P365 D48: San Jose to Bluefields

This morning we left for Bluefields. There are only two ways to get there, either by air or by water from Rama. Being students we took the overland route, this involves an eight hour bus ride from San Jose to Managua, most of it spent at the border, a five hour bus ride to Rama, then a two hour panga (boat) ride to Bluefields .

The bus ride from San Jose was actually a pleasant part of the journey, however once you cross the border you are entering a different world. Nicaragua is largest country in Central America and the second poorest country in the western hemisphere with about 70% of the population living in poverty and you can feel the difference. Also, remember to bring $11, 8 to get in and 3 to get out. Oddly enough Nicaragua is also one of Central Americas safest countries and doesn't have the same dangers that El Salvador or Guatamela have. This doesn't mean you don't need to be wary though. My colleague had a small plastic bag with a map stolen at the bus station, so one needs to be aware. We got to Managua around 4:30 in the afternoon, the place is chaotic and there is an overpowering smell of diesel fuel and wood smoke from cooking fires. We took a taxi across town to catch another bus to Rama.

The busride from Managua to Rama was surreal to say the least. We took what is generally referred to as a chicken bus, which are converted US school buses. The bus sped along at incredibly high speeds along this two lane highway blasting reggaeton and dancehall music. The guy riding shotgun (yes, just like in the old west) would occasionally jump out and stop traffic or when we were speeding along at high speeds hang out the door, which was open the entire time. We arrived in Rama around 3:30 in the morning and then had to wait for the panga at six. They were showing this incredible bad Mexican soap opera about a women forced into a life of prostituiton and being sold to gringos. Being the only gringo for about 80km, I was getting a little nervous but everything was cool. Once you leave Rama you have to pass through Nicaraguan customs. Bluefields in located in an autonomous area set aside for the indigenous people in the region. So we passed through and got on the panga around 6 for a 2 hour boat ride down the rio Rama. The area was devastated by Hurrican Johann in the 1980s and has never fully recovered, you will pass by abandoned fisheries and sunken ships. So here is a picture of me on the panga.