Quesadillas and Pupusas

Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013—Jinotega

It’s been a quiet, restful day.  I didn’t feel like climbing in the hills, so I spent my time in the town and in my room.

I read the newspapers for a while in the morning over the Internet.  The owner of the hotel brought me a cup of coffee which was pleasant to get, since no breakfast is included with this room. 

When I went out, I was determined to try to find a bakery called Casa de Don Colocho.  I had unsuccessfully searched for it twice yesterday using the problematic Nicaraguan address system:  3 blocks south of the Parque Central followed by 3 blocks east.  I found two small bakeries, but I never found Colocho.  This morning, I went to the intersection that was 3 blocks south and 3 blocks east and asked a man.  He said I had to go a block back north and half a block further east.  Therefore, the address should have been 2 blocks south of Parque Central followed by 3 1/2 blocks east.  Anyway, I bought two pastries—one with pineapple and one with sugar, cheese, and coconut.  Then, as I ate them,  I walked through the market area which was nearby.

Eventually, I went to Parque Central where I sat and read until 1:00.  I bought a quesadilla from a woman with a cart.  It was a cold, thick corn tortilla which she covered with a thick slice of cheese (somewhat like mozzarella) which was the same size as the tortilla.  She put pickled onions inside and dollops of sour cream and rolled it up.  It was presented to me in a small plastic bag with a napkin.  I wandered and ate it—a nice tart taste, although not as flavorful as I would have liked.  It was almost impossible to taste the cheese.  The tortilla was wonderful, though.

I wandered to the cemetery on the edge of town and considered climbing part of the way up a hillside there, but I turned back.  I returned to the hotel and did research on places to stay in Leon, my second stop after leaving here.  The choices there seem limited with higher prices than seemed justified by their descriptions and amenities.  I’ll not make a reservation.  Instead, I will see 2-3 places and then decide on the one which seems the best value.

After further reading in the room, I went back out around 17:00 to get something more to eat.  Beside the pizza truck, a woman was making papusas, the Honduran specialty of a stuffed tortilla which is cooked until toasted and then topped with pickled cabbage.  I ordered two—one with chicken inside and the other with chicharon.  Both were absolutely fantastic!!  The price was 20 cents each.

Back at the room, I watched BBC news on TV and read further in my novel.  As I said above, it was a day for relaxing.  I’ll probably have more days like this.  My money problems when I first entered Nicaragua caused me to speed up my trip some to get to an ATM.  That means that I now have a bit more time on my hands than is needed for where I have left to visit.  It’s too far and too much hassle to try to go back and do what I missed before, so I will stretch out my stays in my last 3-4 places longer than they would normally be.  I return home two weeks from today.

Into the Cloud Forest

Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013--Matagalpa to Jinotega

This morning, I took a bus ride that had been highly recommended in my guidebook.  From Matagalpa, the bus climbs and climbs as it twists and winds on its way to Jinotega.  The vegetation changes.  The air gets much cooler.  On most maps, this is not shown as a major highway.  Today, it is newly paved, but probably just a few years ago it was a much slower and much more exciting trip on a more narrow and unpaved roadway.  I snapped photos, often JUST missing the view I wanted to save. I watched the local people get on and off the bus.  I noticed that the trunks and branches of the trees began to be almost completely covered with bromeliads.  We whizzed past beautiful roadside stands with fantastic arrangements of flowers and vegetables for sale. Then we came over the mountaintops, and there was an elongated Jinotega in the valley ahead of us.

The city is considered to be in the "cloud forests."  That refers to the fact that the clouds hover over the mountaintops leaving the forests in fog or mist.  Like I mentioned about Matagalpa, it is apparently quite common for there to be mist in the air even when there is sunshine.  Today, however, the skies have been dry and clear.

I panicked when we first arrived.  The driver's assistant had been putting goods on top of the bus, and I thought my bag was going there.  It wasn't placed INSIDE the bus, so the roof is typically the only alternative on these old USA school buses.  The assistant was helping a man who was picking up a milk can.  Then I thought he just somewhat ignored and/or brushed me aside and he went to the left of the bus.  I climbed up the ladder to look on the roof, and my bag wasn't there.  I looked inside the back door again, and it wasn't there either.  I rushed in the direction of where the assistant had gone, and there was my bag setting on the ground beside an open door going under the bus.  What a relief!!  But I had never seen such a compartment on an old school bus before.

There is no map of the city in my guidebook, so I studied the one on Google last night so I could keep it in mind.  I knew to leave the bus station by going to the left about 3 blocks and then turning toward the right.  I had picked out a hotel as probably the best for me. Eventually I asked for directions, and I had been only 1 block from it.

The Kiuras Hotel was a bit of a disappointment at first.  The price was the same as I had been paying in Matagalpa, but they no longer include breakfast.  The first room I was shown was too small and too dark (with only a wide window up high).  However, they showed me another room with the same kind of windows, but with one on each side of the room (and with the door facing a balcony overlooking a very nice flower garden), and I took it.  It also has a bath that is half the size of the room--the largest bathroom I have had on the whole trip!

The beds had not yet been made and the bath and floors had not yet been cleaned, so I left my suitcase and went wandering around town.  It's an easy town to explore, since it is so narrow--only about 4-6 blocks wide--and has a grid pattern as its design.  I walked through the center of town which is just two blocks from my hotel, and then I just wandered back and forth seeing what I could find.  This must be a major destination for old, used shoes from the US.  There were 10-15 stores specializing in selling used shoes in one particular area of town.  And this must be the place where I need to get a haircut.  I passed at least 8 barber shops.  I also saw a nice looking dental office that might work as the place to get my teeth cleaned.

I returned to the room to get rid of my backpack which was feeling heavy and hot.  I had left my suitcase at the hotel, but the backpack had my computer, my phone, my camera support supplies, etc., in it, and I wasn't comfortable leaving it out in the open.

Anyway, I had written an e-mail last night to request a reservation in Esteli, my next stop, and I decided to check for a response.  Unfortunately, the place was fully booked.  Therefore, I started researching places to stay again in Esteli, thinking that I needed to try to make a reservation for two reasons:  1) I am arriving there on Friday, and 2) It is the most popular tourist destination in this area.  I found a reference in WikiTravel to a brand new hostel that just opened in October, so I wrote them.  While still checking out other information I needed, I got a response saying that they had booked a room for me.  Therefore, I can enjoy being here without worrying about my next destination.

For the afternoon, I walked to the Central Park and found a seat.  I read from my new novel.  Feeling hungry, I walked to a food trailer on the edge of the park and bought a slice of pizza for only 50 cents US.  It wasn't bad; the crust had a nice, chewy texture and a very pleasant sweet taste.  From there I went looking for a bakery that the guidebook mentioned.  But following Nicaraguan directions (3 blocks south and 2 blocks east of the Central Park), I didn't find it.  However, that took me near the bus station, so I retraced my steps this morning to find a business I had passed with a sign in the window saying, "Chocobananas."  I bought a frozen, chocolate-coated banana for 8 cents.  UMMM.  It was so delicious!

Going to a Remote Village

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013--Side Trip to San Ramon

I finished reading Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam last night.  It's the story of a family of Pakistani immigrants who settled in a particular part of London.  In my own mind, it's mainly the story of a mother from HELL and  the consequences of life when it is dictated by religion.  The story line is interesting.  The author, however, relies too much on similes and metaphors.  My guess is that he thinks he is good at them and has been collecting them as they popped into his head.  Anyway, the impression is that he tried to put every one he has ever collected into the book with the result being an average of 3-4 PER PAGE!!!  That brought the rating of the book down 1/2 of a star to 3 1/2 stars (out of 4).

Yesterday, I also left my laundry with the woman here at the hotel.  Today it was returned to me.  They had charged me only 5 US cents per shirt to wash, dry, and fold them!

My goal today was to make a side trip to the small town of San Ramon in the mountains.  It's known as a "cowboy" town, and I saw horses hitched to railings in front of stores.  It's also known as a place for tourists who want to explore the small, remote native villages in the area.  There's a local agricultural cooperative that coordinates the plan, and each village allows homestays with families or has special, basic tourist rooms built to accommodate them.  I just went to explore the town and the immediate area.

It took only 30 minutes to get there by bus.  I walked the streets exploring.  It's obvious that they were not surprised by a tourist.  Also, there was a large hotel-restaurant building under construction apparently to serve the tourists who want to come there and stay.  They have several nice parks, including one with statues of a cowboy, a native with a bow and arrow, a teacher with a pupil, a man reading on a bench, etc.  They have an amazingly nice baseball stadium.  I never saw a soccer stadium at all, though.  It's interesting how popular baseball is here.

I followed one road to the edge of town, then I continued following it as it became just a path used by walkers and by motorcyclists.  It went back into the mountains.  After a while, I turned back.  There were no homes along it, and I would have had to walk very far to have the scenery vary from what I had already seen.  Back in town, I sat at one of the parks and read for a while.  After 4 hours there, I caught a bus back to Matagalpa.

I was disappointed tonight.  I had been thinking all day that I wanted to return and have the same sweet corn tortilla with salty goat cheese for dinner.  The woman wasn't there.  I walked around the blocks in the area hoping she would arrive.  I saw others approach her place and ask about her before walking away.  For some reason, she didn't make it tonight.  As an alternative, I went to a bakery and bought a pastry stuffed with ham, cheese, and jalepenoes and another with a pineapple filling.

Clean Teeth and Chocolate

Monday, Jan. 28, 2013--Matagalpa

The lady who owns my small hotel made me a wonderful breakfast this morning.  Even though I have been tired of beans and rice, hers tasted good--the juices of the beans having also flavored the rice.  I had scrambled eggs, beans and rice, salty goat cheese, fried plantains, and coffee.

It was cool by the time morning arrived today.  Here in the mountains, it cools down overnight and then heats up in the daytime.  When I went out, there was a mist in the air although the day was sunny.  I had noticed it yesterday, too.  It's like those misters that cool you down in hot weather at festivals.  Here, however, it is a natural thing.  In the cool of the morning, however, the mist just makes it seem even cooler.  A couple of times, as I read in my book, I had to leave a park bench and go into a church as the mist began and the air just felt too cool.

Sergio, the young man on the bus yesterday, had told me the location of a good dentist here, so this afternoon I went there.  I got my teeth cleaned for only $18.  They showed me that I have two small cavities that also need to be taken care of.  I'll probably go to another dentist in another town in a few days and get that work done.

We have a good wifi signal at the hotel, so I spent part of the afternoon taking advantage of that on both my computer and my telephone.  It was a good time to be in the room, because there came a heavy downpour briefly during that time.

After dark, I went out again and had a special treat for dinner.  I found a street stall selling guirilas con cuajada.  It's a local specialty--a thick sweet corn tortilla served hot on a banana leaf with a chunk of salted goat cheese.  One was filling, and it was so tasty.  Then, on my way back to the hotel, I stopped at the supermarket.  There is a famous chocolate factory near here, and they sell their chocolates at one of the supermarkets.  It's expensive for Nicaragua--about $3.50 for a 180 g bar.  I bought one and brought it back to my room for dessert.  UMMMM.  The brand is El Castillo del Cacao.

To the Mountains

Sunday, January 27, 2013--Masaya to Matagalpa

There were two non-stop buses today from Masaya to Matagalpa, one leaving around 5:30 and the other a little while later.  I didn't try to make either.  Instead, I arrived at the bus station around 8:10 and got on a bus for Tipitapa, a town about 45 minutes away.  There, I walked half a block to the Managua-Matagalpa highway and stood with many other people there waiting to get on long-distance buses going to their destination north of Tipitapa.  I askdd a young man who had walked there from my bus with me if it was the right place for the Matagalpa bus, and he indicated it was.  Then, just a minute later, he raised his hand, and we both got on the same bus headed that way.

The young man and I continued to visit on the bus.  His name is Sergio.  He works in IT just outside of Matagalpa and had been in Masaya for the weekend with his wife.  He is originally from the Matagalpa area and was headed home to visit his parents while having 10 days of vacation.  Half of what he said, I couldn't understand, but he was nice, and it was pleasant to visit with someone.  He shook my hand when he got up to get off the bus at his stop, then he looked for me and waved again as he walked away.  It's always nice to have someone like this to help look after me when I am traveling in an unfamiliar area.

It was a bit confusing when the bus pulled into the station in Matagalpa.  I took off walking in what I thought was the direction toward town, but I couldn't be quite sure.  I had my map in my mind, having checked it on the bus so that the taxi drivers wouldn't bother me and I could just walk quickly away.  Eventually, I saw the white cathedral in the distance (which was positioned correctly in terms of where I expected it to be) and then I came upon a park I was expecting.  At that point, I knew for sure exactly where I was and how I needed to go to get to the hotel I hoped would have a room for me.

I wrote an e-mail to the hotel last night, but hotels here are not very good at keeping up with such correspondence; they seem to rely on phone reservations more.  Fortunately, the Hotel El Castillo had a room, and there was no indication that they recognized my name or expected me.  The room is rather simple, but it is also cheap--$18 per night including breakfast.  It has a bed, a fan, a flat-panel TV, a bath with hot water, and a balcony.  The walls are white with nothing hanging on them.  The floors are white tiles.  She sheets are white.  As I said, it is plain.  But the building is only 2 years old, so the place is modern and mostly clean.  (In terms of the latter, there are some scuff marks on the walls and on the tile.)

Matagalpa is in the mountains.  The valley is so small that the town fills it and then goes up the hills.  My hotel, only 3 blocks from the cathedral, is partially uphill.  That gives me good views across the town and to the hills around it.

The town was very quiet today, since it was Sunday.  I walked to the cathedral/main plaza, then I walked down the main street as far as the other park I'd seen.  While passing earlier, I had seen a mobile van making a wonderful looking sandwich, so I thought I might have one.  When I got there, I realized they were large burgers, and I ordered one.  They are as big as the Macho Burgers from Chris Madrid's in San Antonio.  They have about a 7-inch bun which they slice and then put on the griddle.  The meat patty, already cooked, is added.  Then they put four slices of tomato, lots of slices of onion, a couple of spoonfuls of sweet pickle relish, a swirl of ketchup, a swirl of mayonnaise, a big slice of iceberg lettuce, and then add the top bun.  Unfortunately, the meat was not as tasty as it should have been, so that spoiled the burger some.  It was so nice, however, to eat the tomatoes, lettuce,  and onions!  I left part of the bun; it was just too much food.

I sat in the park watching people and reading, but then it began to sprinkle.  The sprinkles were cold.  I started walking back toward town where I went inside the cathedral and continued to read.  I was so thirsty, that I left there for a supermarket where I bought a 1.5 liter bottle of Coke Zero from the cooler.  It was so refreshing, and it was the first cola I had drunk since Wes left me two weeks ago.

One of the interesting things about Nicaragua is that they don't have the international franchise restaurants that all the other Central American countries have.  Maybe Managua will have them, but Granada, Masaya, and Matagalpa are larger cities.  No McDonald's, no Burger King, no KFC, etc.  I've seen a local franchise named Tip Top in two of the cities, and I saw a Papa John's Pizza in Masaya.  That's it.  I'm wondering if that is because of the period of time that the country was socialist?  I also wonder if that period of rule is also the reason this country seems to be poorer than the other Central American countries.  The socialists are back in office (with the same president--Daniel Ortega), but without an agenda of making the country completely socialist any more.  The government is most friendly with the other Latin countries which have an agenda to support the poorer classes--Venezuela and Boliva, in particular.

Artesanias

Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013—Granada to Masaya

I had trouble sleeping last night.  My skin was itching.  I don’t know if it is due to the soap at the hotel, the detergent used on the sheets, or what.  Anyway, I awoke around 4:30 and could not go back to sleep.  I got on the computer and wrote a long-delayed e-mail.  At 5:30, I could go back to sleep and slept until 7:30.

The hotel in Granada is reminiscent of the hotels of the late 1800s/early 1900s where people went and stayed for extended periods of time.  The first large courtyard is just seating area around a garden where people can socialize with each other, and they do.  It’s also where we have breakfast in the mornings.  The second courtyard is the one surrounded by the rooms.  It has the pool and a couple of small seating areas on the grass.  It’s mostly a quiet place, since the pool cannot be used in the evenings and because the other courtyard is available for drinks, conversation, etc.  I could see a group of people staying here for weeks, meeting in the first courtyard each day to visit and maybe to have a late-afternoon drink, and retiring to their rooms in the evening after having gone out to a restaurant for dinner.  (The hotel does not serve food other than for breakfast, but it has a bar.)

I walked to the bus station for Masaya and saw a bus pulling out as I was half a block away.  It wasn’t a problem, though.  I got on the next bus, and it left 20 minutes later.  Within 45 minutes after that, we arrived in Masaya. 

Our arrival made me think of India.  There was chaos at the bus station which was unpaved and had some puddles of standing water.  Right next to it is the main market of the city, and it was overrun with people just like India.  Because it is where the poor people shop, the people were often dirty and grubby as in India. 

I had picked out a hotel that sounded okay in its reviews.  On the way to it, I visited with a young man named Javier who was giving me directions.  He was very nice, and it was obvious that he was enjoying our visit.  He offered to show me another hotel, but this is sometimes a trick where people befriend you just to try to make money directing you to a hotel that gives them a kickback.  I falsely told him I already had a reservation, and he never said another word (which indicated to me that he was not trying to take advantage of me).  He told me where to turn to go to the La Curacao store which is the landmark used to note how to find the hotel, and he went another direction.  (In Nicaragua, directions are never simple.  They are always in reference to a major landmark.  For my hotel, the directions were “1/2 block north of the La Curacao store,” so I had to first get directions to that store!)

Well the hotel was a dud.  It was cheap, and it was dark and dreary.  Next door was a place that looked nice, but they had no openings.  Another place was also dark and dreary.  My third place had a room for $15 (maybe a bit overpriced) that had windows with light, white sheets, TV, fan, private bath, etc., so I took it.  It’s the Hotel California.

That was at 10:30.  Between then and now (16:30), I have explored.  I went to the Parque Centraland watched a show put on by a company selling bedding; it involved a band with 4 front female dancers in cheerleader-type costumes.  I walked far to the west of town to the malacon, the pedestrian walkway along the lakefront with a view of the hills and the Masaya Volcano (which was featured on a PBS special earlier this week).  I went to the Mercado des Artesanias which is much like the Mexican Market in San Antonio—a nice building from the 1800s which has clean, well organized stalls selling all kinds of Nicaraguan crafts.  (Masaya is known as the place to buy handicrafts in this country.)  There were hammocks, purses, wooden objects, dresses, shirts, belts, boots, paintings, etc.  I enjoyed looking, but I never can separate the wheat from the chaff when looking at items in a market.  From there, I continued back to the general market by the bus station which is unbelievably large with huge sections for each kind of product—shoes, hardware, meat, etc.

I returned to the Parque Central and read for about 30-45 minutes.  Then I walked northward out of town and climbed a hill (probably an extinct volcano) to Coyotepe, an old fortress.  It was an exhausting and hot climb, but the view of the city was great from up there.  Then on the way back, I stopped at a supermarket and bought some peanuts and bananas to have in my room.

The hotel does not have wifi, but it pays for time at the cyber café next door.  The owner gave me coupons for 2 hours of use.  I’m typing this on my computer, then I will go there to post it. 

I’m not sure what I will do about dinner.  My stomach has no interest in the typical Central American fare of beans and rice with pickled cabbage salad and either grilled pork or chicken.  I will return to the Parque Central in the evening (now it is 17:00) and see if anything there appeals to me.  If not, I will eat the peanuts and bananas I bought.

Granada vs. Antigua

Friday, Jan. 25, 2013--Granada

The obvious comparison to be made with Granada, which is the main colonial city of Nicaragua, is with Antigua, which is the main colonial city of Guatemala.  There are many similarities.  They are about the same size.  They both rest near the base of a major volcano. They both have wider streets than most colonial cities.  They both are filled with wonderful old colonial buildings that tend to have plain fronts and very fancy interior courtyards.  Antigua is more elegant and more restored than Granada.  And Antigua has more art galleries, fancy restaurants, fancy hotels, etc.  But Granada seems more authentic in some way.  Restoration may have been limited, but it seems more of a city of its people rather than a "Disneyland."  The more time I have spent here, the more I have come to like this city.  It's comfortable.  And it is possible to be here without it costing nearly as much as it does to be in Antigua.

I spent most of the morning walking further afield in the city than I had previously.  I went all the way down to the lakefront to begin.  It's an area that is undergoing a great restoration effort. A waterfront park is being rebuilt, and the streets to and along the waterfront are being rebuilt also.  I was amazed to find that this part of the city feels undeveloped.  There are huge lots that are vacant.  It almost feels rural, although it is only maybe 4 blocks away from the buzz of tourist activity.

From the lakefront, I headed toward the old train station.  There is no longer a train, but the station itself is nicely restored, though vacant.  There are 2-3 old train cars there to give an idea of what kinds of service were provided.

From there, I headed out to the baseball stadium.  I had already learned that there would NOT be a game today; the next game here will be tomorrow afternoon, but I wanted to see the facility.  It's not a huge stadium; but it is larger than most minor league ones in the US.  Actually, tonight, I saw the local team playing on TV in the city where they were having the playoffs today and yesterday.

Near the baseball field were two side-by-side supermarkets--La Colonia and La Union.  Both were modern, air-conditioned ones which are much nicer than the Pali chain which is owned by Walmart, is not air-conditioned, and operates like a warehouse-style grocery store with the goods displayed in their packing boxes.  It was obvious that the two nice supermarkets were built for the foreigners who live here and for the upper-class Nicaraguans.  A number of American expatriates have bought and restored old houses here, and there were several of them shopping in the two markets which had gourmet sections, imported items such as smoked salmon and European wines and cheeses, American brand products, etc.

Back in town, I sat in the Parque Central and read for a while.  When it became too warm, I returned to the room for the rest of the afternoon to read newspapers on the computer and to update and "clean" the computer while enjoying the air-conditioning.

In the evening, I went back to town to enjoy the busy activities of a Friday night.  Busloads of people had arrived, including one group that was "witnessing for Christ."  From what I've read, this city gets lots of missionary groups.  Does that make their vacation to a colonial city tax deductible?  But there were many locals out to enjoy the evening--watching performances (juggling, miming, clown acts, etc.), sitting at the sidewalk cafes enjoying drinks, food, and the baseball game on big screen TVs, etc.  Mariachi-type bands were moving up and down the main tourist street playing at the cafes.  People were going to the one cinema (Cine Karawala) here (to see The Hobbit).  Everyone seemed happy.

Pleasant Granada

Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013--Granada

I needed to change hotels today, but that's a bit tricky.  Checkout time is 11:00 at the latest, and most hotels try to push you out earlier.  Check-in time isn't until 14:00 unless a hotel just happens to have a room ready earlier.  Therefore, I stayed in my room at Casa Barcelona until 10:00 doing things on my computer and phone and taking advantage of the good light in the bathroom to do some grooming.  Then I spent another half hour visiting with the owner of the place before departing.

My new hotel for the next two nights is the Hotel Patio del Malinche, the #1 rated hotel in the city on TripAdvisor.  It is a big improvement over Casa Barcelona in several ways:  1)  Better location, 2) Air Conditioning, 3) Pool, 4) Includes breakfast, 5) Overall quality of furnishings and decor.   Of course, it costs about double, too!  Anyway, they were expecting me and immediately asked, "Randell?," when I entered the lobby.  They had a room for me that was in the final stages of being cleaned, so they took my registration information and gave me a free juice in the bar area while I waited about 10 minutes.

I was hungry, to I headed out to a special place my guidebook had recommended--the Comedor Tulita.  It's an unsigned restaurant on a dead end alley.  Actually, it is in a personal home.  As I walked up to the door, a man sitting in a rocker watching TV motioned for me to come on through.  On their back patio, they had 4 dining tables and a serving table.  On the serving table, they had the food already prepared.  I had to chose one of 4 meats which came with rice, beans, pickled cabbage salad, and a choice of one of 2 vegetables.  I chose grilled pork for my meet and fried plantain slices as my vegetable.  It also came with a choice of drink, and I took the homemade lemonade.  I sat there eating and noticing my surroundings.  There was laundry hanging on lines in the yard, and there were two loose turkeys wandering around. It was too large a plate of food, and I left part of the rice.  The price was about $2.60.

I wandered the streets some as I had done yesterday.  I explored the market area which takes up about 4 square blocks and includes a wonderful building from the 1800s that would be a fantastic tourist draw if it were remodeled with restaurants and food stalls.  However, it was really too hot at that time of the day to continue wandering.  I found a seat on a bench in the Parque Central and read my novel and watched the activity in the area.

I knew I couldn't take rice and beans again, so I searched for a sandwich place in the early evening.  I found a place I had passed yesterday that has a long porch with tables on it.  They were advertising a bacon burger, so I ordered it.  It was great--a thick beef patty and stuffed with plenty of tomatoes, grilled onions, lettuce, etc.

There were several American men sitting on the porch drinking and visiting.  They appeared to be locals.  One of them greeted me when I arrived and started talking to me when I was departing.  He lives here, but he also works here.  Apparently he is retired from major league baseball, but he still serves as a scout here in Nicaragua.  We talked about how they are having their playoffs right now and that there will be a game here tomorrow night.

Before returning to my hotel, I wanted to explore the main historic street that is lined with bars and restaurants.  It was full of people sitting at sidewalk tables or strolling.  There were musicians playing and other activities.  The activity and the atmosphere reminded me a bit of the Riverwalk at home.

Leaving the Island

Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013--Ometepe to Granada

I slept in and took my time on the computer and getting cleaned up, because I knew I wouldn't be leaving the island until 11:00 on the El Che ferry.  I enjoyed a final wonderful breakfast at The Cornerhouse (Eggs Benedict again with fried chunks of potato and a pineapple-milk smoothie).  I really enjoyed the hospitality there; the owner Gary was especially friendly and nice.

The ferry left on time and took just over an hour to get to San Jorge on the mainland.  The boat was full, but it wasn't crowded.  The price was just over $2, so it was a bargain.  There was a great surprise on the dock when we landed--a bus heading straight to Granada.  I had expected to have to take a colectivo (shared) taxi to Rivas and then take a bus from there.  This really simplified things.

I was unable to get a reservation for tonight at my hotel of choice (although I will transfer to there tomorrow night for a two-night stay), so I had picked out an alternative hotel for tonight.  I was able to tell from the map where to get off the bus that would be closer to the hotel rather than going all the way to the station and backtracking.  The helper on the bus asked me if I was sure I wanted off there.  Not only did it fit my map, but I saw a small sign with an arrow pointing the direction to the Hotel Casa Barcelona where I planned to try to get a room.

I had to walk about 8 blocks.  Fortunately, there was another sign where I needed to turn (although I would have found it with my map if it hadn't been there).  And when I got to the hotel, there were two rooms available--one with a fan and one with a/c.  I decided to take the room with the fan ($12 cheaper) since I will be splurging at my next place.  The big surprise is that the windows of the room have screen wiring over them.  I haven't seen that on the whole trip, I don't think.

Since it was only about 14:30, I wandered into town to explore.  Granada is an old colonial city which is quite special.  At first it seemed that only a small part of the city was really old, but in time I found more and more.  It was fun turning corners and finding special old buildings all over the place.  According to my guidebook, it's the goose that laid the golden egg in terms of tourism for Nicaragua.

While exploring, I found my next hotel and gave them my credit card information so they would hold the room for me for the next two nights.  I walked up and down Calle La Calzada, the cobblestone main street that runs from the Central Plaza down to the lakefront.  I wandered around the main plaza.  I went through back streets stopping to see Iglesia Merced, I stopped at a small shop and ate a chicken sandwich, and I returned through the market area with its beautiful old market building to my hotel around 17:30.

The owner of the hotel introduced herself and sent a tray with fresh, iced lemonade (tart) and 3 cookies to my door.  I'm staying inside tonight, because my hotel is several blocks from the center of town.  Starting tomorrow, my new hotel will be one block off the main street.

Time to Move Onward

Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013--Moyogalpa

Today went well.  It began with the fantastic breakfast that they serve at The Cornerhouse where I am staying.  I had the Eggs Benedict at the suggestion of the owner--puffy eggs with creamy yolks served on toast made from homemade bread, tomatoes, and hollandaise sauce.  It was served with chunky fried potatoes seasoned with herbs.  For a drink, I had a banana smoothie.  It was all great!

I sent the morning walking.  I headed out toward Concepcion Volcano.  I didn't intend to climb the volcano; that isn't allowed without a guide.  I just wanted to get into the countryside to see the trees, the birds, the rural homes, the people, etc.  After walking about an hour, I turned around and walked back into town arriving at the hotel about 12:30 as it began to get hot.

I spent much of the afternoon in the room researching my next stop.  I've made a reservation at a splurge hotel in Granada.  Unfortunately, they cannot take me tomorrow night unless someone cancels, but they can take me for sure for two nights after that.  I'll find another place for tomorrow night if they haven't had a cancellation.by the time I arrive tomorrow.  Going there will take me to my first big city in a long time.  I've been in towns of about 5000 or less for the past 10 days.  Also, Granada is a beautiful old colonial city.

In the late afternoon, I walked around the town again.  I finally found a place with choco-bananas!  I've been looking for them since the beginning of the trip.  They were one of my favorite snacks on my previous trip to northern Central America.  A home had them for about 9 cents each--small bananas (about 5 inches/12.5 cm) coated in chocolate and frozen.  UMMM.  What a relief from the warm days.

In the early evening, I stopped at a pizza restaurant for dinner.  Moyogalpa is much more limited than Altagracia in terms of what is available for eating in the evening.  In Altagracia, I could go to local places and get local food for cheap prices.  Here, it is mostly tourist restaurants that are open in the evening.  I had a sandwich made with toasted Italian bread stuffed with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, slices of ham, and seasonings.  I drank a local beer which was ice cold to go with it.

This evening, I'm back in my room.  I'll write some e-mails, read the newspapers, etc., before going to bed.  Tomorrow, I'll take the ferry to the mainland at 11:00 after having another final great breakfast here at my hotel.

Ups and Downs

Monday, Jan. 21, 2013--Altagracia to Moyogalpa

This morning as I prepared to leave Altagracia, I started reviewing my information.  As I researched hotels for Merida, my intended destination, I noticed that I had earlier (when figuring out how to get to an ATM machine fast from San Carlos) researched hotels in Mayagalpa rather than Moyogalpa (two different places and only the latter being a town here on Ometepe Island).  That made me wonder about ATM locations I had researched at the same time.  Sure enough, I had researched ATMs in Mayagalpa, a town that has 8 locations that accept MasterCard.  When I researched Moyogalpa on the M/C site this morning, nothing came up.  That raised the question of money again.  The hotels in Merida were expensive--$30 a night or more WITHOUT breakfast--for someone with limited cash.  I quickly changed my plans to go to Moyogalpa which is the ferry landing figuring that I could afford 2-3 days there and then take the ferry to the mainland where the nearby town of Rivas has M/C ATMs according to the website.

I, therefore, quickly researched hotels in Moyogalpa and wrote The Cornerhouse asking them to save me a room if they had one available.  It's $20 per day and includes breakfast (or a packed lunch).  I then caught the 10:00 bus and arrived an hour later.  I followed the directions up the street to The Cornerhouse which is run by a young Australian couple who have apparently falllen in love with the island.  They had gotten my message and were expecting me.  The room is simple with lots of character--smooth stucco painted white on the lower walls and exposed brick walls above that.  bamboo cane ceilings, ceiling fan, sturdy double bed with a GOOD mattress, stylish lamps on tables, distilled water in an attractive liquor bottle, nice bathroom, and lots of light through a wide window.  The only problem is that it faces the main street, so I will have to wear my earplugs in the evenings.

My first order of business was to read the information booklet for the hotel.  I was looking for the wifi code, but what I found was even more exciting and interesting:  If the information in the booklet is correct, there are TWO bank ATMs here in town that will accept either VISA or MasterCard!!  If so, why doesn't M/C list them on their website?  Anyway, I may have solved my money problems.  I will save this post as a draft and complete it later tonight to give the news of whether I have faced a true UP moment via success or another DOWN moment in my efforts to solve my money problems.  If I get the money, I may stay on the island longer and visit a couple of other places!!!
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SUCCESS!!  Although the fee seemed high (1%, which I assume is the ATM fee and not the M/C conversion fee which is also 1%), I got money!!  I now have 9,300 Cordobas (equivalent to $385 US) plus an emergency reserve of $250 US.  Also, most of the cities where I will be traveling after leaving the island will have ATMs that will work for further money if I need it.

While out getting money, I explored the town.  Moyogalpa is bigger than Altagracia, but it still is a small town.  People seem more used to tourists here and most didn't greet me the way they did in the smaller town.  There are quite a few tourists on the island, though.  They seem to come from all over the world.  Most would be classified as backpackers, although I have seen some families and maybe some groups of students on formal study tours.  Prices are a bit higher here than in Altagracia, but they are still cheap compared to Panama and Costa Rica.

I sat in the park and finished reading my most recent novel--Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski.  It's one of the most readable novels I've encountered recently.  I never wanted to put it down.  It's well written, although it will never be considered a great novel.  It was, however, good enough to be a finalist for the National Book Award.  For anyone interested in foreign cultures, travel to exotic locations, anthropology, and/or religion, you should enjoy it.  I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4.

Will eat somewhere tonight and then just stay in my room.  Maybe I'll start a new book or read a magazine I picked up outside.

Another Day under the Volcano

Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013--Altagracia

Last night, the Canadian couple invited me up to their balcony for drinks.  They had bought a bottle of vodka and some orange drink that was low in calories.  We visited and had two drinks each.  Then we went walking through town to find a place to eat.  We settled on a place in the park.  Both she and I wanted something without beans and rice.  We had a taco plate which was really two flautas topped with cabbage, sourcream, and ketchup.  They were good.  He wanted a plate we had seen being served on the street in front of the hotel, so they went back there for him to eat after we said our goodbyes and anticipated that we might see each other again along the way since we are following similar routes.  They will go to another town here on the island tomorrow while I will wait to go to my next town on Monday.  (Bus service to where I want to go is limited to one late-afternoon bus tomorrow, so it would be inconvenient for me to leave before Monday.)  I wandered around town a little longer.  Everyone was out, since it was Saturday night.  The park, the restaurants, and the bars were all busy.  I returned to my room by 21:00, because I was so tired still from lack of sleep last night.

Got up this morning hoping to use the internet only to find that the wifi signal comes from a next-door cyber cafe which doesn't open until noon.  Therefore, I went to the park and read.  Ate an "enchilada" there.  All the Mexican food names mean something different here.  The "enchilada" was a filled pastry shaped like an empanada, filled with rice, beans, and chicken, and deep fried so it was crispy.  It was greasy and not so satisfying.  I served 1/4 of it to the two dogs who were patiently watching me and waiting for an offering.

Anywhere you are here in Altagracia, if you look to the southwest, you see the volcano towering over the area with a doughnut ring of clouds around its cone.  It's a huge volcano.  Actually, the island consists of this and one other volcano and a short isthmus which connects the two.  Altagracia and all the other settlements are along the edges of the bases of the two or on the isthmus.

I walked to two waterfront areas today.  One is a rocky area where the women do their laundry.  The island is in the center of a lake, so the water is fresh water.  They have smooth stones where they scrub and beat their laundry, and there is a large area of laid out lava stones where they lay their clothes to dry.  Only one lady was there today, probably because it is Sunday.  From there, I walked back toward town and took another road which took me to the local beach, Playa Taguizapa.  It's a well-arched, but short beach of black lava sand.  Several local families and a number of local young people were there--picnicking, swimming, playing in the sand, etc.  There is also a small guesthouse and restaurant there which would be a peaceful, pleasant place for someone to stay who loves to be near water.  The waves came onto the beach with wakes just as if it were the ocean rather than a lake, and the boys were flipping over them and trying to ride them.  What was most surprising to me was that I was the only non-Hispanic there and apparently the only tourist of any kind there.

Back in town, I read at the park for a while, and later fell asleep in my room for maybe 15-20 minutes.  It is just so relaxing here.  The people are kind and friendly, the costs are low, the facilities are good.  It's going to be difficult to move onward tomorrow to my next stop on the island--the village of Merida.

It's 18:00 as I write.  I don't know what time the cybercafe closes, so I decided to come to the hotel and try to finish this entry and get it published.  My guess is that there will be wifi in Merida, too, but I don't know for sure.  Anyway, as I walked back to the hotel after making a long, circuitous route through the side streets of the town, a bus was leaving.  They use colorful old school buses they buy from the US.  I heard it honking which is unusual, so I looked toward it.  Running right in front of it were two pigs!  The driver knew they were there and trying to get them to move to the side, but he really couldn't see exactly where they were since they were barely ahead of him.  Suddenly the larger pig squealed.  The front tire had brushed against him.  He moved to the side and the smaller one aimed for the side street where I was turning to get to the hotel.  The bus passed and the two of them casually walked down the street as if, like loose dogs, they knew the territory and where they were heading.

I will head to the park when I finish this and buy some food.  I think I will have charcoal grilled chicken with beans and rice for dinner tonight.  That will be the end of the day for me.  In the room I'll either watch TV or read my gook.  I'm less than 100 pages from finishing the one I am reading now and am going to be happy to recommend it to others; it's a very interesting story which is well written.
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Final Costa Rica Spending Update:  The previous update was for the spending while Wes was with me.  My own personal expenses during the entire time I was in the country (the 9 days with Wes and the 4 days alone) were $479.63 which averaged out over the 13 days to $36.90 per day.

A Boat to a Volcanic Island Paradise

Friday and Saturday, Jan. 18 & 19—San Carlos to Altagracia

Resigned to the fact that I had to move toward a place with a MasterCard ATM, while at the cyber café I researched the MasterCard site to see if my alternative destination, Ometepe Island, would work.  It shows that there are 8 ATMs there that will take MasterCard, all in the major city of Mayagalpa.  Therefore, I bought a boat ticket for thegovernment ferry which would leave at 14:00 and arrive outside Altagracia on the island at midnight.

Foreigners are required to buy first class tickets on the boat.  Those, however, only cost about $7, so it is still a bargain.  It’s the upstairs part of the boat.  Half is enclosed with padded benches, air conditioning, and TV on which they play DVDs.  The other half is open deck with deck chairs and a canvas cover to shade it.  Right on time, the boat took off with a loud horn announcing our departure.  We entered the Lago de Nicaragua, a fresh water lake that seems as large as one of the Great Lakes. 

Because we were all foreigners, lots of conversations started up among passengers.  I visited with three different couples.  One was American, teachers who had moved to Prescott, AZ, after retiring in Portland.  One was Canadian, university professors (microbiology and engineering) from Victoria Island.  The last was a young Costa Rican man accompanying his mother-in-law home to Altagracia after a visit with him and his wife.  All were interesting.  The two North American couples have been traveling here since early December and will stay longer than I am.  The American one had also run into money problems when a boat that was to bring them from the Caribbean coast broke down and they were stranded for 8 days.  The Canadian couple had crossed both remote borders that I had crossed in getting from Panama to Costa Rica and from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.  The American couple got off at an earlier stop in our trip at the town of Morrito which is not mentioned in my guidebook but looked really nice from the boat.

Fortunately, each of us had our own long bench in the enclosure so that we could recline to sleep as it became nighttime.  And just at midnight, there was an announcement that we were approaching the port at Altagracia.  The Canadian couple were coming here, too, and were planning to stay at the same hotel.  Both of us had written for reservations but had not gotten a reply.  They travel like I do, so we had also agreed that if the taxi drivers wanted too much money to take us into town, we would just walk the 3 km from the port to there.

We were lucky that the mini-van driver only wanted $1 each to drive us, because the road was unbelievable. It was unpaved and was rocky.  A four-wheel drive vehicle should have been used to get over it.  There were places where multiple huge stones bulged up.  The rickety van just bounced and waddled and the engine grinded as the driver kept going. It would have been very difficult to have tried to traverse that road with a suitcase. 

Hotel Central was full when we got there, and the manager showed no concern that we had written for reservations.  The van driver took us to an alternative place, but it was full, too.  Then he suggested taking us to another town for $5 each.  I was concerned at that point that they might be trying to take advantage of us.  I asked for my suitcase, paid, and walked away thinking that I would stay at the park the rest of the night if I couldn’t find a room.  I went to the El Castillo, and the guard there went for the manager.  The manager implied there were no rooms, but the guard seemed to remind him of one that could be rented.  I couldn’t tell if it was a room not normally rented or one which had been reserved without the people arriving.  Anyway, as I waited for him to get the key, the van pulled up with the Canadian couple and another man from the boat and asked for rooms.  The manager sent them away saying he only had the one room for me.  I felt so guilty, yet I was so happy not to be staying the rest of the night at the park.

The room (my room is the one on the far right of the image) was clean with a fan, a TV, a bath and two nice windows and cost only $10.  It was so much better than where I had stayed the last two nights!  Although I should have gone to sleep immediately, my sinuses were swollen to the point where I couldn’t breathe well. Also, there was the sound of banana trees scraping the back of the room as the wind blew.  I had to put in my earplugs, do relaxation exercises, and eventually turn off the fan so that I could breathe and fall asleep.

This morning (Saturday), I went out to explore.  What an exciting little place Altagracia is.  It’s a very small town on Ometepe Island which is formed by two dormant volcanoes which rose in the lake and merged in an hour-glass shape.  It’s remote enough that there can be consistency problems with utilities.  The electricity sometimes fades and comes back.  And just as I was shampooed and soaped from head to toe in the shower this morning, the water went off.  I checked the sink, and some water was flowing there which was maybe leftovers draining from the pipes.  I started rinsing as fast and as much as possible.  But then I noticed the water flow increase.  I went back to the shower, and water was on there again.  What a relief, since the water from the sink wasn’t going to be sufficient to do a good job.

I went out exploring around 10:00.  Altagracia is a charming little town.  It’s like stepping into the past for the most part.  Many of the buildings are very old wooden or stucco ones with old tile roofs.  The most common shop in town is the kind where you stand at the counter and tell the owner what you want off the shelves like in the 1800s in the US.  There are old painted signs that are stylish and interesting to see.  One of my favorites was for the Tiendita Guadalupe—a yellow exterior with a painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe and stenciled lettering for the words above it.  Another interesting aspect was that the shop is run by a person who is obviously a transvestite.  Transportation is often by ox, donkey, or other kind of animal.  I even saw a man using a cow to carry firewood which was strapped on either side of its back.  Only a few of the streets are paved, many are uneven dirt streets with the dirt being volcanic stone dust.  Apparently, a street is only paved if the home or shop owners pay to have it paved in front of their place.  It’s common for many homes to have a hog tied up in the yard.  

When I returned to my hotel at noon, the two Canadians were sitting in the restaurant having coffee.  They had gotten a room across the street at another hotel.  I was so relieved to find that they hadn’t had to go to the next town after I got the last room here last night.  They, too, had been wandering the town.  We sat and talked for a long while as they drank their coffee which they were having here because the coffee was so weak at their hotel.  

No Solution Today

Friday, January 18, 2013—San Carlos

I’m trying to solve the money problem.  As you know if you read the entry posted last night, I found an Internet café.  I logged onto the USAA website, and it said that it was temporarily down.  I thought that possibly the same problem could be the reason I wasn’t able to get money.  I looked online for ways to contact them, but they only give phone numbers and have an interactive on-line e-mail system.  That e-mail system was down, too.  I had hoped they would have an e-mail address where I could write them directly.  If they have one, it isn’t listed on the site.  My phone only works via wifi when out of the country, and this is such a remote place that the hotels don’t have wifi.  (Electricity and water are not guaranteed during the night; the water was off when I went to bed.)

I wrote my sister an e-mail while at the cyber café.  She is listed on my account at USAA, so I am hoping she can call them and get things settled today.  In the meantime, I went this morning to try the ATM again in case the temporary internet outage was the only problem yesterday.  The ATM still would not work.  I tried for an amount of money that was half of what I had previously requested.  Still, it said that my bank had denied the request.  When I tried to make a request for an even lower amount, the ATM would no longer let me use my card. (Note:  I just read an e-mail from my sister.  She said that USAA told her it must have been a problem with the ATM and that I would have to wait until I got to another.  That´s a problem, as you will read below.)

Therefore, I must change my travel plans, because El Castillo does not have a bank and because the boats from here in San Carlo to the next location, Ometepe Island, run only on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays (maybe).  Even on Ometepe, I may not be able to use the ATM.  It says in my guidebook that the only ATM on the island is a VISA only one, and the USAA debit card is a Mastercard.  There´s hope, though, because the bank is the same bank that has the ATM here which supposedly accepts MasterCard even though mine wouldn´t work.  I have enough money to get me to Ometepe and to stay for a while, but I will have to leave there earlier than planned if there isn’t a MasterCard ATM available now.  (The guidebook was printed 3 years ago, so the data is about 4 years old.)

How frustrating it is.  I have LOTS of time to be in Nicaragua, but I am having to move faster than planned because of needing cash.  I had informed the bank that I would be in Nicaragua and would be making ATM withdrawals.  So I had done everything in advance that should have been necessary.  This will require me to consider alternative plans in the future.  Previously, I had used a credit card from my credit union which I prepaid so that there would not be any immediate interest charges.  However, they now use a outside company to handle their cards, and prepayment is no longer an option.  That’s what led me to the USAA debit card.  If the fault turns out to really be that of USAA, it´s a shame, since it is a bank that serves primarily the military with thousands of its cardholders outside the US in remote places around the world, and this shouldn’t be happening.

Anyway, I bought a ticket for Ometepe when the office opened at 10:00 this morning.  The boat leaves at 14:00 and won’t arrive until midnight and will be at a dock away from the small town of Altagracia.  There should be shared taxis there to take us into town.  I am hoping a hotel will have a room for me.  Then tomorrow, I will have to take the bus to another town to try to use the ATM.  If it doesn’t accept MasterCard, I will have to start planning how long I can stay before I must leave the island to get to another bank.

On the way back from the cyber café last night, I stopped where a woman was cooking on the street. I ate grilled pork, tortilla, and gallo pinto (beans and rice) off a plate balanced on my lap.  The pork was generally tender, but there were some tougher parts.  It tasted very good as a change from what I have been eating.  I’m so tired of beans and rice, though.

A Problem in Nicaragua

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013—Los Chiles, Costa Rica, to San Carlos, Nicaragua

I went to bed early last night because the light in the room attracted bugs.  There was an open slit about 2 inches (5 cm) high above the air conditioner.  I didn’t notice it until I realized that bugs were everywhere.  Fortunately, I turned off the room light and turned on the outer porch light and they all went back out the slit and didn’t bother me for the rest of the evening.  Sleeping wasn’t easy, though.  The air conditioner was loud and cold.  It blew directly onto my bed.  I had only a sheet to cover with plus my strategic placement of 3 extra pillows.  However, I had to turn the a/c off and back on several times during the night; it would get too warm off and then too cold on..

I was up early since I went to bed around 20:30.  I used the time to do some quick research on the Internet, although the speed was rather slow.  Knowing that immigration would open at 8:30 and not wanting to miss the first boat, I left the hotel (1 km/0.6 mile outside of town) around 8:45.  Getting to the docks took a bit longer than walking to town, since I had to also walk across town.  Anyway, I was there at immigration around 9:15 and went through quickly.  A nice surprise was that they didn’t charge me the expected $28 exit fee (which Wes did have to pay at the airport when he left and which my guidebook had said I would have to pay here).  I was the 8^th person to buy a ticket for the boat around 9:30. 

I really hadn’t eaten anything but 300 g (10 oz.) of corn chips all day yesterday.  My hotel didn’t include breakfast, and I had waited until noon for my bus to leave.  When it arrived at 15:00, I headed out into the country to the hotel which did not have a nearby restaurant.  So I subsisted on eating half the chips on the bus and the other half in the room in the evening.  Near the boat dock was a small place, so I ordered breakfast of rice, beans, chicken in sauce, tortilla and tamarindo juice.  It was delicious.  The chicken had been cooked on a charcoal grill. 

I had hoped the boat would leave between 10:00 and 11:00.  Two sources had said there would be a departure either at 10:30 or 11:00. I read, and time passed.  At noon, I returned to the restaurant and had two more glasses of juice—one of tamarindo and the other of pineapple, since I was quite thirsty and had extra Costa Rican Colones to get rid of due to not having to pay an exit fee.

Finally, at 12:30 they loaded our luggage and everyone was expecting to leave.  But then they discovered that people buying tickets for two different boat companies had loaded their luggage on our boat.  They had to search for their luggage and remove it.  Then we were still waiting because some people were still trying to get processed at the immigration office.  It wasn’t until 13:30 that the boat took off. 

Almost immediately, because our boat was trying to get off before the other so that we would get to immigration in San Carlos first, water came over the front of the boat and got all the baggage wet.  Although it was the convenient place for us to grab our luggage upon arrival, the boy carried it inside to the back of the boat. 

The trip was fantastic.  It took an hour along a beautiful river.  Everyone was taking photos and watching for exotic wildlife.  We saw various water birds, lots of blue kingfishers, yellow birds, etc.  We saw turtles sunning on fallen tree trunks.  We saw a snake coiling in the water.  We saw primitive homes with thatched roofs.  And the whole way, there was a jungle of trees pressing against each other along the riverside.

I had planned to take a river trip for two hours from here to El Castillo.  Already on this trip, I was realizing tht I probably wouldn’t see more than I had today.  Plus I would have had to backtrack.  But a major problem developed that convinced me that I needed to change my plans.

I went to the only ATM here that accepts MasterCard which is not as common here as VISA and which is the USAA debit card I have for getting cash when traveling now.  The machine didn’t give me money and said it was due to my bank not approving the transaction.  I tried again hoping I had maybe put the wrong card in the machine, but it happened again.  I immediately realized this is a problem, since I had just entered a new country and had no currency other than some dollars for an emergency.  I also realized that my dollars would help only so long, so I would need to move to where I could use the Internet to contact USAA (and to bigger towns where I could use a credit card to pay for my hotel bills to spread out the use of my dollars until I could get the debit card to work in an ATM).

Fortunately, it was still (barely) banking hours, so I headed to a bank lobby of another bank nearby.  (The ATM that takes MasterCard was a stand-alone ATM.)  I exchanged $100 and the rest of my Costa Rican money which amounted to about $24.  Then I went to check on a boat to get me across the lake to a place with more connections to the world.  It leaves at 6:00 tomorrow morning.  Then I found a hotel (supposedly the second best in town) where I was able to get a room for only $10 using more dollars from my stash). 

I will go back out of the hotel now and double check the time of the boat tomorrow.  I will also look for a place to eat, although I am not very hungry out of concern for the failure to get money out of the ATM.  I would love to do some research on the Internet to help me know where to stay tomorrow when I arrive at Altagracia on the island of Ometepe, but none of the hotels here have wifi.  (The computer doesn’t register any wifi within range.)  I’ll just use my guidebook to help me find a place.  And if it isn’t nice enough, I will search for an alternative where I can move the next night.  If I can use the Internet there and solve my money problems, I will stay a few days on the island.

I finished reading The End by Salvatore Scibone. It was a bit of a disappointment to me.  Although the stories of the characters were interesting, there were philosophical aspects I found boring and tedious.  I gave it 3 stars out of 4 because the story parts were well written.  I’m glad it was only nominated for the National Book Award and didn’t win it.

Note:  I found a cyber cafe.  Will try to contact USAA from here.

May Be Out of Internet Range for 2-3 Days

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013--Los Chiles, Costa Rica

I am crossing to San Carlos, Nicaragua, today and will take a boat down the San Juan River to El Castillo.  Will probably return by boat tomorrow morning and catch an afternoon boat to the island of Ometepe.  If that doesn't work out, the next boat for Ometepe isn't until Sunday.  I'll be in areas with limited electricity and probably without Internet.  Don't be surprised or worried if there are no postings to the blog until Saturday or Monday.  Internet today is too slow to put links; feel free to search for the terms of the places where I will be if you want to know about them.

Traveling the Backways

Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 15-16, 2013--Upala to Los Chiles

Tuesday was a relaxing day.  I paid for a second evening at my hotel in Upala.  I went exploring in the morning walking through the countryside on rural roads.  Then I stayed inside much of the rest of the day reading.  I went out for a late lunch around 15:00 and returned to read some more.

Wednesday, I checked out of the hotel at 10:00 expecting my bus to leave at 11:00.  At the information window, the lady told me the bus would not be until noon.  I went across the street to the plaza and set and read more.

When the trip did start, it was a real adventure.  The roads from Upala to Caños Negro to Los Chiles are unpaved--bone rattlingly unpaved.  It's a beautiful countryside with rolling hills and lots of tall trees.  The road is lined with farms with cattle, sheet, plants, orange groves, etc.  One stretch was lined for a very long way with an hibiscus hedge with orange blossoms along it.  Along the route were at least 3 small towns with central plazas, stores, etc., although no roads were paved.  It was like stepping back into the 1930s or 1940s in the US!  The people were friendly and nice.  The bus serves as their mode of transport.  In a period of 1 1/2 hours, I watched for other vehicles; there were only 3 we met, and one was a bus going the opposite direction.  Passengers were transporting everything via bus; my bag was among many other bags of goods that had been purchased.  Caño Negro looked like a very interesting place.  Although there are no paved roads, there were at least five places I saw that serve as hotels/motels for guests there to explore the are which is known for its wetlands at Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge.

The unpaved roads today brought back memories of when Arne and I visited Costa Rica in the 1980s.  At that time, there was no road between San Jose and Limon.  We took the old train that no longer exists.  And when we went to Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park, the last 30 minutes of the roadway we traveled was also unpaved.  It was so exciting to visit then, since everything was so remote.  Today, too much of Costa Rica is overrun and over-developed.  I'm glad to have seen in the last few days that there are still remote places worth visiting such as Tinolo National Park and the wetlands at Caño Negro.  If I had known about them in advance, I would have planned our trip around such places and avoided places such as Puerto Viejo and Playas del Coco.

It took 2 1/2 hours to travel the 43 km (26 miles) from Upala to Los Chiles.  I walked downtown thinking I would stay at the Tulipan Hotel.  I had written asking if they had a room available but had not heard from them.  But then I read my guidebook which said that their disco is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays meaning that it would be very loud until late no matter what room they gave me.  So I turned around and walked 1 km (0.6 mile) back down the highway to the No Frills Hotel and checked in there.  The owner is playing some nice jazz I can hear.  And if anyone wanders nearby, the geese make noise.  Otherwise, it is quiet and nice.

Will cross to Nicaragua tomorrow.

Skirting the Base of Arenal Volcano

Monday, Jan. 14, 2013--Cañas to Upala

There was a party on the grounds of the bull ring across the street from my hotel last night.  As the evening progressed, the music got louder and louder.  Why is it that people in most tropical countries do not think that they are having a good time unless everyone else hears the noise of it?  Anyway, it became almost impossible to hear my TV by 22:00.  I stayed up until midnight.  Finally, I put in my earplugs, but they couldn't keep the sound out; they maybe decreased it by 2/3.  I was able to go to sleep, fortunately.  The noise didn't end until 1:00.  There were times I wanted to shoot their speakers or set fire to their tent!!!

Monday is a major travel day here in Costa Rica.  The bus station was overrun with people when I arrived.  Even though it was 50 minutes before my bus was scheduled to leave, there were already about 10 people in line for it.  By the time I made it through the line to buy my ticket, the line for the bus had grown to about 25 people, and it was still 30 minutes before departure.  When we finally did leave, the bus was jam-packed with every seat and every space for standing in the aisle taken.

The area around Cañas, Liberia, and Playas del Coco is very dry.  But as the bus left today, we gradually climbed.  The air became cooler and the area became greener.  We were headed directly toward Arenal Volcano which we had seen from both Cañas and Liberia.  It's an active volcano.  Eventually, our bus was curving around the northwestern edge of the volcano as we headed toward Upala.  I could see the peak.  There was a white puff above the top.  I don't know if that was smoke from the volcano itself or if it was a cloud hovering there.  There was no sign of lava flow.

I really had no idea what to expect between Cañas and Upala and around Upala.  My guidebook (a chapter from a book dealing with all of Central America and the Yucatan) ignored this area.  It's obvious that there are interesting places to visit.  I saw one turnoff near Bijagua (an interesting looking town not even shown on the map in my guidebook) to Tenorio National Park and Rio Celeste.  Researching this area later made me realize it would be a much better place for visiting around Arenal than La Fortuna which I decided would be too commercial for me.  If we had known about it last week, Wes and I probably would have gone there for 2 days; it's only an hour out of Cañas by bus.  It sounds like just the kind of place I like--remote, few tourists, and providing great experiences.

Upala itself was a surprise when I arrived, too.  It's a bigger town than I expected with what seems like lots more bus traffic to the surrounding area than either Cañas or Liberia had.  The people are friendly.  And the town is green.  There is a beautiful river flowing right through it, although the water is too fast and too deep for swimming.  

I had researched hotels (of which there are few mentioned on the Internet) and had decided to try to find Cabinas Maleku (first three images in the link) when I arrived.  I walked from the bus to the central plaza to ask a local person knowing that cab drivers and others near the station would want to offer me a ride instead of directions.  The woman on the bench turned around and pointed.  It was on the opposite side of the plaza!!

The place is a pleasant surprise in several ways.  It is clean and nice with hot water shower, air conditioning, wifi, and flat-panel TV, and it costs only $24 per night!  It's what we would have called a motel court in the 1950s or early 1960s. The same people operate a small restaurant next door where I ate a dinner of rice, beef tips in gravy, sliced tomatoes, and plantain chips for only $4.

With the facilities and food so nice and cheap, I may stay here another night.  I've started reading a novel which I can continue in the heat of the day, and I can go walking in the countryside by following one of the roads out of town in the morning or late afternoon.