Central America Fieldtrip, May 2007

Amy and I have just returned from a 10-day trip to Nicaragua, which was a class for 14 students in the NRSD (natural resources and sustainable development) and NRP (natural resources and peace) programs at UPEACE. The class is designed to cap the first semester (or second for the NRP students) of the students’ experience here in Central America by providing an experiential comparison with Costa Rica. Owing to its recent political stability, this is the second year that the program has gone to Nicaragua.

Even nearly a week after our return, I am finding it really hard to put the trip into words, or make a simple summary of all the activities, but I’ll do my best here to cover the essentials. We visited so many places, had so many different interactions, and learned so much about Nicaragua, resource use and sustainability (is it even possible when more immediate concerns rule?), the students, my colleagues that accompanied us, and even ourselves. First, it is important to note that Amy was able to come along, which was excellent all around. She was able to escape her daily routine, get to know the students, and keep her husband from being too hard on them and himself J

The trip started with the long drive to Managua from Ciudad Colon, in all it was about 10 hours of driving including the crossing of the border. I was also in charge of making sure all paper work and other details were appropriately taken care of, thanks to the last minute decision by my coworker Jan to not attend this year. Anyway, the border crossing was not that difficult, just a little confusing…but no worries, it is easy to find a guide to take you through the appropriate steps for a small fee…eh hem, I mean donation…based on “your conscience.” We figured a dollar per person was pretty fare, and paid our guide to get us through. Only one person in the group was asked to present herself to the authorities because her Italian passport was about to expire (3 months later). This is where my colleague Ronnie de Camino’s skills came in handy for the first time on the trip. We went to the special office building to get a special permission, and Ronnie charmed them by noticing a painting of a famous Nicaraguan poet and reciting some of his poetry…problem solved and we were out of there.

One notices a significant shift ecologically, economically, and socially, soon after crossing the border. Things got drier and hotter, and the people became poorer. Actually, that was one of the most noticeable differences between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the difference in poverty…As many of you know, Nicaragua has had many years of political turmoil, including a socialist revolution and the U.S. backed Contra war, which has rendered it the second poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The average Nicaraguan has to make due with $80 a month. While basics are necessarily cheaper there, it is not a direct relationship. Indeed, the distended bellies, poorly constructed and empty houses, and hungry and skeletal animals were all indicators of the economic, social, and political instability the country has suffered. Another overwhelming reality was the garbage…plastics everywhere alongside the road and in the aqueducts. Poverty is a theme that no one can escape when traveling in Nicaragua… and something that influenced many of the resource uses we were able to visit.

After a visit to the World Bank headquarters and a presentation by a local NGO/Coop focused on indigenous logging in the Eastern autonomous regions, we visited a beautiful furniture shop, Simplamente Madera…a really cool, interesting, and morally upright business venture in sustainable wood furniture. Really beautiful stuff. Oh yeah, we visited a cool nature reserve called Chocoyero, where one can see a beautiful waterfall alongside a cliff that houses the nests of hundreds of parrots.

Cool Tree in Chocoyero


Next we headed North to a community called Cusmapa, where (once we got there…the road went on and on) there was an interesting school and forestry project which was founded by a Padre Fabretto. His foundation is pushing sustainability and education projects at the small scale, and they have a big donor base in the Catholic churches of the States (especially out of Chicago).

View from Cusmapa of their Certified Pine Forest


Kids in Cusmapa


Sandinista graffiti in Cusmapa


After Cusmapa we headed to Esteli. On the way we visited an artisans clay factory, where a cute old woman tolerated all of our silly questions. The next morning we had the chance to see tobacco processing into cigars. This was the first of several interactions with sweatshop factories, neoliberal labor realities, and natural resources. The tabacalera was really interesting, although it was clear that the workers were struggling to make it in a town where there were few other options. Ownership was controlled by Cuban-Americans, and it was clear that the market for the cigars was the U.S./Europe, based on the labels on the boxes.

Clay Work, finishing touches


Ronnie de Camino at Tobacco drying barns


Tabacco workers between barns


Stacks of Cigars before packaging


Box of Cigars for shipping...moolah


After touring the tobacco farm, we headed to a subterranean gold mine owned by a Canadian multinational. Besides being exhausted by the LONG ride to get to the mine, it was interesting tour. While it was clear that they were going beyond the minimum requirements of Nicaraguan law, it was also obvious that much of their mitigation and remediation efforts were not eliminating much of the risk from the cyanide and other heavy metals found in their tailings ponds. They tried their best to convince us of their environmentalist stance…and tried to assuage us with free Gatorade…Amy and I weren’t sold on their “green” gold.

That night we arrived in Leon, a nice University and colonial city. We got our first taste of a little luxury staying there at a new hotel called Casa Leon. We woke up the next morning and headed off to a protected area on the coast called Isla Juan Venado, which houses mangroves and a host of related animals, birds, fishes, etc. It was an interesting tour, especially considering the boats full of mangrove wood passing us by…technically illegal, but overlooked due to an understanding of the livelihood needs of the nearby communities. This was a clear example of de jure versus de facto understandings of rules/regulations. After the park, we headed off to a shrimp processing plant. After getting dressed for the part and sanitizing ourselves, we walked into our second semi-industrial processing factory to much fanfare and ado. We were the center of attention for the hundreds of young ladies who were busy beheading shrimp… Again, we were confronted by the reality of factory wage work in Nicaragua, but also were reminded that to be without work would be worse (and that there were jobs that paid less and required more hours). We also got to go into the freezer room, which felt so good after being in the scorching heat for several days prior.

Cool Kids boat, Isla Juan Venado


Mangrove tour, Isla Juan Venado


Dressed up for the shrimp plant visit:


We spent another night in Leon, and the next day headed to a place called Posoltega. Posoltega was the site of a massive landslide caused by the inundation of water, in turn produced by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. We visited the memorial to an entire town that was buried by meters of debris that washed down the side of a volcano, and spoke with a survivor who lost 30 members of his own family. The memorial and the discussion with this man was a powerful and difficult moment for most of us…the look in his eyes is something that few of us will ever forget. The main message he wanted us to take away was beautiful… “We have much to remember, and nothing to forget.” Again, the Posoltega event was natural, but the disaster was also a product of the social, political, and economic effects of Nicaragua’s development trajectory over the last 100 years. These poor farmers lived in a high-risk zone precisely because they had few other options but to scrape out an existence below the volcano, which in turn exacerbated the effect of the landslide due to deforestation. In all, it was an emotional visit that had many lessons for everyone.

Memorial, Mass grave marker


Nicaraguan National Flower, Sancuanjoche (Plumeria rubra var alba), Offering at Posoltega


Memorial, marking old street layout with walkways


Dung Beetles on Walk to landslide, Posoltega


That night we returned to Managua, and the next morning we were off to Mombacho National Park, a volcano that looks out over Lake Nicaragua and the colonial city of Granada. The tour through Mombacho was pretty interesting, it was a great hike around craters. It was a chance to enjoy the cooler mountain air, see a good patch of primary cloud forest, and take in the beautiful views of the lake below. That night we stayed in Granada, a city that has adapted well to the growth of tourism, and has a lot to offer visitors. This is a place we definitely want to get back to some day because we only had a night and a morning there.

Orchids, Parque Nacional Volcan Mombacho


Amy and David, Overlook at Mombacho, Granada in distance


Church and Plaza in Granada


Next up, we headed out of Granada for the Island of Ometepe. Ometepe is a volcano and its base that has formed an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. We were there to see one of the more touristy areas, and to understand the role of tourism in the new economy of Nicaragua. The islands are only accessible by ferry, and we took the entire crowd over, minibus included. On the island we toured to see petroglyphs, heard traditional stories, and visited an organic coffee cooperative. All of this was interesting, but it was obvious that fatigue was starting to set in at this point.

Amy on Boat to Ometepe


Dave teaching, Ometepe


Volcan Concepcion smoking on Isla Ometepe


Horses drinking from Lake Nicragua, Isla Ometepe


Finally, that next morning…day 10…we headed back to home. We arrived home exhausted, but mentally exhilarated. The trip was a total success on all fronts. Even our driver, Don Roger, was just perfect. He was as interested in the places we visited as the students were. My colleagues Tom and Ronnie offered unique insights from two different ends of the personality and academic spectrums, but the combination was really great.

In all, it was an incredible experience, one that made us realize our privilege and complicates our often simplistic understanding of environmental and development issues. Below you’ll find some pics from the trip. We hope that you enjoy them, and of course, we highly recommend a trip to Nicaragua…it is a diamond in the rough.

I just realized that I told you that I wouldn’t go through the trip blow by blow, but I ended up doing it anyway. Of course, I spared you many of the small details, daily dramas, and assorted ramblings. There was plenty to write about without shoving all that excess in there as well.

Lastly, we wanted to let our friend Juan Pablo know that we are thankful for the beautiful statue he brought us from East Africa. Our home down here is rapidly filling up with generous gifts like his (see pic below).

Until next time…Abrazos!

Love,
David (and Amy)


Statue from Juan Pablo...thanks JuanPa!