A cigarette that bears a lipstick’s traces
An airline ticket to romantic places
– These Foolish Things by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
RANCHO SANTANA, NICARAGUA – This morning, walking on the beach by our house, we passed a couple of Nicaraguans fishing. They swing their hooks like David about to slay Goliath, throwing them as far out into the sea as they can, and then gently pulling them back to shore.
At 7 a.m., there was a handful of people getting some morning exercise, as we were. None were wearing face masks. A woman in a large, floppy hat, carrying a small lap dog, smiled warmly.
We also came upon the happiest dogs we have ever seen. Two Labradors and one small, white dog of uncertain parentage raced across the sand and plunged into the surf…
Then, coming out, they shook the water off… and did it again. Over and over… until their tongues were hanging out.
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Playa Los Perros at sunrise
Ticket to Misery
Yes, Dear Reader, we finally got here. (To remind dear readers, we have traveled to Rancho Santana in Nicaragua. We usually spend some time here at this time of year.)
But there are few cigarettes with lipstick traces… and none in the airport. They’re banned.
As for airline tickets… they no longer conjure up images of happy times in romantic places.
They are tickets to misery… standing in line, while dogs sniff you and TSA goons yell at you.
Then, after they rifle through your luggage, put you through the X-ray machine, and certify that you’re not likely to hijack the plane, you can put your face mask back on and get on the plane.
And don’t forget your COVID test! Remember, it must be taken no less than 36 hours before takeoff and no more than 72.
Nothing very romantic about the trip… or your destination. No lingering in cafes… no cozy nightclubs… restaurants are likely to be closed… and keep six feet away from every other living soul, lest you infect the whole planet and we all die.
Run for Shelter
But we interrupt our travel commentary to bring you an important news flash. Bloomberg reports:
Global Markets See Inflation Breaking Out to Multi-Year Highs
Global markets from U.S. and European bonds to stocks and oil are sending a clear signal: inflation is finally coming back.
Thirty-year Treasury yields topped 2% for the first time in a year and the market-implied pace of U.S. consumer-price increases accelerated to the fastest since 2014, as rising expectations for an economic recovery fueled an oil rally. Across the Atlantic, a swap-market gauge of future inflation is close to its highest level since 2019, while U.K. government bonds continued their rout, with 10-year yields rising for a fifth day.
Is it true? Is this it? The 40-year trend towards low inflation and low yields… is it finally reversing?
Are these early reports like the first sightings of Viking ships off the coast? Is it time to run for shelter?
Maybe.
Jolly Time
Returning to our story…
Last night, a crowd gathered in the clubhouse. A large screen had been placed at the end of the room so people could watch the Super Bowl.
It was billed as a contest of youth and energy against age and skill. We know which side we were on.
We walked in wearing a face mask.
“Hey, Bill,” came a greeting. “You must have just gotten here. People come down from the U.S. They wear a mask… But after a couple days, nobody wears a mask here. We’re all outside… and if there are any germs here, the wind blows them out to sea.”
With or without an offshore breeze, all we know is that you can correlate the coronavirus death rates to age, obesity, diabetes, and heart/lung issues. But not to mask-wearing.
And last night’s gathering – complete with yelling and cheering – seemed like a return to “normal”… and a jolly time for everyone…
Another War
But today, people are afraid.
Twenty years ago, a “war on terrorism” had a similar effect on popular psychology. Terrorists posed little threat to the nation or to its citizens. But if you questioned the “war on terror,” it was as if you had blown up the World Trade Center yourself.
Two decades later, we still go through the security checks… and notices still tell travelers who “see something” to “say something.”
Has anyone ever said anything worth listening to? Has a single life been saved thanks to these measures?
No one knows… Probably not.
Like terrorist groups, the coronavirus evolves, mutates… One strain is neutralized… another rises to take its place.
The “war” against it can go on for years… or until the next bogeyman comes along.
And perhaps it already has. With the vaccine set to win the war against the coronavirus, along comes a new cockeyed war, this time against “domestic terrorism,” whatever that is. From The Washington Post:
Bipartisan support emerges for domestic-terror bills as experts warn threat may last ‘10 to 20 years’
Great… just what we need. Another way to give the feds more money and more power.
Risky Journey
So what’s life like in Nicaragua these days? Coming from the airport, we asked our driver…
“Terrible. Lots of people without jobs. We were just building up our tourism industry and then this coronavirus came along. Of course, it doesn’t help that Nicaragua is on the list of places for Americans to avoid.
“We have a very authoritarian government here. No demonstrations are allowed. If you protest, they put you in jail. And our jails are among the worst in the world.
“On the other hand, they’re building a lot of roads.”
The road from Managua Airport to the Pan-American Highway was newly paved since our last visit. It should have been a nice drive.
But people here are undisciplined… or perhaps just unused to high-speed traffic. Even after dark, they ride their bicycles in the middle of the road… carry on conversations… wander, sometimes drunk, onto the highway.
Some trucks and cars inch along, belching smoke. Others race… often making daredevil moves against the oncoming lights in order to get around the slow pokes.
After two hours of non-stop risk-taking, we got to our destination: Rancho Santana.
Life Goes On
We had reserved a table at the restaurant, expecting to find no one there. But the place was lively – not packed, but respectably filled with tourists and residents.
The U.S. government tries to discourage them from coming. The health authorities try to scare them into staying home. The airlines make it difficult for them. The TSA makes it unpleasant. And the Nicaraguan government puts out no “welcome mat”…
But still, they come. Families… children… and grandparents. Americans. Canadians. Europeans. Latin Americans. All enjoying themselves.
Life goes on!
More to come…
Regards,
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Bill
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