Day 22 - Multiple Hearing Loss

I'm in León, 120 km from Granada. Silvana and I took public transportation here. First 40 km to Managua. Wrong place chosen, we are sitting on the sunny side. No big problem as long as the bus is running. All windows are open. Only that the bus stops every time someone randomly raises their arm or someone wants to get off. This can be every 100 meters, there are no fixed stops on this route. This is actually customer-friendly. The last 10 km to Managua also involves stop-and-go. The half-liter of water I drank in the hour and a half, I sweated out. That is customer-friendly because then I save myself the trip to the toilet.

In Managua, we change to the minibus to León. It has air conditioning. Cool. In León, we can hardly get off the bus at the terminal because we are harassed by bicycle taxis and riders. It's a bit eerie, they follow us and surround us. Our salvation is a real taxi.

The hotel is cozy, tomorrow morning I will take some photos in daylight.

The owner recommends a restaurant. Great directions. So we are driven by hunger to another restaurant near Parque Central. There is a folk festival going on right now. Currently, the festivities for the Ascension of our Virgin Mary (as Silvana says) are starting. Or her conception? Or what? We laugh. There are towering speakers right next to the restaurant. Latin American romantic music makes the earlobes vibrate. Oops, now live music is added. The two-man band sets up 3 meters away from our table and immediately starts playing. In the meantime, a group of boys with drums have approached, urging a 2-meter puppet that another boy spins around like a dervish. They are asking the people in the square and at the outdoor tables for a financial appreciation of their performance.

I'm glad that the service is quick and the cook is well prepared. My ears need a break, just get out of here.

In the project, this morning the best students of each class were honored. Manuel, our sponsored child, is also among them! The top performers receive a bag with useful school supplies. There is also a "Best Class of the Month." They can choose a trip or something similar from about 5 or 6 options.

I am fascinated by how disciplined about 100 children sitting on small plastic chairs in the cleared dining area are watching the awards. Even when one of the older classes talks about the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet, and repeatedly stutters due to nervousness. No one giggles, everything remains quiet.

And then there's pizza for everyone!!

Temperature as always, clear sky, windy in the bus.