Day of the Dead, Rivas, Nicaragua: Nica Nugget #80

For years, while living in Mexico and now Nicaragua, I’ve wanted to visit one of the local cemeteries on the Day of the Dead. This year I was able to talk my friends Eve and Nathalie into going with me. I’d been told that the cemetery in the larger, neighboring town of Rivas was the one to visit, so that’s where we went. Outside of the cemetery, flower vendors had set up shop. We bought some flowers and headed into the cemetery itself. There we saw people gathered around tombstones, painting, sweeping, eating, chatting, laying down flowers. I felt shy, …

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Cure Your Liver on the Bus: Nica Nugget #55

I got on the bus a half hour early in Rivas to make sure I got a seat. I didn’t want to stand the whole way back to San Juan del Sur since I’d already done so on my way to Rivas that morning. But I had no problem waiting as the bus filled to overflowing and finally pulled out of the station, groaning and spewing smoke. The constant parade of colorful vendors hawking, in sing-song voices, their mysterious wares, and the liver-cure salesman who reminded me of salesmen I’d only before seen in movies of the Old Wild West, …

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Shopping in Rivas: Nica Nugget #43

San Juaneros, and expats that have lived here awhile might roll their eyes over my writing a Nugget about shopping in Rivas, because everyone knows about shopping in Rivas, right? But, die-hard Rivas shoppers, I ask you this: Did you know that you can buy chickens, aquarium fish, rabbits, puppies, livestock feed, dog food and veterinary medicines at the Rivas Purina shop? I didn’t. Did you know that you can get Vigoron with pork meat instead of fried pork rind but just asking for carne? And that it’s absolutely delicious. And just costs 50 cordobas ($1.50 US), and will fill …

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