Part Two

22/01/07 We used up the rest of our vacation time, and quit our jobs. No, we have not regained sanity. Still moving to Nicaragua. Might as well, there is a forty foot container of our crap and a couple of stationary engines from India on their way to La Dalia. We close on the sale of my house in one week. And have a renter lined up for my wife’s house.

One month later; Some medical issues have added them selves into our time line. A trip last week back to the finca gave me such a boost. All the fun of moving; dealing with realtors, buyers, shippers, packers was getting to me. My dear wife insisted that I go check on the place. I found it quite difficult to argue. I threw some clothes in a bag and left the next day. As soon as I walked out of the door at Sandino airport, the smell of Nicaragua filled my head. That tight muscle in my neck started to ease and a broad smile crept across my weary frown. The smile did not leave my face for over a week,

You can bad mouth the FSLN all you want, but the road from Sebaco to Matagalpa is getting rebuilt. Not just filled; graded, widened, drain pipes… rebuilt. My kidneys are pleased. And as my proud neighbor was quick to show, Claro now has cell service in La Dalia. Being that the phone line ends about a KM or two from us, this also is good.

On the drive to La Dalia most of the trucks coming out of the mountains were straining from the loads of coffee a few had taro and other crops. A higher than usual amount of break downs- repair jobs going on and beside the road.

The finca was overgrown, but intact. Cesário,the caretaker had kept the area around the house clear but six months of growth was everywhere else. The oranges and mandarins were ripe, as were plantains and bananas. The teak trees had grown a couple of feet. The spring that feeds the house was running slow, down to about 5 gallons a day. That is rather disappointing, but municipal water is available. A sudden rain revealed the roof in the kitchen is leaking more, last of the rusty zinc roofing. I’ll save that for later use. The concrete roof tiles are quieter and can be replaced from inside if need be.

The seller took the gas stove so Cesário, the caretaker, built one out of scrap wood and mud. Works quit well, great gallo pinto and tostones with a smoky flavor, and when you are asked if you want some milk…be prepared…way hot with about a quarter cup of sugar and a coffee bean dipped in it.

This was after my first night at the finca, we had always stayed at the hotel out side of town. Of course the darkness comes on like some one flipped a switch off, but it also turns on the bug noise. The sound was wonderful; there is even a bug that sounds just like the power outage alarm on my computer, the one that drives the dogs nuts. Fire flies everywhere, dozens of then flitting about. The local frogs joined in to complete the chorus. It was marvelous. A light rain started, it was that 'no light at all' kind of black out, I decide to make a dash to the truck for a battery. I made it to the truck just got the door open and my little friends( those tiny little ants that look just like the sugar ants back home) found me. Only two of them nailed me and the reaction was much milder than last time, but far from pleasant. I foolishly thought the little buggers would be asleep, guess they have a night shift too. So many lessons to learn. Cesário and I watched a Marx brothers movie in Spanish with the English subtitles on my lap top. He loved it too, we had common ground with “Duck Soup” .

The next day my neighbor Don Galvino took me to La Dalia to meet the mayor. My Spanish sucks but we managed to get a few things communicated, he gave me his home number and said to call if I need any assistance. Of course I had my best Sandino tee shirt on, couldn’t hurt . He does seem like a genuinely good man, he hooked the prior owner up with 1000 cacao seeds for free. And they are doing quite well, about two more years they should get pods.

When I left La Dalia to go back to Managua, Don Galvino asked for a ride to Matagalpa. He hit me up for $500 C, my crappy Spanish/hand gestures I think he is getting me a cell phone, or having lunch. I’ll find out next week when I return.

I turned fifty a couple of months back and in all my years I have never met more genuinely nice people than I have in Nicaragua.