The Importance of Spending Wisely

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You quickly notice two things when you cross the border into Nicaragua. The first thing that catches the eye is that almost everyone sports a bushy moustache. The Lonely Planet Guidebook conducted a survey that recorded that 70 percent of Nicaraguan men sport moustaches. From looking around I would guess that only about 30 percent of women had one. It is a well known fact that babies are actually born with moustaches although I can't remember where I read that.
The second Nicaraguan trait that is instantly evident is their liking for dumping rubbish just anywhere and everywhere. I literally got a close up of this trait as soon as our buses to Rivas set off. An elderly woman sitting two rows in front of me on the bus attempted to launch her rice dish out the window of the bus. Unfortunately for both of us, the strength of the wind forced the plate back into the bus. As if the food were metal and my brain a magnet, the plate hurtled towards me until it splattered into the side of my head, sending grains of rice and spots of sauce all over my face and my recently cleaned white shirt. The elderly woman seemed completely unconcerned at what she had just done, however the remainder of bus, including an hysterical (and extremely fortunate that I never let her have the window seat) Clare found the whole thing hilarious. I found it less amusing but as I hadn´t eaten that morning, at least it filled my stomach for an hour or so.
Our destination that morning was Isla de Ometepe, a magical island formed from the eruptions of the two volcanoes which now sit proudly at opposite ends of the island. We arrived on the island at noon, our first port of call being the town of Moyagalpa. We checked the bus schedule and the bus was not until half two. I suggested to Clare that we take a taxi. Big mistake!!! I spent the next five minutes with my head bowed in shame and my tail between my legs as Clare lectured me on unneccessary spending. She pointed out that the $15 for the taxi was $13 more than the bus would cost and that $13 would pay for our hotel room. Her maths are good when she´s giving out. I apologised for my stupidity and suggested to Clare that we need to go to the shop to get change for the bus. In the end I let Clare go on her own, giving her time to cool down, and to give myself time to reflect on my priorities.
About ten minutes later Clare returned from the shop holding a fuller than expected bag. I sheepishly asked what she had bought hoping that she had forgiven me. Her facial expression suggested that she was back to her normal, cheery self. I soon found out why. After lambasting me about reckless spending Clare, instead of buying a 50c bottle of water, treated herself to $16 worth of hair products - the most expensive shampoo and conditioner that money can buy on the island, and for an added treat, $7 hair spray!! Suddenly her mathematical brain was letting her down. Not that I dared to question her spending, instead I gave a polite smile and agreed that it would do wonders for her hair.
We were relieved to finally board the bus. We were travelling to the far side of the island to Santo Domingo, 13km away. There was no traffic on the roads and the road was relatively flat. Oddly it took an hour and a half to get there. I have serious doubts about the individual responsible for road signage on the island. When we arrived at our hotel we were informed by some people who had been on the same boat as us that a taxi took 25 minutes. I just shrugged my shoulders and contented myself with the knowledge that Clare´s hair would be stunning in the morning.

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Photos

The main road to Santo Domingo
Perhaps the reason a 13km journey takes an hour and a half.

When in Rome...
Here I am trying to feel as Nicaraguan as possible

Isla de Ometepe
I suppose the steak I had last night was horse meat then