matagalpa

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Flag this messagegranada and matagalpaWednesday, November 12, 2008 5:17 PM
From: "Leslie Warren" Add sender to Contacts To: leslie@wizwire.comif i were in a theatre film. i would have watched the character leslie with wonder and awe today. another miracle. after goodbyes to my family and sweet valeska i flagged down a taxi a few blocks from the house and in perfect spanish directed him to the house where we loaded up all art supplies etç and after several stops to visit friends, drop off his son at the universidad etc i made my way to the escuela and marlo and commenced the trip to managua al the while playing with words both enlish and panish with marlo and enjoying exploding volcanoes, trotting ponies and lago vistas. in a snazzy office franciwsco escorted me through his vast staff and expalined the work of his muti national corporation which is a major player in the vçcoffee market in nic. we hit it off immediately and i found the ride to matagalpa wityh him so rich with insightful conversation and philosophical talk that i was mesmerized by this man.we stopped at vbefverly´s house to caravan to factory where filters are made and fired with the ancient and exquisirte exotic woods at juyst çthe right temp to be impervious to the myriad of toxic and bacterial threats in teh water supply. the work is done by hand with a press that is a converted bycycle pump. this is the model for filters distribed to gutat, india africa and asia. ron was killed setting up the program in nigeria. beverly is lovely and bound to be a new friewnd promising to heop me set up house in nic and with her daughters wedding coming in december ' another good reason to come fro the closin. with the truck filled with filters, my art supplies, treasures etc we head up to the matagalpa hills with stops for fruit, lunch and vistas. the forests are disappearing and wood producat and scavengers are everywhere. little delicate ponies grazing and huge oxen pulling carts. this place is a fantasy of thired world. the issue of being so eçimpoverished rçneglects to register the gbatrer economy and the tendency of people to take good care of one another. francisco and i explore so many intelllectual arenas ....i am enhanted with his mind. mario is at the mill protected by gun toting guards. we forfeit our passports and get admission and settle in to lovely coffee sipping at the mill and sharing of opportunities thru francisco and the international project development team he leads to bring the farmers out of poverty,,.,,while i learn the complexitie of markets and politics and manipulation of markets . expenanza coffee is small but 700 growers would be affected tçby the irrigation programs, paradym shifting educatio programs that help farmers see beyone the way they are bareley subwsisted for generatons to understanding the world market.,..it is t¡çlike taking my vw van to eçthe moon but mariona dn francisco think it is possible. we need to identify >ç$300 millon dollars in funding and i am given contacts internationally to raise the funds. francisco´s program will matech çdollar for dollar. mario is the character i fondly remember and the stories he tells of ortega, vote buying by forgiving thousands of mortgages, giving beow market loans for investment çna dlater caling in debt through voting is really frightning. makes you see how dangerous competing with him for loyalty might be we leave mari and continue uip to matagalpa town...rugged, ponies and carts, palms and mahonçgany, parrotson the road side, captured, wings clipped nad painted bright colours to sell off sticks on the gighway tragic...st the market in masaya yesterday >8before the salsa class) so manty animals stuffed into awful poses.....masaya market with john so delightful! traveling with a kid my son´s age a blast and he the inventor of ninjatravel and a gillionaire.... beer and lunch at the villa on the mountain top and my room a sunny delght overlooking the city cradled in many mountains. down into town to meet with terry.<<< who runs an ngo funded by swiss and swedish non profits and offers women refuge, families clean water filters like those in my truck . they will come to matagalpa with me and help train villagers how to use these ceramic life savers >(210.00 and i wil contribute to reduction in infant suffering and mortality> for 12 families and 5 villages...) good bye to francisco ' he will be my host for dinner on nov 18 beore i fly out of managua. i buy sizzilling toasted corn on the cob from a corner vender using charcoal from the forest and a pot lid to fan it. conversation with local boys and hike u pthe near vertical calle on cobbles to my villa for rum and relaxation of my terrace. the sun goes down behind volacnoes and billiowing clows and warms a little city in the hills. tomorrow i begin my mural and brigetthe will meet me here at 7 AM. spectacular and the film theater goes dark till the am. off to finally shower and relish the joy that is my life