La Colina

This is a picture I took in June of la Colina, the natural habitat of the Carpincho Azul. This is also where I will be living, starting 15 days from now.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't look quite like this any more. First, this foto was taken at the end of the dry season, so it doesn't show much greenery. And anyway, the Carpincho has been doing a lot of work over the past few months--planting coco and plantain trees and flowering plants, re-seeding grass, creating terraces on the hill, painting the buildings, &c., &c. For example, the building on the right (which used to be Radio Pirata) is now white, or maybe blue--at any rate, the grafitti has been covered over.

What you don't get a sense of from this picture is the view from the top (de hecho, since this shot was taken from the bottom). You can see Lake Managua in the distance, and a good bit of the city all around. 10 years ago, la Colina was surrounded by fieldsl; now it's surrounded by sub-developments and the expanding barrio.

And what no picture can show is the cool breeze that keeps the top of the hill comfortable even when folks at the bottom are baking (or steaming, depending on the season). It's a great place, as I hope many of you will learn when you come to visit me!