2023 - The freshest crap from farm to table

[bill_bly_ca]

Well here it is - about a week from the new year - Time to close out the 2021 thread

So trigger pulled on the flight The flight out it to Bogota then SJO - 12hrs total with a 2h:45m stop in Bogata

Flight back is direct from SJO to YYZ

57,000 points and $628CDN (439US) for both tickets.

The Toronto to Bogota leg leaves at about 11PM and arrival in SJO is 9AM the next day - This is a nice sleep flight.

The 9AM arrival gives us a good amount of time to see a bit of San Jose on the day of arrival.

The day back to Toronto is a 5AM departure so it looks like we will have to the Uber shuffle to the airport at 2:30AM again.

Now to book bus tickets - Chilo says lets try Nicabus - I do some browsing and find that there is not a purchase on line option for Nicabus, so I give Chilo the whatsapp number to call - She wants nothing to do with calling them as she is too shy to do so, so it looks like it is back to TicaBus. I'll book that shortly.

The flight has no bags attached to it - We will probably keep it to one bag down and maybe no bags back (checked)

Chilo complained about the cheese, but I said maybe we can buy a brick or two in Miami and bring it back in the truck, no weight restrictions, she liked that. I am pretty sure we could still get a similar dollar amount (@ $10#) for that cheese.


Got the AirBnB booked for Miami as well - Just off from Little Havana.

We plan one day in little Havana, half day in both Little Managua and maybe see south beach and maybe the last day driving down to see a bit of the Keys - Then the drive back. Chilo has an apartment client up here that she cleans 2x a month, so she did not want to loose that gig so we leave at noon in a Wednesday rather than first thing Wed. Probably drive to, or close to the TN/KY border on I75 , and the remainder on the Thursday. We would start trucking back on the Sunday returning late on the Monday over Buffalo

[cookshow]

Should have laid over in Bogata, is nice this time of yr.

If near Little Havana in Miami then are near Little Managua, on weekends lots of Softball and Nacatmals...

[bill_bly_ca]

So this appears to be the first Xmas in 30 yrs that there was not an epic piss up party at an extended family member's house. We hosted a few in the 00's .

The typical house the last decade, Herminia's house, had a bunch of reno's done. So they are hesitant to do it. The NYE piss up will happen at Herminia's daughter house, Bianca - They bought at teh peak of the market this past spring. First time owners.

We got a good hit of the country storm(s) . West of us (London et al) got a good hit and south and east of us (Buffalo and area) got hammered. I go shovel the walk after typing this.

We are showing Mom Managua on Youtube via Chico's channel currently.

The little mutt is really taking to the house - His favorite place is the warm outlet of the fridge - So he is pretty thin blooded.

[cookshow]

How are the Bombas this yr, was talking to the Island yesterday and they said were very few.

[el duende grande]

Traffic is the true celebration of the birth of Christ!

We had a pleasant xmas dinner with guests from abroad and the eastern jungles. I sacked out at 1030 and ignored the noise at midnight. Neighborhood was generally quite.

Xmas Day we took a ride to Garnacha to eat sandwiches. I was suckered--we ended up in a restaurant in in San Rafael. First adventure is they have changed the main drag to one way with poor signage. We thought it was just a drunk checkpoint. Grumpy cop explained it otherwise but no tickee. Ate at Coffee Lovers, 2 thumbs up, fn. Checked out the new (?) Parque Ecologico, nice for a half hour stroll. Seems to be a trend, tiny San Nicolas has a new park, too.

Countryside has dried out not yet dried up--beautiful to see it. Postcardy weather.

Hey Pirate, have they finished the pavement from Yali to Condega?

[KeyWestPirate]

Traffic is the true celebration of the birth of Christ!

We had a pleasant xmas dinner with guests from abroad and the eastern jungles. I sacked out at 1030 and ignored the noise at midnight. Neighborhood was generally quite.

Xmas Day we took a ride to Garnacha to eat sandwiches. I was suckered--we ended up in a restaurant in in San Rafael. First adventure is they have changed the main drag to one way with poor signage. We thought it was just a drunk checkpoint. Grumpy cop explained it otherwise but no tickee. Ate at Coffee Lovers, 2 thumbs up, fn. Checked out the new (?) Parque Ecologico, nice for a half hour stroll. Seems to be a trend, tiny San Nicolas has a new park, too.

Countryside has dried out not yet dried up--beautiful to see it. Postcardy weather.

Hey Pirate, have they finished the pavement from Yali to Condega?

Hey Pirate, have they finished the pavement from Yali to Condega?


It was mostly done the last time I was there,,, several months back.
It's opened up some very desirable area.

The bonus is a neat back door to MiraFlor, just a little west (this side) of Yalí.

[el duende grande]

The relatives that didn't seek opportunities elsewhere are doing well here with their small businesses. so well that 2 of them have bought cars which takes the burden off of me and my beat up little pickup. More roads, more to see. 2018 opened the door to internal tourism. Where do people get all that money for c220 chicken quesedillas and coffee that costs more than 5 c??

[KeyWestPirate]

' . . Where do people get all that money for c220 chicken quesedillas and coffee that costs more than 5 c?? "



Try $3 plus coffee here, and fast food (which I rarely consume) has doubled since Trump left office.

And while gas has come down finally,, at least here, rents are up 25 - 40% nationwide.

Nicaragua seems like a model of fiscal stability,, spending China's, Iran's and Russia's money instead of their own.

[el duende grande]

America has responded to tough choices--Pay your bills, governmental, corporate, and personal OR

Unlease the inflation bomb and start a proxy was to stimulate the (war) economy. Easy choice for Americans.

Nic. is building infrastruture and has invested wisely in obtaining remeses for future growth. Airport had 11 flights a day, people just dying to spend money here. I wonder if Iranian tourists will be big spenders?

[bill_bly_ca]

Nice firm up on the trip.

#1 We have a couple Fritanga's targeted
#2 A good sized flea market - Chilo has fond memories of visiting one in Miami in the late 80's with her then SIL, I have fond memories of the Flea markets in the SF bay area in the 90's and early 00's and one in the mid 80's on my last trip to FLA
#3 the "Wawa" truck stop is identified as a must-stop by Willy Jr . Their website shows a good menu and quite the thing to see.

With Little Havana, Little Managua, a bit of south beach, the Opa-Laca flea market and a stop by of the WRMI transmitter site in Okeechobee on the way back, we should have our weekend filled.


I 75 down - I 95 back up.


The vay-cay days for the Feb visit are booked, the export control forms are still pending but with most of the admin staff out of the office until the 3rd that is to be expected.

With one of the year-end rewards I bought one of those Go-Pro-ish cameras (not a "real" go pro, but close) So I can show Mom and Dad what is goings on in FLA.


Interesting bit on Dad - he came back from a break in PR (one week on the beach) and said he was feeling a little light - Got in at the Dr. the day after he arrived and the Dr. said you need a stint. The next day he got a stint and was home that night. Dr said it was 70% blocked. He had said he was feeling a bit sluggish he last 6 months and as only putting in only 60 hour weeks this past season at the greenhouse (@80 years old) he may go back to his typical 80 hour weeks April to June 2023 now ..

[el duende grande]

Good to hear he made it. If it was the VA he would still be sitting on his porch with his cell phone in hand...

[KeyWestPirate]

Interesting bit on Dad - he came back from a break in PR (one week on the beach) and said he was feeling a little light - Got in at the Dr. the day after he arrived and the Dr. said you need a stint. The next day he got a stint and was home that night. Dr said it was 70% blocked. He had said he was feeling a bit sluggish he last 6 months and as only putting in only 60 hour weeks this past season at the greenhouse (@80 years old) he may go back to his typical 80 hour weeks April to June 2023 now ..


Some people just like to work. I personally think that it's healthy. Good news on your Dad.

You have to be proactive these days.
In the US there are too many doctors who are just into the buck.
Not all, of course,, but . . .

[bill_bly_ca]

Truck has tires rotated, pads checked, oil checked, coolant checked, AT fluid checked, Washer fluid filled and spare jug sourced, truck washed and interior cleaned. I did look at the Rad hoses and while they look fine they are probably 25 years old so I will swap those out in the spring.

The Car wash was funny - I have a gas station points card I use for washing in winter (to clean off the salt). Have had the card for almost a decade. This winter they could not give a wash as it had to be registered on line. Went to register and they stated the card was not mine. A bit of running around and using my wife's name they said they wanted to talk to my wife. Chilo does not drive and never recalls getting this gas card. Anyways It turned out to be in her name and we got it activated and then proceeded to wash.

SIM cards set, new powered cooler set, bags packed, Google routes prepped and camera gear selected.

Got a cheap action cam as well (Akaso Brave 7) so we can record the drive as a time lapse.

Time to go visit some palm trees.

[bill_bly_ca]

Truck


It cost a bit on fuel for sure - About $530US all in but I suspect because that was all at Interstate speeds (65 to 80mph). The fine detail was 5150km and 14.7l/100km All in it was 196 gal.


I75


Driving the 401 to Windsor and then across to Detroit was no issue save for the rain. The new Gordy Howe bridge is pretty impressive in the distance. Dertoit city traffic was one of the few places where we ran into slow traffic. Got to the KY/TN line in day 1 (1:30 to midnight) and got all the way down to MIA at 10PM. GPS was fine and got us right to the door. The area was fine for us - If my Mom was with us she would probably state we were going to die :-)


Sunpass was an adventure to sign up for - It looks like it worked - Is seemes to have sucked up 26 of the $30 I loaded.


If we were to go back (and not sure we would) it would be I75 down to the GA/FL border (or somewhere close) and I95 down to MIA


I95


Driving back up through GA was much faster than I thought and driving throught the The mountains of Virginia and the Carolinas were longer than expected. Waved to Jonh around 4:30 Sunday - Not sure if he seen us.



Fritanga


Tiscapa Fritanga - Pretty poor - Left a Meh google review - $57 lesson on where not to eat. Basically their Carne Asada and Pollo Asada was dry and over cooked.


Yambo by far was the best. Best price, best decor, best service, best Carne Asada. They are open 24/7. The Next best was the


Carne Asada Tortilleria Nicas - Out in little Managua - Lineup was outside the door at 10:30 on a Saturday - We had the Chroizo - The Cacao was fantastic


In the same plaza as Carne Asada was a Nicaraguan pulpitera - Their cheese was $6# - We bought 3 - Defiantly not at a value that lets us bring any back for profit.


AirBnB


Cuban fellow with what looks to be a 1200sq/ft house. It also looks like he has 3 rooms of this house let out. There was also a modified camp trailer there as well. It was unclear if he actually lived in the house. The neighborhood


Little Havana


It was probably the highlight of the visit - Nice shops, Chilo and I split a Nicaraguan Cigar and a couple Stella draft. Watched they guys (and Gals) play dominos. It is expensive though. There was a fair traffic of tourists for Friday afternoon.


Little Managua


Basically a strip mall - here are some other business that were difficult to find - Ruben Diaro Park and a boulevard was seen.


South Beach


The Buildings were nice the beach - Well it was a beach so so much for that. It was the most time we spent walking around


Miami


Even thought he temperature was warm the people did not give the same. Kinda cold and apathetic to their fellow humans - Yes it was ony a 3 day stay and maybe I misread them, but that is what I saw. Miami down town was really disappointing as it is nothing but residential high rises. We did have a motor bike rider come up beside and chat - He was born in Managua, his parents emigrated to Montreal and then went down to Miami to live - This entire discussion was waiting for a stop light and was probably the only real interaction with people we had.


Daytona beach


Nothing but high-rises on the beach and it looked like all of the recent storms closed the public access points save for a few. A rescue happened about a 1/2 mile down the beach as we left - Looked like a cramped swimmer - 6 trucks ,2 ambulances, and 2 quads with life guards all went rushing down the beach


Border US


The guy in Detroit was really perplexed why were were driving for so far for so little time. <shrug> I guess it is his job to question suspicious/odd activity

Border Canada


Dude took our passports asked how much booze we had and wished us a nice day


Loves truck stop


Typical place to fill the tank, drain the bladder and refill the coffee cup


Pilot truck stop


Same as loves - but with worse coffee.


Wawa


Excellent car stop - Very good subs for the road


Buckees


A massive car / camper stop with over 100 gas pumps - Cool store but the food was not that good.


Anchor bar


On the way back we stopped at eh Anchor Bar which is the home of the Chicken wing. Good wings


Distance traveled


I think 16 hours is the sweet spot for driving - 18 hours is a bit to ambitious. As well the constant 80mph is a bit of a task. The 16 hours puts us in 3 days to hit the MX border, or at least where I want to hit it.


Summary


I doubt we will return to MIA - it is just so "meh"


This trip has changed our Nica Trip plan quite significantly - The drive will shift to probably 8 to 10 days (up from 6) and will be probably just state roads to the MX border


Some Pix

[bill_bly_ca]

A few others

[el duende grande]

My daughter went to MIA a few years ago. negative comments. She said the women were muffin tops and the men looked gay. I didn't know what a muffin top was so she explained it.

I passed thru there from sjo flight due to covid bs. everything expensive, nasty people at the airport. Little man is an immigration suit seemed to have a vocabulary limited to "Goh dare" which we eventually understood to be Congolese-American for "I'm closing this booth, please move to the next one to the right"' Watch were you walk, CVS a block from my hostel was in the ghetto, deodorant was keep in a locked cabinet. Uber or lft is a must, taxis suck.

Only good thing is the train from the airport, if you know where you are going. Hoped to see Fairchild gardens but my morning got tied up getting a 4g phone.

[el duende grande]

I had a friend in AZ who we used to accuse of driving to Georgia for breakfast. I guess he had a plan, he eventual move there.

[bill_bly_ca]

Well I got my approvals to work on company stuff while outside of Canada - Now the challenge will be internet bandwidth at SIL and BIL place - BIL typicall had the better internet so it may need to be there most of the time.

[el duende grande]

Another thing, before your electricista gets paid, walk the house with a plugin circuit tester and check for revered polarity. Do this after each repair or remodel. since wires are not color coded here and incompetence is more common than the other approach.

[bill_bly_ca]

Actually the wiring will be me - Atleast to my recollection of 1980 ontario electrical code.

Now all of the lighting will be 12V so the only AC will be the outlets and then the main pannel with the 12V supply and the Solar tie in.

Not sure if we are even going to connect to DN/DS

[KeyWestPirate]

Actually the wiring will be me - Atleast to my recollection of 1980 ontario electrical code.

Now all of the lighting will be 12V so the only AC will be the outlets and then the main pannel with the 12V supply and the Solar tie in.

Not sure if we are even going to connect to DN/DS

Not sure if we are even going to connect to DN/DS


We've gone years without Disnorte.
It would probably be nice to have some backup when it's rainy.
Automating some charger connection when the battery charge fell to some pre determined level would be very easy.

We have one generator dedicated to charging the system and a 20 amp 48 V charger.
It stays permanently hooked up (through the charger),, just start it and the magic happens.


I never get more than 10 amps from the charger.
I have it set to charge at 55V initially.

We'll plug the coffee pot into the generator too,, mornings are when we need a bit of extra if it's rainy.
Even when it's very cloudy, the solar panels generate quite a bit.
So unless it's really raining heavily,, we get something as the day progresses.

The generator is an old Honda unit, 1600 watts.I bought a new carburetor for it, installed it last trip down.
Starts easily.At the rate we use it, it will outlive me.

I would really like to replace it with one of those super quiet inverter generators, like the small Harbor Freight unit.
but I just can't justify it for the little usage the existing generator gets.
We start it monthly,, and use that fuel preservative to keep lacquer from forming in the carburetor

[bill_bly_ca]

So Ticabus tickets were booked - We went for the 3AM bus. It looks like there are 3 buses now 3,6 and, 7AM daily vs the 6 and 7AM when we went last march. Price has gone up to $32 vs the previous $28 . The bus had 11 seats left and Chilo and I can not sit side by side, but have seats just in front. We are hoping that the 3AM departure will get out of SJ proper with less of a backup around the city construction. It took almost 2 hours to leave SJ proper lat time on the 6AM bus. Also getting at the PB crossing at close to 9AM should make the crossing simpl(er) as well.

With the Camera ban rescinded (and time will tell if that is true or not) I think I will take my original allotment of 2 dig and one film but still ear to the ground on haw it actually shakes out - It has been a good 10 yrs since I have done film in a solid run - This is time to start.


Went to Mom's yesterday for some dinner (We cooked at our place and took it down) and a few games of Rummy (with the tiles) and she mentioned a story of one family that ran away to Equador. A Grandmother, 94, mother 60 ish and a daughter in her 30's. They were frustated with affordiability and other little niggles (weather, perceived healthcare gaps etc etc)

Well they went in whole hog - Sold everything here, bought something sight unseen in Equator and went on down. The Dr's did not really help, the water gave them a rash, they could not get intigrated into the area, always hit up for money, always paid too much for stuff.

They ran back to Canada in November - House is for sale with no biters, they could not find reasonable accomidation and are stuck in a BnB and are having trouble getting a dedicated Dr, but can still get health care with no issue.

It is too bad there is not a "I failed at international living channel"

[KeyWestPirate]

It is too bad there is not a "I failed at international living channel"


It's not for everyone. We had a Canadian couple in Estelí who went back.
That is who we got the Mahindra from.
I think that for them it was more the lack of a solid social scene.
We used to get together weekly in Estelí,, many of the expats,, pandemic didn't help.

One problem is,, you need to socialize with Nicaraguans at your level.
Income level,, educational level.
Some manner of "intercambio" would be helpful to get things started.

If I were to do it again,, I would choose Mexico.
Somewhere in the mountains,, lots of really neat areas in Oaxaca or Chiapas.
I would try to find 10 acres instead of 40. Stay away from the drug growing areas.
I really like Mexico,, it has everything,, bit more expensive than Nicaragua,, but not that much

And you have lots of resources, all the major box stores.
Even Amazon delivers there now.

My brother lives in Merida,, house on the beach,, he is very pleased with his decision.



If I were a single expat,, with an exotic bent,, I think I would go to Colombia.
Medellin I think. The women are extraordinarily beautiful.

If I were one of "those" kind of guys,, the Peter Christopher type,, I would probably choose the Philippines .
They recently raised the age of consent from 12 to 16.

We probably all think "Woulda,, Shoulda" but I'm bullish on Nicaragua.
I know a lot of people who are Sandinista, and believe in the revolution (I do too), but are not Orteguista.

Shelley and I made a good decision with the farm, still not where we want to be.
A lot of distractions on the way (which I don't regret),
but we will eventually wind up with a lot of what we talked about when we moved there:

A dozen cattle,, some coffee, some apple and orange and avocado trees.
And a steady crop of sweet corn, and other truck crops to feed us and give away.

If you can manage to not piss off Daniel and Rosario, and the Transito, which is really not that hard,
>>>> it's not a bad life.
You're going to live better as a retiree on a limited income in Nicaragua than you ever could in the US.

[bill_bly_ca]

I am still in contact with Mark - Although my daily Pun posts seem to getting under his skin


They are back in small town Alberta buying a house before everything went F-'n stupid on pricing. We plan to drive to Banf and Jasper in Aug/Sept and hope to pop in on them and say Hi.

[KeyWestPirate]

I am still in contact with Mark - Although my daily Pun posts seem to getting under his skin


They are back in small town Alberta buying a house before everything went F-'n stupid on pricing. We plan to drive to Banf and Jasper in Aug/Sept and hope to pop in on them and say Hi.

Nice people,, I really enjoyed them..
Was sorry to see them leave.


Arielka and I talk about Mark all the time. We wish they'd come back.
She did his residency after someone else took his money and sat on it interminably.

He had a special way greeting Arielka:



Smile if you had sex this morning.

She would blush,, and smile,, and he'd say,,

AHa!
Arielka has a great sense of humor,, felt safe with Mark.
Enjoyed the tease.

You can't talk like that in the US anymore.
Even if the recipient was happy with the tease, if someone overheard you and turned you in,,

you would be scheduled for remedial sexual harassment training.
And a black mark put on your permanent record.