In the Spotlight - Nicaragua
Hazukashii
In the Spotlight – Nicaragua
By Ed “Hazukashii” Howell
7 April 2023
Nicaragua can be best summed up as the land of fire and water. Fire describes the 19 active volcanoes residing within the country, as it resides on the Middle American Trench of the “Ring of Fire” that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. Water describes the coastlines of the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east, as well as the numerous lakes within that are dominated by Lake Cocibolca (a.k.a. Lake Nicaragua) to the south of the capital city of Managua, and Lake Xolotlan (a.k.a. Lake Managua) to the north of Managua. The country has a population of just over 6 million, and is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south.
According to the Smithsonian Institution, five of the active volcanos (Concepcion, Masaya, Momotombo, San Cristobal, and Telica) have erupted within the past 15 years. These are all stratovolcanoes (composite), with the exception of Masaya, which is a caldera, where you can stand on the rim and see the orange glow of the magma below. Lake Nicaragua is noted as the only lake to have a multitude of oceanic life that includes sharks, swordfish, and tarpon . . . but recent surveys have been unable to locate any remaining fresh water sharks there.
Spanish is the predominant language, but there are nearly a dozen other languages commonly spoken in various regions of the country. It is also common to find that each major town and city has its own unique dish and drink, accounting for well over a thousand of each, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
The Hash House Harriers can also be found in this amazing Central American country. According to the HHH Genealogy the first hash in Nicaragua was the Managua H3 founded on 21 Jan 1990, by Theo 'Bananas' Vlaar, who had previously hashed with the Surabaya H3 before moving to Nicaragua. Bananas was assisted by Ray Kohut and Graham Watkins, and they kept the hash running consistently for many years.
On a recent visit to Nicaragua I was reminded that, like many cities around the world, sometimes one hash club is not enough. On 10 Apr 2005, Eckard ‘Smiling Scharnhorst’ Zimmerman, with the support of other rebellious teenagers, the Pussy H3 was formed to accompany the Managua H3. After a period of time with two hash clubs running regularly, the Managua hash faded out, leaving only the Pussy H3 to entertain the local harriers. Once again with only one club, dedicated hashers continued searching for trail through spats of political upheaval, and like much of the rest of the world, some virtual hashing during Covid. Smiling Scharnhorst, the last of the original protagonists, recently departed Nicaragua after over 500 pussy hashes. Looking to find new direction, the hash club reverted back to being called the Managua H3, but soon the new mismanagement decided to rebrand themselves as the Nicaragua H3 to allow for greater opportunities.
I had the good opportunity to visit Nicaragua last month, and after climbing volcanoes and enjoying the local cuisine, I was also able to find the hash. Start time was set for 9:30 am on Sunday, and Google Maps said it was going to be about a one hour drive to the small town of Granada. From there, we found the road out to Isletas de Granada, and finally down the dirt road to Rayito de Sol. At this point we parked the car, and jumped into the hare’s truck for the final 2 kms out to the run site (and home of the hares) at a beautiful setting on Lake Managua.
As often can be the case, just finding the start can be half the challenge in hashing, and this was what happened on this day. Fortunately, we made it to the site without issue, but some of the locals did have some problems, causing the start to be delayed about an hour until they arrived (we heard some hashers actually got frustrated and went home . . . hope that was only a rumor).
A pack of about 30 hashers eventually gathered round the GM for chalk talk, which was all in Spanish. My interpreter did a wonderful job of explaining to me what was going on . . . except I had to ask about some of the trail markings, and something was lost in translation. All I got was “there will be lots of arrows and plops” . . . so asked if an X was a false or intersection? It’s a false, so then asked if a circle was a check, and was told yes . . . but it was not, it was also a false (well, it was actually a circle with an X in it, but yes, also a false, as I would find out on trail after running down some arbitrary paths only to be called back. Most of the pack were walkers on this brilliant trail of about 3 miles, but there were a couple other runners. It was an awesome shiggy trail, on dirt paths and roads. To get a good sweat on and add more enjoyment, some of us took another lap around trail before taking on some of the local cervezas.
Once the pack had the opportunity to rehydrate, circle soon followed, and it was all in Spanish of course. The GM was energetic and the pack participated with enthusiasm. Not so fluent in Spanish, I could make out about every 5th word, and others would throw in a few more at times. Soon they called in the visitors, and asked us to entertain them . . . so we sang them a couple clean but fun songs. In return, we were served up a nice lunch of local delicacies. After chatting for another hour, it was time to make the hour drive back to town. What a great adventure, on a great trail, and making new friends. Many thanks to the hashers in Nicaragua for such a fun day.
If you are ever fortunate enough to visit Nicaragua, the hash meets on the last Sunday of every month somewhere in or around Managua. For many more articles like this on the history of hashing, check out . . . http://gotothehash.net/history/inthespotlight.html