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Published: January 22nd 2012
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Hilda y yo
So here's a picture of my awesome Guatemalan host mother and myself. So just a quick update to let you all know I am now in a new country!! Arrived in Nicaragua about midnight last night or is that today? I don't bloody know. Anyways bus ride was actual luxery. Was in first class from Guatemala City to San Salvador for some reason. Considering the ride started at 6am I slept the whole way there, only being woken by the army wanting my passport at the border. They were taking all the men off the bus for full searches but when I said I was going to Nicaragua and not Salvador they gave me my passport back and said have a nice trip. Guess they didn't care if I was a drug trafficker just as long as the drugs weren't being trafficked to El Salvador. So anyways we get to San Salvador to change buses. San Salvador may as well be an American city, really stikes home just how poor Guatemala is.
Well buses changed, this time in regular class, except theres only about 10 people on the bus so I move and get 2 seats to myself and back to sleep I go again to be awoken by guys with guns
Hola
Yeah 17 hours travel, need I say more. at the Honduran border. For some reason Honduras stamps passports even though we're in the whole 4 country free travel region. Oh well new stamp for my passport. The drive through Honduras was very uneventful as it has gotten dark and the bus started playing movies. Watched the movie with Eddie Murphy being Big Mama. Movie was sub par but I spent most of it watching the Spanish subtitles trying to learn new words.
Now the drama begins. We get to the Nicaraguan border. All the travel guides say its $7 to enter by land and $2 to leave Honduras. The Honduras part is true. The Nicaraguan bit is not. Luckily I had enough USD to cover this but some Swedish guy did not. The bus company werelike well cya then, enjoy walking home. Luckily there was 2 Canadians and myself who could speak English and were able to mustle together $3 in coins. (Seriously not many people carry US money here). So all good, we're in. Arrive to Managua an hour late and some taxi driver tries to rip me off to get to my hotel. The Canadians and Swedish guy are heading same direction so we manage
Mi Dormitorio
My bedroom complete with double bed, private bathroom and fan :) to get the fare down to just over $1.50 each from the $5 he tried to charge just me (they charge per person here). We get to my place first and find out there's extra rooms so everyone decides to stay there. Me and the Swede decide sharing a room will make it cheaper so that was a bonus.
Woke up early this morning and again had to negotiate dodgy taxi drivers. Again they are more than willing to lower the fare to a reasonable price if you tell them where to stick it. Takes me and the Swede to bus station at the uni for microbus to Granada. Same rules as chickenbuses apply here. Always one more can fit on! Was a cheap ride for an hour and got to Granada and checked into my Spanish school. They take me to my host family which is actually just a host Mum. Its cool as though. I have a double bed, private bathroom, laundry service and free wireless internet. Oh and a fan, because being back at sea level its damn hot! Well I start 4 hours a day of Spanish class tomorrow morning, they're even lending me a bike so I can sleep in longer. Then I asked if they needed a hand volunteering so will most likely be volunteering in the afternoons. I plan to go a lot easier here than I did in Antigua.
Like the idiot I am I lost my camera on Friday night and left my phone in Antigua so am waiting for my phone to be mailed to me here so for now the only camera I have is my webcam. So until I can buy a shitty cheap camera and my phone arrives all you get is a very tired looking me for this blog.
Con paz amigos y amigas.
PS threw in a picture of me and Hilda (my host mother in Guatemala as she is that damn cool).
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