The end of the world

I’ve been at the end of the world. Eights hours drive from Managua on bumpy roads, followed by three hours by boat down the San Juan River will take you to the edge of the Natural Reserve Indio Maíz. No light, no internet, no cars, no tv. Wonderful, natural – and isolated.
Suppose it has to be that way, the end of the world just wouldn’t be the same if you could just get there in half an hour. Sort of goes with the term ‘end of the world’, so some hardship is okay. But does it really have to be as complicated as it is? Do I practically have to rip the car apart in order to get there and spend two entire days on the road? No, not really, but fate has played the cards in such a way that I had no option. Let me explain.
To get to the San Juan River, you either have to fly (I’m too stingy…), take the Granada-San Carlos ferry (13 hours…), or drive. The problem with the ferry is that it stops everywhere and that you have to spend the entire trip on hard wooden seats. Not very tempting…
Now, there used to be another ferry I am told. Long time ago, a couple of worn-out, Russian hydrofoils used to make the trip in three hours, and people in the area around the river still remember how tourism boomed, how prosperity blossomed, and how hope rose. But happiness only lasted a year. The Russian sailors were not paid, went back home and apparently left the hydrofoils in the hands of incompetent, local mechanics. Soon after, the hydrofoils disappeared, as did hope, prosperity and progress. Back to square one.
My plead for better transportation options to River San Juan isn’t really selfish. The one time a year I might go there, I will survive the roads – or take the plane. But I can’t help thinking what better transportation would mean for the people living in the area. And I can’t help wondering why things sometimes have to be so complicated. The Nicaragua Lake is there, big and spacious, and with ample space for a couple of fast ferries or hydrofoils, that would bring products from the San Juan River closer to the world. Obviously, tourists would also have better access to the area, thus bringing money and investments to the area. Why can’t some prosperous businessman see the possibility?
Faster transportation would most probably mean the end of the end of the world. But I wonder of all the poor people along the river wouldn’t be better off?

Posted by Christian Korsgaard