Contraction

Upon our arrival in San Juan de Nicaragua, we found our chosen hotel easily, and the duena, Dona Marta, gave us her last room, even though it had been reserved by someone else, saying that she would find him a room elsewhere, but that there were no other large rooms available in town.  We unpacked, settled in, and after assessing our cash on hand, realized that we needed to find a bank or an ATM right away.  No such luck, Marta told us.  Nothing like that in this part of the country.  David got queasy and anxious.  After some quick calculations, he decided that we didn't even have enough for the panga ride back to San Carlos if we had to stay two more nights since there was no Wednesday panga.  And that meant not eating at all for the next two days.  Sandy, maintaining her indomitably positive outlook and sense of humor, suggested pimping him out to an older Canadian woman we'd met who was traveling alone.  David, however, had contracted down into a humorless funk and was diligently searching for a serious solution to the issue at hand.

Sandy remained unconcerned, believing that a solution that didn't involve white slavery or any diminishment of personal integrity would present itself if we remained open and positive.  Gradually her ever-smiling nature wore down his funkeated resistance to the point that he began smiling as well.  Over a lunch of giant river shrimp which Sandy found to be tastier than lobster, she suggested that David go ask one of the panga colectivo workers if we could ride for free and pay later when we got to San Carlos.  Once again holding firm in the face of David's dubiousness, she won the day when the panga guy said, "Sure!"

After lunch we strolled through this, the fourth auto-less town that we had visited in Nicaragua, (along with El Castillo, Sabalos, and Little Corn) enjoying the blend of modern streetlights gracing the wide central promenade with its 19th century glory fading brick by brick. On our stroll, Sandy, basking in previous successes, suggested that we ask Marta if we could send money back for our meals and room after we arrived at San Carlos.  Without hesitation, Marta, upon hearing the question, responded that we could, of course, pay later.

So we leave tomorrow on the 5 am panga rapido.  Seven hours later we will hit an ATM, pay the panga driver, and have him carry back the remainder to Marta.  Breathing in, breathing out.  Expanding, contracting.  All in a day's flow.  Our challenge is to not get stuck in this or that, to not let the eddies of life keep us out of the flow for too long, removing us from the deepwater channel.