Blogs from Mombacho, Southern Pacific Coast, Nicaragua, Central America Caribbean - page 2

On Sunday I got off at Harlem and 125th again, this time walking East, eventually I hopped on the Subway for two stops to Rockerfeller Center where I looked for tickets to SNL. Good thing I didn´t head there for the 6am free ticket call, as the writers are on strike and no tickets to be had. Took me another 30 minutes just to locate a bathroom before heading off to Jackson Hole for some of the best burgers in New York err not, tasted like a lot of chemicalized beef. My meal the night before at Bobby Flay´s Mesa Grill on the other hand tasted great, even if the small fries ($7) were a tad overpriced, the free basket of bread and blueberry corn muffins helped fill me up. After lunch I headed over ... read more

after spending a day in san salvador i was more than ready to leave. we stayed at the tica bus hotel cause it was the most convinient place cause we had to take a bus at 5am. we walked around and the smog in the center city is brutal. we walked around the the market and i was getting queezy by all the exhaust fumes everywhere. we went back to the hotel and decided to venture out for dinner. we found a pizza hut and ate then headed right back to the hotel to get an early night sleep so we can be up at 4am. we got up and made our way to the bus stationand got aboared our longest bus ride yet.luckily i had some melatonin and me and mike took some and i ... read more

So, after leaving San Juan del Sur (along the craziest road ever!) we had our first chicken bus experience. Wasn´t so bad there actually. It was just from Rivas to Granada which was only about a 3 hour ride and the bus wasn´t crowded at all. We had heard about the hostel The Bearded Monkey a few times so thought we would give it a shot. The only problem was arriving in Granada mid day and not quite knowing where we were. Though we thought it would only be a few blocks walk. So, we asked for directions from a local and were on our way. Now, I have to mention that the Nicaraguan people are very polite and helpful. They would rather help you and give you wrong directions then admit they don´t know ... read more

I left El Salvador days ago. Five buses, and two borders later, I arrived in Leon, Nicaragua with my thoughts still in El Salvador. I think it was the people, interested and curious, or the fact that, when there, you’re witness to the momentum of change occurring in a country many find too dangerous to visit. Definitely a policed country, mostly present to combat the issues between gangs of bordering towns, not because travelers are a target for anything more than petty theft. Nevertheless, while in their national parks, police officers escorted me, one in front and one behind the entire way. Even while in San Salvador, after having asked a couple officers on bikes for directions to the bus station, they thought that rather than telling me where to go, they’d just go ahead and ... read more

I´m a little hesitant to write about this place in here because I know the minute Aunt Marilyn reads it shés going to spend all hours of the day and night worrying about me, so, Mark Patrick, this is where you come in. Be sure to be with her when she´s reading this so you can tell her, "Debbie is a smart girl and the world is really much more safe than you think." The Bearded Monkey is a fabulous place to crash for a few days. I bunked last night with 9 people from 6 different countries. Most of the people here have been traveling for several months and one guy from England has been traveling for seven years. Ronen from Israel and I traded books. I had just started a novel and he had ... read more