Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a fairly effective camouflage. The main, and all-important difference between the two classes
is obviously the purse, the quality of the gowns being ample testimony of this fact.
IfoundthepeopleofCostaRicatobethemostpleasantinCentralAmerica,fairlyindustri-
ous, thrifty and peace-loving, and, as far as I could judge, this little republic is more advanced
than its Central American sisters: I shall always remember its officials and citizens as exceed-
ingly hospitable and pleasant. From here my guide returned to Panama by ship, with many
presentsfromdifferentpeoplewhoadmiredhimforthewayhehadstucktohisjob.Asthings
go among his people, he returned home a rich man.
Prospects for crossing Nicaragua were none too rosy, for a revolution was centred in the very
parts I had to ride through. Everybody advised me not to try the trip, lest I lose the horses
or more. Through the Argentine Legation and other official channels I gathered whatever in-
formation was available, but when both the revolutionary and the government representatives
of Nicaragua in San Jose put it to me in strong terms of recommendation not to enter their
troubledterritory,andIhadreceived telegraphic advicefromBuenosAiresnottoruntherisk,
much against my will I had to give up the idea of making this ordinarily easy and short trip
through Nicaragua.
Whilst waiting for news and developments, I made a short sight-seeing trip by train. At
everystationnumerousbeggarscametomolestthepassengers,whilstdogsandbuzzardswere
fighting for bones and other scraps which people threw out of the windows of the carriages,
forhere,asinPeru,foodandrefreshmentsaresoldatpracticallyeveryhalting-place.Thedogs
and birds scramble for the food thrown to them, and the buzzards seem to be no more afraid
of the people than tame hens are.
Iwasadmiringtheincrediblemixtureofcaninebreedsandbuzzardsfightingforsomething
to keep them alive when the train began to move towards a steep descent where there were
severallargecurves.Alltheskeletonsofdogssuddenlystartedoffinamadrush.Thispuzzled
me, but soon I found out the solution, for when we had rounded several bends I saw all the
mongrels awaiting our arrival below. They obviously knew that the shortest distance between
two given points is a straight line, and had made this short cut in hopes of receiving another
tit-bit below.
Having completed all my plans and preparations, we made for the port of Puntarenas,
where we took ship for La Union, in the little republic of San Salvador.
Puntarenas is situated on a narrow peninsula, and the town, with its musty buildings,
mostlymadeofwood,isasunattractive asitshotanddampclimate. Thestreets aresandyand
most of the people go barefoot. The view across the bay to the north is pretty, the exuberant
