Transportation

Hello,

I apologize for the delay. Life has been hectic as usual! I don't have too much to report at the moment, but (at the suggestion of my brother) I thought I'd write a little bit about something truly fascinating in Nicaragua: transportation.

If you have ever been to Central America, then you likely already know what I'm talking about. There are so many different ways of getting from here to there, and I know I'll get a lot of backlash from my local Nicaraguan friends for saying this, but here it is: they are very reckless drivers! I cannot tell you how many times I've gotten into a vehicle and thought that it might be the last time I ever did. They've recently installed multiple traffic lights throughout the city, which has caused quite a controversy among the drivers here, making some of them even more prone to road rage! But hey, at the same time, there are crazy drivers everywhere in the world, and that's just how the culture is here. 

Still, there's something to be said about the different modes of transportation in Nicaragua. While they may at times be dangerous and unpredictable, they certainly will take you on a mini-adventure. Let's just go over some of the different ways of getting from point A to point B, starting with the most basic:

1) The bicycle

Yes, nothing too special, I know. The bicycle is ideal for a single person who needs a good solid mode of transportation.

If you're a family of three living in Nicaragua, however, the same can easily be said of you, too! 

Not an uncommon sight at all here. The most people I've seen on one bike is six!

2) The triciclo (the tricycle) 

Triciclos are very common in Chinandega. A little cheaper than taxis, they are three-wheeled bikes commandeered by men who are considered to be the most reckless drivers in all the country. Generally, they don't show much consideration for others on the road, but it can be a fun ride once in a while! Even so, taxi drivers have nothing good to say about triciclo drivers.

3) The horse and buggy

This is used by many farm owners for transporting goods.

4) The motorcycle 

Motorcycles are used by many people in the city, including brothers. They can be ideal for going long distances, especially for getting to a place like Ojo!

5) The tuk tuk

I've shown you these before. They're pretty cool-looking three-wheelers!

6) The taxi

Chinandega is littered with taxis, although they aren't the kind that you're picturing. Here, they look just like normal cars.

A typical taxi in Chinandega.

There are literally hundreds of taxis all throughout Chinandega, so they're easily accessible if you're in a hurry. But keep your wits about you - they love trying to rip off white people!

7) The truck bus

That's not the official name for it, but it's the only way I can think of to describe this kind of public transport. If you look closely, you can see a lot of people crammed in the back!

8) The city bus

These medium-sized buses transport people to different neighborhoods throughout the city. They're actually pretty comfortable!

9) The microbus

Okay, technically it's not a bus, but these things are pretty reliable. They go to many cities throughout the country, including Managua, which is about three hours away. They may be a little cramped for space, but they're generally comfortable and don't make a lot of stops.

10) The chicken bus

This is what Central America is known for. They are retired school buses, many from the States (my buddy Sage and I once saw a bus from his old school district in Maine!), that have been transformed for public transportation down here. The name "chicken bus" comes from the fact that they pack as many people as they possibly can onto these buses, much like a truck full of chickens. Usually, they are more decorated with various colors as well. If you want a true Nicaraguan experience, then you'll get it when you take a chicken bus. Just be prepared to stand, have no personal space, and to smell odors you'll never want to smell again!

11) The express bus

Although these buses may be hard to come by, they provide you with the most comfortable ride.

As for me, I've found a solution to my transportation issue: I bought a new scooter!

It's technically not new, but definitely an answer to my prayers. My mechanic was unable to find the part we needed, and no other mechanics in the state had it. He then informed me that a friend of his was selling their bike if I was interested. After test driving it and thinking about it for a while, I decided to take it! It was definitely a good investment. It's not without its quirks - it has no back brake, left-hand mirror, and no speedometer. I'll need to get new tires for it soon, but for now, it has served me well!

Although they can be terrifying and life-threatening at times, the different forms of transportation down here are what make Nicaragua, well, Nicaragua! You may be dumbfounded by it, but the best thing you can do is just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride...and wear your seatbelt.

Hope you all are well and having a good start to the new year.

Talk soon,

Sam

Venecia

Hello there!

Yesterday, a small group of us joined a few brothers from various congregations to venture out to Venecia Island. It's a small island off the coast of Chinandega that doesn't really get preached to often. The La Colonia Central congregation has started making efforts to preach there every two weeks now though, and invited us to join them yesterday.

In order to start the group on time, we had to leave Chinandega at 6:30 AM. It was about an hour-and-a-half drive standing in the back of a pickup truck, but at least we took two vehicles and there was only eight of us in ours! 

Domingo's father, an elder in La Colonia Central, making the pairs for the day. Combined with the brothers from that hall and a few from other congregations throughout our circuit, there was 31 of us!

Ervin and Joel waiting to set off for the island.

After the group, it was time to pile into the boat and go!

At first, I was concerned that not all of us would fit in the boat, but then I remembered that I'm in Nicaragua, where there is no such thing as too many people in one mode of transportation.

Here we go!

Working this territory was interesting. If I thought there was no shade in Ojo de Agua's territory, I was very wrong. It was so hot on this island and there was almost NO shade to be found...except in this picture.

Venecia isn't highly populated, and the houses are very spread out, so we each only spoke to a couple of people, but it was worth it anyway. It was also nice that we had such a big group! I spoke to a guy living in a pretty fancy house right on the beach. He accepted the magazines immediately, saying he always looks forward to reading them. He also told us that a Canadian couple owns that house and that he's the caretaker. He said that they rarely come to the house because they travel so much and he basically lives there. He invited us to come talk about the Bible whenever we want and to stay in the house for the weekend. I'll keep that in mind!

Domingo's dad having a nice conversation with a man on the road. Again...no shade.

After preaching well into midday, it was time to stop for a lunch break right on the water.

This almost reminded me of Maine!

After lunch, we continued on for a few more hours and actually finished working the whole island! Venecia isn't actually assigned to any specific congregation, but there is a small group nearby. We found a lot of interest though, and turned a lot of it into return visits, so it does need to be worked regularly.

After a long day of preaching to about 80 houses, it was time to head back to the mainland.

Ervin, Joel, and I waiting to set sail...even though the boat doesn't have a sail.

My buddy Brian (left) leading the way.

There can never be too many people on one boat!

Land!!

It was very refreshing to do something out of the ordinary. Besides running out of gas on the truck ride back to Chinandega (yup), the day went really well! I can't say that I'd be able to head out to Venecia regularly, but here's hoping that the activity out there will increase. 

Hope everyone is well. Let me know how you're doing!

Take care.

Sam

The Sights of Ojo

Hi all,

The last week that I spent with my family visiting from Maine was pretty eventful. I'm gonna try to be quick and concise because I have a lot of pictures to share! After we returned from Matagalpa, we were able to spend two more days preaching out in Ojo, and it was great. We were able to see some of the more scenic parts of our territory. I'm gonna miss having them out there! Here are some photos from Thursday...

Travis & Nicole.

Ben & Bree.

Left to right: Yorleni, Paola, Nicole, and Bree.

On Fridays, we meet at the Cardoza family's house. This is their seven-year-old daughter, Juanita, washing and preparing some freshly-caught fish for lunch.

She's a hard little worker!

Nicole waiting for the group to start while one of Juanita's friends helps prepare the fish in the background.

The gang also got to see one of my favorite spots in our territory, a bridge over a river in Las Champas...

I love this picture.

Friday was really encouraging because the majority of the young ones in our hall came out to preach. School let out recently, so it was really nice to see so many of them using their day off for the ministry. 

Left to right: Mauricio (he was visiting us from another hall that day), Paola, Kelvin, and Ervin, Yorleni's brother. They are all 18, 15, 14, and 17, respectively. Can you tell that they love being photographed?

We also spent some days witnessing with my friends Makeda & Andre (from Canada) in their congregation, La Florida, one of the city congregations. They've been here for about two years. Always fun to be around!

Bree & Nicole with Makeda in the middle.

Andre preaching with Travis.

Speaking to a man on the street.

All of us doing some early-morning witnessing.

Sunday was another memorable meeting. I had the magazine talk, and Bree & Nicole got to do the demonstrations! 

They both did a fantastic job, and I'm not just saying that!

I also surprised the guys by giving my first public talk in Spanish! It certainly wasn't easy, but with Jehovah's help, it went very well. I was so glad the visitors got to be here for it!

After the meeting, we went with Makeda, Andre, Jefte, and Eduardo to end the day with a trip to the beach. A beautiful spot indeed!

This place also has an infinity pool. So awesome!

We ended the trip by spending a day and night in Granada. We took Travis & Nicole ziplining, which again, was a blast!

It was sad to see everyone go, but I'm so glad that they came down. Their visit was a huge boost of encouragement to me. I'm gonna miss having them all in my house - we all have so much fun together. But they came down just for the right amount of time to get a true Nica experience, filled with fun sights and a productive ministry. I really hope that they all come back. Maybe they'll stay longer next time? We'll see!

Hope you all are well. If any of you are serious about wanting to come visit, please contact me!

Talk soon.

Sam

Matagalpa

Hey guys,

At last, we are in December - the nicest month in Nicaragua! It's been surprisingly cooler in Chinandega. It feels cooler than it was last December! The past few days of service out in Ojo have been really windy, which is a very refreshing change. It's still hotter than the planet's core at midday, but certainly not as extreme.

The Mainers departed yesterday, and we had a great time. Last week, we went up to Matagalpa for a couple of days to visit my friends Kimmy & Ashlee. They lived in Chinandega for about five years while serving in the Sign Language congregation, but their circuit overseer recently asked them if they would move to Matagalpa to help form a new sign language group. They've been living there for a couple of months now, and it's been a very nice change for them, especially the climate - it's a lot cooler than Chinandega! They've moved into a really nice and spacious house, and let us stay with them during our visit.

Matagalpa is a beautiful town. It's situated up in the mountains. Very scenic. 

The day we arrived, we headed up to a beautiful waterfall called Santa Emilia. It involved taking a long, overcrowded bus ride, but it was definitely worth it!

The water was nice and cold! It made for a very refreshing swim. It's an awesome spot, even if we found a bunch of leeches later on (that's a story for another day). 

The next day, we headed up to the Selva Negra park for a horseback riding tour.

Bree smiling at the start of the tour...until one of the horses ran past her and bit her leg! Ouch! It left quite the bruise, but we had a lot of fun despite the injury.

Although the Matagalpa trip was quick, it was certainly memorable. And of course, it had to end with a problematic bus ride back to Chinandega. The bus kept stopping for really long periods of time, which I was very happy about...

...but I would do it all over again!

But that's not all! The remaining week we had in Chinandega was also a week to be remembered. Next post. :)

Sam