Let me begin by saying that I hate Managua - it´s hot, filthy, and full of scum. We got completely ripped off by our taxi drivers both at the beginning and end of the day. In the morning, the taxis drivers refused to use two cars to transport 7 people and tried to squeeze us all into a regular 4 door car and wanted to charge us 50 cords or more a person, which is really expensive. We finally found 2 cabs that would take us for 30 cords a person. On the way home, back to the bus terminal, the two taxis that we had used all day (not the ones from the morning), that charged us low rates for a drive to La Chureca, that came back to get us at La Chureca, ripped us off big time. We were in 2 different cabs and my cab driver refused to answer our question about how much the ride would cost. Mistake number 1. Then when we get to the terminal, he wants to wait for the other cab driver to discuss the price. In the end he wanted 50 cords a person! The other cab driver had driven the others almost to the terminal, then pulled over to a gas station and demanded they pay him there or he wouldnt´t drive them to the terminal. He wanted 300 cord in total for 4 people! It was ridiculous and we were all so pissed.

But La Chureca. Oh my...what a heartbreaker. Driving through the ¨gates¨you can see gangs of men doing drugs outside the dump and inside is considered safer. The smell of burning garbage and other things on top of the smell of garbage was horribly overwhelming. Garbage mounds everywhere. We had to watch out for hypodermic needles when walking. People passed us lugging bags of garbage they found that is sellable, walking in bare feet through the mud. The ¨houses¨were made of old cardboard boxes or metal they had found; some had vending machine covers as walls. We met a young girl who this organization called Cuenta Conmigo is trying to remove from her family because her step father is raping her and her mom is doing nothing to stop it. So sad. We walked through the dump and visited the makeshift school with a bath for the children to bathe in. We met some of the kids and gave them candy. Further on, we climbed some of the mounds of garbage and saw where the freshly dumped garbage was because people were picking through it, jabbing it with spears to see what they could find. Others were riding the garbage trucks already sifting through it. If we had gone on, Jeanett said we would have seen animal bodies piled up, more spontaneous fires and an even worse smell of garbage. After 2 hours there we were all ready to leave.

It certainly was a very powerful experience and while I´m glad I went to see it, it was very difficult to witness. I honestly thought it looked like a post-apocalytpic wasteland, with vultures flying in the sky and mounds of chaos and destruction everywhere with people scaveging for what they can. The two ladies who went with us from Managua are trying to start up a non-profit organization to work with the youth of the dump to try and show them that there are options for them outside this life. They were going yesterday for a meeting with the congressman in an effort to gain charitable status. They´re going to email us more information so that maybe we can do some fundraising for them back home. They´re vision is for a better Nicaragua and while its going to be a difficult journey, I think what they´re doing is admirable. I wish them luck on their endeavors.

That was my day yesterday. Difficult, hot, and frustrating but a lesson learned. I´m so thankful for how wonderful Canada is and I miss it very much right now.

Hasta luego.