Orlando's land

Clem, Orlando and Simon holding a coconut, plantain and nothing, respectively.
We had a lovely morning out on a windswept, drizzly but still sweaty day, travelling in a dug-out canoe with Orlando and his son Clem, to their land near to Pearl Lagoon. Orlando is the community guide in the Misquito village of Awas. The windy weather meant that we could use a black, bin-bag material, sail to bob across the lake. From the shore, it was a good half hour hike to Orlando's patch of land. Here he grows yucca, which is the main carbohydrate in their diet, and accompanies fish stews.Orlando harvesting yucca, a root vegetable, also known to us as cassava It's easy to farm. Once the roots have been harvested, a section of the stem is cut off clean and re-planted straight in the ground. It soon takes root, and in another few months, the yucca is ready, and the process can begin again.

Orlando's little hut for relaxing in and cooking lunch, looking a bit worse for wear following Hurricane Ida last November.

Clem with a wild banana plant. The fruit is inedible but the flowers are very pretty.

Orlando visits the land most days, after fishing. In addition to yucca, coconut and plantain, he also has sugar cane, pineapple, tropical apples, a local fruit (called bread fruit eaten fried with meals. Sadly we didn't get to sample this), bananas and something he called a pear, though we don't think it would have looked like the pears we know. During our trip, he kept our energy levels up with coconut water fresh from the palm, tropical apples and sugar cane to suck on. He was a great guy working hard to bring a little extra money into the community through tourism.

Distinctly different Caribbean communities

Travelling from one community to another around the Caribbean coast, we were amazed by the differences between them. We began in Bluefields, a large busy port city. Formerly, the city's population was mainly Black African descendants who settled here at the end of the slave trade. There are much stronger links to Caribbean culture than to Spanish and the predominant language is Creole English. There were also English pirates operating in this area for years in the 18th century and the British government funded indigenous groups to wage war on the Spanish. In recent years, a lot of people have moved to Bluefields from the Pacific side of Nicaragua, leading to a big multi-cultural mix and English and Spanish spoken in equal measure - we were never quite sure which to opt for.

A large, Victorian-style wooden house in Bluefields. A lot were destroyed by hurricanes in the 1990s. So now, the pretty houses are out-numbered by uglier concrete structures.Near to the port in Bluefields. Lots of wooden buildings. Large boats come and go as well as locally-crafted dug-out canoes for fishing These old containers were being used as offices and shops in Bluefields.

Moving on to the small, sleepy town of Laguna de Perla, the Spanish community reduced, and Misquito people lived alongside Creole. Menus were dominated by prawns and fish stewed in coconut milk and there were large shrimping boats in the dock. Although the roads were sandy, there were a few vehicles around, as the road to Rama and the rest of the country has recently been improved.

A large fishing boat in Pearl Lagoon dock. The main street in Pearl Lagoon

A couple of kilometres walk from Pearl Lagoon town, along a raised track through a swamp, led us to the Misquito settlement of Awas. The Misquito people are indigenous to Central America, and the largest population lives in Honduras. The people we visited in Awas through a community tourism venture, still live a simple life growing their own food, mainly yucca, and making a little bit of money from fishing and community tourism. We were made very welcome in the house of Orlando (centre in the photo) and his family.

The Garifuna people are descended from people who escaped from British slave ships in the 17th century, found refuge on the Caribbean island of San Vicente, and later migrated to a number of islands and communities around the Central American Caribbean coast. Orinoco, a further hour's bumpy boat trip across Pearl Lagoon are one such community. There were no cars in this village, the only form of transport was boat, as it is hemmed in on all sides by jungle. It was a nice community with lots of children playing around the houses and in a large, community grassy square. There is a tradition of African drum music, and we enjoyed listening to some local lads gathered in the street for an impromptu drum session. OrinocoOne of the main streets in Orinoco.
The village drumming workshop where drums are made.
The small town of Pueblo Nuevo didn't have any road transport either. It was all horseback or boats. But it did have a very different feel to anywhere else we had visited. The vast majority of people were Spanish-speaking Nicaraguans. They made their way from further west, clearing forest land for cattle grazing as they went. It was highly politicised when we passed through as candidates for local elections were on the campaign trail, albeit by boat.

The Sandinista FSLN flags were out in force as were those of several opposition parties, including the right-wing PLC.The variety of life we encountered made the trip worth the effort for us.

Khaka Creek jungle reserve

It’s not that often you come across something truly inspirational but after just 2 days and a night at Khaka Creek Reserve we were not only informed, enthused and relaxed but also inspired. The commitment of the staff at the reserve showed in both their enthusiasm for the project and the amazing amount of work that has been carried out there. Miguel, the project coordinator and Tito, a forestry guardian and guide welcomed us like friends and brought the project alive for us as they each showed us round and told us about their work.

The reserve is an hour by boat up the river Wawachang from Pearl Lagoon on the Atlantic side of Nicaragua. Agro-forestry school for locals. Accessed only by boat. Trying to stop deforestation in the area through education and job opportunities. Walking between the Reserve and the local village of Pueblo Nuevo. The picture shows the extent of the deforestation and what the Reserve would be like without the project.

Khaka Creek includes around 400 acres of forest and of course a creek called Khaka amongst others. Some parts of the forest are virgin but lots has been replanted by the reserve since it was set up in the late 1990s with funding from Norway and Lichtenstein. The tourism venture, including food, nice big rooms and guided nature treks was started later, in 2006. Flicking through the visitor’s book it was clear the reserve receives tourists regularly from European and Central American countries, Canada and the United States but we were the first English people to make it there, which was surprising but nice too. We think we left a good impression. Hurricane Ida hit the reserve last November. We were in Nicaragua and remember people saying there was a hurricane but it never reached us and we heard no more about it. It was a shock then to walk around the trails of the reserve and see that about 90% of the trees in the reserve had been flattened by some of the fiercest winds to hit the area in many years. On our trip we also saw aid being distributed and encountered people still homeless and living in refuges three months on. Food aid being distributed in Pueblo Nuevo

Considering the scale of the destruction we could hardly believe the many acres of land that had been cleaned, organised and replanted in such a short time. Miguel is an expert at getting people involved in the project, both locals and foreigners. All sorts of people had been there helping and brigades of volunteers were expected to arrive over the coming months. He told us of the day after the hurricane struck, of standing at the top of the brand new observation tower that had miraculously stayed standing while all around it toppled, looking over the dramatically changed forest all around and saying ‘right, how can we start to make this good again?’ We had a lovely time walking the nature trails, which had all been cleared, cabin shelters and bridges repaired. There were good quality information signs all around the trail, written in English, Spanish and Miskito (a local language). Walking on the first day with Miguel we found out loads about the different trees in the areas, which were habitats for monkeys, sloth, birds and insects. We climbed the base of a mighty almond tree with amazing roots. The very tough almond shell. A squirrel had expertly drilled around this one to get the nut. What the squirrel was after - the soft, nutritious almond nut.

We were also shown the Lechevaca (cow's milk) tree which when cut bleeds a creamy sap that tastes sweet and quickly gets very sticky. Miguel told us the sap used to be used in chewing gum production, which is now all made artificially. He has a great plan for producing an all organic, naturally flavoured gum. Once the sap is harvested, a bit of soil rubbed in to the tree will help it to repair itself and carry on growing healthily. The next day, with Tito, we saw lots more of the ongoing reforestation work at the reserve. We were also luckier with the wildlife and managed a close encounter with a beautiful boa stretched out along a branch and a great view of a white faced, cappuccino monkey looking out for fruit.

After Miguel prodded the boa with a stick, it moved pretty quickly into a hole.

Apparently, the day after the hurricane there were many monkeys walking the ground wounded and confused, which did at least enable the team to feed them and get some good photos to help promote the reserve. Sadly, though not surprisingly, we failed to spot a jaguar roaming the trails, but we did get a good look at jaguar poo, which is surely the next best thing. We were also treated to Tito’s lovely poetry and songs about the reserve and the wildlife and one about eating monkeys, which he assures us he doesn’t do any more. It was brilliant to see that, of the funding available, a chunk of it was set aside for covering the costs of groups of local children to visit from surrounding schools, youth projects and Scout packs. Trips out of school rarely happen in state schools in Nicaragua, so the value is huge of bringing children to educate them in caring for the environment, reforestation and local wildlife all while camping in the grounds and having presentation and awards evenings. Some of the groups were filmed and were involved in the filming themselves and we watched some of the evidence of youngsters busy enjoying doing things like planting trees, cleaning land and learning to control forest fires. We visited the on-site primary school that is also funded by the project. It was amusing to find out that over half of the 13 children were Tito’s (all by the same mother which was a pleasant surprise by Nicaraguan standards). The children were very hard at work, getting a good education. They had their own vegetable patch out back producing food for them and the school, as with the whole site was hooked up to a solar power supply. It left a big impression on us seeing all the hard work going on at the reserve, finding out so much about the natural life of the forest in that area and seeing the forest struggling back to life after the devastation of the hurricane. But considering our own plans and ambitions for the future, the real inspiration was in witnessing first-hand that when a project is done well and with enthusiasm and inspiration, it can be so successful and make such a difference to the environment, the local community and to all the people who visit it.This plant is known locally as 'Whore's Lips'. We don't know its Latin name. It's the dry season at the moment and a good job too, because in the rainy season this swamp is filled with crocodiles. The exoskeleton of a type of locust. After many years under ground, it crawls out into the open in this form and attaches itself to some nearby wood. There it sits for a couple of days before bursting out of its own skeleton and flying off in the form of a locust. It leaves behind this shell which would be too heavy to fly in.

Journeying around the Caribbean

Boarding a panga bound for Bluefields
In order to experience the Eastern, Caribbean side of Nicaragua, we could have done what many tourists do and simply flown to Bluefields or the Corn Islands. Instead we set off from Leon and spent 8 days travelling by minibus, old American school bus, taxi, coach, motor boat and canoe (with and without sail), exploring towns and communities we hadn’t previously seen and didn’t know much about. It was a bit more tiring at times, but overall we were very happy that the way we chose to do things let us see much more of the country, appreciate the changes in geography and ecology and meet lots of interesting people.

From the time we left the ‘end of the road’ riverside town of Rama until we returned there 6 days later, all of our journeying was by water. The semi-scheduled boats, or pangas, sat 20 people and zipped along the water powered by a huge outboard motor. You had to wait for the boats to fill and so rigid timetables went out the window and everything slows to the same, chilled out Caribbean pace. Twice we had to wait for over 3 hours. However, after sauntering on last to our first boat, when our 20 people were finally all present to board, and ending up on the seats at the very front of the boat facing to the rear squished in next to a couple of very fat people, we soon learnt that it pays to be first in line. Those seats are the bumpiest and most uncomfortable of all. When we ended up with the same seats on the next leg across the large expanse of Pearl Lagoon, the boat slammed repeatedly on the choppy water and we soon had to call for an emergency stop halt, play the pregnancy card and get everyone to clamber over to swap seats so that Rachel could sit at the rear of the boat, where things were vastly smoother. When the water was calm and the sun was low or hidden by cloud, the boat journeys were a joy, passing beautiful forested shores, swooping fishing birds, shrimping boats of varying sizes, waterside communities and even the occasional ship wreck. A commercial shrimping boat leaving Bluefields. Shipwreck in the foreground. A more humble vessel for shrimp fishing in Orinoco. This boat was carved by hand from a single trunk by villagers. It takes around six days to make and lasts for at least four years of service.Travelling up the Wawachang river with Harley, our captain, and Karleene from Pearl Lagoon. Our favourite trips were when we downsized boat to travel up the river Wawachang to a forest reserve and when we joined local guide Orlando for a trip by canoe to his farm. The breezy conditions meant a homemade plastic sail was in order to power the canoe, an alternative to the usual pole and oars; either way it was peaceful and relaxing to progress more slowly and without the noise of a motor. Of course the other extreme is bouncing perilously across miles of windswept lagoon being soaked by spray, motor roaring at one end, dreadful reggaeton and college rock blaring from speakers at the other end, all while frying under the full sun. Although at times it felt like we were travelling more than staying put and we wouldn’t want to have to travel by boat all the time, it certainly added to the feeling of experiencing a new part of the country and made our adventures feel more adventurous.

Juigalpa

Juigalpa is the capital of the Chontales region of Nicaragua, where the majority of the country's beef is produced. You can tell it's cattle country by the wooden rodeo stands in many villages and towns we passed through and by the high percentage of men wearing cowboy hats, not to mention the availability of dairy products and top quality steaks.

A lovely hilltop park with a cow and maize statue, perhaps once a fountain.

Heading east from Managua on our way to the Caribbean coast, we chose Juigalpa as a stopping off point on the way there and again on the return journey. It has the most modern cathedral we have seen in Nicaragua with beautiful contemporary stain glass windows. Juigalpa seemed to be a fairly religious place as we saw people pouring into the church on the two Thursday evenings we spent here.

One of the town's main tourist attraction is its excellent collection of pre-hispanic stonework, housed in a small warehouse. There was also a room at the back with ceramics, random antique objects and a section on stuffed animals with genetic defects - think a calf with 3 heads and 2 penises. We didn't take any photos of this, nor of the pickled baby born with one eye, we found it a bit disturbing.

We read in the guidebook that there was a great swimming hole a few kilometres out of town on a dammed up section of the river, popular with local kids. The taxi dropped us off at an unsignposted track on the main road, which we walked down to discover some lovely boulders and rocks bordering the river, but nobody else around and no obvious place to swim.

A little more exploring up river and we came upon a large concrete wall and a big swimming hole. It clearly wasn't used very much any more, largely due to the fact that whoever had come up with the original concept of damming the river, had failed to take into account that any trees, logs and branches floating downstream would get stuck there. Spot a very white Simon trying to gently lower himself off the dam wall.

Luckily the far side was still clear and the water still clean, so we had a quick, refreshing dip to wash away the day's travel dust.