Archive for the Nicaragua Category
Posted on July 28, 2010 by angela
We headed to Managua to pick up our friend Doug at the airport. He’ll be kicking it with us for a few weeks. He had an interesting flight (we’ll tell you about it soon) so we took him straight up to Volcan Maysaya once he landed. The beauty of this volcano is that you can drive right up to what they call ‘the mouth of hell’. Pretty cool stuff for a 5 year old and someone who just got off the plane.
You are encouraged to park your vehicle facing the exit… just in case.
The view was incredible, but the bugs were weird and out in full force. They didn’t seem to mind the sulfuric fumes.
We had planned to take Doug back to Granada for a few days, but decided instead to take him to Lago Apoya for some instant relaxation. We got in late, got our same room and headed straight out to the water to cool off.
Since summer began we seem to be on the backpacker’s circuit. We run into the same folks a lot. It’s good, seeing familiar faces and “catching up.” However, it has been a little disconcerting since we discovered they are generally closer to Bode’s age than ours.
Bode is now kayaking by himself and doing a really good job at it. And luckily for Doug, who he’d been pestering to play with him the entire day, he also continues to make friends with just about anyone who will talk to him. This time around he befriended a large group of traveler’s on the floating dock in the lake. He convinced everyone to jump into the water with him, investigate the slimy algae on the ladder and throw him in.
Later, we were floating in inner tubes and he was headed toward a group of young woman. I asked where he was going and he replied, “To the ladies” and then roared like a tiger. Hmm.
Posted on July 27, 2010 by angela
Granada was fine – another colorful colonial town. A town square, a few nice churches, backpackers’ coffee shops, etc. Now that we’ve seen so many of these, we’re a little pickier than we should be and prefer options in Mexico and Guatemala.
It didn’t help that the hostel we were in tried to charge us an extra $10 a day when we checked out. After some back and forth, they returned $20 US back to me. The hotels here quote you in US dollars, add a few extra things to your running tab and then bill you in cordobas with a pretty bad exchange rate. Watch the math.
Every day there is a downpour which leaves the town muddier, but doesn’t provide any relief from the mugginess. Every day, in every Nicaraguan town we’ve been in, the electricity goes off for part of the day or night. The water goes off too. It usually isn’t a problem (though nights can be rough without the fan). Last night we were at a pizza joint where the lights went on and off 3 times before they went off for good following a chorus of ‘ohhhh’ from the patrons. A few minutes later the generator comes on, with it the lights and music and the new chorus of ‘ahhh’. 15 minutes after that, the entire restaurant was packed as it was the only light on the street.
Posted on July 26, 2010 by jason
We made it to Granada and it was a dreary day. Bode had been eager to learn chess, so it was time to play. It took me a while to remember all the rules (and what to call the Rook) but eventually I was able to explain it. He picked it up immediately. I was really impressed. Actually, I am really impressed. Look out Kaspárov.
Then the rains came and the electricity went out. We decided to walk around town and look for something to do. The slot-machine houses all have generators, so people are inside gambling without interruption. Everywhere else in town was dark. But, you don’t need electricity for a haircut.
Onward to the 007 Barberia. Old school Nica.
I was first. For 100 Cordobas (less than $5 US) you can get an honest cut and shave – a close one. I’ve never had my hair cut so fast – it was like Edward Scissorhands. Hair was literally flying. The shave took a good long time, though. It was actually enjoyable. I’ll do this again.
Bode was actually eager to go next. He did great – and even got some straight razor action himself… AND aftershave! We should have done this a long time ago… we feel better already.
Posted on July 25, 2010 by jason
We were a bit of a wreck after our night in the hut, so we thought we would throw our stuff into the car and just move down the beach to a more comfortable spot. We looked, and well, we couldn’t really find one. Not thinking we were going farther than the end of the street, we ended up setting out on a 4 hour drive to Lago Apoyo.
Once we got past Leon, the road sucked. We came up on kids (4 sets of them, actually) holding a rope across the road trying to stop us for money. I didn’t stop. They dropped the rope.
It’s hard to believe that this is the main artery connecting Leon and the capital of Managua. It’s absolutely terrible. If the 5 year old kids trying to extract a toll are the maintenance crew, then that explains it.
Eventually, the road improved and we found our cut-off that would allow us to avoid Managua all together.
We stopped for gas and met a guy who said he’s driven from California to Nicaragua 10 times. The first time was in 1955. His advice was to only drive on major highways. Hmmmm…
We went south and found our next cut-off through the mountains towards Volcan Masaya. Definitely not a major highway, but a really pleasant country road across a mountain ridge. We can see Masaya smoking in the distance and we’re all alone in the mountains again. Things are looking up.
A few hours later, and after much getting lost (Angela actually walked into someone’s house and asked if it was The Monkey Hut,) we finally found our place on the lake. We also decided that if anyone ever walks into our house in the future and asks for The Monkey Hut, we’ll say that they found it. They can stay as long as they like.
We like it here. The lake temperature is perfect. The rain doesn’t matter at all. Bode is kayaking like a champ, playing with cats and dogs, and chasing butterflies. Scrabble, Candy Land, cards – all the usual lakeside games. It feels pretty darn good.
Posted on July 24, 2010 by jason
We’ve really been putting some hours on the bus lately. It’s good. The scenery is beautiful and the weather has actually been fairly cool. Overcast is good for a driving day in the tropics.
As we get closer to León, the clouds open up and it starts dumping. We generally avoid driving in any unfavorable conditions, but we really didn’t have anywhere else to go but to León. We went even slower than normal.
Guess what? It’s another nice Spanish colonial city.
Wet and moldy churches. Town square. Bustling mercado. Blah blah blah.
We’ve decided we are a little burned out on colonial cities. Maybe in a rut. It’s all interesting and nice to look at, but they all start to look the same after a while. We need to rest, or take a break, or do something a little different. Maybe the beach at Las Peñitas will cure it.
First, we have to get pulled over and go through the rigmarole yet again. I think these guys were just looking to catch someone without insurance, but they did ask for triangles and a fire extinguisher too. Some folks down the road wanted to know how much money they asked for. None.
We met Cookie in León and she invited us down to her place on the beach. We could camp there. The trouble was that the dirt parking lot was about to turn to serious mud. Also, her husband started telling us about a few thefts at that very location. Also, there was a church group there for the weekend with lots of squealing teenage girls. Also, at that moment, they started blaring the Grease soundtrack. The last straw.
We moved a bit further down the beach into a bamboo hut for the evening. Major storm – bamboo hut – why not? There was crazy lighting, thunder and a torrential downpour, but we stayed fairly dry for the evening.
We took showers in the rain and then huddled under our mosquito nets for a hot and humid mostly sleepless night.
Our plan to relax and recharge at the beach wasn’t going to happen here.
Posted on July 23, 2010 by jason
On advice – and common sense – we drove right through the capital without stopping. Fortunately, this was really easy as the main highway just went right through. We haven’t seen this yet in Latin America. Almost every city is a roadblock and all highways turn into random surface streets. We were actually surprised when we cleared the city so easily.
It was a bit late to try the border crossing, so we drove to Danli for the night. It’s an unremarkable place, but it does have a few cigar factories. You can literally smell them a block away.
The next day we make our way to the border and find the expected chaos. Trucks everywhere and people walking around in every direction. We are assaulted by ‘helpers’ who are pawing on the car before we even stop. I try to find a place to park away from the chaos and helpers, but they follow me.
I hop out of the car and wave them off and they actually seem surprised. I walk over to the Honduras aduana and into the correct office on the first try. I explain I’m leaving and not returning and they cancel my vehicle papers with little effort. So far, so good.
I walk across (unchecked) to the Nicaragua side and start looking for the correct office, and again I’m followed and have to brush some people off. One guy is trying to sell me insurance (mandatory) so I tell him to wait, and he starts pointing me in the right direction. When I finally get to the correct window, there appears to be a huge wait and the guy in the office is sitting in front of a typewriter, tapping on the keys and manually assembling forms with carbon paper. Not good.
While I’m waiting, I buy 30 days of insurance for $12 USD.
I start talking to the guy patiently waiting at the window next to me and it turns out he’s a helper too. The difference is that he is really calm and pleasant. He has a bit of a speech impediment and talks very slowly, but this actually helps me understand him better. He says he can make things move faster for me, so I decide to have him help.
He knows everyone by name and dashes around to different offices looking for the right people and the right forms. This process seems even more confusing than entering Honduras. One person types up the vehicle paper, then someone has to inspect the car, then we need our personal tourist permits, then we have to find the payment window, then we get it approved at a another window, then return the vehicle window for the final paper. It takes an hour and half, but we skip around a lot and he seems to get us to the front of the lines.
The official fees for the three of us and the car total about $35 USD. I tip him $5 USD, leaving the magic $3 in my wallet. He sees it and asks for another $3. I give it to him – he earned it and it was worth it – and we drive to the gate.
The guy working the gate wants $3 for a municipal road toll (seems to be one at every border) and Angela digs out some money from her secret stash.
We wait at the gate long enough for our helper guy to come running up to tell us we have shorted the vehicle permit lady about 40 Cordobas (about $2 USD.) Why this is discovered now is a mystery, but I have zilch in my wallet. I wave him off and keep inching up a little further to the gate. One more guy here inspects my new papers. He says something into a radio and I can hear the person on the other end say something about a falto of 40 cordobas. I tell him I don’t understand and he walks off.
I keep inching up to the guy working the gate, who hears all of this, but shrugs and opens the gate. We drive through and are quite pleased to finally be in Nicaragua.
First impressions of Nicaragua? No topes. No tumullos. No vibradores. You can actually drive down the road without having to continuously stop for or be jolted by surprise unmarked speed bumps. What a great idea.
We make it to Esteli, which is our stop for the evening. Yet another mountain colonial town, and yet another place to rest while it rains. We were hoping to camp, but we decided to stay out of the mud tonight.
This is another cigar town – famous, actually – but we really aren’t into cigars. After walking around town a bit, we decide we aren’t really into this town either. It’s fine, but we are ready for the beach again.
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