The Nica Life

Column: The Nica Life

Date: July 12th 2006

 

Welcome to a new feature of Casa Tortuga communications; a bi-monthly column entitled The Nica Life. Those who are far removed from the pacific coast of Central America will find it understandably difficult to imagine how one goes about starting a small-scale eco-lodge in a country like Nicaragua. This column will give some insight into the daily lives of three individuals who happen to be doing just that! 

 

How does one send a sample of Nicaraguan Life over the digital ether? Perhaps it is best to start from a broader perspective- what occupies the minds of ordinary Nicaraguans? Well, until a few days ago that would have been the same as what occupied the mind of nearly every ordinary citizen in the vast majority of the world (at least the male contingent) - The World Cup. I also suspect that the Nicaraguan reaction was similar to that of the vast majority of ordinary people (read: males) around the world, namely; 1) what happened to Brazil? 2) Italy didn't deserve it and 3) what did Materrazzi say to Zidane?!?!?

 

Now that this ultimate form of mass distraction has come to a temporary end, people can once again turn their attention to issues more pertinent to them and their family's daily well-being. High on all Nicaraguan's list of current frustrations is undoubtedly the seemingly endless reality of daily power-cuts being forced on the entire population by the privately owned Spanish multi-national Union Fenosa. An ongoing legal, political and personal battle is being waged between the government regulator (INE), the state controlled power plants and Union Fenosa as to who is to blame for these systematic power-cuts. Identifying the guilty party will of course not be a guarantee for finding a solution. Union Fenosa regularly prints announcements in the daily newspapers outlining the details of coming power-cuts while indicating that these have been authorized by INE. INE subsequently denies ever having given their blessing, adding that it was never even informed of the power-cuts. INE then fines Union Fenosa for breach of contract upon which Union Fenosa refuses to pay claiming it is owed money by the state of whom it considers INE to be a part. Newspaper investigations of the crisis inevitably end with the comment that a certain government official or Union Fenosa spokesperson was unavailable for comment.

 

This little matter of no power has far-reaching consequences, as one might expect. Not the least of which is the fact that the still-national water company (ENACAL) has difficulty running the pumps necessary for filling the municipal water tanks that provide water to all cities. Thus, the regular lack of electricity is often accompanied by a lack of running water - a combination that hits small and medium-sized businesses particularly hard. Thankfully this is not an issue for us here at Casa Tortuga headquarters since we happen to live in a part of town which is cut-off from running water between 9am and 3pm regardless of there being electricity or not. They tell us its due to the elevation……so at least we can see the water in lake Nicaragua if we climb the roof.

 

Martijn Priester