Chatting with the Peche-Tuns last night

Last night I had a nice chat with Francisco (the younger grandson o my host family). He was telling me about all the delicious special foods I was going to miss out on, because I was leaving before his sister's quinceañera in July. The kid certainly knows how to make food sound good. He also told me about problems with the Lancheros - the boatmen that ferry people between Flores and San Miguel in their brightly colored boats. Apparently there was a problem between the Lanchero organization and the Muni (town hall). I don't fully understand what caused it, but recently the lancheros raised their prices from 1.5q to 2q, which was well publicized with notices on the lanchas. The taxi and shuttle bus organization did the same thing while I was living in San José and commuting 45 minutes to work by bus.

But according to Francisco (and the rest of the family) the lancheros were being put off the job. There would be two municipal boats that would ferry people across (10 people per boat, max), and the lancheros would be out of a job. We spent the evening complaining about the inevitable lines that would form on either bank during "rush hour", sympathizing the fate of the poor lancheros who would have no work, and abusing government officials in general. Francisco (age ten) was quick to tell me that his favored presidential candidate was Eduardo Suger, of Partido CREO (believe), the party supported by most of my neighbors. His reasons for support was that they were not millionaires, like Baldizon and his LIDER party, and that they gave away lots of things - sandals, hats, shirts, cell phones, stickers... Francisco was going to make his own shirt (out of an old shirt) and write "¡Soy de CREO!" across the front. He also said that Baldizon could eat the shit of a horse, for all he cared.

This morning the new Lancha situation was supposed to begin, but I couldn't tell if it had. There were more than two boats motoring back and forth (though less, I thought, than I usually see). The boat I was on was quite full, and I wasn't close enough to the Lanchero to chat about the new regulations, but hopefully I'll find out more this evening.