Hello amigos,
Salutations from Bogota, Colombia at nearly 2,600 meters. I am so
glad to be back in the cool, alpine environment of the mountains after
weeks trying to stay presentable in interview clothing in the balmy
capitals of Central America. Here is a little (but not so quick)
update from the past two weeks.
Being in Costa Rica after the other Central American countries
provided me with a break from the rough travel of the real third
world. This country is at least as developed as Mexico and boasts a
98% electrification rate, while Honduras has only 50% of its
population electrified. The prices are also a little higher than the
other Central American countries, but it is still much cheaper than
American standards with the average hostel costing about $10 a night
and meals around $2.50.
I naively have created a hypothesis that all Central American
countries should be united as one country for a more efficient legal
and trade structure. The variety in electricity regulation in each
country limits regional electricity sales. And, the repetitive
efforts of trial and error to create laws that will be most successful
suggests that making the region one country would mitigate these
problems. But, my arrival in Costa Rica has shown me that this notion
is na•ive, especially when considering national allegiances. The ticos
(the affectionate term for Costa Ricans) are fiercely proud of their
country. In fact, they often insult the Nicaraguans and blame them
for the crime and drugs in the country. European settlements in the
country have left many of the locals with blue eyes and light colored
hair that takes you by surprise when you see a European-looking taxi
driver or security guard.
I have been keeping myself busy in the capitals of each Central
American country running around trying to find offices for interviews.
The lack of street addresses in each of these countries has made this
process even more interesting than in Mexico where the numbers were
randomly designated and not in order. Addresses are specified by
their proximity to nearby churches or stores. If stores or major
landmarks change, the address points you to where the former spot was.
Addresses appear this way on business cards and in the phone book.
For example, in Nicaragua, a typical address would be translated to
read – two blocks up and once block down from the pulperia (corner
store) and in front of the old emergency room entrance. The up and
down referred to the rising (up) and setting (down) of the sun. Then,
North and South were designated as towards and away from the lake just
north of Managua. So, as a tourist you are at the mercy of the cab
drivers that you hope aren't ripping you off and driving in circles if
they don't know the address.
In San Jose, I had a chance to see a landfill that has begun to
harvest the methane from the trash for electrical generation. The
idea sounds great, but they have had tons of problems. First and
foremost is the fact that the landfill is on temporary closure for
maintenance. This could last one and a half to two years. Since
there aren't folks going through the trash for recyclables and truck
traffic in the area, no one is around to watch the site except a plant
operator and one night guard. The engineer who took me around the
site told me that the "Nica" drug addicts who live in shacks around
the site routinely jump the fence day and night to cut the plastic
pipes that hold the methane. They resell these pipes in the market
for about $6-7 per meter. It seemed like a lot of work for a little
bit of money to me, but as we were talking, a group of prospective
pipe thieves lurked behind a banana tree just on the other side of the
fence and razor wire atop it. And, I caught a few pictures of some
hoodlums jumping the fence as we left. (see photos) I won't bore you
with the other plant problems, but the upshot is that one of the four
generators purchased is working at 50% capacity because of poor site
planning, legal, and social problems related to the project.
Panama City is definitely the "Miami" of Central America. The stable
zone out of the San Andreas Fault makes it ideal for sky scrapers,
something the rest of the region lacks. The accent, coloring of the
people, and attitude is totally different from their neighbor to the
North. The mark of slave trade is more apparent in Panama City than
in San Jose, Costa Rica because it is on the coast, and the people are
black, mestizo (indigenous and European), and Kuna, indigenous people
who where short hair cuts, beads wrapped around their legs to the
knees, and colorful hankerchiefs, clothing, and jewelry. There is
even a black Jesus following that claims a black figurine of Christ
was found here. The church where the figure appeared brings
worshippers of all types from all over the country to the church by
foot and then by knee for the last few kilometers in October.
The US influence from the canal and the late 80's invasion to rid the
country of Noriega (the president who the US helped install but then
was involved in massive cocaine smuggling) is evident in the
ubiquitous Budweiser adds, use of the US dollar (known as Balboa by
locals), Blockbuster Video Stores, and love of baseball.
Last week in Panama City, I survived the morning scavenger hunt to
find an governmental environmental office. By the front desk where I
checked in, I saw a strict set of dress rules including no short
sleeved shirts. Panama is the kind of place where you have to dress
for winter and hope not to melt in the heat as you scurry to your
aggressively air conditioned office. Dress is formal with stockings,
heels, and heavy makeup for women.
Well, despite the craziness of interviewing, I have had some time for
fun. I went out with a group from my hostel in Panama City to
experience the much talked about night life. I got my groove on at a
bar with a little samba (super fast Brazilian dance), salsa, merengue,
good ole American footloose, and the night cappers - my own rendition
of "Sweet Child of Mine" with some Axel Rose snake moves and a funny
Swede from our hostel posse singing Johnny Cash with a Southern accent
on the Karaoke!
I had some time for a weekend excursion to a nearby island. While
chatting with some Israli-Panamanians inquiring about their
spearfishing equipment, I soon found myself embarking on a dingy ride
with them to search for fish. I was pathetic at the sport, but they
caught a few that we fried up for lunch afterwards. (I will send along
a picture of the spearfishing crew when they email me with it.)
I have included a few photos for your viewing. The first is of a
street that is covered by a river in the rainy season going to the
beach in Nicaragua. We were almost trapped on a peninsula when rain
made the road nearly disappear. I took this picture of the car that
cross right before we did.
There is a picture of a woman selling endangered turtle eggs for
eating at the beach in Nicaragua. We thought about buying them to
bury them for hatch, but then thought we would just be supporting the
capture of more by doing that.
Pura vida (pure life- the motto and hello/goodbye of the ticos),
Lizzie
--
Elizabeth Lokey
Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Studies
University of Colorado
lokey@colorado.edu
(303) 898-5558
