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December 31 2006 |
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Our driver arrived in the morning to take us from Managua to Rancho Santana; I filmed some scenes as we traveled through the villages. We made a few stops along the way and Jack's nose was crazily busy with the strange aromas. Everywhere we went, people laughed and took great pleasure at the sight of him. All of the wild Nicaraguan dogs are basically the same color and size - 25- to 35-pound brown hound. A pocito perro who wears a fancy collar and rides in a car is an unusual sight. We traveled through the territorio de Rivas to the ciudad de Tola then on to the Ranch. Rivas is an isthmus, bordered on one side by the Pacific Ocean and on the other by Lago de Nicaragua (Cocibolca). Rancho Santana lies on the Pacific Ocean within Rivas - an area fast becoming known as the "New Riviera". Just to the south of Tola and Rancho Santana's beautiful beaches is the international port town of San Juan Del Sur, a vibrant beach, fishing and surfing destination. Due east, within the Lago Cocibolca, lies Isla de Ometepe, an important pre-Columbian archeological site. The Vulcan Concepcion is active and shares Ometepe with the dormant Vulcan Madera. As we traveled along the road from Masaya we began to notice many scarecrow men sitting in front of homes. Most were holding an empty bottle of Flor deCana (Nica rum), some had coconut heads and others had realistically painted faces. They were wearing clothes, shoes, hats and sunglasses. When we asked our driver what purpose these dummy men served, we thought he told us that they were Nicaraguan security systems. We later came to understand that they were part of the New Year's celebration in Tola and that their hosts set them ablaze at midnight. (No wonder the rum bottles were empty!) One leaves normal when one turns off the road in Tola onto the last 22 kilometers of dirt and hardscrabble roads where everything from oxen-drawn carts to eighteen-wheel trucks pick their way around potholes that could swallow them whole. Everything that moves throws up a plume of dust and the passing landscape is dulled by it. We were delighted to see that the huge ruts had recently been filled with rock. A drive that can take well over an hour took only 40 minutes. Animals are everywhere, grazing along the roadside. We saw a number of problematic pigs wearing huge necklaces of sticks. These former field-raiders can no longer fit through the fences to fill their bellies with grains. We arrived at the Ranch and stopped at the casa de Tommy, a friend of Josh. Tom grilled some freshly caught fish and prepared local fruit and vegetables. We ate on his veranda where a breathtaking Pacific Ocean view was framed by Bougainvillea and Christmas lights. After the long ride, Jack was eager to do something and his cleverness amazed everyone. As we made our way up to our casita, two happy "Ranch" perros accompanied us. After Jack initially growled them off, he fell in with them and I think for a moment that he actually imagined himself having the life of a free-roaming dog, begging food from the tourista and catching crabs along the water's edge. Instead, he came inside and helped me get things out of the suitcase. A big party was held at the club. Guests greeted the new year with food, drink and live music. Fireworks exploded over the Pacific Ocean. Jack and I watched them from our casita on the hill; Josh was sound asleep. |
