Impressions of Nicaragua

Our two-man scouting team for this fall’s Doomsday Ride are now in country #3, Honduras and at the end of what will be the “Rainforest Recce” section of the tour. Before departing country #2 yesterday, they sent us this post with their observations of Nicaragua. More details of the route, road conditions, and what to expect will come later, but from what they told us it could be summed up as stunningly beautiful and more than a little hilly.

Looking for the Marlboro Man? He is here in Nicaragua. Trust me…

Not only are cigarettes less than $2 a pack but the roads are full of men, women and children trotting about their daily business on beautiful horses. All, of course, wearing a cool cowboy hat. Most of the rest of the population seems to be riding bikes. We met some local in a small rural village wearing a ‘Bike to Work Month’ t-shirt (he was driving a pick-up, ironically). Healthy and photogenic yes but it reflects the poor state of the national economy.

Bread trucks deliver their products to small food stalls accompanied by armed guards. Besides horses and bikes you still see oxen carts in the countryside. Pigs wander in the roads and people cut grass with machetes. Despite this the people are incredibly friendly and the cafes, bars and restaurants are filled with people enjoying themselves.