Blogs from Managua, Capital Region, Nicaragua, Central America Caribbean - page 17

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 14th 2007

Today we toured Managua!!! We got to sleep in since it was a late night at the disco last night. We all jammed onto the bus-- all 30 of us with some people three to a seat. A couple of the spots we toured were monuments that I was not intereted in. But we went to a normal supermarket and it was fun to see all the different foods they had. I got a pastry that tasted like a stale sopapia. I bought coffee and jam for gifts, some fruit juices (pina and guanabana) and some weird banana cream of wheat cause I wanted to try something different. We also went to a fair trade shop and learned about fair vs free trade. There were some crafts for sale and even though I wanted to support ... read more

a beautiful day

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 13th 2007

it's a miracle that our bus made it up the steep road to the volcano

Annie10

Today was a super busy, fun tourist day! First we drove to a volcano and got to look into both an active and an inactive volcano. It was very windy and there was a ton of sulfur coming out of the active one. It is actually the largest producer of sulfer in the world and is therefore the largest contributor to acid rain. Afterwards, we went to the volcano museum. It was a little refresher on my geology but I wish I remembered more from the three classes I have taken. Next we went to see Pedro, the potter. He threw a vase right in front of the group and he showed how skilled he was by putting a turtle in the body of the vase and then closing off the top with a very skinny ... read more

unfortunately we couldn't walk up to this cross

we walked up this path for a better view

Back to work at the Clinic

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 12th 2007

massage train before going to work at the clinic

Annie10

Today was a work day, but of course it was filled with a ton more than just working. The mayor of Ciudad Sandino came to speak to us. Then we took the trailer over to the clinic (since the bus wasn't working). For the morning we painted the inside of the clinic again with the latex paint. Then we went back for lunch and in the afternoon, I worked in the clinic at the pharmacy. It was nice to experience what the daily routine of the clinic is and see some of the patients face to face. It was also interesting to see what type of medicines they were needing-- mainly vitamins, stuff for parasites and pills to help with hydration. Some were simply given a toothbrush, toothpaste and soap. I helped write out prescriptions and ... read more

this little girl was the cutest of the whole bunch

Tegucigalpa to Managua

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 12th 2007

Cute kid selling smiles for money!

Scottp

After Roatan we headed south to the capital, Tegucigalpa. Nothing really special here, just somewhere for us to get a direct bus to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. One of the good things here was that we got to go to the cinema, a rare treat; the films were in English and only cost 75p! Once again, we took the easy option of getting the first class bus, just to avoid the hassle of 4 busses and the grief of another border crossing! It cost $20 for a 7 hour journey, had we done it the hard way it could have cost $8, and probably taken twice the time, always worth the extra cost! We weren’t expecting much from Managua as it’s just a jump off point for other places. We heard that it was a ... read more

El Porvenir

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 11th 2007

tractor ride

Annie10

Today was a great day, a lot of traveling, but well worth it. We woke up early and hopped on the magical school bus for about 2 hours. We stopped at an "On the Run" gas station for some snacks-- chocolate caliente (chocolate milk) and BBQ fried corn (pretty much the same as corn nuts) Then we traveled on a dirt road for a long time. It was probably a wash and only wide enough for one car/bus. It was bumpy and I was surprised we made it. After a while we reached the point where the bus couldn't go any farther and we had to transfer to a tractor that we stood in the back of while it pulled us uphill, up the very rocky road. Then we reached the mountain village of El Provenir. ... read more

El campo y mas

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 11th 2007

SistaKalista

i´m in the lobby of the hotel we just checked into, in Matagalpa. The inaugaration of Daniel Ortega is playing over and over on a loop on the TV---it happened today, starting at 4 pm. Its a huge deal here, mainly because he is old school Sandinista. Everyone we spoke with and everywhere we have gone, people have high hopes for him bringing change, particularly to marginalized communities, farmers especially. Fireworks are going off everywhere and they have had streets closed for days in preparation i just had my first hot shower in a week, and i can´t tell you how happy i was. I even had a dream about it last night, at one point. I had a lot of weird dreams last night though! The last two days, I was up at the ... read more

digging up telephone poles

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 10th 2007

Lizzy, Joanna and Kristine

Annie10

I can't believe today is only our second day here, and it was such a great day. In the morning we had a talk from Mark Lester who spoke on the history of Nicaragua. Then we worked on digging up phone poles for the rest of the day with a short break for lunch. It was hard work when we were actually digging/shoveling/pick axing but there was also a lot of down time when we were waiting for the truck to come over to pick up the poles. Also a lot of the time the Nicaraguan men that work at JHC would do most of the work and I felt bad because we were supposed to be here to help the people of Nicaragua and they ended up helping us/doing most of the work. I have ... read more

our first day of work at the clinic

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 9th 2007

women's sewing co-op

Annie10

OMG, I had the worst night sleep ever! I've never been so uncomfortable-- with this stupid wooden board underneath me and every time I moved I felt so bad because it shook the whole bunk and made so much noise. I rolled around the entire night waiting for it to be time for everyone to wake up and I didn't fall asleep until it was light out. I probably only slept an hour before everyone woke up at 7:15. We had breakfast-- yumm but big! Fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, beans, rice and bread. We took the bus to the clinic and got a tour. Then we had the task for the day of painting the 2nd building of the clinic which was built as the women's clinic with rooms for delivery and post delivery stays with ... read more

estoy salir por Matagalpa

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 8th 2007

SistaKalista

Buenas dias! Today I{m leaving with the group to go up to Matagalpa, to stay with farmers and visit the cooperatives. It will be two nights of homestay, and then the other 2 nights will be at a hotel in Matagalpa. So, this is my last email for a few days. I will be back in Managua on Friday, late afternoon or so. But, before I go, a little video that I made yesterday at the new cathedral in downtown Managua. http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1697313638 ... read more

BUCKNELL BRIGADE

Central America Caribbean » Nicaragua » Capital Region » Managua January 8th 2007

the mini bus meets us at the airport

Annie10

Tonight is our first night in Nicaragua! We are finally here!!!! I flew into Atlanta yesterday afternoon and stayed with the Skuses. Ricky and Mr. Skuse picked me up from the airport and then we went out to dinner that night with the whole family. In the morning I woke up early and took MARTA to the airport and met up with the whole Brigade group. The flight down here was not bad but we had to sit at the airport for a while while they fixed something with the engine starter. Then I slept the entire way here and only woke up for lunch- they gave us food on the plane--weird! Chicken and orozo- ummm. Then we landed and the airport was a lot smaller then I had imagined, especially since it is the biggest ... read more

Brief history of Nicaragua

The Pacific Coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the fir...more history

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