One sunny morning, (because there is no other kind in Nicaragua!)
we took a stroll down by the lakeside in Granada.
Seemingly idyllic we wandered towards the sparkling water,
spotting a cowboy during morning chores herding cows.
The cows here (vaca in Spanish) are a breed known as Nelore.
They are derived from an ancient cow from India.
As we got closer to the waters edge we started to notice the garbage.
Plastic bags and bottles everywhere mixed in with the cows...
A ever growing problem in our world, especially in places of poverty where funding
for recycling is little to none...Plastic; perhaps our most ingenious and most devastating invention of our times....but that's another chapter to discuss...
Quite sad to see such beautiful waters in such a state...the little river running into the lake was much the same as the few stray horses made their way down stream...
Anyway, it seemed a much nicer life than the mass factory feed lots
in which many cows are subjected to live in...
Down on the pacific coast a week later we encountered a whole different picture.
The cows living by the eco lodge we stayed in had a cleaner more serene commute...
"good morning ladies!"
Wandering through the open woods...
Once in a while we spotted a loner quietly making her way up into the hills...
...perhaps taking in the views towards the ocean and the beach we were staying on...
Those mountains in the background are Costa Rica...
...no doubt the cows taking care not to get too close to these massive thorny acacia trees...
A safe haven for a birds nest though!
The cows here are lovely, velvety things with
loppy ears hanging over big soft eyes...
I was able to run my fingers briefly across her fur and it was like suede...
The water trough was a welcome hangout for an egret on this beautiful morning...
Love this old school wind mill that was powering the farm...
So goes the morning rush hush hour in Nicaragua.
6 comments:
Wonderful pictures. It's so interesting to see cows that look different from the local breeds here. Hmmm, I've never seen a thorny tree! That's something else again. It's sad to see all the plastic waste on the shores!!
Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures of your visit.
Alas, the plastic. It makes me crazy though I'm guilty of take out and plastic packaging. Though I recycle it is still a waste and eventually does not break down and can only be recycled a limited amount of times. Some places let you bring your own but very few. Amazingly it's still not part of the larger consciousness even in places that can more afford to think about it.
Anyway, beautiful cows ... love that warm sandy color of the cows in the coastal shots ... beautiful post as always Kerry.
Now that's really sad. The garbage I mean. Trouble is you can't destroy plastic. You can make it. But even after it dissolves, after ages and ages, you are left with little pellets, that probably should have a home in the Periodic Table. I thought maybe beanbag filling. Stuffed toy animal filling? Sofa filling maybe? There's supposed to be some bacteria that a teenager discovered that consumes plastic garbage.
But the truth is we need to just stop consuming plastic. We members of the "developed" world. What's really sad is what our refuse does to animals when they consume it. Like those beautiful cows. If those bags get caught in one of those stomachs.
I went to Costa Rica a long time ago. It was Eden. No doubt in my mind. And isn't refreshing to see COLOR on houses! Thanks for the photos. My hubby and I need a vacation.
Eeeeek!
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/oct/27/toxic-plastic-synthetic-microscopic-oceans-microbeads-microfibers-food-chain
Back to the spinning wheel I go!
Such beautiful photos! I love cows. Such peaceful seren creatures. And these have such wonderful eyes.
Well captured beautiful nature photos! i really enjoy looking at them - you kept those moments with all you heart!
All the best from Austria :-)
Anna
Post a Comment