Sorry about everything being all quiet as far as the blogging has gone lately, without a camera it just hasn't been the same. Today I had decided to blow the budget and go shopping for a camera, but this morning as we were getting on the bus with Damo & Paul (two lovely new bro's from Australia) Paul (who's full name by the way is Paul Danger Henry - love that middle name!) offered to let me use his while they're here, as he always forgets to use it, and that way I'd get to use a camera and he'd end up with some shots on his card.
Sounded like a deal to me so he kindly whipped home before the bus left and we were back in business.
Here's Porl and Damo saving our seats before we left.
Being Tuesday we were off to Rivas, this was to be Paul Danger Henry's first adventure on the chicken bus (we had initiated Damo the week before) so we were a little disappointed that it wasn't quite up to its usually 'up close and personal' standard. It was actually veritably lonely when the trip started.
But thankfully we weren't to be alone for long, we really wanted Paul to have the 'real' chicken bus experience .... looking quite relaxed and comfortable here ....
and little by little .... looking a little tenser .....
.... then it happened, jeje :)
Complete with bottoms in faces and any number of other body parts rested in any available space, including that between any passenger and the space above them or the chair in front of or even behind them. Welcome to Nicaragua!
Definitely looking a little less comfortable at this stage, about 5 mins out of town :)
Once we arrived in Rivas the boys were impressed to learn that it has a skatepark of its very own and they checked it out as we passed ....
And then the adventure continued, first up we met a man who had recently had an accident so he was wearing a motorbike helmet to protect himself. Reasonable I guess? He was asking us to buy him a refresco (fizzy drink) so Porl gave him his bottle of water. After taking it and trying it he said that no he didn't really like water that much and he still wanted a fizzy drink. In the end Porl took pity on him and gave him a few cords to go and buy a drink.
Before he left he spoke to us a little in English and took an English magazine to read later.
I was working with Kieran today and he was in for a treat.
We came across this interesting little group, it was about 10 in the morning and two of them were already unconscious in the corner (you can just make out a red shirted man in the right hand corner).
They were will into a big bottle of rum between them which they put behind the door so that they could concentrate on listening to us. Unfortunately their concentration didn't last and before too long the 'lady' in the middle soon told me that I was lovely and that Kieran really took after me and in fact she wanted to take him and make love to him and marry him and I could be her mother in law. Not often you get a mother in law around the same age!
I asked Kieran what he fancied - staying here for all the delights on offer or continuing on to visit the other houses in the neighbourhood. It was a toss up but he decided to stick with me and we continued on our way. Not every day you get offers like that and I think she was quite genuine as she even offered to share her alcohol with him :)
Although it wasn't as hot as it had been, by mid morning we were happy to find a corner store that sold ice cold batidas (smoothies) in a bag. Porl went for banana and it was really good so I followed his lead and had one too. Packed with banana it was great and really icy cold.
Paul Danger Henry, went all out and had cookies and milk, it looked fairly interesting, all those
bits bobbing around in a bag but Paul declared it the best
drink he'd had since arriving in Nicaragua.
The, after just a few more swigs he said, no! actually I think this is the best drink I've ever had!
Wow, either it was really, really good or he doesn't get out much ;)
We met up with some brothers and sisters from the local congregation and had an awkward social moment where one of the sisters approached Vanita and as she played with her hair told her she had terribly dry hair and that she needed a cut and a treatment.
What we would considered sooo rude is considered quite fine here.
Anyway not much further up the road we saw a hairdressers and suggested that Vanita get herself fixed up, I don't know, being out in public with such dry hair, really! What was she thinking? Lol.
As we carried on, we passed a local guy transporting goods using his head, quite a common site in these parts.
Then it was time for lunch so we headed off to the pupusa restaurant and here's Pete & Damo enjoying their pupusas. It was Damo's first pupusa experience and he seemed pretty taken with the whole deal. Pete reckoned they were awesome!
How good were they Pete?
Eye poppingly awesome, M-C!
Soon Paul's arrived and he looked pretty happy with his too.
After finishing up our afternoon with our studies in Rivas, Porl and I headed home on the bus.
Today it was a flash bus complete with tv and everything. Not sure why, but every now and then one of these comes through and does the route home, we certainly weren't complaining they are lovely and comfortable.
Actually, if you couldn't actually live on these buses, (I'm talking about all Nica buses, chicken buses included) you could at least have a four course meal with snacks to follow and do your fruit and vege shopping.
In the last five minutes before we left the station vendors came on the bus selling, full chicken meals, pop-corn and pastry snacks, all sorts of drinks, coconut sweets & all sorts of fruit and veges (all of which we declined) and then they came with icecreams and presliced mangos which we had both of.
Once again armed with a camera, I took advantage of the moment and took a few transportation themed shots as we left Rivas, just to get my hand back in again.
Not far out of Rivas Porl got his dictionary out and started to do some Spanish study.
But as the bus, with its comfy padded seats, bumped along and volcanoes whizzed by ...
Despite his best intentions, clutching his newly purchased machete and bike stand ....
Porl nodded off to sleep.
Now this isn't that unordinary. You know, nodding off to the gently sway of the bus then coming-to with a start ...
But by the time we passed the lakeside town of La Virgen ...
Despite a multitude of small school children having hopped on the bus ....
Porl had fallen into a deep, deep sleep ....
Complete with the open mouth ... but, I am happy to say, not quite to the
dribbling out of one side of the mouth stage ...
Sorry darl, I just couldn't help myself you looked so cute!
In fact you nearly ended up asleep on my lap!
He finally came too, slightly disoriented just as we arrived home to San Juan again. Another day in Rivas was over and the best thing ever was that we had the pics to prove it! - Thanks Paul Danger Henry! I dedicate this post to you and your camera :)
No comments:
Post a Comment