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Date:
December 29, 2001
Hello !
I hope this message finds you all well.
I just arrived in Leon, Nicaragua. It is a city
located 75km north of Managua. My hope is to celebrate
New Years in Granada, Nicaragua. I have heard good
things about Granada and it's beaches from other
travelers. Granada is located at the north end of Lake
Managua.
So how was you Christmas ?
I celebrated mine in an overpriced hotel room in San
Miguel, El salvador. Pizza Hut pizza, air conditioning
and cable TV were my Christmas presents to me. I
called home on Christmas night. It was wonderful to
hear all the familiar voices of the people I love.
I completed my 3rd border crossing in 10 days
yesterday. I would compare my experiences at the
border with getting my driver's liscence photo taken
in Pennsylvania. I stand in a series of lines. Fill
out useless forms. Pay money for unknown services and
nobody working there seems to care how long the
process takes. I have never had my bags or my body
searched. The most in depth question I receive is when
and where are you leaving our country. They rarely
make eye contact long enough to verify that I am the
same person pictured on my passport. I felt a sense of
compassion for the truck drivers waiting to get into
El Salvador. There was a 2km line of tractor trailer
waiting to be escorted by the military through El
Salvador. Some had been waiting for over a day. They
were sleeping in hammocks suspended underneath their
trailers. I rode by and crossed the border in 10
minutes.
Since I left the mountains in Central Guatemala the
weather has turned oppressively hot and humid and the
scenery has been bland. The exception being the
stunning coastline of Eastern El Salvador. I spent two
days at these beaches in a hotel/hostel occupied with
backpackers and surfers. This was my first real "
quality time " with surfers. They are good people.
They just are not that bright. Sorry ladies.
Crime continues to be a concern. A Swedish and French
woman described to me two separate fatal shooting they
witnessed in the capital city of San Salvador. A week
later riot erupted in the same city. The only crime I
have come close to witnessing was the theft of a CD
player, camera and cooler from a truck parked outside
my hotel. The American plates drew attention to the
vehicle. Most crime here seems to be about money and
is not violent. It is also directed towards tourist
riding on buses or traveling in cars. Ironically I
fell less vulnerable on a bike. My bags are always
within my sight and the locals seem to respect the
physical effort involved in bicycling.
I have noticed a strange phenomenon in Central
America.
If I stop by the side of the road or even look
confused somebody wants to help me. They freely offer
directions and advice. That is until I enter the
grocery store. The aisles are normally narrow and the
customers are many. What follows closely resembles a
rugby match. The other customers cut into the checkout
line, run into me when reaching for something on the
shelf or just block the agile in what seems to be some
type of a defensive move for the "other" team. Nobody
wants to help me here.
I am still a little physically beat up from what
happened to me in Eastern El Salvador. I rounded a
curve at the summit of a hill on a too long and too
hot day.I saw the tunnel and anticipated the cool
interior. I did not notice the sign warning of the
tunnels length. I passed from the blazing sun into
the darkness and soon heard a bus approaching from
behind. I turned to judge it's distance. I was blinded
by the sunlight. When I looked forward all I could see
was the image of the tunnel entrance surrounded by
blackness. I eased my bike over to the side of the
road and let the bus pass. It started riding again
with great haste. I still could not see but thought I
was riding in the center of the road.
Click here to read the end
of the story.
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