Here’s an interesting read for
anyone who has a hard time following or giving directions. Let’s
just say you’re in Nicaragua for the first time and to be more precise you are in the
capital city of Managua. How would you find your way to the bank, your hotel, the doctor with very basic Spanish
and a navigation system even the locals have a hard time using? There are no street names, addresses, or North
and South to choose from, but one might use this as a general guide:
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North is towards the lake.
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South is towards the mountain.
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East is up.
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West is down.
NPR has a neat little piece on how one
might find their way anywhere in the city of Managua and even how to address an envelope heading that
way. Horses tied to statues, parking lots, trees, and even a woman with hairy hands make some of the
known landmarks around the city. It almost sounds like the clues in a scavenger hunt, kind of fun and kind of
scary.