Walking in San Juan

There is a surfer sub-culture here so you get some odd fellows walking around town in their barefeet and stuff. There is a medium sized ex-pat community, many of whom own businesses of course. There are more pedestrians and bikes on the roads than cars I think, and when you combine that with the fact that the sidewalks are highly unpredictable most people seem to stroll down the middle of the street half the time. The Nicaraguans are, of course, friendly and welcoming and an anti-foreigner feeling has not yet invaded this growing tourist place. Although cruise ships have begun docking here once or twice a week, it is still a small town with extremely limited commercialization.

Sidewalks in San Juan appear to be the responsibility of each land owner. Outside of every house and business the sidewalk will be more or less consistent for the length of frontage of that building. Some people have wide sidewalks, some have narrow. Some are decorated in lovely ceramic tiles, some are plain concrete. Some are about 2 feet off the ground, some are at ground level. This all makes walking extremely treacherous, and somewhat interesting. The street is often a safer place to be. Not to mention the odd hole in the sidewalk - just to keep you on your toes! One of the main streets in town, leading from the beach to the cathedral has been under construction since we arrived. This street, once complete, will be the first (I think) in town to have a consistent corredor (as I’ve been told this is what they call a sidewalk here) for about 3 blocks.