A DRAM OF RUM - NICARAGUA

Our next port was Nicaragua, another Central American country, which stretches from ocean to ocean; often called the Land of Lakes and Volcanoes. It is bordered to the north by Guatemala and to the south by Costa Rica. The entrance to the harbor of Puerto Corinto at breakfast time was exposed to heavy wave action; dishes and trays crashed to floor in the buffet offering a cacophony of noise juxtaposed with the horn of our boat. Welcome to Nicaragua! 

The pilot boat for our ship at the approach to the harbor in Corinto, Guatemala

Corinto is a major port and the harbour bustled with activity. We docked adjacent to a 2012 built freighter, although we thought it was an ancient vessel so rusted and decrepit it was. A cargo was off-loaded on to truck after truck, all lined up to receive a white powdery substance. Only few workers wore masks. Our WORK SAFE personnel would have been horrified. We joked about the nature of the white powder until we were informed it was fertilizer.

Freighter laden with chemical fertilizer;
notice the white patch of fertilizer near the painted arrows; stray white powder hovered and settled.

We were told the main economic support of Nicaragua is the agriculture industry: cane sugar, rum from the cane sugar, peanuts, which are used in Snicker Bars and tropical fruits such as pineapples, bananas and mangoes.

Dole Freighter laden with Dole containers

We have, in previous travels, enjoyed tours of wine, beer and whiskey distilleries. Why not take in a tour of a rum distillery? DS and LS had originally booked a hike on a volcano. They came to their senses and joined us instead for rum tasting. Soon after breakfast we boarded another comfortable air conditioned bus and met our guide. As with the others, he was well informed and passionate about his job; a few of his off colour jokes were offensive to some but we chuckled politely. The tour took us through the streets of Corinto and we quickly realized we were in a third world country. RP and I have travelled through several regions in northern India and rarely saw the level of poverty we observed in Nicaragua. Most of the homes are small, one level huts complete with bars on the windows and doors, tin, thatch or plastic roofs, open ditches running in front of the homes. RAZOR WIRE EVERYWHERE!

Many homes had make shift tin roofs

This seemed to be a gathering place; many were sheltered under the plastic roof

An interesting fact related to razor wire mentioned in the previous blog. Barbed wire strung between fence posts is all that separates Nicaragua and Costa Rica. While travelling in India we did not notice an abundance of coiled barbed wire but it is used extensively in Nicaragua. Guess what? Most of Nicaragua's razor wire is imported from India. We are still not sure of the purpose of the wire as it could easily be snipped for access to the property. Maybe it deters snakes. Or perhaps the visual threat it enough deterrence.

Nicaragua, for decades, suffered civil wars and brutal military regimes. It is now a democracy, ruled by the Sandinista party; the long serving president and his wife, the vice-president, have strong support. Our guide explained that there are political issues of concern but the residents are happy to have free health care and education options. Crimes levels were not mentioned or discussed but security factions were very noticeable. Most definitely there is extreme distinction between social class levels. Our guide basically described his country as topsy-turvy and used the anology, "Our corks sink and our rocks float." There is no rhyme or reason.

The sign in Spanish mentions Sandinista

The streets are narrow and often cobblestoned or tiled with pavers. Many ride bicycles or scooters. There are few cars but countless transport trucks ranging from 'ready for the wrecker' to brand new rigs.

Old trucks parked on the narrow streets

We saw lots of three wheeled bicycles equipped with extra seats for transporting passengers or wagons/baskets for transporting products. No helmets were observed at all.

Scooters and bicycles are the main transportation modes

A typical narrow street

In Nicaragua much livestock roams freely along freeways, roads and lanes. There are some large cattle fenced farms owned by the wealthy minority but the poor majority cannot afford to feed their horses, cows and goats. The skinny, noticeably ribbed animals find food wherever possible. Pests such as snakes and rats frequent the sugar cane fields. The cane is burned each season to rid the fields of the dangers before harvesting the crop. Our guide said no one walks the sugar cane fields. 

Scrawny cattle just a few feet from our bus along side a busy freeway;
we noticed many animals such as this on the entire road trip to the distillery

The skies were again ominous as we arrived at the distillery; the air with heavy with moisture; the sights we had seen were depressing; the poverty immense. Our bus passed through large swinging gates and cleared an armed security detail. It was like moving into another time. Everything was pristine, modern and well organized. The rains held off and the tour began.

Flor de Cana welcome sign

Flor de Cana is a family owned company established in 1890; a fifth generation now leads the business. The Pellas Family is proud to provide an essential social-economic service to the citizens of Nicaragua in that it employs 8000 people, provides a school and a hospital for the workers and their families and produces a product that is shipped to 46 countries worldwide. Most significant is the eco-friendly mission of the company. Everything is reused or recycled. The mash from the dregs of the sugar cane, once processed, is used to produce energy. Old storage barrels that have reached the end of efficiency are repurposed into furniture. The benches and chairs we sat on to watch a video about the company were all made from old rum barrels. The commitment to sustainability and social responsibility is remarkable.

A train used in the early days of the company

A 2017 electric train used to transport tourists such as ourselves

Vladimir was our exceptional guide through the plant. He was well informed, funny and a loyal supporter of the company. We were not permitted to take photos in the tasting room. It was set up with the kind of elegance we experienced in the Strathisla distillery in Scotland. We were educated as to the correct way to savour the gluten free, calorie free, five times distilled product of sugar cane from Nicaragua and then invited to sample 7 and 18 year old Flor de Cana rum. I'm not partial to rum but this I could enjoy neat or on the rocks. Pura Vida!

Following  the tasting, the tour continued to a large building where barrels were being assembled. The company buys white oak bourbon barrels from the United States; the barrels are broken down for transport and reassembled and sealed to meet the standards necessary for aging rum in a tropical climate. Approximately 150 barrels are day are remade at this plant.

Rum barrel assembly machine

Barrels ready for transport to the distillery

Once assembled the barrels are moved to the distillery for filling. There are 14 warehouses on the property; each warehouse stores rum in all stages of aging. The company produces 7, 18 and 25 year old vintages. There is a 6% commission offered each year to the angels; in other words evaporation at 6% yearly. Contended angels in Nicaragua, I presume. The reason each warehouse stores rum of every vintage is the threat of fire. If a warehouse is lost to fire only a small percentage of each vintage would be destroyed rather than an entire production run. As we entered the smallest warehouse the aroma was very strong; apparently the air is extremely volatile. The danger of fire is prominent enough that the company has its own three engine fire company. Vladimir explained that even if one warehouse was lost the company would still have enough rum to supply 46 countries rum for 25 years. The production level is significant and extremely impressive. 

Our guide at the door to the smallest warehouse on the property

The warehouse we visited was the smallest. Stored many tiers high were approximately160,000 barrels of rum of all vintages. Each year each barrel is topped up after the angels have received their commission. The other warehouses are each five times larger than the one we toured.

Our tour ended with a brief stop at the company museum and gift shop. The artifacts are well preserved and presented in a professional, appealing manner. The gift shop offered another tasting of rum and a wide array of reasonably priced souvenirs. Once on the bus we each received an airline sample of the rum. The tour was excellent. Our travel pals were very glad they passed on the volcano hiking adventure.

It was necessary for a our ship to be docked at the cargo pier as the cruise ship pier had been damaged by an out of control ship in a recent storm. When we returned to the dock we were amazed at the level of security and the number of transport trucks not only in the secured area but also outside the dock waiting a turn to be loaded with the chemical fertilizers. Passage of our bus on the narrow streets was barely possible. I wish I could have taken a photo of one tired driver waiting his turn. He had strung a hammock between the axels of his truck and was comfortable swinging under the truck and back into the lane of traffic, all the while texting on his phone.

New rigs waiting for cargo lading with our ship in the background

Darkness fell as we boarded the vessel to prepare for the next leg of the journey. In the words of Minor from Costa Rica - PURA VIDA!

As an aside:
We were unable to transport rum home in our luggage and the guide was unable to confirm availability in our region of Canada. Sure enough, the day after we returned home RP purchased a bottle of 7 year old Flor de Cana from our BC Signature Liquor Store for $26.00, a price comparable to the gift shop rate.