the parade

THE PARADE

bienvenidos a las hipicas de managua
welcome to the horses of managua

we went to this parade on our first day in nicaragua
thats probably not the right word
maybe the nicaraguan mardi gras would be a better word
it was miles and miles of horses and carriages and loud
spanish music and miles and miles of people along the sides
of the parade
and miles and miles of people drinking beer tequilla shots
rum and other drinks
it was loud loud loud

you could feel the vibration of the soul of the community as these
magnificent frothing marching large mostly stallions by the
hundreds marched down these streets of managua for miles
these majestic animals would all dance in unison
at times with the loud music
i smelled of horses and sweat at the end of the day
but it was a masculine smell that i didnt want to remove

these are our hosts that allowed us to ride in one of
their carriages during the parade
americanos all in a carriage
what a majestic royal like appearance these two made as they
rode in the parade
the american peace corps worker who fell in love with
this aristocratic like nicarguan several years ago
a story that should be told in a movie or book
they probably dont realize what affect this parade had
on all of us
this was our introduction to nicaragua
wow it couldnt get better than this experience
yes it was the highlight of our trip

my surfer but more than that brotherinlaw was very
brave to mount one of these white majestic stallions
all excited sweating wide eyed fighting the bit to
march forward
i mean the horse not my brotherinlaw

i was sitting by the driver on the americano carriage
as the parade continued the crowds got thicker louder
more excited

the top picture appeared to be a cross dresser who was
one of several street performers that were present along the
parade route

riders of all age and all walks of life were in the parade
this is one of the former presidential candidates
who was riding his majestic black horse in the parade

she may not have been a true princess but
she sure looked like one

the military was present along the fence of the old
presidential palace

never did we feel unsafe even as the crowds grew larger
and closer and closer to our carriage
we could feel the heart beat of the parade
the vibration or soul of the parade
not felt by those in the many pavilions and stands along
the way

what a start to our vacation in nicaragua
the sounds and smell and scenes still persists in our memories

viva la nicaragua
thanks to our hosts p and j
and to our relatives for providing us the fantastic experience

the organicgreen doctor