Every year we resolve to look for an opportunity to escape the dramatic heat which descends on Granada in May – the peak of the dry season. This year business priorities afforded us no such luxury, so here we are.
Lets just say that everyone has been complaining about the intense heat which starts around eight am in the morning and by mid day some of us are wilting and escape to the beauty of an air conditioned bedroom or pool. The actual temperature has been hovering around the 90 degree point, with a higher humidity.. In midsummer in Cnicago, New York and many other cities, it gets way higher than this. However, in the US one goes from airconditioned car to airconditioned everything. Not the case here of course. Even the locals have been commenting on the heat… “Que calor!!!” is the daily observation.
Aside from our pool and bedroom, the mango season is what has kept us going. The hugest, juiciest most prolific mangoes that fall off the tree at our bamboo studio, warm and ready to be consumed on the spot. Oren who has been living in the studio was regimented about his collection process and kept us adequately supplied. Along the road to the beach, mangoes are being sold by the bucket full for a mere forty cords – two dollars.
Everyone has been waiting for the rain… Finally last night, on our return from the beach, at around midnight it started to pour and it has kept pouring rain through the night and is still raining. Oh joy! I happen to love rain, but this official end to the dry season is cause for celebration and certainly blog worthy. Today is the first cool day in a LONG time…..
Speaking of beach.. we now have our own set of wheels. “Pushstart” is the fond nickname for our Chinese made dubiously constructed Xinkai (anyone every heard of this company?). This pick up truck was bought for CO2 Bambu about six months ago. It was the cheapest of all pickups as the Chinese are trying to make inroads into the Latin American market and alas the Chinese vehicle is nowhere near the level of quality and reliability of similar models made in Japan. True CO2 Bambu mistreated the poor vehicl
e by loading it with piles of bamboo, fourteen workers in the roughest terrains. The CO2 Bambu crew pleaded for a vehicle that actually started more than three or four times out of ten… So, we inherited this rejected pile of metal on wheels which looks ten years old even though its less than a year. We on the other hand are delighted to have a car to use over the weekends to get to the beach. It suits our needs perfectly. We can offer rides to locals in the open back, we can fit the dogs in. The one reliable trait of this car is that it does not start after a good run. Well, you need to push start it and all goes well. Thus the name. Given the fact that Nicaraguans are particularly helpful and used to cars not starting, there is always a helping hand for a push start.
So jealous about the mangoes. Can you bring me a couple bucketloads please? And a car! Wow wow wow! Can’t wait to come back and give it a push.