The Last Hill Before Home: A few days rest in Grenanda, Nicaragua

Sunday, February 8, 2009

A few days rest in Grenanda, Nicaragua

A Nicargauan couple cuddles on the steps of one of the many churches in Grenada, Nicaragua.

Its nice to take a few days off from the ride. I probably did something like 500 kilometers in 6 days. Ive been going pretty fast but I feel good so why not push it a bit? My last stop was in Los Chiles, Costa Rica. From there I took a short boat ride across the border and into San Carlos, Nicaragua. From there things got a bit grey. I was supposed to take a boat across Lake Nicaragua to Grenada but I wasnt sure when that boat left. I dont have any information on Nicaragua other than this crappy Dollar Rent A Car map. No Lonely Planet, nothing. Anyway, it turns out that theres only one boat per week. Luckily it left the next day. After staying in a roach INFESTED hotel I quickly made my way to the dock.

No boats were leaving for Grenanda because apparently one capsized due to bad weather. No way was I going back to the insect infested room so I decided to take a bus on Nicaraguas worst road. The bus ride was a freakin nightmare. There was no leg room what so ever for my sore legs, the guy next to me had a nap sack full of chickens under his legs, the aisles were overflowing with coffee bean bags, and some dunk dude behind me pissed his pants. 13 hours of misery.

I got dropped off in the middle of town on some dark alley with the bike at 3am. Luckily I got a cab who took me to his friends hotel who was nice enough to charge me 3 times the cost for the room. Awesome! Ok Ok enough complaining because Grenanda was well worth it. Beautiful city!

Grenanda at dusk.

A quick note from the World Bank...

The international development community has moved towards viewing development as a process of realising peoples rights rather than distribution of welfare. The need for equity and social justice as a necessary prerequisite to poverty reduction, security and stability is now being recognised more widely.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child sets uot 54 articles on child rights under four pillars of rights.

- Survival- Through the provision of adequate food, shelter, clean water and primary health care.

- Development - In a safe environment, through the provision of formal education, conservative play and advanced health care.

- Protection - From abuse. neglect and explotation, including the right to special protection in ties of war.

- Participation - The opportunity for the child to participate in social, economic, cultural, religious and political life, free from discrimination.

Chillin with a hand rolled cigar.

The colors of Grenanda are a great break from the drabness of the Costa Rican buildings.

The weekend farmers market in the middle of Grenanda was bustling!

Many of the buildings in Grenanda need some serious work. When I got to Nicaragua I could instantly tell from the buildings alone that Nicaragua is a developing country facing some serious problems.

The main plaza in the center of town.

Some crazy wild birds along the Rio Frio on the Costa Rican and Nicaraguan border.

This guy was giant.

Farmers living along the Rio Frio.

One of the only border crossings in the world done by boat.

Waiting for the boat took for hours. I asked three different people when the boat was supposed to get there and got three different answers. Central America time I guess!

Aaron

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Plan USA

¨Plan is a global partnership of caring people founded in 1937 to bring hope and help to the world’s poorest children.

Plan began as a child sponsorship organization. Today, we are one of the oldest and largest organizations of our kind—our grassroots, self-help programs assist more than 10 million children and their families in poor communities around the world.

We are proudly private, not for profit, and respectful of local religions and cultures—we have no agenda other than helping kids. Plan USA is one of more than 60 national organizations bearing the renowned Plan logo. ¨

Right about the time that I was identifying non profit organizations to work with I received an email from my cousin Joshua. Josh, a meteorologist for the United States Air Force who is living in Germany and currently stationed in Iraq, mentioned that he was now sponsoring a child through Plan USA. He said that it was a small step but a small step in the right direction. He also mentioned that Plan USA was backed by the Better Business Bureau, a point that we both respect. Through various research of my own I found that Plan USA is a prominent NGO and has a great marks from InterAction and the Charities Review Council. Most importantly I found that Plan USA´s mission of ¨striving to achieve lasting improvement in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries¨ linked exactly to my own mission for this fundraising event. Needless to say, it was a great fit.

The Inspiration

¨You must be the change you want to see in the world¨

- Mahatma Gandhi

I love to travel.

I have been lucky enough to throw on a backpack and visit 5 continents. I have been fortunate enough to see some amazing sights. It´s hard not to be inspired when your standing under the rotunda at the Taj Mahal or approaching the Pyramids of Egypt or wandering through the waterfalls at Iguazu in Argentina. These have all been inspiring times.

I also cherish the fact that I have met people from all over the world and been able to learn and share in the differences in cultures. You can learn so much when you share a spicy vietnamese sandwich with a local in Hoi An, when you take a stroll with a friend in a park in Santiago de Chile or gather with pilgrims over a pitcher of sangria at Santiago de Compostella in Spain. I´ve learned a lot and I´m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities.

With all the ups there´s also the downs. Theres another side you see when travelling. This side isn´t shared as much and it can also be quite difficult to talk about. Many countries, especially in the developing worlds, face many problems. HIV/AIDS, pollution, over population, lack of clean drinking water, dangerous living conditions and of course people living under $1 a day are just a few of the issues to mention.

I have wandered through the ghetto´s of Bangkok, I played stick games with the kids in the slums of Mumbai and seen the horrible living conditions of the street beggars in La Paz. While these encounters were only brief they still had a profound affect on me. Somehow, I draw inspiration from these encounters and connections. In so many situations these people who seemed to have nothing, were still smiling, still playing and still trying with all their means to get by. If only I had that much courage!

It was culture shock and it hurt.

I feel that now is the time to give back.

I encourage you to leave comments on this blog. Every word of positivity will help me along my journey. I encourage you to pass the message forward. Together we can help make a change for the kids that need it most. Finally, I encourage you to donate. There´s an icon on the top right hand corner of this blog that will direct you to a third party site that facilitates the donations. Its totally secure and safe. I appreciate all the love and positivity that I´m already recieving, of course this is not possible without people who want to help make a difference.

I don´t think that I´ll necessarily change the world, after all I´m just a 28 year old guy from San Francisco. But, I do want to give back. I do want to help. I have the opportunity so why not use it to help the children in the world who don´t have the same chances.

Now is the time to ¨be the change¨.

The Goal

In riding my bike from Panama City to San Francisco, I am initiating a grassroots fundraising effort to help raise money to feed starving children in Central and South America. All proceeds will go to PLAN USA. My goal is to raise a minimum of 15,000 dollars. In doing so I also hope to bring the plight and struggle of these children into the concious of the public, as well as their profound sense of life, courage, hope and faith. Their undeniable love for life, and ability to continue to dream.

Donate today http://www.firstgiving.com/lasthillbeforehome

I Believe

When taking on a mission like this it´s important to create a set of ideals, principles or beliefs. The task at hand is by no means going to be easy. These 7 beliefs are truly the fundamentals that will help me along my journey.

I Believe...

- In Plan USA. Plan´s clearly defined mission of ¨striving to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries¨, is possible with the support from us if we are willing to make a difference today.

- In grassroots charitable efforts. Dedicated individual leaders and community outreach groups are fighting the growing problems of poverty.

- In the power of communication and information. Plan´s key programs of ¨growing up healthy, learning, habitat, livelihood and building relationships¨, are possible by making a donation and passing the message forward.

- Riding a bike from Panama City to San Francisco will raise awareness to the fight against poverty.

- In outdoor adventure travel. Riding is one of the positive and healthy activities that plants confidence into any individual.

- In the power of synergy. A group with a common mission driven by creativity and passion can accomplish any set of goals.

- A dream, a bike and a regular guy from San Francisco can help make a change in the lives of children whom need it most.

The Last Hill Before Home

Sunday, February 8, 2009

A few days rest in Grenanda, Nicaragua

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