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Published: March 5th 2009
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WE heart Nicaragua. (exception: Managua)
Arriving at the boarder we all had 15 minutos to change money, buy cheap cigarettes or an orange sliced in half with some salty stuff on it.. So we jumped out of our luxery air con bus to be hit by 38 degree wall of heat!!! Oh my god. It was hard just to stand up, wearing jeans 15 minutes is along time, the orange helped! Over oranges we talked to a nice Nicaraguan man who gave us the low down on where to go, what to do, la la la. This was our first of many encounters with really genuine Nicaraguan people (exception: Managua).
Back on board the bus with the help of the nice Nicaraguan man,the bus made an unnofficial stop at Leon to drop two two English tourists off who had changed their minds about where they wanted to go (that's us). What a good descision: Leon is great, a thriving market sits in the centre (and we do love a good market). Lots of contemporary political murals and faded sandinista murals, we spoke about politics and life in the square infront of the cathederal. People told us about their 3
month WALK to get to America only to arrive, be held in a jail and deported 3 months later. Nicaraguan people love conversation, it can last forever, it's free and it makes life interesting. The people enjoy looking good and are very style concious, they look healthy and often smiling.
In the maket Marcel ate a steamed stew like meal, steamed through banana leaves with three different types of plantain, vegetables and beef- muy rico (very tasty). There were groups of children in the market who survived on what people left at the table (in our tourist bubble we somtimes forget how some of these people don't have enough food). But what was lovely to see was that they all shared it amongst themselves.
Granada a slighty grander affair with more coffee shops, cigar shops and restaurants than Leon has, for us not as special as Leon. We made the most of it though, hiring bikes we cycled out to view points where you could see lots of mangrove islands dotted around the caost. We also cycled around the city which can be pretty hairy around by the market, went up church towers, ate great street food from the
Peeling green mango in the square of Leon
This is when loads of people came to chat to us. square, finding the back street fryers was a treat deep fried everything yummy. We generally had a great time in Granada.
From the port of Granada we took a 5hr boat journey across a lake, which feels more like a sea when your on it, to the Isla de Ometempe. (the boat then carries on for another 12hrs to the other side of the lake) Ometempe is an island made up of two volcanoes rising out of the lake forming a number 8 in plan with the waist of the 8 being about 10 m wide (just wide enough for the road). As we came into the port the sea/lake became much rougher, it was now night time and the waves were crashing over the dock which was stacked high with bananas for loading. Many were a little scared, and feeling sea sick (including Karen). Wow it was good to be onshore. We checked into a nice room and drank beer with some others from the boat, who had not bought the two pound more first class ticket and had been in an airless chamber below as we sat on the deck. What a nightmare (note to travellers who
can afford first class on this boat DO IT!). The next day we were in the market square planning our route around the no.8 island drinking homemade milky cola from a plastic bag, we hopped on a bus to finca Magdalena; an old finca where you could stay in basic rooms. They didn't tell you about the up-hill 2km trek you would have to do with your backpacks which seemed never-ending in the heat to get there from the bus!! Oh.... but once you got there it was great, so worth it. the people we met there were really sound (hello Justin). We went on walks and met locals who introduced us to Limon Dulce (a sweet lemon) which is the ultimate thirst quencher. Really unique taste, the man who picked and peeled them for us gave us the seeds and told us to plant them in our own country, if only he knew how cold it was, we were in 30 degrees daily. we walked through banana plantations, saw many monkeys, marcel became obsessed with the monkeys balls, they were huge!! and a baby monkey fell at our feet, it was tiny, a very strange, odd experience as the
mother looked at us scared we moved away slowly carefully, and all was fine. Later that night whilst sipping aged Flor de cana rum and smoking a fat cigar on the verandah (thank you Justin) a huge tarantula crossed our path, and as we had a 4 inch gap between the floor and walls of our room, we made sure the mosquito net was firmly tucked in that night!
The island transport consists of one very slow bus, very slow, I recommend if you find somewhere you like stay there a while.
Ok.. so onwards to Managua capital of Nicaragua as we had to get back to Guatemala city to catch a flight to Miami, then Buenoa Aires then Ushuaia, we don't make it easy for ourselves. Well arriving in a dodgy part of Managua the lonely planet sent us totally in the wrong direction, and a street tout hawked us for over an hour. Anyway we only wanted a place to put our bags until 1.30am when we were catching a bus. No hotel would do it, so we paid for the night and were pretty pleased we did as after dark, the streets are deserted, all hotels exist
Karens opened a new unisex parlor
in Granada and we are not coming back. behind metalbars and barbed wire. It's a pretty scarry place with loads of narco crimes. So we had to get a taxi from our hotel to the bus station at 1.30am. the bus station was only a 5 minute walk!! the taxi arrived with two men in it, (we had been told do not get in a taxi with two men) what to do? we needed to catch our bus!! So we got in. Getting out of the cab after the 1 minute journey, the drivier wanted to charge 10 US dollars. (that's why he had the other man with him!!) so after an arguement We empties our purse which came to 3US dollars and got into the bus company waiting room behind bars and an armed security guard fast!! Phew.. They stood outside for a while and then eventually gave up. Managua is a tough place at night.
So onwards to Guatemala City and the end of our adventures in Central America.
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benj
non-member comment
What a catchup marathon
Great reading guys. Nice to see what you got up to during and after our time with you in Guatemala. Look forward to seeing you in NZ. We will definitely be there by the time you come over, and will be based in Wellington with the odd trip up to Auckland. Let us know your plans.