One of the things you quickly realise when walking around a town in Nicaragua is that you really do have to pay attention! Unlike in Australia where we have wide footpaths that are largely obstacle-free, this is most definitely not the case here. Here are a few of the street hazards I’ve encountered.
Many shops often spill out onto the footpath and take up the entire width with their wares.
Alternatively, individual sellers will set up on the footpath, often to sell some kind of snack.
The water meters are actually embedded in the footpath and more often than not, their coverings are missing.
The footpaths go up and down faster than a yo-yo as the houses are all at different levels and the footpaths follow the entrances to the houses.
Ramps for cars (though most likely it is motorbikes) to enter are built right over the top of the footpath.
More often than not it is much easier to walk on the road itself, provided it’s not too busy (unfortunately very rare). After all, you end up having to leave the footpath every now and then for at one or the other of the above hazards anyway.
