On street parking
Submitted by Nicaman on Wed, 2010/10/13 - 14:14.
Hey Juanno, Do what I do and have a drink with him!. Nicaman
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De tal palo, tal astilla.A chip off the old block.
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On street parking
Let's forget the horse. A question: is it now usual to go armed in Nicaragua? I hear some stories of horror about violence in Nicaragua. Is it real or just urban legends?
Depends on who you talk to and what you consider armed
I know many Nicaraguans who are armed most of the time, if you consider a machete as being armed. I also know a lot of people who carry firearms when they travel away from the home, and some who carry any time after about 5:00 or 6:00 PM. Personally, I usually have a small knife in my pocket and a heavy wooden cane/walking stick. I rarely visit places that I consider dangerous alone or only with my wife. I don't visit out-of-the-way bars or restaurants after dark. I do carry firearms when I go to the country, or to Managua, but I am also committed to only carrying legally. What that means, among other things, is that I have to think ahead of time where I will be going, as there is a very long list of places you cannot legally carry, including bars, restaurants, theaters, churches, sporting events, or basically any place people gather. The main reason I want to think ahead is for example for trips to Managua, if I don't have a place to leave it when I go to a restaurant, I would have to leave it in the car. Sometimes that works, but other times not. As a result, there are many times I am not willing to carry firearms. To put this all in perspective, you also have to know that I am frequently armed when in the USA.
Make no mistake. Violence is on the rise in Nicaragua, especially on the highway, and especially after dark. But I would definitely not make the decision to be or not to be armed based solely on what everyone else says they would do. We old timers have a name for people in the wrong place at the wrong time and unprepared. We call them victims.
On Street parking
Bags55, I'm a gringo and have been going to Nicaragua for 9 years. In all this time I have never had a problem with violence.
I met a lady from Nicaragua in 2001, we fell in love and got married in 2002 in the cathedral in Esteli. I also feel in love with the country and its people and we build at house I plan to retire in near Esteli. We also have a cattle ranch near Las Praderas on the way to Wiwilli. My wife's family has a huge ranch past ours which is where the picture is taken. Their ranch is way out in the country and a 1/2 days ride to the nearest police. As a precaution they carry guns out there for protection. Our house and ranch are also out in the country and we have guns and German Shepards for guard dogs. It's not like in the US where you can call 911 and the police are there in minutes. Out in the country it could take several hours for the police to come so these are just precautions.
You may be surprised to know that you are statistically safer in Nicaragua than in the US and many countries in Europe. The Global Peace Index (GPI) and Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) which monitor close to 200 countries worldwide rated Nicaragua as the second safest country in Central America in 2009 and 2010 respectively. These agencies monitor such things as armed conflict, organized crime, military expenditures, human rights, kidnappings, rapes and other violent crimes. On the GPI index the U.S. rated 97th safest country behind Nicaragua which comes in at 59th place. EUI rates Nicaragua at 44th place with the US at 103. INCAE, Harvard’s Business School affiliate in Central America, rates Managua as the safest capital city in Latin America with 2.3 intentional homicides for every 100,000 people.
But statics can be deceiving. Even though I feel fairly safe in the US there are places I will not go or things I will not do because of a safety concern. I would not go to Watts in Los Angeles at night because of the violence there. When I go camping in the US I take a gun. There have been too many stories lately about people being attacked while camping. The same is true of Nicaragua. I would not go to some places in Managua at night. You must be alert and prepared and not put yourself in dangerous situations. I would rather carry a gun and not need it than be in a situation where I need one and don't have it. I went to Mexico many years ago (Guyamas) and a gun saved me and my girlfriend’s life but that’s another story. I also remember a single lady blogged a question about going to Nicaragua and asked if it was safe to camp overnight by herself on the beach. I would not recommend that. In the US we have an alarm on our house because we were robbed once. My alarm in Nicaragua is my dogs. My protection is my gun unti lthe police can get there. I know guns are not for everyone but I have been around guns all my life and know how to handle them. My father took me hunting when I was 12. Later I got into building guns, reloading ammunition, target shooting and then the army.
Regarding your comment "I hear some stories of horror about violence in Nicaragua." I'm not sure what you are referring to so some facts/specfices would help. A lot of people make up things based on there own reality and fears which have no truth in reality. When I first started going to Nicaragua my friends said "you'd better be careful, I hear there is a revolution going on down there and people are getting killed." The truth is the revolution was over 30 years ago so check you facts.
If you don't put yourself in dangerous situations, are alert, prepared and use common sense you can be safe wherever you go. Nicaman
Great Response
'Bout sums it up.
A lot of people don't think about personal security until they look at other countries (research for travel or a work move etc).
"I hear some stories of horror about violence in Nicaragua." - Yes, if you read El Nuevo Diaro of La Prensa evrey day, you could scare yourself silly, if you had nothing to benchmark it against or understand the way the news is sometimes written up here.
When it comes to the tourist crimes, they get repeated over and over on buses and in hostels and the same incident begins to sound like it was twenty different people
The US Embassy is (IMO) a little over the top on its warnings, as is Britain (Home Office). Canada is not as bad.
This meeting addressed that a bit with the US Embassy: http://delsurnewsonline.com/2171/business-in-sjds/
Bout sums it up
Juanno, Cheers for you comments.
People need to understand that papers are in the business of selling papers. Selling more papers makes more of a profit. Whenever they write an article about a problem they sell more papers because people are curious and want to hear about the problem. So it doesn't take much to realize that whenever they can they are going to try and find something contorversial or sensational to write about. The same thing with books. Many books take something that may have a small grain of truth attached to it and twist and turn it so it cecomes something sensational so they can sell their books and get rich. My father always said if you know someone and know their intentions you will know a lot about how they conduct their lives.
Concerning the US Embassy if I believed everything they said about foreign countries I would never leave the US. I remember reading the Embassy warnings when I first went to Nicaragua. They said do not travel on back country roads, do not travel at night, do not travel in inclement weather and do not pick up strangers. Well in the last 9 years we do all of these things. My wife is from a town, where our cattle and coffee are, that used to take 5 hours to get to on a dirt road out in the country. This has been cut to 2 1/2 hours now that part of this is paved. Most of the time we are going or comming at night in the rain. On our last trip in August we came to the last bridge as it was getting dark and it was covered with water so we couldn't cross. While looking at the water with the others stranded there we met someone who needed a ride so we said we would take him. There were 4 of us and I had my gun so we thought it was okay. We decided to go another way which took us 7 hours. It was dark, we could hardly see, it was raining like crazy, trees and rocks were falling on the road, we were running out of gas and had no food. Seven hours later we made it home.
I would not recommend this to someone that does not know their way around a country though because this could be dangerous. After awhile when you know your way around a country you know what you can and can't do safely. Nicaman
My Kind Of Adventure
-preferably without my wife.
This is what you'll remember when you're lying in a bed years later, getting ready to die.
You only go around once. Why waste it watching TV ?
Whenever you talk like this
I think I should holiday with your wife while you join my friend who suggested a Calgary to Nicaragua trip by motorcycle. LOL
Tried To Talk
my wife into a motorcycle trip from SoCal to Cabo San Lucas when we were much younger. This at a time when there was no real road in any number of places.
It would have probably destroyed our marriage. We subsequently did the trip (actually did it a few times) in a Toyota Land Cruiser.
Shelley IS a trooper; she just doesn't see the value of dirt and discomfort. She's clearly the smarter of the two of us.
I have this beautiful white and powder blue Harley that I talk about riding to Nicaragua some day. It only has 750 miles on it. If I keep talking -and dreaming- I'll be safe.
Have your Calgary friend stop in Boise on his way south. We're not that far away.
Caballito Chontaleno
Caballito Chontaleno de mi tierra tropical- Corre corre que a la guelta ves aquel canaveral- Ahora vengo satisfecho porque a mi negra he besado- Traigo el corazon deshecho y me siento desmayado- Tierra mia Nicaragua- Otra tierra no te iguala- Pues yo se que no hay chochera- Con mi tierra pinolera.....Don Camilo Zapata. Bonita foto caballero, caballero de fina estampa... Ya me fui pa'l Peru
Hell Of A Lot
better than Google did . .
Thanks
Caballito Chontaleno translation
Caballito= horse on the diminutive as a term of endearment not related to it's size/- Chontaleno= from Chontales Dpt. "where the rivers are of milk and the rocks of cheese"/- De mi tierra tropical= from my tropical land/- Corre, corre que a la guelta (this is how the campesino pronounces the word vuelta ) =run run that at the bend/- Ves aquel canaveral= you see that cane field/- Ahora vengo satisfecho = satisfied here now I go/- Porque a mi negra ( another term of endearment not necessarily related to a particular color) he besado= for I've kissed my honey/- Traigo el corazon deshecho y me siento desmayado= with my heart broken I feel I can't go on/- Tierra mia Nicaragua otra tierra no te iguala= no other land compares to my land Nicaragua/- Pues yo se que no hay chochera con mi tierra pinolera= 'cause I know there is no messing with my pinolera land ( as nicas are also known due to our drink Pinol )/- Don Camilo Zapata , one of our best portrayers of our folklore/- Bonita foto caballero, caballero de fina estampa=nice shot gentleman, gentleman of fine linneage /- Ya me fui pa'l( para el ) Peru =now I've gone to Peru. I said that because the words Caballero de Fina Estampa are the title to a classic song from Peru.
Translation
Can anyone translate this to English? Nicaman
Google Translate Choked
on it:
Caballito Chontaleño my tropical land-Run run that to see that canaveral guelta "Now I come because my black happy I kissed" I've got the heart broken and I feel faint-Earth Nicaragua "Another land mine do not equal" Well, I know no dotage "With my land Pinolero ..... Don Camilo Zapata. Nice shot sir, a gentleman of fine appearance ... Peru pa'l I'm gone
Lee Marvin, is that you?
The movie Cat Ballou (1965) had a scene with a drunken Lee Marvin character seated on his also drunken horse with both leaning against a wall. At the Oscars, Marvin's acceptance speech started with, "Half of this Oscar belongs to a horse someplace out in the valley".
Cat Ballou
sball, Yes I remember the movie and the scene. Very funny. In 1965 thru 1967 I was living in Germany and didn't see the Oscars or the comment. Before I went to Germany though I did live in the San Fernando Valley, north west of Los Angeles, and I believe Marvin's comment about the "valley" was referring to this. Everyone usually refered to it as the "valley". Thanks for the quote I'll remember it.
Also, and I don't remember the year, but I was eating at a small restaurant on the pier in Malibu and Marvin came in with a lady. I don't know if it was his wife or girlfriend and he had a beard. I don't think he wanted to be bothered but I went over and asked for an autograph on the menu. He was nice and obliged. Don't know whatever happened to the menu though. Nicaman
nice photo..
The only minor detail is the cowboy boots...just like Mono Jojoy boots..lol
I love the stance (the horse I mean)
You train him to stand on 3 legs or is he just scratching? (and Nicaman you gotta get out and ride and get that saddle worn in!!) Last time I went out I had a 'razor back' saddle, great horse though, she just wanted to go, tough to keep her back.
Three legged horse
Juanno, The horse actually belongs to my wifes uncle. The family has a huge ranch past Las Praderas on the way to Wiwilli called Hacienda Las Torres. One of the ranch hands trains this horse to do all kinds of things including crossing his leg, kneeling down, etc. I forgot the exact command but when you call it out he crosses his leg. I got a bottle of Flor de Cana we called out the command and thus the picture. Nicaman