The Most Important Business Lunch EVER!

We have been keeping the lunch meeting we've had scheduled (three times now) a secret.  Today, (finally) it happened.  And I am sure (not) you are hanging on the edge of your seat wanting to know more....

As you may recall, on Sunday we met a group of 'street' kids in front of the San Francisco Cathedral.   We had a great time with them, and as you have read, they paid me for a photo of their little brother.  It was humbling.

We decided it would be cool to print the photos (tough to do in color in Granada) and then find the kids and "sell" them the photos (for 1 $C - or .004 cents).  We decided to take the kids to lunch and then do the photo thing.  I found the ringleader (it was so cute because he jumped right into my arms when I saw him) and he agreed to find the girls and meet Marci and I near the Central Park.  The next day, we bought a huge pizza, made arrangements to have two tables (with cloths) and a waiter.  And then we waited, and waited, and.....

Finally (after two days), I was about to give up.  In a last ditch effort, I asked the Principe to step in.  Two hours later....

The kids meet up with us to see what we are up to.

So Allen found the ringleader pretty quickly (Miguel - third from the left - now pelon (bald)).  Miguel explained that he didn't show because the girls I had taken photos of were from Managua and were gone - so he figured I would be disappointed and just didn't show.

Oh well, kids are kids, and these guys are as poor as the last group.  What the heck!!!

Allan had told us that the pizza was very nice.  However, there is another place (called Tip Top) that is right off the square, that requires a 'great deal' of money to eat at, AND has a play area that the kids have heard about their entire lives.  So off to Tip Top!

Marci's new friend (she wouldn't let other girls get close)

Waiting for lunch

When we got to the restaurant, the security guard refused the kids entry until Marci stepped up and told him that they were her guests.  He seemed baffled and unsure of what to do - so she just grabbed some hands and walked right in!

The kids were WIDE EYED (none of them had EVER even been inside the building).  They looked at EVERYTHING.  Marci had given them a lecture (she is a teacher, right?) and they all sat down and were quiet.  They were trembling to get to the play equipment (again, the first opportunity to play in a place like this - EVER).  Marci got them settled, reminded them of the rules, and set 'em free!

Bursting out of the slide!

This girl was adorable!  Very proper, she carefully held her dress as she came down the slide.

This girl and her brother sit just outside the building with their parents (who sell fruit from a horse cart) every day.  This was the first time they had actually been inside.

The girls got their hands washed first - so they got drinks first

Soon the lunch was on its way.  We ordered the largest two 'family' meals the restaurant makes (it is a fried chicken place).  But on our two block walk, we'd picked up a few more stragglers and were now up to eleven kids, two young men (who wanted to be sure the kids weren't being sought for bad purposes), and Allan, Marci and I.  We needed a LOT of food!

The young men though, even after being told they could order anything they wanted, shared a basket of chicken wings.  We later learned they loved baseball but had NEVER seen a game on T.V.  These are for real poor folks.

Here are some photos of the kids when the food arrived:

Ready to eat (just washed hands - probably the first time in a LONG time)

A great day! 

One lesson we may never really learn.  Good news travels VERY fast and one of the kids'  mothers brought her other two daughters to join in the fun.  By that time we only had one piece of chicken (Marci already gave half of hers to another kid - sucker!) and a few fries.  We gathered what we could and sent it outside.  But the sisters went to the window to tell her what had happened to them.

Talking to the sister who didn't make it in time.  Note the dirty feet

The cost?  $C 1232 ($55.00 + $7.50 tip).  The experience?  PRICELESS.

After we were done, we headed outside to take a few more shots and say our goodbyes. 

A fond memory with our new Nica friends!

The Tip Top made sure that all the kids got masks.  Unlike the US - no one said, "This is stupid".  Even the young men wore masks and played and LAUGHED!

PS  People can be butt heads anywhere.  One wealthy Nica woman refused to let her grandkids play on the playground because 'our' street kids were there.  We got a few nasty looks - but also some smiles.  Oh well, the Nica's we wanted happy were ECSTATIC!  And so were we.  Definitely the best business lunch ever and a memory none of us will soon forget.....

To Ometepe!

We are headed to the famed island of Ometepe.  It was formed in the middle of lake Nicaragua (the largest fresh water lake in Central America - and the second largest in the hemisphere).  It takes four hours to get there by boat.  We have heard many amazing things about this place from the locals - and it doesn't get many tourists - so we are very excited.

I tell you this because Internet service may be spotty and we may be unavailable until Monday.  No worries though - we'll get you caught up when we get back to 'civilization'!!!

Real Estate in Nicaragua

One of the things that brought us to Nicaragua (besides the Tequila I mean), was an episode of International House Hunters (HGN).  A couple (in Granada) looked at UNBELIEVABLE colonial style homes near the Central Park - and the cost blew us away.  This couldn't be true!

We started looking on our own - and were pretty impressed with what can be bought here.

A little history.  Within the past decade (when the economy was booming) there was a great interest in owning property in Costa Rica.  And for good reason.  It is gorgeous, stable, and WAS a pretty good buy.  But after American investors flocked in, the prices got high too.  Then came other Central American paradises (like Panama - still cheaper than Costa Rica but not by much).  Eventually, countries like Ecuador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  Speculators (far fewer) bought very cheap properties and waited for the Costa Rican 'type' boom.  And then, the world economy collapsed.   The short answer regarding the current market?  Many very nice homes (far cheaper than they were a few years ago) that Nicaraguans can't afford to even look at.

Nicaragua also suffers from a world perception that is stuck in 1985.  That war, as devastating as it was, is an ancient memory.  And there is far more visible damage from the earthquake of 1992 (Managua) than the war.  Here is the reality:

The weather is HOT, the people are as friendly as any I've met - ANYWHERE.  The beer is cold (and cheap), the cost of living is next to nothing, the crime rate is non-existent, and the price is right. 

Before you freak out thinking we've had too much rum, DON'T worry.  We were just looking (but it's pretty fun).

Here are some glimpses :

 Casa Alta - Three bedrooms, three bathrooms, swimming pool, interior garden.  $350,000.

Casa Yami: This home is one of the first 100 built in Granada (in the mid 1500's).  High ceilings, ornate wood, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, gorgeous.  Price $345,000.  There are more than 3,000 sq feet in this home!

We loved this one (the houses here have names, and this is called 'Casa Oklahoma'). 

Almost perfect, with no renovating needed.  $350,000.  It has 5,000 sq feet, five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a pool, separate indoor garden.  Huge living space.  LOVE IT

This was built (and is being operated) as a hotel  Sure would make a nice five bedroom house.

Known as the Bohemian hotel, each room has a full bath.  There is a nice garden, and the unfinished lot next door is included.  It has been plumbed for a large sized pool.  $349,000

So, if you are looking for a warm place to retire with a low cost of living and REALLY nice people....


PS The important business meeting we had scheduled for 1:30 didn't work out and we are hoping to get together tomorrow.  Will report!

Hasta Manana

A teeny bit on politics

Nicaragua is a democratically elected republic.  However, the party in power is the Sandinista party, and the President is Daniel Ortega.  Yes, he is the same Ortega who fought against the US in the 1980's and pushed a very strong socialist agenda (including the re-distribution of wealth).  And still today, many services are 'publicly' owned.  But as with most socialist societies - this works in the hearts and minds of the true believers, but has almost no impact on the daily life of a Nica.

The doctor at the free clinic donates his services to the poor.  How can this be needed?  Isn't health care a right in Nicaragua?  Don't they boast the best hospital in Central America and the Managua Medical University?  They do.  The problem, as Antonio told me, "What good is free medicine when no one can afford a prescription?"  He explained that a doctor will write a prescription for say fifteen pills.  They might be able to afford four.  They buy four, take them, and hope it works.  And if you come into the hospital as a severe trauma patient, you may not have to pay, but you'll pray that they have bandages or working equipment today.

This boy needs medicine for a skin disease - to the free doctor and charity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HuqXCBwO6Y  (the free doctor speaks to the mother of a baby in need)

On the other hand, if you are a wealthy gringo, step right up!  The doctor will cost you $30, the medicine another $15, and you will be good to go for whatever ails you!  We know, Marci had a doctor call IN OUR HOTEL ROOM. 

A house call

There is supposed to be free school - but really there is only good school for the parents who can pay.  We noticed kids in their 20's, who work all week, dressed up to go to technical schools on the weekends to improve their condition.

In fact, for a socialist country, this is the most entrepreneurial capitalist place I've ever been (beating Vegas by a 'long shot' (get it - long shot?)).  Everyone is hustling to make a dollar. If there is a niche in the market - someone will find it here... 

"One dolla for foto"

Fixing watches from a street cart

A blind man begs - joyful at the $C10 I just gave him ($.50)

A 'cart mechanic' (his words - not mine)

Returning from transporting goods to market

Don't let looks fool you - they work hard for money selling propane ($C200 = $10)

Electronic Engineer

Changes dollars to Cordobas for a small 'taste'

Selling ice cream with his son on Sunday morning (Managua)

Gardening for a wealthy Nica - in exchange for a room

The meat vendor (everyone knows to buy early in the morning - before flies lay eggs)

Women selling fruit - a delivery man rides by

And the trash guy, who is happy to have a job to pass on to his son.  These two are washing the trash wagon after a heavy rain...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR9IluvJTJQ


PS  Tomorrow is a special day.  We are traveling with a Realtor from Remax to look at properties.  We also have a VERY important business lunch at 1:00 PM in the Parque Central.

Hasta Luego!

Los niños de Granada, Nicaragua (The children of Granada)

You cannot be here, for even an hour, without seeing the beauty, hope, and desperation on the faces of Granada's children.

Marci shared our breakfast with this poor boy from the Market

This boy hangs around the market all day begging - his family can't afford schooling

And there is something magical about them.

Watching Marci teach English

'Posing' for the camera - they LOVE 'fotos'

We have just fallen in love with these poor but almost always happy and playful, children of Nicaragua.

Waiting for the free doctor

There are many 'classes' of people in Nicaragua.  From the exceptionally poor...

Dad brings the family and laundry home on a wagon

To the children of the wealthy class...

Hurrying to church

His dad owns the hotel - he has a bell to ring for the servant

And even a bit of middle class (a very small group)...

Her parents own a permanent stall in the market which does good business

It can be heartbreaking to see them eating breakfast...

Eating cabbage and potatoes behind their mother's temporary stall in the market

But they never cease to make you smile with their infectious zeal for life...

Boy with skin disease waiting for the free doctor

Boys playing in the market

Josh - 'works' for Tio Antonio's hammock crew

Learning how to use the camera after a free haircut

Selling chicken in the market (live)

The kids WANT to learn - here parents pay

These boys spend their days making figures out of reeds to sell to Americans as they eat dinner on the patios at night

It is so sad, but also so refreshing.  These are not spoiled brats (any of them) and are polite and curious.  They love to be played with and they love to have their photos taken.  Most of all, they love it when you stop and spend a few minutes trying to communicate.  We have spent a great deal of time at this - today I taught about 50 boys at the school how to play a game my grandfather taught me as a child (One person holds his hands palm up and the other palm down and tries to hit the other before he can move out of the way).  My memory will probably be thoroughly cussed by parents, teachers and principals for years. 

These kids though, among the poorest of the poor, PAID me to take a photo of their baby brother.  I am going to get it printed and present it to them when I see them again.  But you can see in their smiles and waves that they were sad when we moved on.  Like all kids, they just want to be loved~

After paying me for a photo - they stole my heart!

To the children of Nicaragua, "Que Dios los bendiga todos los días de tu vida!"