January 2014

El Pachanguero Grenada, Nicaragua 2013

We were sitting at a cafe on the plaza in Granada one Saturday night and this open-air bus kept going by on a regular basis. In the back of the bus was a DJ and his music set-up complete with a large set of amplifiers and speakers powered by a gas generator. The very lively music was audible from a block or two away every time the bus came around. We found out later the bus is used to ferry people from the plaza down to the lake about a mile away where all the nightclubs are. It is also used by folks who don’t use it to actually get anywhere,  rather just for a fun Saturday night spin (or two, or three) around town. The literal translation of panchanguero into English is “noisy: rowdy,” of which this bus was both. It also means “party animal” which fits quite well too.]]>

The Stuff Vegetarians Are Made Of Grenada, Nicaragua 2013

Yesterday’s photo was from the more or less indoor, more permanent portion of the Municipal Market. This shot was from the area outside of the building comprised of makeshift covered stalls. Given it was a meat market, the place was surprisingly clean, with minimal flies and bugs and no overwhelming smells. The ever present street dogs took good care of cleaning up the ground. Still with simple bare wood counters and unrefrigerated meat in ninety degree heat, I had to wonder if a bowl of Gallo Pinto (rice and beans) might make a safer dinner choice than say a hamburger. However, we did eat meat routinely during the two weeks we were there and came home no worse for the wear.]]>