Home again

As our friend Eric says "we have definitely won the lottery of life by being born in Canada!"

Going away is exciting but coming home is always a good thing. U.S. customs is ridiculous. These trips always make me really appreciate the things that we tend to take for granted. Like turning on the tap and water actually comes out! or for that matter having a tap to turn on. I can't begin to describe the poverty. We knew that there was a lot of it in Nicaragua but you have no idea until you actually see it first hand and we didn't see the worst of it because we didn't go to the dump in Managua and see the children and families living there. I don't know if I could have handled that. I think you need to build up to it so that you don't have nightmares about those people. Maybe on the next trip we'll go there. There are NGO's who work exclusively at the dump. There is so much need but you can't help them all. We have to concentrate on Cangrejo and the people there for now so that we don't get spread to thin. That's the sad part. The good part is the people are so warm and friendly and the country is beautiful. I would like to go during or just after the wet because I think it would be breathtaking when everything was green and blooming. Going back is definitely on the to do list.

Lisa

Sunrise back North

Ok, too much to think about so i'm just going to ramble.

First, I must say what a pleasure it's been traveling with Dennis and Kris. Kris's Spanish has made thinks much simpler on many occasions, it's almost impossible to find anyone who can speak English here. Without Kris we would have know idea what to order for dinner! Dennis's easy going demeanor makes him the perfect travel companion.

So we've seen the sewing center, got the women excited about getting to work, now they have to find a product and a way to market it to be able to make this sustainable. (we might need to spend a little money here).

Spoken to at least half a dozen different group that are working on projects here in Nicaragua, plenty to be done.

The amount of garbage laying around is amazing, plastic bags and bottles everywhere, the photo above looks quite serene, what you don't see is the "Poison- Keep Out" signs all along the beaches of Lake Nicaragua. It's a sewer!

Dennis mentioned it might be a idea to travel back here next year with a crew to do a face lift on the school at Congrajo. Some paint, shutters for the windows, finish the outhouse, probably 3 hard days for a Northern Crew! Best in January before school starts on February 2.

Also the chance to find a project that we could partner with the Managua - Tiscapa Club or maybe we help with the Santa Rosa club's dental and Eye project!

OK time for a Cafe! Before this trip the only Spanish I knew was Cerveza!

George

George is right, it has been a real pleasure travelling with Dennis and Kris. Early in the trip someone thought that Kris and I were mother and son, we both decided that this was because we were white and had glasses, but I would be his travel mom any time. Dennis was photographer extraodinare and got some amazing pictures. Between all of us we took over 600 photos,most of them Dennis'. If you get the opportunity I strongly suggest you take the time to see them all. I'm sure you will find it worthwhile and I think they will give you a feel for the country. You might be thinking "oh no, vacation photos" but trust me, these aren't your typical vacation photos. We're waiting for it to be time to go to the airport and I have mixed emotions. The poverty here is overwhelming but the people are so open and friendly. There is definitely Spanish lessons in my future although I did add to my small vocabulary while we were here. I think I like waking up to chickens and dogs rather than trucks and cars. I didn't miss the city sounds. Didn't know where to begin and don't know where to end so I'll leave it at that.

Lisa

Yes it is hard to believe 2 weeks have gone by....... most definitely a trip of a lifetime. George, Lisa and Kris have made this experience very enjoyable. We have all developed a great camaraderie and certainly travel at the same speed. Well maybe George gets a head start in the morning and Kris turns out the lights but definitely fun times. I was pretty confident travelling with George and Lisa after numerous hockey and volley ball trips over many years. A special thanks to Kris, tough assignment looking after a gringo Dad but he made this trip special for me.

As George said there are our numerous opportunities for us to continue helping these warm and wonderful people. They truly want better lives but have difficulty meeting their day to day existence needs let alone getting ahead. It seems like the majority of visitors here are coming with an NGO to try and provide assistance. It all makes a difference but such a mountain to climb.

I am very anxious to return home now, sitting in Managua airport waiting ( USA could learn some lessons here about security and politeness) and reflecting.

Gee I like this retirement stuff!!!!

Cheers to all, see you Friday morning

Dennis

Back to Managua

Two and a half blocks on a gravely road and then 300 steps. No wonder the nickname for this place is the stair-master. after doing the laundry we spent the rest of the day on some deserved(we think) relaxation. Eric came by for a refreshment in the late afternoon and told us about his next school project and asked if we would have time to go there on the way to Managua. We will do a slight detour and then stop in the historic town of Granada for a couple hours of sightseeing before ending up in Managua where we will overnight before heading home. It seems like we just got here but it also seems like we have been here for a long time. Looking forward to coming home but also looking forward to coming back. I don't think that the 7 minutes that has been alloted for our presentation will be close to enough time.

Lisa

I'm going to have to debug my computer, literally debug, their are little spider like bugs crawling all over it! Looking forward to another day of touring, Granada is the oldest city in central america, should be a great day!

George

Sitting in the Best Western across the street from the airport in Managua. Can't believe I have to go home tomorrow. Trip up from SJDS was uneventful. Stopped once by the hiway cops but nobody asked for a bribe and no tickets, just a little regular harassment I guess. Granada was pretty cool. Oldest city on the mainland of the western hemisphere. You can see the difference UNESCO money makes if you compare it to Old Havana. Same basic layout as every other Spanish colonial time I have ever been to. Main square bordered by a large Cathedral and small cobble stone streets extending out in quadrants in all directions. Stopped on the lake shore on the way out of town, pretty sleepy on a Monday afternoon and wouldn't want to take a dip in the murky brown water. Now it is just killing time till tomorrow AM when we head across the street to catch that dreaded flight home.

Kris

Just got up from a fine nap!! Getting back into my routine for when we arrive back home. Actually I have either picked up a bug or breathed too much cooking smudge smoke as my lungs are congested and I sound more like an old man than normal. Not to worry, Sandi I am more whine than ill. The last couple of days have been equal to the rest, just in a different way. Very relaxing time at the pool yesterday and late dinner. Up early to meet Eric and Francisco at breakfast. They had come to say goodbye. Francisco from the barrio in Las Delisica on a bike carrying a small gift for us. You could almost see the tears in his eyes as he thanked us, said goodbye, with his Rotary hat clutched in his hand sitting in very high end resort with his Canadian friends. They deserve and appreciate everything we can help them with.

Ten pictures left on a 2gb card so lots of memories to share. Ditto to Granada and the drive here.Early dinner and then hurry up and wait.

Will be nice to be home this is a wonderful experience.

Dennis

Small sidebar, yesterday I had my pack on the floor of the bedroom and when I threw it on the bed to pack it was full of ants. Long process to hunt them all down but so far no bites so I think I won!!

Pelican Eyes

It's 6 am -I'm sitting on the main balcony, (there are 3) watching a 4 masted cruise ship slowly enter the harbor, and a shuttle boat ferrying people ashore. Check the weather icon at home -19. Warm easterly trade wind sifting through the tree tops. (sorry started to sound like a cheap romance novel). This has been a amazing experience, Eric is right when he says Canadians won the lottery of life, we take so much for granted, Ok -40 might not be so great but the poverty here is staggering, 70 % unemployment, dirt floor hovels and yet the people are so warm and friendly. Looking forward to next year's trip back here already!

George

Had a lazy afternoon yesterday. Did some laundry which meant going down to the strip and buying some new t-shirts. Almost blew the budget at US$5.00 each. We then bought some beer and headed back to the room to change into pool wear. Hung out at the pool for a few hours and then back to the room to change for dinner and the super bowl party. Ir you didn't watch the game we're in the same boat. I spent the time people watching because I really don't care much about football -especially American football. Not sure what's on the agenda today. Just relaxing I think. Oh yea almost forgot to add that it's not all fun and games at this hotel. It took us almost exactly 7 minutes to walk down all the stairs from our room to the lobby restaurant last night. I'm going to count them today. There are some costs to get the spectacular views.

Lisa

Good day at the resort. This is a spectacular resort, although I could feel a little guilty when I stop to think of the places we have been and how people live every day only a few hundred metres away. The meal at the Superbowl party was very nice, a whole roasted pork carved in front of us with appy's, desert (bread pudding) and two for one drinks.The crowd was as interesting as the game. Lucky they gave us a ride back up the hill. Some time at the pool today, try and check in with Eric before we go and then Granada/Managua tomorrow.

Always nice to see the comments......Cheers

Dennis

Who Dat! Got to watch the sun go down on Peyton Manning and the Colts as the actual Sun set over the pacific ocean. Congrats to the Saints and the wonderful city of New Orleans on their Super Bowl victory. Great location to watch a football game. It is going to be nice to just relax and hang out today. Spend some time by the pool. Maybe go get one more fix of ice coffee and banana chocolate chip pancakes at El Gatto Negro. Maybe figure out how to stow away on the cruise ship in the harbour so I never have to go back to work.

Kris

Saturday morning seemed to come very early, the band down the street at Irish Bar were easy to listen to but played loud and late. The outside cooking fire next door smoldered all night and our room was right above. Like sleeping in a mosquito smudge. I sounded like I was 80 years old and had smoked a pack a day for life!! We packed up, had breakfast and walked down to El Gatto Negro to visit Kelly ( our driver to Cangrejo) and wait for cabs. When we left the b&b for Remanso, Donna the B&B owner gave us a little warning to be careful where we were headed. Apparently a bit of a rep for hijackings, home invasions and muggings involving machetes etc. All well though as we have been there and returned. We headed out with a little apprehension, 20 minute cab ride on the same dusty rough rode as Cangrejo. Into a rural subdivision where are hotel/resort was located. we were met by Marco and Melida and there 3 children. (Managua Club) Turns out that Melida's family owns the resort and development area. It had been built 6 years ago, but closed for the past 2 years and only re-opened in the last month. A little run down and unkept but a beautiful secluded beach with surf waves and small bar on the water. Francisco showed us to our rooms and we headed into a large open air dining room for lunch. the area was formerly a large ranch and the whole place is decorated with antiques. The furniture was beautiful wood with 10 to 12 foot long tables, carved sideboards, chairs hutches and many ranch artifacts. Very very impressive collection. The Santa Rosa Rotarions began arriving, Marco was driving them out in shifts from SJDS. Also Max (pres. of Managua club) as the lunch and day at the beach was in their honor. We had a great visit with our new Rotary friends. We learned a lot about their dental/eye care clinics which they have been doing for many years. They were also very interested in our Sewing Centre and we have all promised to stay in touch and try and work together in the future. We spent the remainder of the afternoon visiting, walking the beach and even managed up ended in the surf. at the end of the day the Santa Rosa group headed back to SJDS as they fly home Sunday. We watched the sun set on the beach with Marco and family. Once again very spectacular. I am not sure how many sunset pictures I have but they just seem to get better and better. I am going to close off now and let someone else finish up the evening.

I have to comment that the reception we have received here has been exceptional. The world of Rotary is truly a wheel. Everyone is and wants to be connected and we all have the "service above self" attitude. Marco and Melida and there family were wonderful hosts. They shared their stories, appreciation for our help and their love for Nicaragua with us openly. as well they were very keen to learn all they could of Canada. George's hunting and boating pictures left them with mouth's dropped!! Great people!!

Dennis

From a dusty funeral to a posh hilltop resort villa! Our time in Nicaragua is quickly running out. It seems like we have been here quite a while and yet not nearly long enough. The resort In Remanso was nice but fairly secluded. Besides Marco and Melida and their kids, once the Santa Rosa Rotary group left in the afternoon, we were the only ones around. A little spooky at times. Especially after hearing some of the stories various people told us about crime in the area. By contrast our resort in town has a guard in our neighborhood carrying a side arm. That being said I had a great time last night playing with Marco And Melida's youngest daughter while George showed their teenage son pictures of a past hunting trip. Marco Jr was pretty impressed by the size of the Moose.

Going to enjoy a pig roast and the Super Bowl tonight and probably a lazy day by the pool tomorrow. Then it is back to Managua with a stop to tour the colonial city of Granada along the way. Can't believe we are going back home on Wednesday.

Kris

Except for the stories that it might not be that safe I could have spent a couple of days just vegging at Remanso. Melida and Marco were unconcerned about safety. They said they and their children loved coming there and that it was a very safe place to let the children run free. I guess it's all whose perspective you're seeing it from. It was a little eerie being the only ones there; sort of like a ghost town. I'm not complaining about coming back to town and the luxury hotel. It has 4 different patios on 2 levels, 3 bathrooms, all with showers plus an outside shower and aview that goes for miles no matter which window or patio you look out. I will be sorry to leave on wednesday and it will certainly be on my list of coming back to places.

Lisa

After reflecting back on the Remanso Hotel, all I can come up with is Hotel California by the Eagles, "you can checkout anytime, but you can never leave". It was a little unnerving, might have felt safer if the guard was a head taller then me instead of a head smaller, and if he was carrying a defender not a flashlight. The afternoon with the Santa Rosa Rotarians was great, they were very interested in our project and we have a bottle of Wine being sent to us for the Auction! During their project they tested and fitted 1500 people with glasses and did 350 tooth extractions. Dennis and I were both a little apprehensive about asking the Managua Rotary club about partnering on a future project, (they only have 20 members) but they were very excited about the chance to work together and very thankfully for the work we had done with the sewing center.

George

Friday/back from Managua

Got back to SJDS and George, Dennis and I went to get stamps, souvenirs and groceries for supper while the chef rested up. We went to the top of a cliff at the edge of town under a giant statue of Jesus to watch the sun set and then came home for supper. It was delicious even though Kris tried to feed us some of the tuna raw. We're off to Playa Remanso for a Rotary gathering this afternoon.

Lisa

Had a highlight day yesterday, first phone call home! Very nice to hear your voice Sandi and that all things are well. Hi to you Stephen, sounds like your looking after your Mom real well from a distance. The view from the hill above SJDS was spectacular, 360 degrees of ocean beach and country side topped off with another great sunset. Back to the b&b where Kris treated us to a wonderful meal, some nice wine and a great visit. The guests here were all gaping at meal Kris prepared with 2 fish, some veggies and of course a little wine saute. Interesting guests, a young couple from Australia, mid aged couple from Vanc. here to escape Olympic fever, and a mature couple backpacking here for a few months from Eastern Canada.

On the move again today, hoping the beach resort is nice.

Dennis

Cooked for the first time in awhile Friday night. I am sure it was just the wine or maybe the trip up to visit Jesus but inspiration came pretty easy when I opened the bag of random vegetables that I asked Lisa to pick up for me at the Mercado. Tuna crusted with cashews and coriander seeds, mackerel braised in a salsa rojo, a salad of carrot and squash with fresh guacamole. I also did a ceviche of tuna with orange and basil but I was the only one that would eat that beautiful tuna the way it is meant to be, raw! Loved the other guests at the B&B gawking while I cooked. Comments like "looks like somebody is a professional" and " you cook so clean" go a long way to pad my already enormous ego.

Kris

Map update

Sitting having a coffee and waiting for everyone else to get up and started messing with Goggle Earth. I couldn't map the exact route but it's probably pretty close. The amazing thing is that it's less than 20 Km into the sewing center. Remember this was a 1 hour drive and 45 minutes on horse back., So I guess the Sewing Center isn't technically way out in the jungle, but believe me, it's way back in the jungle! You can get a closer look by clicking the map above.

George

Bit of lousy sleep last nite, disco, dogs and pigeon's cooing!! Oh well off to Managua today. Nice b'fast at b&b and down to rental car agency. We rented a sweet Toyota Hilux crew cab. Diesel and a 5spd. The ride to Managua was pretty interesting. Transport trucks, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, cars, horse and ox carts, stray dogs and pedestrians all vying for their pieces of road. The road is actually good, all paved but not very wide. I promised my first born as collateral to rent the truck and Eric drove with a wallet full of drivers licences!! More on that later?? The landscape changes dramatically from SJDS to MAn. Very dry and arid to quite green and many flowering trees and bushes etc. Travelled through one area where the road was lined with landscape flowers and trees. Very pretty. Many volcanoes, some active and very hilly. Also mango groves, bananas, plantains, papayas, rice and sugar cane. Very cool. arrived in Managua mid afternoon, visited a couple shopping malls and got some pictures developed for the kids in Cangrejo. Lisa turned 3 of them loose with disposal's so there was some neat pictures for them. Sandi, we tried hard to find the "big fabric store" that we were told about but no luck. Traffic is insane and Eric was pretty nervous in a rented truck with 4 gringos. Interestingly the fabric stores Lisa and i visited in Rivas was solid colors and mostly rayon/polyester, like the back end of Marshal's.

Any way we we decided to chill out with a beer at a cafe overlooking a water filled volcano crater. Nice spot. A quick change into Rotary gear and off to the Managua club meeting. Very nice hotel. Small club (23) but a small attendance about 10 people. Their club had just hosted a dental/opthamology visit so were very busy. One of their members is a dentist in charge of PR with Colgate so a lot of access to dentists etc. The pres of club spoke English, as well as a lady past pres and her husband and Sandra, the wife of Enrique who we met the day before in SJDS.George presented a banner and all in all it was a great evening. We have made some good friends and contacts that were certainly benefit in the future. Actually it paid off asap as they invited us out to a beach party on Sat to meet the Santa Rosa Rotary club who were here with their mission. At a resort just out of SJDS and they offered us accommodation at the resort at a very good Rotary price. Also Kris and I had a long visit with the lady Sandra. Husband runs a very large international finance/export company and she operates the family tourist/hotel group. She offered us her driver and van from SJDS to drive us up to Granada on Tues, give us a tour then take us on to Man. for flight on Wed. Sweet!! Never know if this will all work out but we hope so. Stayed over at Man. due to being very late so came back today . The hotel was old but very Nica and quiet!! At least after they kicked the Miami bong drummers out. Interesting ride home as we were introduced to Nica highway patrol!!

All home safe and well now, Kris had a little touch of stomach troubles but got a good sleep and is tuning up to feed us a tuna and mackerel supper!!

Awesome place!! Dennis

Well not much more to add to Den's report. The highway patrol tried to get a bribe from Eric for the equivalent of one months pay. Eric negotiated him down to half that but it was still outrageous so he told them to keep his license and he would go and pay the fine to get his license back. That won't be happening so we have a souvenir Nico traffic ticket. Eric says that he has a whole photo album full. We're off to get some stamps, souvenir pottery and the market for Kris's cooking. We're going to stay at the Remanso Beach Resort from saturday till tuesday and will be incommunicado for that time. We will try to pry ourselves off the beach for a quick trip to SJDS to update.

Lisa

Nothing like an exciting hiway ride in a pickup with a stomach full of rumbles. Not the most comfortable road trip but I'm a survivor. Managua is hot, dirty and very busy. Didn't actually get to see much of it as we had some running around to do before the Roatry meeting. Did manage to grab some McDonald's at a mall food court, seriously. Was feeling like a little taste of home. Bought some souvenirs too. The meeting was much better than I had anticipated. Small group and very engaging. Should be a great contact in the future. It will be interesting to meet the Californian Rotarians on Saturday. By far the highlight of the trip was our run in with a gentleman in a blue shirt on the side of the hiway. Apparently if you give him 1500 cordobas or maybe 750 cordobas you can avoid the hassle of going to the bank to pay your 300 cordobas fine and then going to the police station to retrieve your confiscated license. Better yet it might be best to carry a few "disposables" he can hold on to and forget about paying the fine all together.

Kris

So the first thing I'm going to do when we get back to a Sunrise meeting is make a motion to be more like the Managua club, specifically that we have the Flor de Cana that is served at the meeting. The meeting was a little slow starting, scheduled for 7 pm but only 2 members arrived on time, turned out this week was very busy for their club and there were running around with 17 Rotarians from California, and the had no official agenda for this meeting, so we had lots of time to talk about how both their club and ours worked. Lots of good contacts and opportunity to partner on a project in the future. We called Kevin K this morning during the Sunrise meeting but he must have forgot that Dennis said he'd call. We levied him a $10.oo fine.

Back to SJDS and getting groceries for Kris to do up our fish!

Cheers

George

Holy Mackerel!

Another busy day yesterday, started with a fishing trip up the coast. It looked like the only thing Kris would get to cook was his hat, it blew of his head and the mate had to gaff it back aboard. Shorty after that his luck changed and he landed a small Tuna, and I boated a nice Mackerel. So we have a Fish fry (or something) scheduled for Friday. We learned of a group of 16 or 17 Rotarians from California will be arriving in SJDS today (Thursday) but we're off to Managua for a Rotary meeting tonight.

George

The boat trip was very nice. 27 foot open "panga" diesel power and very sea worthy. Relatively calm on the way out, headed north running with a slight wind. Trolling all the way but not a lot of action. We travelled about 10 miles to the north. The shore line was a lot of long sandy beach interspersed with cliffs and rocks. Very interesting. A lot of development all the way. Very nice homes (foreign ownership mostly) and a couple of small villages. A few people scattered along the beaches. We tried to beach at one small village for a walk around but the water was too shallow. The trip home was somewhat more exciting. Besides the two fish caught the wind had turned and was coming hard out of the south east and head on into us. Lots of waves and swell 3 to 4 feet and every body wet from salt spray. No fear but fun just the same. The remainder of the day was a quick move up the street to a B&B, jury still out on this one! Walked up the hill for sunset drink at "pelican eyes". THis is the upscale resort on the hill, very nice but expensive $200 to $400 U.S. per night. Drinks almost $2 each!!

Finished off with beer and a pizza at the "Irish" bar. Even had Guiness there (G'ma drink). Interestingly we ordered the pizza in the bar and the girl made a phone call and 15 minutes later a motorcycle pulled up and delivered the pizza!!

Did make some Rotary contacts, Enrique, past pres of Managua club and Mary a co-ordinator for a 17 member Rotary group from the US arriving here today to do a 5 day medical dental mission 2 to 3 hours up a river in the jungle. A lot of good will and assistance coming here but this looks like a very long road.

Second poorest country next to Haiti and the rumbling of more political unrest coming in the near future.

B'fast and then off to Managua.

Dennis

While the guys went fishing I hung around the hotel for a while and caught up on the jungle blog. I then got brave and went looking for the sewing store in SJDS as we needed a part for the sewing machine that was already out at Congrejo. Much to my surprise I was able to find it and even better I was able to speak enough spanish to make myself understood to the girl who spoke no english. I went back to the hotel and read for a while, then took a little siesta and the guys were home.

Lisa

Crispy red, wind blown and maybe a little heat stroked, but home with a sweet little tuna. Beautiful coast line north of SJDS, lots of development and more people around than I had expected. The new B&B is pretty sweet. Lots of other travelers around and our host Dona Lyn is a sweet Texan woman. It was nice to relax a little yesterday. Off this morning to rent a car and head up to Managua for the day. Get to attend a Rotary meeting for I think only the second time, should be interesting?

Kris

Into the Jungle-Cangrejo and the sewing center

Well where to start. The guys are off to do some "networking". Hopefully working the net on some really big fish. More about that when they return. We started our day by meeting all of Eric's friends from SJDS who were joining us on the trek to the jungle. We got the nice ride to the trail head with Kelly(an american ex-pat who runs a local coffee shop with her husband) in her what else...Toyota. The road was quite an experience itself. Kelly said that you have to change your tires and shocks at least once a year. She was a great tour guide, filling us in on local info. We arrived at the trail head and after await of a few minutes our ride arrived. The ox cart and a string of horses. It probably was a good thing that we were there first because it meant that we all got a horse and none of had to ride in the ox cart. We've been told that it's a little bumpy. We all got assigned a horse and we were off with Martin cowboy extraordinar as our guide. We had a wonderful ride through the jungle. When we arrived we found that Cangrejo isn't so much a village but an area sort of like Farmington. The central gathering point is Martin's house where the school, church and sewing center are located. We had a few minutes to walk around and get our legs back under us before Eric and the rest of the crew arrived. The amazing part of their arrival was the pickup(Ford F250) with the teacher's bed and dresser and 2 sewing machines and 6 or 8 people in the back. I'll let one of the guys describe the trail that the truck had to take. We unloaded all the furniture and goods,set up the teacher's room and the sewing machines. We had to do some belt adjustments and some tension fine tuning. A young lady from SJDS, Christien caame with us and she knew how to use the old style machines and the village elder DonaAnita arrived. This 72 year old dynamo stepped in and took charge immediately. I must admit that I was feeling a little protective of the machines but with these two ladies in charge I know that the center and the machines will be in good hands. Christien will be the front person in SJDS and sell the product the ladies make. Side bar: just looked up to see a motorcycle riding down the street with the driver dragging 4 or 5 twelve foot long pieces of rebar. If you don't have a truck you use whatever method is available. We had the official opening ceremony. Eric introduced us all and presented the plaque to the village and then George made Eric an honorary member of the DC Sunrise Rotary. He was extremely touched by this and a little choked up for a minute. He then translated for the people but I think they knew what was going on. Next in the celebration was a church service. An old fashioned tent revival event. Martin's wife and the ladies cooked us a delicious traditional lunch which we ate by ourselves. They all ate later or somewhere else. I went back to the sewing room with the ladies and Kris, Dennis and George were out making 1 teacher and a swarm of little kids very happy. Kris had Canadian flag pins, stickers and tattoos and once he broke the ice he couldn't apply tattoos fast enough. Dennis and George were pumping up balls. The only sad part was that there wasn't one for everyone. We had the flag raising-Nicaraguan, Canadian and Rotary. It was then time to load up and head for home. It's not great to be on the roads here after dark. Instead of riding back on the horses we all piled into the back of the pickup and headed for the trail head. I don't know what the record is and we probably were nowhere near but we had 22 people in the back of that truck. At the trail head the 4 of us got back into Kelly's 4-runner and headed for SJDS. The rest rode back in the back of the pickup. Before we left Cangrejo, DonaAnita asked me when I was coming back and I'm sure it is when and not if. After all I will need to check up on my sewing machines. What an amazing day!!!!!!

Lisa

As Lisa described we had a marvelous day at Cangrejo. It is undescribable how warm, friendly and welcoming they were to the Gringos from the North. We broke out the world map and found where we all lived. The smiles on everyones faces told it all, brings a tear to your eye when you think of it.

The road in was pretty exciting. Not sure of the distance, probably 15 klm of really rough rock/gravel then 5 klm of 4x4 rock, holes and hills. Great, now we are at the trailhead. Few little houses and big trees and underbrush. Could have been anywhere other than the types of trees and flowers. As Lisa said we were met at the trailhead, saddled up and off we went. The trail in was just that, a trail. We followed dried up river beds, some not so dry. The trail criss-crossed the rivers beds and followed the banks. Twisted through forested areas with big trees and through the banana plantations. A few monkeys on the way in. Black ones and light colored one. Very cool to see in the wild. On the way out there were many more monkeys. Ten to fifteen in any group of trees. The best was a very large sloth about 20 feet up in a large tree right beside the trail, great pictures.

Another interesting part of the trip out was stopping in a river bed to pull cedar trees. These are new growth and Francisco takes them home to pot and start and then plant as part of a reforestation effort. Just another little project Eric is pushing.

At any rate it is late Wed. and we are off to Managua tomorrow. As strange as it seems, after a full day in the jungle sleep did not come easy when I got back to the room. Just a way too many thing racing through the mind, wonderful people but so much that could be done to help. I wish I was a better writer as words do not describe this trip so far.

And yes my butt is still sore, I am standing to drink my beers!!

Dennis

Wow! It has been about a decade since I first heard about Nicaraguan Campesions and finally I can say I know first hand. What wonderful people. It was great to get to experience the pride and passion they have for their community. I must admit I was somewhat apprehensive about this part of the trip. I really had no idea what exactly to expect. But from the moment I saw Martin and his infant son Graby giggling at butterflies from the saddle the smile has not left my face. It was such a a joyous occasion out in the campos. After the ceremony and church service when I finally broke out my Canada flag pins and temporary tattoos I was swarmed by kids. It was easy to entice the young ones at first, pinning flags on there lapels and taking their photographs. They were all so proud in their school uniforms. The older kids, boys especially, played it kind of aloof, hanging back making jokes. When I showed them the temporary maple leaf tattoos they, then, got excited. It was a race to see how many of them I could imprint with that red leaf before I left. I even had mothers coming and asking for extras so they could tattoo the ones who couldn't make it. The entire day will certainly be one I remember forever.

Kris

And off we go to market

So Monday was our big shopping day. We piled into 2 cabs for a white knuckle ride to Rivas, about 30 km for SJDS. We had told Eric that we had a $1000 from the Sunrise club to use at our/his discretion. So we went looking for a couple sewing machines, a bed and dresser for the school teacher and some material for the sewing centre. Well let me tell you, this is not the West Edmonton Mall. People, dogs, horses, bikes, cars trucks all competing for the same narrow space. I’ll let the others expand on this but I must tell you about the ride home. Eric managed to borrow a truck to bring everything back to SJDS, so Kris and I jump in the back for what we believed was a couple block trip to the taxi stand, well the plan changed and Erick blew right by the taxi stand and of we head home! Not far down the highway and I spot a Police road block, I look at Kris and tell him, remember the hockey rule, you can’t get in a fight if you don’t make eye contact, so we just look a each other as we roll right by with not even a second look from the Police.

While in Rivas Eric took us to meet a friend who runs a Print Shop, a Guillotine cutter and Multi 1850 with a T Head and a Meile Vertical for numbering and perfing, made my day. Dennis also had a highlight, he got to ride in a one horse power Toyota, (see the photo above). Back in San Jaun we met with two lovely young ladies from Project Niangua, a Rotary Project founded by the Rotoract Club of Calgary. Lyndsey Rovevear is originally from Prince George and Kristen Fedorak is a former District 5370 exchange student who went to Poland the year before Briggette Schilds.. The laugh of the day comes aq Kris’s expense, he stopped of to shower will Dennis, Lisa and I meet with Lyndsey and Kristen. Kris joined 20 minutes later and after introductions Lyndsey asked him if he was late because he was doing his hair.(Kris is mostly bald) Kris said later he liked her right of the bat.

George

Like George said exciting day in the Market yesterday. Sitting on top of a bed, dresser and a couple of sewing machines in the back of a Toyota Hilux pickup flying down the hi-way is a white knuckle experience. The Market itself was a labyrinth of stalls and shops and carts full of goods. Anything and everything on display. Eric commented that it was nice to be there on a cool day, about 30-34 with a little breeze. The doughy ham and cheese pizza with ketchup for sauce reminded me a lot of my time in Cuba. It was nice to finish the day with a seafood feast back on the beach in SJDS with a $300 bottle of wine, you can look up the Cordoba conversion if you are curious... Time to go talk to a man about a horse, the jungle is next.

Kris

I love Nicaraguan sewing machine prices. We bought 1 treadle machine that would remind you of the one your Grandmother sewed on and 1 that is a modern machine with zig zag, an automatic button hole stitch and half a dozen other fancy stitches that can plug in to power or work as a treadle. It is a really neat machine and when the ladies get their solar panel they will be able to use it as an electric. Both these machines cost just under $400.00 US combined. They are Regina machines built by Janome for anyone who knows sewing machines. Because the machines were so cheap Dennis and I decided that we could splurge a little on fabric. Dennis came fabric shopping because thanks to shopping with Sandy he knows a little about fabric. I bought some cotton to line bags with for (get this Sandy) $1.00/metre US. We then bought the expensive stuff for the ladies to make dresses and blouses with and that was $2.25/metre US. Dennis and I are going fabric shopping when we go into Managua on thursday. I would have liked to wander the market for a while but we were on a schedule so there wasn't enough time but it was a very interesting day.

Lisa

Another awesome day in Nica. The hair raising taxi ride to Rivas could quite possibly have taken a few years off but fortunately not all of them. The driver was pretty busy trying to sell us some lots that his brother-in-law had. For us only $3500.00 each but I think you could only get to them with google earth. Into the city of Rivas, around the cars truck, motorcycles, bicycles, horse drawn wagons and ox carts. I thought everyone in Nica was at the market but Eric said it was just a normal day. The walk through the butcher shop section was nose holding at best. However the cleanest stall was close, rumor is that one was two for one laser eye surgery location!! The people here do seem to be great, there is lots of troubles but for the most part it is business as normal. Had a terrible pizza with great beer for lunch and were loaded up to head home by 4:00 pm. We all held are collective breath oin the ride home, two Policia road blocks but lucky they ignored the truck load of Gringo's with a load of furniture. Fun times, early to bed, jungle trekking in the morning!!

Dennis

Wow!

Busy day yesterday, started with a trip to see Felix, then down the road to Fransisco, he is the Foreman on the Sewing Center project. It turns out that Eric used some of the Sunrise funds for bricks and mortar for the wall of the well at his house. Fransisco has 17 kids and grandkids(?) but no protection over top of the well. I guess it is a Sunrise Water Project. You don't need to go very far out of town to experience extreme poverty, I'm sure the others will expand on this.

George

I'll expand on Felix. He is a young man that Eric is helping. He cut his leg while chopping bush in the jungle. Medical help is dicey where he lives. Long story shortened they got him to hospital and tried to fix his wound. In the process they tried to take a graft from his other foot. The leg ended up getting infected and then gangrenous and was amputated just below the knee. The foot was botched badly and as a result he has had problems with it since. For a long time he got around on his knees. Eric has been able to get(with the help of Eurica Rotary)a prosthetic for the amputated leg. The problem is that the foot has a gaping ulcer with what looks like bone showing through. He needs reconstructive surgery or we're all sure he will end up loosing his foot. We will be getting him some antibiotics today as a stop gap and see what we can do when we get home.We went to another barrio in the afternoon to deliver a few of the goods that we brought with us. I'll leave it to someone else to describe that.

Lisa

Yesterday was an awesome day. The trip to the barrio to visit Miriam and family. This is Rosio's mother. She lives about 150 meters up a hill above the bay. The view is fabulous but the conditions would make you cry. There are probaly 10 to 15 residensces in this area. They are attached to the side hill /ravine. Construction is scrap wood, a little concrete. flattened steel barrels, and parts of beached sailboats etc. Dirt floors, out house and shower out the back door. Looks like in the rain the outhouse probably runs down hill, most likely throught he house. We delivered back packs for kids to start shcool and skipping ropes, soccer ball and diapers with accessories. The looks on the little girls faces and the the little boy when he got the soccer ball were a lifetime memory. The extra clothes Lisa had brought were also a huge hit. Kris was very popular with Miriam although I think he only understoods half what she said the conversation was certtainly flowing. All in all a great visit.

Dennis

Busy day yesterday. The others have pretty well covered it. The kids here are amazing. So sweet, friendly and curious. It is unbelievable to experience the poverty they live in first hand. It is one thing to witness it on the news or in documentaries but when you spend an afternoon chatting with a women in her dirt floor kitchen it really hits home. Miriam described to me, as best as I could understand with my limited Spanish, the most pressing issues in her two room make shift house. Water was by far the biggest. Although there is a roughly held together pipe system to bring water to the top of the hill the pump doesn't work. In order to have any water they have to haul buckets up numerous broken concrete steps followed by steps dug into the side of the hill that eventually fade into a simple steep dirt trail that ends at there front gate. The whole home seems to be held together by old fishing line, plastic bags and lots of barbed wire. It was hard to say how many people were living in this one house but I counted at least 8, including 2 babies and there might have been another on the way. In the rainy season water is an even bigger issue, constantly running down the hill and right thru the house. It makes you thankful for the luck of being born Canadian. Can't wait to climb on a horse and head into the jungle tomorrow!

Kris

Eric Blackburn

San Juan del Sur

Lisa

We last left you from the Houston airport. When we boarded the plane and George took the seat in the middle across the aisle from the rest of us. he offered it to Kris who declined,much to his dismay when we saw who G's seat mates were; two very nice looking young ladies who were quite interested in conversation. Halfway through the flight Dennis also had an encounter with the ladies. Out of the blue a lady(although Kris and I still aren't quite sure if she was a he or a she)came and plopped herself on his lap.She said that she thought that he was someone else but seemed in no hurry to get off of him. I have been having some fun teasing them all. We had an otherwise uneventful flight. As planned Eric was waiting for us at the airport. It's great to see him again.

Kris

We made it. So as I type(George made me go first, again) I am sitting outside on the patio of our hotel at about 9 o'clock at night enjoying a cool ocean breeze. We arrived in Managua late Friday night and stayed across from the airport at the very Nicaraguan Best Western. Wonderfully loud disco tunes from the bar band lullabied us to sleep. After breakfast we piled Eric, his family and the four of us in to a small van for the 3 hours ride to San Juan del Sur. SJDS is a great little beach town. Lot's of gringo beach bums hanging out and interesting ex-pats to learn tricks from. Tomorrow we plan on moving into a little B&B and make a plan for the rest of our time.

What a great trip so far!! The trip down from Managua to SJDS was good. Big city, country side and extreme poverty. I can't believe how fortunate we are to live were we do. Enjoy winter as the cost is minimal compared to what you see here. Couple of great fish meals here, friendly people, planning day tomorrow, Rivas Monday and Cangrejo sewing centre Tuesday.

Dennis

The trip from Managua to SJDS was interesting, the road was paved 2 lane the whole way, very good condition. We went by a number of Police road checks but were only stopped once. The cop looked at our passports and asked a couple questions, nothing too unnerving. The countryside was different then I expected, lots of big fields with cattle grazing (the cows still real skinny), Eric tells me beef is a big export product here. Also sugarcane and rice fields. We also could see two volcano’s in the distance, and yes they are quite active. Not far from SJDS is a ridge running north/south, the continental divide. On the west all the water runs to the Pacific on the east to the east to the Caribbean.. Just before we left Managua, Eric got a call that one of the elders from Congrego (58 years old) had died that morning and the funeral was that afternoon at 3 o’clock. Naturally being Eric’s Canadian friends we were invited, naturally we excepted the invitation, we were a little late for the parade, 4 young men carrying the casket through the streets from where he died to the cemetery followed by most of the community members. I was surprised by the lack of formality, no one spoke about the deceased , a couple of guys mixed a batch of cement, they placed the coffin into a crypt, covered it with the cement and the gathering dispersed. Eric tells us there would be a Wake like ceremony once they returned to the village. After that we waked back to the hotel and then to the water front for a cold beverage and to watch the sun plummet into the ocean. Dinner was fresh Red Snapper and a nice white wine. Dinner for 4, 2 bottles of wine $75.00 US.

George

Houston we are a go!

Three o'clock in the morning feels earlier when you are getting up then and not going to bed. But, when your international flight leaves at 6:40am and it is suggested you arrive 3 hours before it's no joke. With heightened security for all flights entering the United States customs is an ordeal to say the least. After a half dozen lines, from ticket check-in, to a holding pen, questioning from a customs agent bag check, shoes off, metal detector and finally a very intimate pat down from Ernie we managed to be the last group to board, second last row of a totally full plane. After an airline breakfast of Total cereal and a cake-like muffin I tried to sleep the rest of the 4 hour flight to Houston. Made it most of the way asleep until my strange dreams were interrupted by some jostling from some pretty good turbulence. I felt bad for the young girl in the last row who didn’t like the bumps. Made it to Houston in one piece though and now just killing time before the last leg of flying gets us to Managua.

Kris

Kris pretty much has it covered. George and I got the fifth degree from the immigration officer who was doing his patriotic duty in protecting his country. I also got the pat down before being grilled about the contents of my backpack. Apparently it set off alarms. So far the best part of the day is when George got I.D.'d when ordering a beer at lunch. Let the adventure begin!!

Lisa

I wasn’t attractive enough for the “pat-down” nice old lady just said get lost!! I probably will. Tight fit on the plane and fairly rough in spots but managed a few winks of sleep. Seems that practicing “napping” is paying off. Big Texas beef burger for a lunch and off on the final leg.

Dennis

We meet up with Ryan for a couple minutes last night, I relayed a terrible story that Steven Armitage had told us earlier in the evening – it seems a young girl in Edmonton had to be taken from her parents because they were beating her. They sent her to live with her grandparents but again had to be removed from their care because they also beat her. They tried a foster home, same result. Family services finally asked her where she thought she would be safe, she said she wanted to go live with the Edmonton Oilers, they don't beat anybody!

George

!

Truck - Plane - Car

Where are we going?

Our destination is San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, about 130km south west of the Managua, capitol city of Nicaragua. The sewing centre is near there, but I'm not certain on the exact location yet.

Thursday is a routine 6 hour drive to Edmonton, forecast is good, shouldn't be a big deal.

Friday starts with a 3 am shuttle to the airport for a 6 am flight. The travel breaks down like this.

DC - Edmonton 600 km drive.

Edmonton - Houston Texas - 3000 km flight

Houston - Managua 2100 km flight

Managua - San Juan del Sur 130 km drive.

Ready or Not here we Go!

Ok- where do we start?

How about introductions.
First (the oldest guy gets to go first) is Dennis Armitage, joining Dennis is his oldest son Kris Armitage, I'm George Richmond and my wife is Lisa.

Ok- this blogging is tougher then I thought it would be!

I had this bright idea that a blog would be a good way to keep the Sunrise Rotary Club and family and friends up to speed on this trip, but like most of my ideas it's turning into more work than expected.

So what's the trip all about? Most of you know but for those just tuning in it's like this, last spring the Dawson Creek Sunrise Club heard a presentation from a Coal Miner from Tumbler Ridge. Not a typical miner this Eric Blackburn fellow, he spoke about the desperate need of the people of Nicaragua and in specifically about the plight of single mothers and their need for a way to make a honest living. (but I'm not going to write this whole story - check out his web page at www.worldkidsfoundation.org) Eric pitched a project for a Sewing Centre in the jungle village of Cangrejo and the Sunrise signed on to fund it.

So fast forward to the present, Eric and his team have the Sewing Centre built and we're off for the Grand Opening and Dedication Ceremony!

So Dennis, Lisa and I drive to Edmonton on Thursday where Kris will join us for a 6 am (shuttle gets us at 3 am) Departure to Houston Tx then on to Managua where Eric meets us and the adventure begins.

Better get packing!

George