ESCAPE FROM THE WINTER OF 2006-2007

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San José to Managua

San José is an easy bus ride from the airport. I stayed at the Gran Hotel Imperial across from the mercado (market).

I had left here 18 months ago with no intention of returning. But I got a flight to Miami and while searching for a flight to South America I noticed that they stopped in San Jose, Costa Rica. Why not visit Santos Hotel in Managua where I was the winter before last and see if any of the colourful residents are still about?

In Managua I bumped into Rasmus, a Danish friend at the eatery. Last time I saw him he had managed to set up some lobster traps on the coast but that was confiscated by the druggies. This time he was just visiting for a month. Good to see him. He told me Fred, was in Granada so I visited him. Fred had investments with Villalobos brothers in Costa Rica. Like lots of old-timers in Central America he was getting 3%!p(MISSING)er month! on his money for years until one day they disappeared with millions.

Back at Santos´I saw Scott coming out of one of the rooms. I remember the day when he strolled in to the hotel 2 years ago. He had never been further than Mexico before but this time he never went back to the States.

The people who had left included: Sylvia: she had been sent to Russia for years to cement relationships with the Sadinistas in the 80´s while Pres Regan was persecuting them. She finally
married an Alaskan on holiday, got her green card and made it as far as Miami.

John: a Vietnam vet dying of cancer from agent orange exposure but still proud of his countries ventures there. Glen: a Norwegian diplomat´s son, now owner of DVD porn shops who just vanished one day.

Charlie: abandoned in the jungle when he refused to pay his guide more money.

And Don: a gambler who together with myself was accosted by muggers with machetes one Sunday afternoon.

These guys had left but the malecón with its´ dance bars on
the waterfront, was still there.


I decided to postpone my flight from San José to Quito. After awhile I decided to go to Guatemala via Honduras to take some Spanish lessons.

The standard buses are often referred to as chicken buses because of the transport of livestock alongside passengers. They´re are converted school buses originally and if you look closely you can see where they come from..

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Photos

Gran Hotel Imperial, San José, Costa Rica
Sign at reception:
Danger, There´s a good chance of getting robbed at night in the streets north of this hotel¨

Managua, Nicaragua
Market at one of Managua´s Bus Terminals

Santos Hotel
Managua's ¨hotel california¨
Sylvia, JD, and John,
2005

The Posse
Glen, Rasmus, Charlie, Fred
2005

Off to the malecón
Don, Fred, JD
2005

¨Chicken Bus¨
Standard transport throughout Central America.

Local Transport
Ever wonder where these buses originally came from?

On my way
From Managua I headed north across the border into Honduras.