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Farmers from all over Nicaragua come to Managua to show off their livestock at EXPICA. Out of curiousity I asked how much one of the bulls cost. I was shocked to learn that the price for the one that my wife was looking at was $26,000. There's a lot more money in cattle than I ever thought.
In addition to cows there are also a large number of horses. There horse show was interesting although I wasn't real sure what they were doing. It almost reminded me of a dog show where the owners had to show how well trained there animal was. They marched the horses around back and forth, ran with them, etc. |
The Trophy Table |
Award Winning Cows |
Taking A Nap |
Pretty Horses |
Warming Up The Horses |
The Ring Is Square |
Horse Competition |
Horse Competition |
Sorry You Didnt Win |
Planning Their Strategy |
Pretty Horse |
Leather Boots |
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After a while I got bored with the horses so I walked around to check out some of the vendors. I honestly don't know a whole lot about things like saddles but they seemed really cheap. When I say cheap I mean in price not in quality. The saddles were beautiful and the prices were around $125 which seemed awefully cheap to me for a handmade leather saddle. I wanted to buy a leather cowboy hat but unfortunately I couldn't find one to fit my fat head. At $10 I figured even if I only wore it to the finca it would be worth it.
While I was wandering around I ran into a troop of Boy Scouts. I had no idea that they had Boy Scouts in Nicaragua but they do. Although their shirts said "Boy Scouts Of Nicaragua" they also have female members.
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Saddle Store |
They Have Sheep Too |
Baaaaaaaa |
Boy Scouts Of Nicaragua |
Farm Equipment |
The Milk Jug Store |
Watch Your Step |
Thats A Big Cow! |
Restaurant Row |
Juniett Enjoys A Beer |
Juniett And Nineth |
I Want This One |
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One of the things that surprised me was the number of gun booths at the show. Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about gun laws even in my own country but I assumed that it would be difficult for a foreigner to buy a gun. The guy at the gun booth, however, told me that all I needed to do was show them my passport and I could legally buy a gun in Nicaragua. Given the current state of affairs in Nicaragua having a little firepower around the house doesn't seem like a bad idea. It's not that I'm terribly worried about our safety in Nicaragua I just believe in being prepared.
After I was done fondling weaponry and as we were leaving the show I took a picture of the guy in the hammock below. While you can't see him, trust me there's a guy sleeping in there. This is actually very common in Nicaragua. Most of the ranch hands sleep with the animals at night. This is done for several reasons. First, most of them don't have anywhere else to go and second it helps keep away cattle rustlers. Believe it or not, cattle rustling is a huge problem in Nicaragua right now with hundreds of cattle being stolen in recent months. |
I Go Western |
The Gun Booth |
Miniature Pony |
The Cattlemans Club |
Nice Cow |
Sleeping With The Cows |
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As the night wore on there were more and more activities. The first involved chicas riding a mechanical bull...
Next came the band...
And Finally, the rodeo...
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