Riding for Communities

Esteli - Nicaragua Oct 10, 2010

October 8, 2010

I left Danli early and was at the border by 9am. I couldn’t believe it when I got there. I lost the importation paperwork for the bike yet AGAIN. I have no idea where I put it but it cost me $261 in fines. This took about four hours. I got on great with the customs lady. She was very nice. I carry a picture of Kendal and Cara with me and showed it to her saying that they were my wife and daughter. Then there was the Nicaraguan side.

Assholes. Everyone of those border people are thieving assholes. Both customs and immigration. Being on the TransAmerican highway they have –fuck-the-gringo down to a science.

I had to go to several ‘booths’ to show the same paperwork and pay a different ‘fee’ each time. At the last place I snapped and started to tell them that it was all just fucking mordida that they wanted. Bad move. Three cops came over and told me to pay and shut the fuck up. What can I do? I rode off in a huff. About 300m later there was yet another stop asking for the same shit! I was still mad as hell. They let me pass without paying anything. Oh, one more thing. I got pick pocketed in between booths. They got a few hundred Cordoba but it just added shitty Nicaraguan introduction. Being pick pocketed is a new first for me. I have never been pick pocketed before. There are so many lowlife scum around and only few cops and even the cops are low life scum. They are all on the fucking take.

Once I left that place I drove about 5km’s down the road and saw a dead guy. He was riding a bicycle and got smoked by a car. There were only a few people around – just looking at him. I just drove off. What can I do?

Another 30km’s down the road ANOTHER pair of cops pulled me over. I just stopped, didn’t turn off the bike nor did I take hands off the bars. I just stared straight ahead. When one of them came over I yelled, “Que?” “License and registration.” Still staring straight ahead I spoke very loudly that I just produced these documents to 30 people about 20km’s back up the road (and the road only goes to one place) and just sat there for a good 10 seconds staring straight ahead trying to get a hold of myself. I gave him my license and some sort of ‘insurance’ that I had to buy and just sat there. They gave it back to me. I didn’t say a word – just sped off. Assholes. They too were just looking for some fucking mordida. By now it was getting dark (5pm), I was thirsty and very hungry and still mad as hell. I stopped and stayed in some shithole little no name town. When I was walking around town several kids came up to me asking me for money. By the looks of their plump faces they were not hungry. Not like Honduras. I remember a scrawny little barefoot girl came into a comidor where I was eating and asked if shy could have some of my food. I gave her half. To ask for money is one thing but to come into a restaurant is another. That is hunger.

I walked some more and started to feel shitty. I got infront of a pizza joint and puked my guts out. Some guys hanging around came over to see if I was OK. Sure – Sure I am OK! Wht do you want? Some fucking money too.

This sure gives a guy a sour taste for Nicaragua. The last time I was here the same thing happened in a rental car. I will never pay a cop on the shot, unless it’s less than $20. These types never issue a ticket. Just ask for cash for something stupid. I have all day. I can wait for a ticket to be written.

If it’s an honest-to-god ticket, they will write you one and keep your license and you get it back when you pay the ticket at the police station the next day. I have several fake licenses just for this purpose. Yeah – see you at the cop shop tomorrow!

It’ now safe to say that I am not going back into El Salvador. Less borders the better.

I got back to the hotel and puked some more and fell asleep.

October 9, 2010

I was so sick last night I didn’t get up til 12:30 in the afternoon!! I couldn’t believe it. It must be exhaustion. I really have not been sleeping well lately and it just caught up to me. Now I really now know what Cara goes through with sleep. Sometimes I sleep so lightly that my dreams are so vivid. I have also have been having panic attacks lately. I am turning into Cara. Ha ha ha ha ha

I quickly packed and was on the road by 1pm. I apologized like hell to the hotel staff but I really wanted to get a move on. Unfortunately, I only drove as far as Esteli; about 60km’s south of the ‘shithole’. I puked while driving there. I didn’t get time to stop and it went all over the shoulder of my jacket. Thinking about what I ate, I am sure it was the chicken I had at the border. That fucking place – it’s not going to let me forget about it for a while. Sons a bitches.

Esteli seems to be a pleasant little town but I am not staying only resting. I saw several gringos when walking today! These are the first gringos I have seen in a long time. I have not spoken to one since Guatemala – Mike the tattoo guy. I am still getting chubby faced kids asking me for money. I am really really not going to like Nica. Chuby faced kids asking for money, mordida – blah.

I have been here before and have seen a lot of the highlights already; there are really only two places I want to see. Leon and San Juan. We own property in San Juan and should look into paying next years property taxes. I would like to go to Bluefields on the Caribbean side but it’s a long desolate muddy/dirt road made even more difficult during the rainy season, which I am in. I have just had too much dirt for the time being. It’s too tough on Electra. I really want to chill in Leon. Even San Juan – blah. I am not that much a beach guy. I am sure that I will end up talking to some foreigners and someone will suggest something. Maybe I just got to read the book some more. It’s gonna take a while to get the border taste out of my mouth.

I wanted to get to Leon today but just couldn’t do it. Mentally it would have been a bad seen if I ran into some cops and physically I am sick. I gotta rest and get it together.

Leon is supposed to be a nice pleasant colonial university town and should have some good art galleries. On top of that its off the TransAmerican highway where all the ‘good’ cops are waiting.

Apparently tomorrow is Sunday.

It’s now 3am and I have slept 24 of the last 30 hours. Beat down.