Offgrid living on UK waterways
Rescue
This accident had occured on the Pan-American highway, a connection running from Alaska to southern Chile one of the busiest and most important routes in South America.
Rolled vehicle roofwise and watched Landrover logo disappear into the distance.
Was surprised and sort of proud, in a British way that he was able to do that.
Showing Johnny Foreigner Land Rovers’ world wide credentials as bastion of hard wearing resiliance that used to be the British way.
Don’t think Managua is the best place in the world, it has no commercial district, there are no department stores, you will have trouble finding a bank and what development has taken place is on an urban American Car orientated, decentralised multiple business district system making it useless for the tourist.
It is very hot, almost like India.
The Market
Managua does however have an outdoor market the size of Belgium.
You will get lost here if you are reading your Lonely Planet guide at the same time as trying to find your way around.
Here is a picture from the market.
This woman is cooking up some spicey arroz, vegetables and meat.
Other considerations
The people are friendly (don’t mention the war).
It is safer than Rio.
For those that don’t know, Nicaragua was George Bush snr’s Iraq of sorts.
He pervaded influence in the region sometime in the eightees and things have never been the same since.
Alone
When you walk around Managua there is evidence of the beginnings of something, grand structures, wide tree lined boulevards, totems, monuments etc.
When I walked down here I was alone, completely, not a car, not a person in sight.
I imagine this was built as a symbol of the new Nicaragua, a Nicaragua which was never given the chance to develop.
US sponsored terrorism
Unlike Iraq, Nicaragua was a state where the US sponsored terror. Beheadings, ritual rape, food and water poisoning other general nastieness.
The US sponsored Contra Rebels never actually won a fight with the then Government troops and the battle was brought to the people, quite literally.
To Liverpool for winning in Europe, first UK team since 1999 and record breaking five time winners.
\jot.