A la Puchical, "Wow"

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A la Puchical = "Wow" in Nicaraguan Slang (although I never heard anyone say it…or many I just didn’t understand)

Friday December 24th

Off to Ometepe – an island formed out of the lava flowing between 2 volcanoes, Maderas 1394 meteres and Conception 1610 meters. Located in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, home to the world’s only freshwater sharks which we happily avoided encountering. Legend says the island formation derives from a women who with her forbidden lover slit wrists and died in each others arms, when she fell backward in the water her breasts rose up and formed the two volcanic peaks.

In keeping with the Christmas spirit we each bought individual gifts for kids of the orphanage CICRIN: Centro Infantil Cristiano Nicaraguense which provides a safe home and “unconditional love” for the mistreated, abandoned and “at risk” children of Nicaragua. We brought a piñata which of course Shaun exploded with an avalanche of candy that had all the kids scrambling to fill their pockets. To reciprocate they preformed traditional dances for us. My many years experience at Bat Mitzvah parties proved their worth when we were invited to dance the Cha Cha Slide with them! Although mom stressed out that the kids wouldn’t like our presents, Rebecca our guide organized a very nice afternoon of multicultural exchanges.

Our hotel was an upgrade from Leon and into cabanas with hammocks out front, lovely and luxurious right on the water.

Saturday, December 25th

Chochol = Holy Cow Dude

Shaun celebrated this Christmas in style. He and his roommate Ryan, and Ashley, a 27 year old personal trainer and body builder from Canada, decided to climb Volcano Concepcion. It last erupted in 2005. From the crater on top blasts of sulfuric air explode from the bowels on the earth. Ashley regaled us with the details of the climb, swearing it was the hardest thing she ever did and complained for day after how sore she was. Only about 300 people a year make it to the summit – pretty impressive that Shaun did it! Actually summitting two times. Once on his own with Ashley and then again helping Ryan to the top. Once there the wind was so strong that they were flattened against the warm stone surface and several times mini-avalanches threatened their assent. Shaun said he was utterly miserable, cold, wet, continuously slipping and half way down – totally ready for it to be OVER. He recounted how they were chased by mosquitoes and thought the guide; a former employee of the Nicaraguan Secret Service was really cool.
Meanwhile Sasha and Mom searched for the ancient petroglyphs. Specifically Xochipillo, the goddess of happiness, The Nahuatl-people believe in a cycle of catastrophic events that recur every 52 years – how apt is that? Guess they knew what they were talking about. We walked and talked Spanish for hours as we explored the Finca-Porvenir. The roads are filled with cows, and there is a Faustian legend that Chaco Verde grants men a life time of prosperity in exchange for their souls which he then turns into cows. Afterwards, we walked through the corn fields to Ojo de Aguas, beautiful freshwater swimming pools in a secluded oasis. From there we rushed back to get a ride on the back of a truck to a rodeo. Families brought their kids and we stood around the parameter on a makeshift fenced in ledge with sporadic floor boards amidst others who huddled in the tree tops. The “bravest” entered the ring and clambered up the sides of the walls when the bull approached. We learned that it didn’t take an animals advocate to be squeamish at the sight of animals being tortured. Once again I thanked god I was born a women and didn’t have to show my “machismo.” For dinner we went to a home-stay and helped to make tortillas and fried plantains.

Later in the trip we met someone who was working for habitat for humanity and one of their projects was to teach the village women to cook with eco-friendly stoves so they wouldn’t be inhaling the toxic fumes. Even though the new stoves were cheaper and healthier, it took working with the village elders first to implement the stoves and gt the women to change. This discussion delved into the complexity of do-good volunteerism and the notion of creating a cargo-cult where people are taught to depend on what they need being given to them instead of having to work for it. The average Nicaraguan makes $2.00 a day and the economy has really suffered since the revolution in the 80s and subsequently Hurricane Mitch in 1994.

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