Ocotal

(Note:  While everyone at home is busy eating, drinking and getting ready to the Super Bowl, I caught a local baseball game (the home team split a double header) and am spending a quiet afternoon writing in my blog.  I have been in touch enough to know that the Packers didn't make it, but know nothing about the circumstances of their demise.  It's actually quite refreshing to be in a place where all the hype is completely off the radar!)




Ocotal is a small city about 25 km north of Sabana Grande.  As Ocotal is to Sabana Grande so is Dubuque to Platteville, but squared or cubed.  (Perhaps a Dubuque-Belmont or Dubuque-Rewey or Dubuque-Arthur comparison would be more apropos!)  It is connected to Sabana Grande by local buses on the Pan Am Highway about every 40-50 min.  (If you are going south to Managua, an express bus MAY stop IF you call ahead.)  These local buses are often referred to by North Americans as “chicken buses,” though as of now I’ve not seen chickens on the bus.  You will find most anything, however, including enormous bags of grain or coffee, large boxes, etc., and about 40 or 50 more people than you think the bus has room for.  Large items are typically stored on the roof in a rack and sometimes people ride there as well.  I’m not sure if they are employees and help with loading/unloading or if they are free-loaders.  Occasionally someone is standing on the back bumper and clinging to the rear like spiderman, or a cyclist is hanging on to the bumper for a lift up a hill.  The trip to Ocotal takes about 30 minutes, costs about 30 cents and typically requires standing.  My first solo trip to Ocotal, I was one of 9 folks (not including the driver) who was in front of the white line (You know, the one that you’re not supposed to be in front of.).  All the way to Ocotal, my head was against the ceiling and all I saw were two signs:  one said “God bless this bus and its passengers” and the other was a cartoon tiger saying “Whenever I think of you, I feel like I’m in the clouds.”  The bus arrives at a place that is as much market place as it is bus station.  This was also true in Managua where each station was identified on maps as a “Mercado.”  The station is directly on the Pan-Am Highway and if proceeding on to Tegucigalpa, one catches a bus here for Las Manos (pronounced "La Mano" in Nicaraguan Spanish, since s's appear to be superfluous here), where one passes through immigration and customs, then transfers to a Honduran bus on the other side.

The bus station itself is to the left.  Straight ahead is a municipal building with shops in the lower level (a bit dark to see clearly).  To the right (and behind) are more shops.  There is an incredible array of stuff on sale at bus stations and sometimes you wonder why someone just getting on or off a bus would be tempted by some of the items.

Ocotal is named for the pine trees that once encircled the city prior to European contact and is primarily a commercial center.  It is located in a valley surrounded by mountains and has a setting that is really quite pretty.   

Overview of Ocotal and surrounding mountains looking more or less to the north.

View from the same location, but more towards the east.  Note the large number of communication towers of various sorts and the church towers to the far right.

Ocotal has the regrettable distinction of being the first city in the world to be bombarded by a squadron of military aircraft and on the flipside, the US has the dubious distinction of being the first country in the world to employ mass aerial bombardment when US Marines dropped 300+ fragmentation bombs on the town in July 1927 as the struggle against the US military occupation (which began in 1912) was entering its last 6 or 7 years. The lessons were apparently well-learned by the Germans (and others) as this tactic was used with devastating consequences within 10 years at Guernica, Spain, and a few years after that in myriad places:  London, Coventry, Dresden, Berlin...

The bus station is about 1 km from the central plaza, a beautiful little slice of tropical paradise which is more like a botanical conservatory than an ordinary park.  It is apparently quite unique in Nicaragua (and perhaps in Latin America) for its focus on horticulture and boasts literally hundreds of varieties of plants, flowers and trees in a well-manicured setting.  The park is the result of efforts by a former mayor, who also happened to be a horticulturalist.  Called Parque las Madres, it is dedicated to mothers and has a statue of a nursing mother, which apparently has become somewhat controversial of late. 

View across the park showing some of the variety of plants and trees.

Another view showing the central gazebo.  If you look closely, you can see some topiary this side of the gazebo.

The statue dedicated to mothers,  The date is from the 70s, so it's hard to see why there would suddenly be a controversy.

The church (i.e., Roman Catholic Church) is across from the square.  Like many churches in Latin America, the exterior shows a sort of faded glory, but the interiors are generally nicely maintained if not very elaborate.  For me, the church's most striking interior feature is a beautiful wood ceiling. 

El Templo Parroquial de Ocotal, across from the Parque las Madres and finished in 1869.
 

From the church, the commercial district lies on the opposite side of the square and beyond.  Ocotal seems to be primarily a town of commerce and not of tourists and entertainment, although there are discos, bars with karaoke, etc.  It is well stocked with most things that one typically needs and it seems that about every other merchant is selling or repairing cell phones.  There are supermarkets, hardware stores, clothing stores, an open air market with produce, hotels and restaurants as well as a branch of Suni Solar, one of the business spin-offs of Grupo Fenix.  At the end of our week-long class, we visited Suni Solar and stayed in Ocotal for the evening.  There was time to wander and see a bit of what the city has to offer.  While not cosmopolitan by any stretch of the imagination, it seems like a town in which one could live with some level of comfort—it even has street lights so the flashlight I always carry with me in Sabana Grande is unnecessary.

Some businesses are virtually indistinguishable from those in the US.  This convenience store-gas station is on the Pan-Am Highway just north of the bus station.

A street scene in Ocotal.  I'm standing in a less-busy section looking towards a busier part of the street.  Note the street lights and "sidewalks."  You can see that all pedestrians are walking in the street.  Imagine navigating into stores/buildings in a wheelchair!

Central market in Ocotal.  It has a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and grains, most locally grown.  Some is organically grown, but much of it uses chemicals of various types.  I have never seen carrots as big in diameter as in Nicaragua.

This stand has more fruit, but you can get an idea of the variety.

This stall specializes in bulk grains:  corn, beans, coffee, rice, ...  These quantities makes the"bulk" section in the US seem almost Lilliputian.

Although Ocotal is certainly not extremely prosperous by US standards, there is considerable evidence of civic pride, improvement and progress.  Some seems to stem from private sources and NGOs, some from municipal efforts and some from the national government.  In addition to the beautiful central plaza, there is a recreation facility, a children's playground, a children's library and a rehabilitation facility.

A recently-constructed rehabilitation facility not far from the bus station.

On our initial trip to Ocotal, we ate at a restaurant called Casa Viejo, which still had (as of 21 January) one of the more unique Nativity displays I’ve seen.  The ride home was an experience that you would never get in the States:  6 passengers plus driver in a Toyota Yaris.  The fare to Sabana Grande was about US$6.50, a little over 3 times what the bus would have been if it were still running that late.  For me the trip was also unusual because it was the first time for me to be on a street in Sabana Grande in a vehicle.

Nativity scene at the restaurant Casa Vieja--This is NOT a composite and there is NO Photo Shop!  Besides being a somewhat kitchy plastic-molded Nativity, throw in a lighted reindeer like you often see in yards in WI, then top it off, with Che Guevara playing the role of the Angel Gabriel looking down from above. This is the stuff you travel for!!

To close, I'll report on a rather strange "event" that I stumbled across the last time I was in Ocotal.  There is a store that sells appliances and mattresses called El Verdugo (The Executioner).  The name doesn't really sound attractive to me as a place to do business, but perhaps the implication is that they "execute" high prices??  (Maybe the name is no worse than "Crazy Franks?")  Anyway, they were having a sales spectacular on mattresses so had blocked the street with a small stage.  There was an all-male band, tight pants, sleeveless tees, heavy on the rhythm with a couple of chicas in fishnet stockings and miniskirts dancing in front.  In addition, there were large mascots in sleeping caps working the crowd.  It seems that the culture of Madison-Ave marketing is truly ubiquitous!

A sales extravaganza!  "The Executioner" is out make deals...  The paint-scheme is gaudy enough, but throw in loud music, girls dancing and friendly, wandering mascots and you've managed to at least approach the limits of good taste.