weeks the weather has been quite ugly in Somoto. Rainy and Cold. Saturday was not an exception.
We set off at 6:00AM, walking all the way to the base of the mountain and it quickly started to sprinkle as we arrived. We climbed for a couple of hours, and quickly the sprinkle turned into a downpour. Soon we were all soaked to the core along with our backpacks, everything they contained, and our shoes. However, we had waited too long to achieve our goal. We persevered. Soon the path disappeared and we found ourselves climbing up a very steep and muddy incline. We made it within a couple hundred feet of the summet and the muddy path literally began to fall away under our feet. A couple of us chose to continue, and a couple to stay behind. I stayed behind. The entire time the mountain had been enveloped in fog, only clearing for a couple of minutes while we waited for the rest of the group. The view of Somoto was fantastic, everything antlike. The elevation of the mountain is something around 5000 feet. Our climb back down was extremely muddy and wet (constant rain). Upon our return to Somoto we were soaked and dirty, but we accomplished the feat! Easily one of the most extreme activities which we´ve attempted during our stay in Nicaragua.
Tomorrow is the 47th anniversary of the creation of our province, Madriz. Somoto, being the capital of Madriz, is also the centre of celebrations. For the past week or so there have been celebrations at the Central Park, including music and food. Although the celebrations last throughout the month, the big days are tomorrow and the Carnaval on the 28th. Tomorrow we hope to view a Rodeo, go to the little fair that they have set up, and enjoy some of the food which is sold via vendors on the street. Anyway, I´m being rushed to leave. Meeting in a matter of minutes at INPRHU. I´ll post after Montelimar (this sunday) with details about the festivities, and our trip to Granada and Leon. Ahhh! No time to read over what I wrote here.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Day of the Dead
Just had a very embarassing case of mistaken identity in the street. Thought I had recognised one of our contacts in Somoto, a New Yorker working for the peace corps. `Hey there Matt!´...`Sorry, have we met?´. Whoops, white people are all starting to look the same to me.
Anyway, today is the Day of the Dead in Nicaragua. The Holiday is far from being as I had expected it to be. Early in the morning we made a trip to the cemetary to lay some flowers for Josue´s father. I expected it to be a somber event, but it turned out to be just the opposite. We arrived at the cemetary and it was flooded with people. However, it seemed like more of a festival than a day for respecting your dead loved ones. People had set up stalls outside of the cemetary with food and flowers, and everyone seemed to be in a generally cheery mood. There were even ice cream and candyfloss salesmen walking around inside. We walked through the cemetary and it was like a trip to the grocery store, stopping and having conversations with everyone we recognised. Neat holiday, being able to pay your respects without it being a depressing matter.
I believe that the cemetary was the limit of the festivities, but the day isn´t quite over. It could yet involve some late night church services. I have heard of some Latin American countries who celebrate the event with parades and parties, but apparently Nicaragua doesn´t share in that custom.
Anyway, today is the Day of the Dead in Nicaragua. The Holiday is far from being as I had expected it to be. Early in the morning we made a trip to the cemetary to lay some flowers for Josue´s father. I expected it to be a somber event, but it turned out to be just the opposite. We arrived at the cemetary and it was flooded with people. However, it seemed like more of a festival than a day for respecting your dead loved ones. People had set up stalls outside of the cemetary with food and flowers, and everyone seemed to be in a generally cheery mood. There were even ice cream and candyfloss salesmen walking around inside. We walked through the cemetary and it was like a trip to the grocery store, stopping and having conversations with everyone we recognised. Neat holiday, being able to pay your respects without it being a depressing matter.
I believe that the cemetary was the limit of the festivities, but the day isn´t quite over. It could yet involve some late night church services. I have heard of some Latin American countries who celebrate the event with parades and parties, but apparently Nicaragua doesn´t share in that custom.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Countdown...
Already rounding the end of October, and gearing up for a very very busy last month.
Things are well in Somoto, and we´re beginning to prepare our Nicaraguan counterparts for the harsh Canadian winter. We´re currently working on collecting them some warm winter clothes. Although we´re all still enjoying our time in Somoto I know that many of the Canadians, myself included, are very excited for our return to Canada. Yesterday our truck was very very late in picking us up from Machitia. Romain and I spent the good part of an hour discussing all the fantastic meals we´re going to consume upon our return. We went further and talked about our favourite meals to cook, passtime activities, etc. We´re probably not doing ourselves any good discussing these things, but it´s hard to keep your mind off of the diverse foods that are available to us when we´re back home.
Our trip to Montelimar has been postponed until the 7th of November. Apparently the 2nd of November ( The original day of our trip) is the Day of the Dead, and Marta thinks that it would be an important holiday for us to observe. It should be interesting. I have heard of the holiday many times in reference to Latin American countries, but have yet to understand what exactly the day consists of. All I know at this point is that it´s a day for family in which they pay respect to their deceased relatives, friends, etc. I know nothing of the rituals involved. I´ll include some details in my next post.
Our work in Las Cruces has advanced. We have finished the stage of diagnosis, and are working on the finances. I feel good in knowing that the project is progressing as it should. Today we worked on cutting some costs so that it would fit the budget that has been given.
We have some pretty major highlights in the upcoming month. There´s Montelimar, of course; two large festivals/Carnivals on the 11th and the 28th; and a celebration on the 21st in which our group have the opportunity to sing with one of the most famous Nicaraguan musicians, who happens to be a native of Somoto. Not to mention the two excursions that we have planned for some of the larger surrounding communities. There´s no such thing as a dull trip here.
Last Friday we took a truck ride up to the community of La Sabana, wayy wayy up in the mountains. The community hopes to boost its Economic draw through an upcoming advertising campaign. They would like our group to assist them in this advertising. This could include, but might not be limited to, illustrating and painting some of the wooden signs that they´ll be constructing. On our tour of the community we made two stops of significance. One was a coffee producer which grows and roasts their own beans. They hope to be able to set up a cafe where the customer can choose their coffee, have it roasted in front of them, and prepared to drink right there. Sounds like an interesting and unique business idea to me. We got to check out the coffee roaster, and some of the raw coffee beans.
The second stop was farther past the community, ascending even higher into the mountains. The business was a rural hotel, ideal for hitchhikers, or people who just want to enjoy the mountainous Nicaraguan countryside. It was a Western style building and can only room about 7 people, but it doubles as a farm. The owner of the hotel gave us a brief presentation in Spanish
( he appeared to be a simple farmer ) which was translated to us. A Canadian posed a question to him and he broke out in perfect English. By far the best I´ve heard in my stay here. Quite a surprise, and very funny. After he gave us some information about the business we got to check out some of the interesting farm equiptment they had, including a machine that seperates cream and milk ( a demonstration was given ).
Anyway, I´ll post again in the near future, and try not to neglect my postings as I have lately.
Best wishes from Nicaragua!
Things are well in Somoto, and we´re beginning to prepare our Nicaraguan counterparts for the harsh Canadian winter. We´re currently working on collecting them some warm winter clothes. Although we´re all still enjoying our time in Somoto I know that many of the Canadians, myself included, are very excited for our return to Canada. Yesterday our truck was very very late in picking us up from Machitia. Romain and I spent the good part of an hour discussing all the fantastic meals we´re going to consume upon our return. We went further and talked about our favourite meals to cook, passtime activities, etc. We´re probably not doing ourselves any good discussing these things, but it´s hard to keep your mind off of the diverse foods that are available to us when we´re back home.
Our trip to Montelimar has been postponed until the 7th of November. Apparently the 2nd of November ( The original day of our trip) is the Day of the Dead, and Marta thinks that it would be an important holiday for us to observe. It should be interesting. I have heard of the holiday many times in reference to Latin American countries, but have yet to understand what exactly the day consists of. All I know at this point is that it´s a day for family in which they pay respect to their deceased relatives, friends, etc. I know nothing of the rituals involved. I´ll include some details in my next post.
Our work in Las Cruces has advanced. We have finished the stage of diagnosis, and are working on the finances. I feel good in knowing that the project is progressing as it should. Today we worked on cutting some costs so that it would fit the budget that has been given.
We have some pretty major highlights in the upcoming month. There´s Montelimar, of course; two large festivals/Carnivals on the 11th and the 28th; and a celebration on the 21st in which our group have the opportunity to sing with one of the most famous Nicaraguan musicians, who happens to be a native of Somoto. Not to mention the two excursions that we have planned for some of the larger surrounding communities. There´s no such thing as a dull trip here.
Last Friday we took a truck ride up to the community of La Sabana, wayy wayy up in the mountains. The community hopes to boost its Economic draw through an upcoming advertising campaign. They would like our group to assist them in this advertising. This could include, but might not be limited to, illustrating and painting some of the wooden signs that they´ll be constructing. On our tour of the community we made two stops of significance. One was a coffee producer which grows and roasts their own beans. They hope to be able to set up a cafe where the customer can choose their coffee, have it roasted in front of them, and prepared to drink right there. Sounds like an interesting and unique business idea to me. We got to check out the coffee roaster, and some of the raw coffee beans.
The second stop was farther past the community, ascending even higher into the mountains. The business was a rural hotel, ideal for hitchhikers, or people who just want to enjoy the mountainous Nicaraguan countryside. It was a Western style building and can only room about 7 people, but it doubles as a farm. The owner of the hotel gave us a brief presentation in Spanish
( he appeared to be a simple farmer ) which was translated to us. A Canadian posed a question to him and he broke out in perfect English. By far the best I´ve heard in my stay here. Quite a surprise, and very funny. After he gave us some information about the business we got to check out some of the interesting farm equiptment they had, including a machine that seperates cream and milk ( a demonstration was given ).
Anyway, I´ll post again in the near future, and try not to neglect my postings as I have lately.
Best wishes from Nicaragua!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Somoto Canyon
This past Sunday the group payed a visit to Somoto Canyon. The Canyon is the primary tourist draw for Somoto, and possibly the entire province of Madriz. I can see why, it´s nothing short of beautiful.
We began with one of those bumpy truck-bed rides down a back road, actually driving through a river at one point. We got to the Canyon, where there were boats to rent for 20 cordoba a person. We rented two, and paddled further up the Canyon. After a while we reached a small shoreline where a couple Nicaraguans were renting out inner tubes and acting as guides (for another 40 Cordoba per person, of course). We spent the afternoon splashing and paddling our way up the Canyon. The Further we went, the more narrow and beautiful it got. There were all sorts of interesting bats, birds, and spiders. If you sat back on your inner tube and looked up you got a fantastic view of the forest, growing over the edge of the Canyon.
Fantastic trip. We´re going to attempt to plan another one sometime in the near future.
On Saturday Josue and I had our EAD day, and it went perfectly! Our guest speakers all showed up (although some of them were very late) and gave great presentations. We then took a trip to the water treatment facility (which I actually missed, because I was helping with the food). Followed by the best part, our dinner. While everyone else was off at the water treatment facility Lake and I drank rum & coke´s and helped out with the food. Later in the night it changed from an EAD activity (the purpose was to analyse the effect a meal has on the environment) to a party. Great time. I´m sure my EAD evaluation will go quite well :P
My work situation is ever changing. I have once again shifted communities, this time back to Las Cruces. We´re now working in two groups of counterparts. Ariane, Carmen, Jorges, and me. I hope this is the last switch, as I´m dying to get some real work done within our community.
We began with one of those bumpy truck-bed rides down a back road, actually driving through a river at one point. We got to the Canyon, where there were boats to rent for 20 cordoba a person. We rented two, and paddled further up the Canyon. After a while we reached a small shoreline where a couple Nicaraguans were renting out inner tubes and acting as guides (for another 40 Cordoba per person, of course). We spent the afternoon splashing and paddling our way up the Canyon. The Further we went, the more narrow and beautiful it got. There were all sorts of interesting bats, birds, and spiders. If you sat back on your inner tube and looked up you got a fantastic view of the forest, growing over the edge of the Canyon.
Fantastic trip. We´re going to attempt to plan another one sometime in the near future.
On Saturday Josue and I had our EAD day, and it went perfectly! Our guest speakers all showed up (although some of them were very late) and gave great presentations. We then took a trip to the water treatment facility (which I actually missed, because I was helping with the food). Followed by the best part, our dinner. While everyone else was off at the water treatment facility Lake and I drank rum & coke´s and helped out with the food. Later in the night it changed from an EAD activity (the purpose was to analyse the effect a meal has on the environment) to a party. Great time. I´m sure my EAD evaluation will go quite well :P
My work situation is ever changing. I have once again shifted communities, this time back to Las Cruces. We´re now working in two groups of counterparts. Ariane, Carmen, Jorges, and me. I hope this is the last switch, as I´m dying to get some real work done within our community.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Nicaragua, Part 2...
Well, we're now officially into the second part of our Nicaraguan phase. Our orientation camp lasted Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. We spent the three days working out some problems that we have within our program, eating good food, reading, and participating in various team building activities.
A productive camp, and a good break from life in Somoto. I went back yesterday re-energized and ready to continue work.
I don't really have any updates, or en
ough time to write a thorough post, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to post a couple more pictures.
I took this picture today. Boiling hot and sunny.
My short short hair. This was taken
at our favourite bar, Don Chu´s.
A view down one of the streets
in Somoto. The mountains in the background surround the entire city.
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