We were pleased to spot our first howler monkey yesterday.
"Howler Monkey - These are the ones we can hear from the house"
We went up to the gardeners house to take some photo's for him, when we spotted this handsome fellow. He was with several others, who weren't quite so brave. Interesting creatures with very black faces & very white testicles. We also saw a nice looking squirrel, but he was way to quick for us.
"This is the first wild monkey we have seen at Hacienda Iguana"
The reason we were taking photos of Jose-Luis' house is that the mayor's office in Tola are giving away donated corrugated tin sheets to deserving people (i.e. people who voted for him...) who are in need. Jose-Luis duly has his Sandinista flag flying outside the house, and is clearly in need. Here are the photos, which I also printed out for Jose-Luis to take with him to show the Mayor:
"The Mayor in Tola is giving roofing materials to deserving families who are in need"
The house is located just to the South of Hacienda Iguana. It is built entirely from the trees cleared from the area the house stands on and leftover construction materials from Hacienda Iguana.
"There is no electricity and no running water"
Jose-Luis is originally from Rama, located in the East of Nicaragua toward the Caribbean town of Bluefields. He moved to Rivas 5 years ago. In that time he has aquired land to build on, and has the basic structure of his house complete. He hopes that the Mayor of Tola will come good with his promise to give tin sheets for his roof which is currently plastic sheeting.
"The structure of the house is made from the trees he cleared. The plastic sheeting gets pretty hot and humid underneath."
The property has no facilities or services. They get all their water from a well about a hundred meters away. And their provisions all come from the local pulperia. Because of the remoteness of the location, Jose-Luis's weekly shopping costs about 50% more than what we pay in Granada. We have decided between us that I will do his shopping for him in the Market in Granada as part of his pay. For them to get to the supermarket in Rivas is simply impossible - it take two hours just to get to the main road!
"Jose-Luis and his children"