If you want to soak up the real vibe of a country then the only way to travel is by public transport. In this way you have a real chance to step inside a culture, interact with the locals on a more equal footing, and enjoy the country from a more modest perspective. In Nicaragua you are spoilt for choice, as like India, Vietnam and other developing countries, everything is on the same road whatever the speed, from ox and cart, to horse and carriage, buses, tuk-tuks, bicycles, and speedy limo taxis..
The buses are the highly ornate decorated yellow school buses which are such a trademark feature of Central Amerca - here perfectly safe and fun to use. In Nicaragua, horse and carts are very common for the working day, and horse and carriages are the local taxi of choice in Granada. Bicycles are very popular too, and more often or not they accomodate two or even three passengers quite comfortably....
And let's not forget the very convenient option of the tuk-tuk seen in the smaller villages around Granada, such as this fleet both spotted and used in the small town of Diriomo....
Wouldn't you miss out on so much if you only viewed Nicaragua from behind the wheel of a hire car?? For more windows on the world check out My World Tuesday posts by clicking here
6 comments:
Love the new header, for starters. It's so evocative and vivid.
Adored this post because it reminded me of my Nica friends circa '86 or '87. They would talk about their country and how much they missed it. In their case they had to be evacuated because they lived in areas affected by the Contras.
I enjoyed the phtoos and the tour. I hope you enjoy my review of 'Half of a Yellow Sun'. Ngozi's first novel is in my to-read list. I'm going back to front, as usual. :-)
Greetings from London.
Informative and interesting post. We have our own version of tuk-tuks and we just simply call it tricyle:) You may visit my blog here.
no, you wouldnt. i agree with you about public transport. you certainly got a good few shots!!
I totally agree about public transport being the eye of a place's culture. I love to take trips on traditional transport, although I've been longing to ride a tu-tuk and have yet to experience it. Love the wrestling masks!
Cuban - looking forward to that review and would love to return to Nicaragua too
Marites - will check out your tuk tuks too!!
Kristine and Fly Girl - glad to hear you are also fans of public transport!!
In Nicaragua the tuk tuk is called a caponera... http://casasilasbb.posterous.com/flickr-a-nicaragua-photo-of-the-day-48
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