Final week and more new experiences!

This week is nearly over with an interesting weekend in Matagalpa to look forward to. A little bit more luxury will not be unwelcome, as will the opportunity for a chilled glass of wine and my own choice of food, that is not a complaint as the food here is good and healthy.
This week has surprisingly brought some more new experiences. I have been on the local microbús, which is a minibus, where they cram in as many passengers as possible and then drive like mad passing everything to pick up even more passengers to squeeze in! It's really cheap. I paid 10 cordobas, about 30p for a 15 minute ride to San Marcos, a little town that is a bit different with a few more facilities than here. 

Today I went to La Concha and back for 5 cordobas each way. It was quite an experience but I couldn't leave without having been on one. Today the ATM in the shop wasn't working due to a power cut, but fortunately the  bank was. We had big power cuts all day earlier in the week. Apparently it was out from Guatemala to Costa Rica for a short time, but out here all day. We were on solar power but were asked to use it sparingly. The solar power wouldn't boil a kettle and the kitchen staff were working in the dark. That is apparently quite common, as is the lack of running water from the taps in some houses.
San Marcos was really interesting and had a university, so I went to the university cafe which was quite smart with the best toilets I have found yet in Nicaragua. I didn't find a couple of public buildings that were there but I did find a  supermarket which actually sold nuts and raisins and a few more snacks. Because of the university it had more restaurants and cafes and was a bit smarter. I think I walked around all of it and the locals had come to recognise me by then.

On Monday we went to a local community for some cooking. We made empanadas, rosquillos and viajeras, all of which were little snacks made with maize flour. We worked outside but with a covered table and pieces of polythene to roll out the pastry, so all was hygenic. It was all out in a gigantic brick oven to bake. The oven is apparently used by the whole community.

Whilst it was cooking I went off exploring the community and the grounds of the finca to look at the crops. I met a couple of young Americans and we then met another local lady. I think her name was Papalita. She was very friendly and began showing us her crops. She had some avocado trees, so I explained my disappointment at not getting avocado in the restaurant. She promptly asked us to sit down and prepared avocado and tomato with salt and lime juice, which was delicious. 

Later I bought an avocado and took back to add to the next two days breakfast for a change. So that afternoon we had a bit of a feast! And yes that is the little room at the back and the kitchen above. But we watched her scrub the plate and knife with soap and water and the food all had its peel on so we were able to be careful what we ate.
Yesterday, Wednesday, I went with Allison to El Chocoyero, a local reserve, which others will be going to next week, after we have left. So we paid the extra for a private visit. 

We saw many species of birds there, including green parakeets, a native special, called chocoyeras. They roost in the cliff that towers over the reserve, leave at 06.30 a.m. and return at 5p.m. We saw their return, after a good and steep walk.  The guide was an excellent young man who had learnt his English through visitors and alongside the peace corps, when he was younger. He had also learned his extensive knowledge without formal training. It was really impressive.

 The reserve was situated 7 k off the main road, accessed by a dirt track with many holes! Our car was a rather battered vehicle with blacked out windows which we wound down with some difficulty, and a back door with a broken handle. He had to top something up under the bonnet before returning. That didn't inspire confidence. He clearly had no idea where he was going as he stopped at every local we passed to ask the way. But we arrived eventually deep in the forest having passed a number of communities, one with a church and secondary school.

What really surprises me is the number of rural communities there are living in fairly inaccessible places with no proper roads. I imagine this is why each has its own simple facilities. Shops do not feature highly as much produce is grown and there is no money for shopping. My teacher explained today that herson couldn't go to university at the moment as they couldn't afford the fare. I think I worked out it was about 15$ per week. 
Other than that the lessons are progressing and I have filled in more gaps and clarified a few things. I have had more spider visits including one with both big legs and a fat body just inside the door, and more of the fast flat ones. I am getting better at catching them with a plastic cup and paper but sometimes I have to draw the line and get help! I will endeavour not to bring any home; I have been shaking my clothes well as they have a habit of running into the corner where my clothes are hanging! That will be one thing I won't miss.....