Yesterday Jan and I went to the vast, sprawling Oriental Market in Managua to buy Christmas presents for a Christmas party the church is throwing for the poor children in our congregation. This is the second annual children's party and it's the brainchild of a young couple in the church, Leonel and Marjorie. So when they asked us if we wanted to accompany them to buy the presents at the Oriental Market Jan and I jumped at the chance. Why? Mostly because we've been warned by Nicas dozens of times never to go there because of the high robbery rate. Upon consulting the Moon's Guide to Nicaragua we learned that:
"It is said that in the war years you could find contraband firearms and aircraft parts in the Mercado Oriental, if you knew where to ask. It's still the wildest ride in the city, and it's true that if you can't find it here you can't find it in Nicaragua. However, it's not for the faint of heart: someone gets robbed here every seven minutes." (page 134)
So we left our wedding rings and all jewelry behind in Masatepe and I carried our money in a hidden zippered pocket in a pair of pants I have. To be sure, the market was crowded with people thronging narrow alleys between rows of shops, vendors were often pesky (in a friendly way) to get you to enter their stores, and the market was generally a buzz of activity. However, the market experience was not the wild west ride I had expected, and I'm sorry to report that we weren't robbed or bothered in any way. Perhaps next time.
Feliz Navidad dear friends. Although many miles away, King Jesus brings us together as one. Enjoy the loud noises, the triquitracas, coetes, etc. All is well here, getting ready to play at our Christmas Eve services Friday night. Hope you have a significant time together with your children and loved ones. "God is with you in Nicaragua - Immanuel."
Posted by: davidt | 2004.12.19 at 04:33 PM