Preaching and Pills

Nicaraguan buses have provided a new fascination for us. With each bus ride you can more or less count on some preaching or an advertiser for sketchy unlabeled pills. Almost all seem harmless, but also useless. There are vitamins that make your shinny hair, anti diarrhea pills (which were described by using a chart of invertebrates) and beyond. One in ten times you will get someone that is selling toothbrushes and paste but the interest is those is always much lower despite it being the only sensible purchase. The preaching can be enthralling. They vary in quality but can be quite eloquent. They go downhill quickly though when the preacher starts shaking, and sweating with his eyes closed. Also, at the end of some you will get blessed individually.

After a few of these bus rides we made it to San Juan Del Sur which is definitively the hub of the gringo trail. Our hostel has one of the first security systems we have seen: you are tagged with a bracelet that is red with dog bones and cat paw prints which then allows you to walk past the security guard at night. It is pretty goofy, especially as the hostel is under construction making it easy to stroll in through the back half of the dismantled building.

We explored the beach today and were reminded of Seattle with all the tide pools and inlets. There are also towering cliffs on either end of the beach. One boasts a gigantic Jesus statue that we estimated is about 6 stories after comparing it with the 8 story hotel below it. We hunted for the colossal Jesus but were never successful.