Finally, a chicken bus. I had no choice. It is the onlty bus heading to Playa Jiquililo. I am waiting in the little market and slowly collect food and water for the trip. There appear to be only 3 of us waiting but when the bus appears, it fills very quickly. Just before the bus leaves, a young boy appears and asks me if the seat next to me is taken. He then call to his mother (grandmother?) who arrives with a a white plastic bag filled with raw meat which she puts on the floor in front of her. I have given her the window seat to avoid the sun. He then passes her a huge plastic bag which she holds on her lap. She opens it and gives him little plastic purses, hairbands, plastic combs to sell. He does a few turns up and down the aisles. The aisles are swarming with vendors selling food, drinks, batteries, razors, watches, q-tips, etc. He returns, gives her his earnings and she gives him a stack of DVDs. He goes off again. Each time he returns, he asks me for something. Give me your watch. Give me your water. He is not begging. He is demanding. Finally the sales are over. He squeezes past me and takes his place by the window.
Playa Jiquililo is on a peninsula in the far northwest of Nicaragua. The beach stretches for miles. It is very undeveloped. The countryside is arid and dusty. I see many citrus trees. They look dead - all dry wood and thorns. But there is fruit hanging on the branches.
The bus drops me off at my hotel: Rancho Tranquilo. I don't know what to expect. What I do find is a budget resort owned and run by an American from San Francisco. She is very talkative and introduces me to everyone there. I have my own bungalow - a well built cabin with a very high thatch roof and cement floor. A sagging double bed with a mosquito net. Lights and a fan. But alas, I have to share the bathroom. No ensuites here. We are right on the beach. The food is vegetarian. Tina, the owner says she wants no meat on her property. She is a woman in her late 40s. She smokes constantly and smells of alcohol. She tells me she is an extrovert but that her boyfriend is overwhelmed by many people so he is building them a house further away. She tells me he was a Navy "Seal". He looks like a musician who could play for the Grateful Dead. He has a full long and straight grey beard.
Meals are by vote. You put your choice on the white board and the most voted for choice gets served. So I am not sure what I am having for supper.
The bus drops me off at my hotel: Rancho Tranquilo. I don't know what to expect. What I do find is a budget resort owned and run by an American from San Francisco. She is very talkative and introduces me to everyone there. I have my own bungalow - a well built cabin with a very high thatch roof and cement floor. A sagging double bed with a mosquito net. Lights and a fan. But alas, I have to share the bathroom. No ensuites here. We are right on the beach. The food is vegetarian. Tina, the owner says she wants no meat on her property. She is a woman in her late 40s. She smokes constantly and smells of alcohol. She tells me she is an extrovert but that her boyfriend is overwhelmed by many people so he is building them a house further away. She tells me he was a Navy "Seal". He looks like a musician who could play for the Grateful Dead. He has a full long and straight grey beard.
Meals are by vote. You put your choice on the white board and the most voted for choice gets served. So I am not sure what I am having for supper.
No comments:
Post a Comment