Managua is well worth the stopover, especially if you stay at the Managua Backpackers Inn, Chaman 75 Varsul sur, colonial Los Robles. Near Metrocentro. This incredibly chilled place is a joint effort run by some great people. Manager David and owner Dan and all the people working there are wonderfully friendly and helpful. The place is immaculately clean and there is a fantasticly equipped kitchen, great outdoor area and a pool! It is just like a home and all the people staying there ending up staying for longer. The nightlife here is ridiculous and everynight there is a party to go [View Full Entry]

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Managua, 17 marzo 1990, nighttime. 25 th. febr. 1990 we had eleccions in Nigaragua that were won by Violeta Chamorro. The Sandanistas lost, they had been in control since the 19978/1979 revolution, overthrowing the american backed dictatorship of the infamous Somosa family. The border official told me this morning in impeccable english wearing a clean blue uniform. I've to change 60 american greenbuck at the official exchange rate, America might be the number one enemy but their money rules here in Nigaragua. The currency is called Cordoba and the devaluation is so enormous they don&# [View Full Entry]

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Managua, nightime. Managua seems very spread out - I arrived after darkness had settled on this city - and has got a feeling of absolute Urban Decay. Dusty unpaved streets, streetlights that have no light bulbs and a depresed population, not all that uncomon in this part of the world though. Most of the hotels in what seems to be the tourist district of Managua, wanted me to pay the room rate in american dollars. Now I'm low on this american currency so I got myself a room with a local family, the room is all the way in the back [View Full Entry]

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Leon, 18 marzo 1990. Managua was not really a city I liked. Lazy overweighed americanos discussing politics they know nothing about, unpaved potholed roads full with filth and garbage, rusty overcrowded busses, beggars at every street corner aggresively demanding baksheesh "no me gusta esas malditas Cordobas, gringo, quiero dolares y nada mas"!, and more of the sasme shit The american economic bloqeo has turned Nicaragua into an impoverished third world country, torn apart by internal strive and powerful foreign powers. An overcrowded old american yellow american schoolbus got me to Leon wh [View Full Entry]

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Today I am back in Managua after two days of travel. I left Cahuita early on Thursday on a bus headed for Managua. About half way there our bus broke down so we waited on the side of the road to try and catch a ride on the buses passing by. Each bus was only able to take a few people but by the third bus we were all on our way to San Jose again! The rest of the ride was a rather uneventful journey standing in the isle of a bus named Marcopolo. My traveling seems to go much [View Full Entry]

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Day 233 cont: One night in Managua Back in Managua, I found my luggage and undertook the challenging task of negotiating a fair price for a taxi to a hostel. Arriving just before dark, I checked into my dingy lodgings right next to the bus terminal, and went to confirm my bus for the next day. Short of cash, I needed to visit the ATM two blocks away. This proved to be something of a mission as the hostel owner insisted it was too dangerous to walk and that I should take a taxi and get it to wait for me. [View Full Entry]

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We arrived into Managua on tuesday afternoon and were picked up by the El Porvinir staff. We spent the first few days touring around Managua a bit and learning more about the history anf the culture. Jimmy, who is one of the trip coordinators with El Porvinir and also our translator, is like an incyclopedia. He is very knowledgeable and it was great to be able to have him around to give us his perspective. We also started to get to know each other better as a group. But the really great part was leaving on Wednesday afternoon for the small [View Full Entry]

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somit in managua angekommen, wartend auf meinen naechsten ticabus welcher mich morgen um 6 weiterfuehren wird auf meiner reise, es erwartet mich ein 27 stunden tripp richtung panama... und noch ne kleine reisegeschichte... in mexico ist es gossenslang wenn man ein bier bzw. eine pfuetze bestellen moechte zu sagen: me gusteria un CHELLA byue... und gut ist.. aber hier in nicaragua ist dies das die normale umgangsform fuer einen weissen.. sprich: que buscaban CHELLA? (was suchst du weisser?) [View Full Entry]

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My goodbye party at Chacocente was yesterday. It was amazing...and sad. Way too sad. At this point I pretty much feel like my heart has been ripped out and thrown on the floor. Extreme, I know, but thats how I am. The school gave me a diploma! haha And then Manuela and Karen cooked food and made punch. We all met under the one big tree and had a small culto and the kids sang to me and then every family got up and said some words. Thanking me and things like that. I was doing well, not crying, even when [View Full Entry]

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Big life update for Sarah and Rick! Sarah has chosen to attend Emory Law School next year. Although her initial intention was to defer law school for a year and stay in Nicaragua, Emory has offered an enticing scholarship that would be jeopardized by such a plan. We've decided that it'd be too good to pass up and will be heading north to settle in the South--at least for three years. Rick has decided to leave his job with Witness For Peace and see what kind of mischief he can find in Georgia. We are both very sad to leave the [View Full Entry]

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