Last Chance Cafe

The results from the election on Sunday are still not official, but this is apparently not sitting well with some people. I was seated for about five minutes when wave after wave of bicycles swept around the corner flying the black and red flags of the FSLN, which would be Ortega's party. After a solid five minutes of this the vans and SUVs and pickup trucks started to mix in with the bikes, as well as a thousand or so people on foot. There were fireworks as well, though only one car was blasting the interminable 'give peace a chance' remix en espanol, which is apparently the FSLN theme song.

I was quietly being amazed at the gathering crowd and thinking about going to get my camera when out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the common 'bra-less white girls' in olive drab spaghetti strap top and hippy skirt walk by with another white girl and two guys (this type usually carries a backpack or load of dirty laundry around Central America). They stood out in the sea of brown mostly because they seemed to be hurrying in the wrong direction. Less than a minute later I saw them again, more composed and walking toward the park- with the flow- with black and red flags.

By this time I had also noted a couple of unmarked white vans that had parked at the edge of the park along with some OEA vehicles (Organizacion de los Estados Americanos-or OAS: Organization of American States). I watched as the group that included the bra-less gal joined another group a little while later in the unmarked vans. This was pretty much 75 feet away from me and hard to ignore because they were so obviously foreigners and not mixing with the rest of the crowd, but yet very animated all the same.

I then watched as bra-less talked one of the men into taking her picture as she waved the FSLN banner. This took a couple of tries, as they had to duck some speeding bicycles whizzing by with their own flags. It somehow got my dander up, but I was still eating so I gave the waiter 50 cordovas to find out what group those unmarked white vans belonged to. It was the OEA. The people were foreign volunteers sent in to monitor the elections. They are supposed to be neutral.

The major part of the crowd, including the van containing the gringa flag-waver, split before I finished my meal so I didn't get a chance to approach them and ask just what the hell they thought they were doing. Granted, we're talking some young excitable hippy girl doin' gud in the third world, but what an idiot to be seen dancing with one of the party's flags. And have your picture taken. Let's just say it's not a faith-inspiring incident to see the OEA tagging along in support of party rallies by the former communists.

I sat for a while watching the crowd ebb and flow in front of the restaurant when the waiter came back with my change. I was the only customer at the moment and asked him what he thought of the show. He didn't answer at first so I prodded a little. This time he let out that he wasn’t happy. Since the end of the civil war little by little the Americans have been investing in Nicaragua.

It's one of the reasons that the hotel I'm staying at has been refurbished. It was originally built around 1524, burned, was rebuilt, was neglected, then finally restored and is now a pretty sweet example of Columbian colonial architecture. Though I haven't asked where it is one section of the building is supposed to be original. It is this kind of investment that he thinks may be lost if Ortega scares away the Americans.

I reminded him that Ortega has said he's changed, and that he supports the TLC (or CAFTA). He wasn't cynical and said he hoped that were true. We talked a bit more about other things before I said goodnight. Now it's time to check the internets and see how bad my Republicans are getting their asses whipped up north.