Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013--Managua to Houston to San Antonio
I awoke at 2:00 not able to go back to sleep. (Nicaragua is in the same time zone as Texas.) I was worried about whether the hotel would remember my wake-up call. Also, I had bad indigestion for some reason. Anyway, I read on the computer and in my last book, then they called about 4:25. There was a fruit plate and a glass of juice ready for me in the lobby at 4:50. Then I caught the taxi at 5:00.
As usual, things were disorganized at the airport. The fact that airlines can't ever seem to get their check-in act together amazes me. They had a perfectly nice long line. Then they tried to move it. Then another group of airline people tried to tell the ones who were moved that they had to go to the end of the line. Those people started fussing that they were told to be there and would be losing their place in line. Then the airline personnel decided just to turn it into two different lines, although they only had 3 machines for checking non-elite/non-first class passengers in for the flight. That created a mess at the fronts of the lines. Fortunately, I was already toward the front of the queue when all of this happened and was not affected much. But why didn't they just work the long queue ask quickly and smoothly as possible rather than make all that trouble?
I created a mess for myself while on the computer at the hotel. I decided to go ahead and reactivate my Netflix account. Then I called to ask them to add DVDs to the streaming, because they don't have this option online anymore. (They like to discourage DVD usage, since it costs them more.) But when I called, I was told I had created a Nicaraguan account and that DVDs were not available in Nicaragua. (Their computer had read my computer's location at the time and had ignored the fact that my request was to REACTIVATE my old account.) The said they wouldn't change anything until I was back in the US.
In Houston, I called, and I got one of those call center people who should not be working in a call center. She just created a totally new account for me. And in doing so, everything had to be spelled out to her 3-4 times. She had 3 different spellings for Chambers Rd. before she got it right! Anyway, then I went online to find that in creating a new account, I no longer had a queue of films I had selected, and it no longer showed the ratings I had given films (which I use as an indicator that I have seen the film and should not put it back in my queue). I had to call a third time. Fortunately, I got a guy who understood exactly what I was saying, called in a supervisor and got it all straightened out. But my e-mail has about 9 messages from Netflix regarding all of this, and my credit card account will have multiple debits and credits they created in trying to fix it all. What a hassle that was. Now I know never to use the computer to restart the account until I am inside the US.
The flights went well. It was my first time at Houston Intercontinental with a layover in many years. I was very disappointed in their food services. They have tried to emphasize expensive sit-down restaurants. In doing so, the fast food restaurants have small counters and very limited, if any at all, seating. I bought a Subway sandwich after waiting in a long line (because most people wanted something cheap rather than an expensive restaurant meal), then I had to go to a nearby gate to have a place to sit and eat it.
My sister Sue met me at the airport here in San Antonio. Everything was fine here at home. I'm unpacking, doing laundry, putting things back in their places, etc. Later, I will go through my mail. The worst chore will be taking down the Christmas tree which is still up due to having left on Dec. 25 for this trip.
I finished reading the last novel I had found in my luggage--Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh. It was the winner of a Pen/Hemingway Award. It's an interesting story about a cad and the women who become his wives through the years. It's a very fast read, and it is definitely light reading rather than serious, well written literature. I gave the book 3 stars out of 4.
Final Spending Update: During the 28 days I was in Nicaragua, I spent $1024.59 for an average of $36.59 per day. That rate was somewhat inflated from what it might have been by stays in very nice (more expensive) hotels on 12 of the nights. That compares with a daily average of $48.01 in Panama and $36.89 in Costa Rica. For the entire trip, I spent $1982.03 over 51 days for an average of $38.86 per day.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Odds and Ends on My Last Full Day
Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013--Managua
I can tell it is time for me to return home. Some of the things that bother me when traveling are really starting to get onto my nerves:
1. People throwing trash onto the ground rather than using receptacles.
2. Drivers expecting passengers to jump or run so that the vehicles have the right of way.
3. Drivers, especially motorcycle drivers, going out of their way to cross in FRONT of a pedestrian rather than behind him even when the pedestrian has already gone 2/3 of the way across the intersection (I guess because it is so important to be the big shot).
4. The fact that there are no crosswalks/lights for pedestrians.
5. Having to be careful about putting used paper in a trash can rather than down the toilet.
6. Having to worry about which water is drinkable. (Fortunately, the local tap water has been drinkable everywhere on this trip, although I've had to ask in each place and worry about drinking it at first.)
Today, I stayed at the hotel all day. I have been to all but one of the major tourist sites in Managua, and the one that I missed is just a bunch of grass huts along the lakefront where people go to drink in the evenings.
I finished reading Light Fell by Evan Fallenberg. I found it to be a much more fascinating book than the reviews by readers imply. The reviews tend to concentrate on the gay aspect of the book. However, it is really about family dynamics and individuals dealing with events that affect their lives. It takes place in Israel within a conservative orthodox family with arranged marriage, extended family, rowdy kids, graduate education, religious challenges, different sides to the same story, lost love, building an acceptable life, trying to bridge gaps, family healing, etc., as topics within this short novel. It's well written. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
I will be up early tomorrow for my return home. My flight to Houston leaves at 7:39, so I have booked a taxi for 5:15. I'll be back in San Antonio around 4:00.
I can tell it is time for me to return home. Some of the things that bother me when traveling are really starting to get onto my nerves:
1. People throwing trash onto the ground rather than using receptacles.
2. Drivers expecting passengers to jump or run so that the vehicles have the right of way.
3. Drivers, especially motorcycle drivers, going out of their way to cross in FRONT of a pedestrian rather than behind him even when the pedestrian has already gone 2/3 of the way across the intersection (I guess because it is so important to be the big shot).
4. The fact that there are no crosswalks/lights for pedestrians.
5. Having to be careful about putting used paper in a trash can rather than down the toilet.
6. Having to worry about which water is drinkable. (Fortunately, the local tap water has been drinkable everywhere on this trip, although I've had to ask in each place and worry about drinking it at first.)
Today, I stayed at the hotel all day. I have been to all but one of the major tourist sites in Managua, and the one that I missed is just a bunch of grass huts along the lakefront where people go to drink in the evenings.
I finished reading Light Fell by Evan Fallenberg. I found it to be a much more fascinating book than the reviews by readers imply. The reviews tend to concentrate on the gay aspect of the book. However, it is really about family dynamics and individuals dealing with events that affect their lives. It takes place in Israel within a conservative orthodox family with arranged marriage, extended family, rowdy kids, graduate education, religious challenges, different sides to the same story, lost love, building an acceptable life, trying to bridge gaps, family healing, etc., as topics within this short novel. It's well written. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
I will be up early tomorrow for my return home. My flight to Houston leaves at 7:39, so I have booked a taxi for 5:15. I'll be back in San Antonio around 4:00.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Oriental Market
Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013--Managua
Breakfast has been interesting at my hotel. It is a buffet. But every day there have been slight variations that seem strange. On Friday, we had sour cream to go over the beans and rice; I haven't seen that since then. Also on Friday, they had butter and jam to go with the toast, but neither has been evident since until today when only butter showed up. Yesterday, there was no juice, although there had been juice every day up to then; it was back today. They have had pancakes every day, but on Sunday while I was there, they had run out of pancakes and no replacement pancakes were made during the time I was eating. Usually hotels with a buffet tend to have essentially the same things day by day and keep the items refreshed as long as the time period for breakfast continues. I have NOT been dining at the end of the period either; I've been there around the middle of the 3 hours they serve the buffet.
My outing today was to the Oriental Market, the biggest market in Nicaragua. And it is TRULY big covering several square blocks. What I have noticed is that Nicaraguans still do most of their shopping at markets. That's why the malls are so small. And that is why even smaller cities I visited often had 2-3 markets in town.
On the way there, however, there was a disturbing incidence. I had stopped at a bus stop just to watch the crowd get on a bus and to observe the bus number in case I wanted to try to take a bus with the same number back for my return. I heard a slight sound of anguish and turned just in time to see a woman on crutches fall to the sidewalk after having tripped over its broken pieces. She was right in front of me, but I didn't speak Spanish and new I couldn't comfort her or help her without talking to her. And to be honest, I also have to admit that the thought flashed through my mind that this could be some kind of tactic used to get a tourist to start assisting someone so that others could rush to assist and pick the pockets of the tourist as they all helped lift the person. Fortunately, a man eating nearby rushed over and helped her. He turned her slightly, and she had a large knot on her forehead and was bleeding. I knew there was nothing I could do and felt awkward just standing there, so I continued walking to the market and hoped that she would be okay.
The Oriental Market is probably the top shopping destination in the whole country. It was interesting going through it. I had to keep my directional orientation in mind at all times so I would be able to find my way back out in the general direction I had come from. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known where I was as I exited or which way I needed to go to get back to the hotel. The market was crowded, but not to the point where people touched each other. There was room for everyone to pass close to each other. I never sensed any danger there, although the guidebook warns against pickpockets.
Anything can be bought or done at the market, it seems. I passed a section that had maybe 10-12 barber shops. I passed at least 5 small casinos filled with slot machines and their players. There were electronics, clothing, kitchen utensil, fruits and vegetables, etc., sections. There were pharmacies, hardware stores, etc. The market had it all squeezed into small, individually-operated spaces covering maybe 12 square blocks.
It was interesting to see, but there was nothing I needed to buy. Therefore, after maybe an hour of exploring, I headed back out in the direction I had entered, found my way to the street I had followed getting there, and returned to the hotel. The rest of the day was spent on the Internet and reading.
Breakfast has been interesting at my hotel. It is a buffet. But every day there have been slight variations that seem strange. On Friday, we had sour cream to go over the beans and rice; I haven't seen that since then. Also on Friday, they had butter and jam to go with the toast, but neither has been evident since until today when only butter showed up. Yesterday, there was no juice, although there had been juice every day up to then; it was back today. They have had pancakes every day, but on Sunday while I was there, they had run out of pancakes and no replacement pancakes were made during the time I was eating. Usually hotels with a buffet tend to have essentially the same things day by day and keep the items refreshed as long as the time period for breakfast continues. I have NOT been dining at the end of the period either; I've been there around the middle of the 3 hours they serve the buffet.
My outing today was to the Oriental Market, the biggest market in Nicaragua. And it is TRULY big covering several square blocks. What I have noticed is that Nicaraguans still do most of their shopping at markets. That's why the malls are so small. And that is why even smaller cities I visited often had 2-3 markets in town.
On the way there, however, there was a disturbing incidence. I had stopped at a bus stop just to watch the crowd get on a bus and to observe the bus number in case I wanted to try to take a bus with the same number back for my return. I heard a slight sound of anguish and turned just in time to see a woman on crutches fall to the sidewalk after having tripped over its broken pieces. She was right in front of me, but I didn't speak Spanish and new I couldn't comfort her or help her without talking to her. And to be honest, I also have to admit that the thought flashed through my mind that this could be some kind of tactic used to get a tourist to start assisting someone so that others could rush to assist and pick the pockets of the tourist as they all helped lift the person. Fortunately, a man eating nearby rushed over and helped her. He turned her slightly, and she had a large knot on her forehead and was bleeding. I knew there was nothing I could do and felt awkward just standing there, so I continued walking to the market and hoped that she would be okay.
The Oriental Market is probably the top shopping destination in the whole country. It was interesting going through it. I had to keep my directional orientation in mind at all times so I would be able to find my way back out in the general direction I had come from. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known where I was as I exited or which way I needed to go to get back to the hotel. The market was crowded, but not to the point where people touched each other. There was room for everyone to pass close to each other. I never sensed any danger there, although the guidebook warns against pickpockets.
Anything can be bought or done at the market, it seems. I passed a section that had maybe 10-12 barber shops. I passed at least 5 small casinos filled with slot machines and their players. There were electronics, clothing, kitchen utensil, fruits and vegetables, etc., sections. There were pharmacies, hardware stores, etc. The market had it all squeezed into small, individually-operated spaces covering maybe 12 square blocks.
It was interesting to see, but there was nothing I needed to buy. Therefore, after maybe an hour of exploring, I headed back out in the direction I had entered, found my way to the street I had followed getting there, and returned to the hotel. The rest of the day was spent on the Internet and reading.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Strange City
Sunday and Monday, Feb. 10-11, 2013--Managua
Note: The Internet was out at the hotel last night and this morning, so I have combined the posts for yesterday and today
Sunday morning is always a quiet time, so I just stayed at my hotel and read most of the morning. Then around 11:00, I headed for the neighborhood that has the new cathedral and one of the most popular shopping malls across the street from each other.
Getting there just reinforced how strange this city is and why it has the reputation for being a place where tourists should take taxis. Maybe neighborhoods along the lake shore, except for the center destroyed in the earthquake, are side by side without gaps. But the rest of the city seems to exists as pods of development with lots of empty space between. Half the distance I walked to get to my destination consisted of open, undeveloped area.
The new cathedral was built in a suburban area rather than in the old center which was found to have many crisscrossing fault lines after being destroyed twice by earthquakes. It was designed by the famous Mexican architect, Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis, who also designed the San Antonio Central Library and the addition to the Art Museum of South Texas extension in Corpus Christi. The cathedral is a modern concrete structure. It's most evident feature is lots of small domes which supposedly represent the various independent churches within the diocese and serve as a form to withstand earthquakes more easily. Inside, the church is bright, because each dome has a square skylight. But the walls are mostly gray concrete. There are sections of walls that consist of bright orange open concrete blocks to allow breezes to flow through, and a central area has been painted bright yellow. Because of its modernity and its openness to fresh air, it reminds me a bit of the new cathedral in Rio de Janeiro, but it is not nearly as attractive inside as the cathedral is in Rio which has beautiful stained glass windows.
Just across the street is the MetroCentro Mall. It's similar to malls I have visited in Guatemala City and elsewhere in Central America. It has two main department stores and a collection of other shops. It's not very large, and what's available is not of high quality except for what one of the department stores offers. It has a nice food court, however, and it has a nice cinema. I was only there for about 30 minutes. I bought some food items at the La Colonia supermarket, then I returned to the hotel for the rest of the day.
Today, Monday, my goal was to explore Barrio Martha Quezada, the district of town that is the popular place for tourists to stay. My hotel is in an embassy district a few blocks to the south of it. I walked up to there and up and down the streets. It was VERY quiet. Most tourists only stay a night or two in Managua and none were evident around 10:30 this morning. And from the looks of the places where they tend to stay, I can understand why. They are mostly inexpensive hostels and hotels. Without any major tourist sites in town, why would anyone want to stay there more than a night or two? I imagine that most tourists who were here last night are on their way to other places in the country today.
From there, I walked to my neighborhood La Colonia and bought supplies for my dinners and snacks for the next 3 nights. I'm planning to just relax these next two days before my departure. I may go walking some each morning, but there is only one other place I may explore before I depart for home.
I finished reading another book today--Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. It is a humorous book which was nice to enjoy for a change. It was on the short list for the National Book Award, so it is well written with an interesting story line about people working in an office together during a period of layoffs. I gave the book 3 stars out of 4.
Note: The Internet was out at the hotel last night and this morning, so I have combined the posts for yesterday and today
Sunday morning is always a quiet time, so I just stayed at my hotel and read most of the morning. Then around 11:00, I headed for the neighborhood that has the new cathedral and one of the most popular shopping malls across the street from each other.
Getting there just reinforced how strange this city is and why it has the reputation for being a place where tourists should take taxis. Maybe neighborhoods along the lake shore, except for the center destroyed in the earthquake, are side by side without gaps. But the rest of the city seems to exists as pods of development with lots of empty space between. Half the distance I walked to get to my destination consisted of open, undeveloped area.
The new cathedral was built in a suburban area rather than in the old center which was found to have many crisscrossing fault lines after being destroyed twice by earthquakes. It was designed by the famous Mexican architect, Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis, who also designed the San Antonio Central Library and the addition to the Art Museum of South Texas extension in Corpus Christi. The cathedral is a modern concrete structure. It's most evident feature is lots of small domes which supposedly represent the various independent churches within the diocese and serve as a form to withstand earthquakes more easily. Inside, the church is bright, because each dome has a square skylight. But the walls are mostly gray concrete. There are sections of walls that consist of bright orange open concrete blocks to allow breezes to flow through, and a central area has been painted bright yellow. Because of its modernity and its openness to fresh air, it reminds me a bit of the new cathedral in Rio de Janeiro, but it is not nearly as attractive inside as the cathedral is in Rio which has beautiful stained glass windows.
Just across the street is the MetroCentro Mall. It's similar to malls I have visited in Guatemala City and elsewhere in Central America. It has two main department stores and a collection of other shops. It's not very large, and what's available is not of high quality except for what one of the department stores offers. It has a nice food court, however, and it has a nice cinema. I was only there for about 30 minutes. I bought some food items at the La Colonia supermarket, then I returned to the hotel for the rest of the day.
Today, Monday, my goal was to explore Barrio Martha Quezada, the district of town that is the popular place for tourists to stay. My hotel is in an embassy district a few blocks to the south of it. I walked up to there and up and down the streets. It was VERY quiet. Most tourists only stay a night or two in Managua and none were evident around 10:30 this morning. And from the looks of the places where they tend to stay, I can understand why. They are mostly inexpensive hostels and hotels. Without any major tourist sites in town, why would anyone want to stay there more than a night or two? I imagine that most tourists who were here last night are on their way to other places in the country today.
From there, I walked to my neighborhood La Colonia and bought supplies for my dinners and snacks for the next 3 nights. I'm planning to just relax these next two days before my departure. I may go walking some each morning, but there is only one other place I may explore before I depart for home.
I finished reading another book today--Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. It is a humorous book which was nice to enjoy for a change. It was on the short list for the National Book Award, so it is well written with an interesting story line about people working in an office together during a period of layoffs. I gave the book 3 stars out of 4.
Saturday, February 09, 2013
No Danger in Sight
Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013--Managua
My hotel has a very good buffet breakfast. It is Nicaraguan-style with the beans and rice, salty cheese, etc., but it also includes pancakes, butter, jam, and cereal. It's in the part of the hotel across the street from where I am staying. I'm in the smaller, original hotel. The one over there is newer, but the rooms have the same doors and windows, so I assume they are copies of the ones here. There is a separate pool over ther, so it is nice here in my part with our own pool for just a few rooms.
After breakfast, I went exploring. The main sights here deal with what used to be the downtown area before the 1972 earthquake that destroyed the center of the city. It was the second earthquake to destroy that part of the city in 40 years, so it was decided not to rebuild it. That has left a large undeveloped gap right where downtown used to be. The old cathedral is standing as a ruin, but it is too damaged for visitors to go inside. The old governmental palace apparently could be saved and now houses the National Museum. Most replacement government buildings were built along the fringes of the area of destruction to try to avoid another round of earthquake destruction in the future which meant that the old center was essentially abandoned. A new National Theater, however, was built where the old one was; I just hope they used a design to make it more earthquake proof. It's strange to be in the area, though. The old main plaza is there, but most of the area consists of parking lots or fenced off vacant land. The traffic circle with the statue of Bolivar which was the enter of the city before, is still there, but the area is quiet. Further out, there is an arboretum on part of the vacant land. In some places, temporary housing was constructed. But it is hard to sense today how busy this part of the city used to be.
I hate it when a museum takes your money and then tells you that half of it is closed! That's what happened at the National Museum. I was mainly interested in the paintings, but after I paid my $4 the lady told me that the upstairs where the paintings are is closed. The exhibits I saw were not worth a $4 admission fee.
On the way back from that area, I stopped in Plaza Inter, a shopping mall that was built just outside the area of earthquake destruction. It's small and has little in it to make anyone want to go there today. It does have an 8-screen cinema with current films, though. And it has a food court with small branches of some of the local restaurants that are recommended in guidebooks. Overall, it looks like an old mall that is far past its prime, however.
The area of town where I walked today was one of the areas with warnings for tourists. Since it's essentially an abandoned area to a great extent, apparently there have been some problems, especially for tourists who are alone. But I never sensed any problem at all. And I also saw two female tourists walking alone in the area. My guess is that visiting here in Managua won't be any more dangerous than being in any of the other places I have visited except maybe at night (when I tend to be in my room) or in very poor neighborhoods (which I have no interest in visiting anyway).
After 3 hours of exploring, I was back in my room. I read, I was on the Internet. I didn't swim today, because it looked like rain in the late afternoon. Now I will watch some TV.
My hotel has a very good buffet breakfast. It is Nicaraguan-style with the beans and rice, salty cheese, etc., but it also includes pancakes, butter, jam, and cereal. It's in the part of the hotel across the street from where I am staying. I'm in the smaller, original hotel. The one over there is newer, but the rooms have the same doors and windows, so I assume they are copies of the ones here. There is a separate pool over ther, so it is nice here in my part with our own pool for just a few rooms.
After breakfast, I went exploring. The main sights here deal with what used to be the downtown area before the 1972 earthquake that destroyed the center of the city. It was the second earthquake to destroy that part of the city in 40 years, so it was decided not to rebuild it. That has left a large undeveloped gap right where downtown used to be. The old cathedral is standing as a ruin, but it is too damaged for visitors to go inside. The old governmental palace apparently could be saved and now houses the National Museum. Most replacement government buildings were built along the fringes of the area of destruction to try to avoid another round of earthquake destruction in the future which meant that the old center was essentially abandoned. A new National Theater, however, was built where the old one was; I just hope they used a design to make it more earthquake proof. It's strange to be in the area, though. The old main plaza is there, but most of the area consists of parking lots or fenced off vacant land. The traffic circle with the statue of Bolivar which was the enter of the city before, is still there, but the area is quiet. Further out, there is an arboretum on part of the vacant land. In some places, temporary housing was constructed. But it is hard to sense today how busy this part of the city used to be.
I hate it when a museum takes your money and then tells you that half of it is closed! That's what happened at the National Museum. I was mainly interested in the paintings, but after I paid my $4 the lady told me that the upstairs where the paintings are is closed. The exhibits I saw were not worth a $4 admission fee.
On the way back from that area, I stopped in Plaza Inter, a shopping mall that was built just outside the area of earthquake destruction. It's small and has little in it to make anyone want to go there today. It does have an 8-screen cinema with current films, though. And it has a food court with small branches of some of the local restaurants that are recommended in guidebooks. Overall, it looks like an old mall that is far past its prime, however.
The area of town where I walked today was one of the areas with warnings for tourists. Since it's essentially an abandoned area to a great extent, apparently there have been some problems, especially for tourists who are alone. But I never sensed any problem at all. And I also saw two female tourists walking alone in the area. My guess is that visiting here in Managua won't be any more dangerous than being in any of the other places I have visited except maybe at night (when I tend to be in my room) or in very poor neighborhoods (which I have no interest in visiting anyway).
After 3 hours of exploring, I was back in my room. I read, I was on the Internet. I didn't swim today, because it looked like rain in the late afternoon. Now I will watch some TV.
Friday, February 08, 2013
The Last Stop
Friday, Feb. 8, 2013--Leon to Managua
I was up earlier than usual this morning and had breakfast and left my hotel by 7:30. Walking to the bus station, I arrived at 8:57. At 9:00, I was on a bus that was pulling out for Managua. Although it was an express bus, it still seemed to stop more than it should have. But I was not really in a hurry.
As we entered Managua, I couldn't figure out where we were. None of our turns made sense in terms of where the bus was supposed to terminate. Suddenly, we passed a baseball stadium which I could locate on my map, and I realized we were much further north and east than I had expected us to go. A woman was getting off right after that, so I grabbed my things and exited with her. From looking at the map, I had thought I would need to walk back to the stadium, but she said that the road where we got off was Ave. Bolivar. That was perfect. It led directly to the hotel where I had reserved a room and was only half the distance from the hotel as where I had expected the bus terminal to be.
I had no problem walking to the Hotel Mozonte except that it was hot and much of the trip was uphill. I knew exactly where to turn, and the hotel was just where I expected it to be. Checking in went well, but the room they showed me had no window and was really inside the lobby. That's something that I just cannot tolerate. I want outside light, and I do not want noise from a people area such as a lobby. Fortunately, the lady told me that I could have another room if I would wait a while. I sat in a shaded area near the pool and opened my computer expecting to wait maybe 1-2 hours. Instead, within 15 minutes she had an upstairs room overlooking the pool available. Upstairs is always quieter, the room had a nice window with outside light, and the view of the pool was an added feature. I have a nice place to spend my last 6 nights/5 days in Nicaragua.
I stayed inside and started reading a new book during the afternoon. Then, around 17:00, I went out to find food. There is a McDonald's nearby, but it is over priced. Next door to it was a La Colonia supermarket, so I bought some supplies for the room considering that I have a refrigerator. I got chips, a can of refried beans, some ham, some rolls, a bottle of rum, a bottle of Coke Zero, and a package of coconut cookies. Back at the hotel, I made a rum and cola and had chips and bean dip. Then I made a sandwich. Finally, I ate all the cookies. With everything else, I have leftovers for another night.
TV here has CNN International, but it does not have my favorite which is BBC News. However, it has Al Jazeera in English as an alternative. Tonight, I watched the news and re-watched the film Cast Away.
I have felt safe on this whole trip. However, the warnings about Managua bother me. My bet is that there will be no problem here either. Actually, when I read about the other places I have been on this trip, there have been scary warnings about a lot of the places. Yet I never felt in danger anywhere. Today, I just didn't want to go out anywhere. Tomorrow, I will head out to explore and see how I feel about it all.
I was up earlier than usual this morning and had breakfast and left my hotel by 7:30. Walking to the bus station, I arrived at 8:57. At 9:00, I was on a bus that was pulling out for Managua. Although it was an express bus, it still seemed to stop more than it should have. But I was not really in a hurry.
As we entered Managua, I couldn't figure out where we were. None of our turns made sense in terms of where the bus was supposed to terminate. Suddenly, we passed a baseball stadium which I could locate on my map, and I realized we were much further north and east than I had expected us to go. A woman was getting off right after that, so I grabbed my things and exited with her. From looking at the map, I had thought I would need to walk back to the stadium, but she said that the road where we got off was Ave. Bolivar. That was perfect. It led directly to the hotel where I had reserved a room and was only half the distance from the hotel as where I had expected the bus terminal to be.
I had no problem walking to the Hotel Mozonte except that it was hot and much of the trip was uphill. I knew exactly where to turn, and the hotel was just where I expected it to be. Checking in went well, but the room they showed me had no window and was really inside the lobby. That's something that I just cannot tolerate. I want outside light, and I do not want noise from a people area such as a lobby. Fortunately, the lady told me that I could have another room if I would wait a while. I sat in a shaded area near the pool and opened my computer expecting to wait maybe 1-2 hours. Instead, within 15 minutes she had an upstairs room overlooking the pool available. Upstairs is always quieter, the room had a nice window with outside light, and the view of the pool was an added feature. I have a nice place to spend my last 6 nights/5 days in Nicaragua.
I stayed inside and started reading a new book during the afternoon. Then, around 17:00, I went out to find food. There is a McDonald's nearby, but it is over priced. Next door to it was a La Colonia supermarket, so I bought some supplies for the room considering that I have a refrigerator. I got chips, a can of refried beans, some ham, some rolls, a bottle of rum, a bottle of Coke Zero, and a package of coconut cookies. Back at the hotel, I made a rum and cola and had chips and bean dip. Then I made a sandwich. Finally, I ate all the cookies. With everything else, I have leftovers for another night.
TV here has CNN International, but it does not have my favorite which is BBC News. However, it has Al Jazeera in English as an alternative. Tonight, I watched the news and re-watched the film Cast Away.
I have felt safe on this whole trip. However, the warnings about Managua bother me. My bet is that there will be no problem here either. Actually, when I read about the other places I have been on this trip, there have been scary warnings about a lot of the places. Yet I never felt in danger anywhere. Today, I just didn't want to go out anywhere. Tomorrow, I will head out to explore and see how I feel about it all.
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Scalped!
Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013--Leon
The new price that the hotel representative said he would be sending "in a moment" for the hotel in Manauga had not arrived this morning. I wrote back. He wrote back with an e-mail apologizing and saying it was attached. It wasn't! What a mess. I've written him back again asking him just to put it in the text of the e-mail rather than trying to attach it. It would be a good hotel at a great price if I can ever get this straightened out, so I am hesitant to book elsewhere yet.
I got a haircut this morning at a barber shop half a block from my hotel. I had used Google translate to write down four directions:
Cut it close around the edges and on the back
Angle out quickly from the close edges
Round the corners in the back
Just trim the top rather than cut too much off
Well, the barber read my notes, and I still came out of there almost scalped! Even worse, what little I had left he had glued down flat with gel which made it look even worse. It's going to be a haircut that will last some time. Fortunately, it looked better after washing out all the gel and letting it dry naturally. The sad thing is that it is still a better cut than I have been getting in San Antonio where I've decided I must find another place to go for my future cuts.
Every Nicaraguan town is filled with pharmacies. I'm thinking that anyone must be able to establish one and that there is no requirement for a registered pharmacist to be on duty. Either that, or there is a school of pharmacy cranking out pharmacists here like nurses from the Philippines. Anyway, it is quite common to find 2-3 pharmacies within a block! I'm sure I pass at least 4-5 pharmacies in the 3-block walk from my hotel to the center of Leon. How do they all stay in business and provide an adequate income for their owners?
_____
Around 16:00 an e-mail arrived with an attachment showing the hotel reservation in Managua at the price I expected. What a relief. I had been considering just staying here in Leon one more day to give me time to make a reservation elsewhere.
I returned to the French bakery tonight for one last sandwich--a salami one on multi-grain bread with fresh vegetables. It was good, but the one with pesto and mozzarella cheese earlier this week was the best. I tried to get that one again today, but there was no pesto.
I finished reading another book--Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman. It is one of the best written books I have read in some time. It was listed as a top book in 2007 by The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. It's an interesting book in that 2/3 of it is what is happening in one person's mind--a 17-year-old boy who is shy while experiencing his first crush and is imagining and experiencing all kinds of thoughts and feelings. I gave the book 4 stars (our of 4).
The new price that the hotel representative said he would be sending "in a moment" for the hotel in Manauga had not arrived this morning. I wrote back. He wrote back with an e-mail apologizing and saying it was attached. It wasn't! What a mess. I've written him back again asking him just to put it in the text of the e-mail rather than trying to attach it. It would be a good hotel at a great price if I can ever get this straightened out, so I am hesitant to book elsewhere yet.
I got a haircut this morning at a barber shop half a block from my hotel. I had used Google translate to write down four directions:
Cut it close around the edges and on the back
Angle out quickly from the close edges
Round the corners in the back
Just trim the top rather than cut too much off
Well, the barber read my notes, and I still came out of there almost scalped! Even worse, what little I had left he had glued down flat with gel which made it look even worse. It's going to be a haircut that will last some time. Fortunately, it looked better after washing out all the gel and letting it dry naturally. The sad thing is that it is still a better cut than I have been getting in San Antonio where I've decided I must find another place to go for my future cuts.
Every Nicaraguan town is filled with pharmacies. I'm thinking that anyone must be able to establish one and that there is no requirement for a registered pharmacist to be on duty. Either that, or there is a school of pharmacy cranking out pharmacists here like nurses from the Philippines. Anyway, it is quite common to find 2-3 pharmacies within a block! I'm sure I pass at least 4-5 pharmacies in the 3-block walk from my hotel to the center of Leon. How do they all stay in business and provide an adequate income for their owners?
_____
Around 16:00 an e-mail arrived with an attachment showing the hotel reservation in Managua at the price I expected. What a relief. I had been considering just staying here in Leon one more day to give me time to make a reservation elsewhere.
I returned to the French bakery tonight for one last sandwich--a salami one on multi-grain bread with fresh vegetables. It was good, but the one with pesto and mozzarella cheese earlier this week was the best. I tried to get that one again today, but there was no pesto.
I finished reading another book--Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman. It is one of the best written books I have read in some time. It was listed as a top book in 2007 by The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. It's an interesting book in that 2/3 of it is what is happening in one person's mind--a 17-year-old boy who is shy while experiencing his first crush and is imagining and experiencing all kinds of thoughts and feelings. I gave the book 4 stars (our of 4).
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
A Mixed Bag of a Day
Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013--Leon
Last night I wrote the Hotel Monzonte I had chosen for my stay in Managua to ask for a reservation. Their website had shown a rate of $50 for a single plus 17% in taxes. I got a confirmation back today, but it was for about $100 more than it should have been. I wrote them back questioning it. I had not heard back by 13:00, so I started looking at other hotels. I found a code for a further discount to $42 per night plus 17% tax for the original hotel. I wrote them asking them to cancel my reservation and telling them that if they could give me the coded lower price, I would stay there. In the meantime, I told them, I would look at other hotels. Fortunately, they do not have my credit card information, so there is nothing they can do if I don't show up. Also, I have the copy of the e-mail asking them to cancel the reservation. I've found a couple of other places I am considering. If I haven't heard back by tomorrow morning, I will make a reservation at one of them. It's for 6 nights, so the hotel should be interested in having a room rented that long.
This morning, I walked about 1/2 mile (a little less than a km) westward to the suburb of Subtiava. Actually, I guess that Leon is a suburb of Subtiava, since the latter existed first. Leon was originally in another location on the side of the Lago de Managua. For some reason unknown today, the original site was abandoned. Many of the buildings were physically dismantled and moved to this new location which was near the already existing indigenous town of Subtiava. Leon has grown out to it and it is impossible to know when leaving one and entering the other. Anyway, I went there to see the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Subtiava which is the oldest intact church in the city. Unfortunately, the church was not open, but I could see the outside. It was located facing a nice plaza and had a huge old cobblestone plaza which was probably a market at one time to the side. Along the main street, there was a nice market today filled with stalls of beautifully arranged fruits and vegetables which had been brought into town via horse drawn carts.
Back in town, I read in the plaza. Then I wandered more. I went to the old train station which was a disappointment. The area has been taken over by a ramshackle street market, and the old station building is abandoned except for homeless people who live in parts of it.
In the area, I found two of the places where I had considered staying. Both, La Posada de la Doctor and Posada Fuente Capitalia, were attractive colonial buildings with beautiful courtyards. Their locations would not have been as nice and as convenient as where I am, however.
Returning toward the center of town, I passed a woman serving food on the street. Although I really wasn't hungry, since I had eaten breakfast only 3 hours earlier, her food looked so good that I ordered a bowl. She took a banana leaf and formed a bowl with it in one hand. Using the other hand which was in a plastic glove, she first put a pile of cooked cubes of yucca and used her fingers to mash them into mush. Then she added about 6 large chucks of pork cooked in a deep red sauce. Over that, she piled pickled cabbage. And, finally, she added pickled peppered onions as a form of chile. All the juices soaked into the yucca and gave it a great taste. I sat on a bench and ate it. UMMM. Total cost was about $1.75.
In the late afternoon, after having researched hotels in Managua and read newspapers online in my air-conditioned room during the hot part of the day, I went back out. Just a block from my hotel is the Fundacion Ortiz which my guidebook says is the best art museum in the country. For only 85 cents, I entered and was amazed. In two large old colonial buildings was a fantastic collection of works. Over half of them were wonderful contemporary pieces. There were so many paintings that I would have loved to have had in my home. And there were unbelievably fantastic ceramics from nearby Masaya where I visited two weeks ago, especially ones by Helio Gutierrez.
I returned to the Pan y Paz French Bakery and had a tuna sandwich and tamarindo juice. Their food is just fantastic. I'll probably return there tomorrow, too.
Returning toward my hotel, I ran into the couple from Prescott, AZ, who were originally from Portland, OR, and were on the boat when I first entered Nicaragua. This is the second time that I have run into them; we also met in Granada unexpectedly. We visited briefly. We all agreed that Leon is much better than Granada and is the best place we have visited in Nicaragua. They, too, have been eating every day at the French bakery here, but they have gone for breakfast or lunch while I have gone in the evening. They are headed toward the mountains, so I made suggestions to them about places to stay there and things to eat. We probably won't see each other again, but it has been run to bump into to them twice in two different cities since first meeting them 3 weeks ago..
Last night I wrote the Hotel Monzonte I had chosen for my stay in Managua to ask for a reservation. Their website had shown a rate of $50 for a single plus 17% in taxes. I got a confirmation back today, but it was for about $100 more than it should have been. I wrote them back questioning it. I had not heard back by 13:00, so I started looking at other hotels. I found a code for a further discount to $42 per night plus 17% tax for the original hotel. I wrote them asking them to cancel my reservation and telling them that if they could give me the coded lower price, I would stay there. In the meantime, I told them, I would look at other hotels. Fortunately, they do not have my credit card information, so there is nothing they can do if I don't show up. Also, I have the copy of the e-mail asking them to cancel the reservation. I've found a couple of other places I am considering. If I haven't heard back by tomorrow morning, I will make a reservation at one of them. It's for 6 nights, so the hotel should be interested in having a room rented that long.
This morning, I walked about 1/2 mile (a little less than a km) westward to the suburb of Subtiava. Actually, I guess that Leon is a suburb of Subtiava, since the latter existed first. Leon was originally in another location on the side of the Lago de Managua. For some reason unknown today, the original site was abandoned. Many of the buildings were physically dismantled and moved to this new location which was near the already existing indigenous town of Subtiava. Leon has grown out to it and it is impossible to know when leaving one and entering the other. Anyway, I went there to see the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Subtiava which is the oldest intact church in the city. Unfortunately, the church was not open, but I could see the outside. It was located facing a nice plaza and had a huge old cobblestone plaza which was probably a market at one time to the side. Along the main street, there was a nice market today filled with stalls of beautifully arranged fruits and vegetables which had been brought into town via horse drawn carts.
Back in town, I read in the plaza. Then I wandered more. I went to the old train station which was a disappointment. The area has been taken over by a ramshackle street market, and the old station building is abandoned except for homeless people who live in parts of it.
In the area, I found two of the places where I had considered staying. Both, La Posada de la Doctor and Posada Fuente Capitalia, were attractive colonial buildings with beautiful courtyards. Their locations would not have been as nice and as convenient as where I am, however.
Returning toward the center of town, I passed a woman serving food on the street. Although I really wasn't hungry, since I had eaten breakfast only 3 hours earlier, her food looked so good that I ordered a bowl. She took a banana leaf and formed a bowl with it in one hand. Using the other hand which was in a plastic glove, she first put a pile of cooked cubes of yucca and used her fingers to mash them into mush. Then she added about 6 large chucks of pork cooked in a deep red sauce. Over that, she piled pickled cabbage. And, finally, she added pickled peppered onions as a form of chile. All the juices soaked into the yucca and gave it a great taste. I sat on a bench and ate it. UMMM. Total cost was about $1.75.
In the late afternoon, after having researched hotels in Managua and read newspapers online in my air-conditioned room during the hot part of the day, I went back out. Just a block from my hotel is the Fundacion Ortiz which my guidebook says is the best art museum in the country. For only 85 cents, I entered and was amazed. In two large old colonial buildings was a fantastic collection of works. Over half of them were wonderful contemporary pieces. There were so many paintings that I would have loved to have had in my home. And there were unbelievably fantastic ceramics from nearby Masaya where I visited two weeks ago, especially ones by Helio Gutierrez.
I returned to the Pan y Paz French Bakery and had a tuna sandwich and tamarindo juice. Their food is just fantastic. I'll probably return there tomorrow, too.
Returning toward my hotel, I ran into the couple from Prescott, AZ, who were originally from Portland, OR, and were on the boat when I first entered Nicaragua. This is the second time that I have run into them; we also met in Granada unexpectedly. We visited briefly. We all agreed that Leon is much better than Granada and is the best place we have visited in Nicaragua. They, too, have been eating every day at the French bakery here, but they have gone for breakfast or lunch while I have gone in the evening. They are headed toward the mountains, so I made suggestions to them about places to stay there and things to eat. We probably won't see each other again, but it has been run to bump into to them twice in two different cities since first meeting them 3 weeks ago..
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Exciting Leon!
Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013--Leon
I understand that the link to my hotel, El Portal de 1610, did not work yesterday. I tried to link all the way to the English language page rather than to the opening page. I have updated that link, and I have also put it here on this post.
Breakfast here at the hotel is light, but it was fine--a plate of bananas and watermelon followed by bread with butter and jam along with coffee. That makes it easy to just eat one more meal per day, and I've already picked out a place for eating later--a French bakery with sandwiches that look fantastic.
When I left the hotel, the young employee who has been hired because of his English asked if I would go to the museum. Actually, I had been thinking of going to the one with art. There is another across the street which was the home of Ruben Dario, the most famous Nicaraguan poet. However, I didn't make it to either of them today. Leon is just too interesting a city for me to enter a museum during the cooler hours of the day. Instead, I walked and walked for 2 1/2 hours taking photos of old colonial buildings, peeking inside the buildings, going through the market, seeing the cafes and bakeries, etc.
Leon appeals to me much more than Granada. The sidewalk cafe street in Granada seemed a bit too artificial and touristy. The market in Granada was just too much of a hodge-podge of makeshift construction with trash and smells everywhere. The colonial buildings there were nice. But Granada also seemed to lack much life. Leon on the other hand, feels real. There is life everywhere mainly because of the students here at the university. The university does not have a "campus." Instead, it has taken over colonial buildings all over the western side of the downtown area, so students are everywhere. The market here in Leon is in two main buildings as well as spilling out on the streets at umbrella stands. The older one has courtyards within it and has been completely restored; it houses small shops selling mostly clothing. The other (newer) building has the food products and is very clean and organized. The Cathedral here in Leon is the largest in all of Central America and its interior is beautiful and elaborate compared to others I have seen. The city is so nice that I think I could stay here in Leon longer than the 4 days I've planned.
_____
When I went back out, I did go to the French bakery. I had a sandwich with lemonade. The sandwich was on multi-grain bread and had pesto, tomatoes, shredded carrots, bell pepper, and mozzarella cheese. I added some hot vinegar to give it a bit of a bite. It was delicious.
From there, I went to another bakery to try to see what they had for dessert. I had gone by it in the morning, and there was such a crowd (using a number system for placing their orders) that I couldn't even get a glimpse of the counter. Well, at 16:45, it was the same story! Panaderia Munguia has to be the most popular bakery in town. I hope I get to try something from there while I am here.
At 18:00, I got kicked out of the Parque Central. Apparently they close it at that time, since they still do not have lighting up in it. The whole park is surrounded by a metal wall, so they asked all of us to leave and then closed the openings that allow people to enter in the daytime. By the way, the worker addressed me as "Jeffe" when he asked me to leave.
I saw a sign for Choco-Banano (frozen banana dipped in chocolate coating) while walking this morning. I tried to find the place tonight after leaving the park, and couldn't. Tomorrow, I will try to re-trace my steps when leaving the hotel to see if I can find it again. With the hot weather, it would be nice to have one.
In the evenings, people here in Leon bring their rocking chairs out onto the narrow sidewalks outside their homes. No one has air-conditioning, so it's a way to sit in a cooler place and visit. Plus, like it used to be at home, it's a form of sitting on the front porch to watch everyone go by. It's a nice characteristic of the city. Within any given block, there can be several sets of people sitting outside in their rocking chairs after 18:00 when the sun has gone down.
I understand that the link to my hotel, El Portal de 1610, did not work yesterday. I tried to link all the way to the English language page rather than to the opening page. I have updated that link, and I have also put it here on this post.
Breakfast here at the hotel is light, but it was fine--a plate of bananas and watermelon followed by bread with butter and jam along with coffee. That makes it easy to just eat one more meal per day, and I've already picked out a place for eating later--a French bakery with sandwiches that look fantastic.
When I left the hotel, the young employee who has been hired because of his English asked if I would go to the museum. Actually, I had been thinking of going to the one with art. There is another across the street which was the home of Ruben Dario, the most famous Nicaraguan poet. However, I didn't make it to either of them today. Leon is just too interesting a city for me to enter a museum during the cooler hours of the day. Instead, I walked and walked for 2 1/2 hours taking photos of old colonial buildings, peeking inside the buildings, going through the market, seeing the cafes and bakeries, etc.
Leon appeals to me much more than Granada. The sidewalk cafe street in Granada seemed a bit too artificial and touristy. The market in Granada was just too much of a hodge-podge of makeshift construction with trash and smells everywhere. The colonial buildings there were nice. But Granada also seemed to lack much life. Leon on the other hand, feels real. There is life everywhere mainly because of the students here at the university. The university does not have a "campus." Instead, it has taken over colonial buildings all over the western side of the downtown area, so students are everywhere. The market here in Leon is in two main buildings as well as spilling out on the streets at umbrella stands. The older one has courtyards within it and has been completely restored; it houses small shops selling mostly clothing. The other (newer) building has the food products and is very clean and organized. The Cathedral here in Leon is the largest in all of Central America and its interior is beautiful and elaborate compared to others I have seen. The city is so nice that I think I could stay here in Leon longer than the 4 days I've planned.
_____
When I went back out, I did go to the French bakery. I had a sandwich with lemonade. The sandwich was on multi-grain bread and had pesto, tomatoes, shredded carrots, bell pepper, and mozzarella cheese. I added some hot vinegar to give it a bit of a bite. It was delicious.
From there, I went to another bakery to try to see what they had for dessert. I had gone by it in the morning, and there was such a crowd (using a number system for placing their orders) that I couldn't even get a glimpse of the counter. Well, at 16:45, it was the same story! Panaderia Munguia has to be the most popular bakery in town. I hope I get to try something from there while I am here.
At 18:00, I got kicked out of the Parque Central. Apparently they close it at that time, since they still do not have lighting up in it. The whole park is surrounded by a metal wall, so they asked all of us to leave and then closed the openings that allow people to enter in the daytime. By the way, the worker addressed me as "Jeffe" when he asked me to leave.
I saw a sign for Choco-Banano (frozen banana dipped in chocolate coating) while walking this morning. I tried to find the place tonight after leaving the park, and couldn't. Tomorrow, I will try to re-trace my steps when leaving the hotel to see if I can find it again. With the hot weather, it would be nice to have one.
In the evenings, people here in Leon bring their rocking chairs out onto the narrow sidewalks outside their homes. No one has air-conditioning, so it's a way to sit in a cooler place and visit. Plus, like it used to be at home, it's a form of sitting on the front porch to watch everyone go by. It's a nice characteristic of the city. Within any given block, there can be several sets of people sitting outside in their rocking chairs after 18:00 when the sun has gone down.
Monday, February 04, 2013
A Sardine
Monday, Feb. 4, 2013--Esteli to Leon
I was out of the hotel at 7:30 and at the bus station at 7:56. Two minutes later, the bus to San Isidro left. It was actually a bus to Managua, but to get to Leon from Esteli, it is necessary to change buses in San Isidro or to take one of the two Esteli-Leon buses that leave at 5:00 and 5:45. That was just too early for me. But changing buses only ate up about 15 minutes of time. We arrived in San Isidro, and the next bus to Leon left 15 minutes later.
There was cool, fresh air as we were coming down from the mountains. I had researched the temperatures in Leon and knew that they were coming to an end. Not only did it get warmer, but the last 45 minutes or so of the trip in to Leon, we passengers were packed in like sardines. I had a large cowboy sitting beside me in the window seat. In the aisle, I had at least 3 people pressing against my shoulder, elbow, legs, and knees. I'm glad the 3 hr. 15 min. trip wasn't completely like that.
It was about a 15 block walk from the bus station to the hotel I had decided to try first. When I got to it, they quoted a rate that was $10 more per night than their internet website had shown. I commented that they hadn't adjusted their website with the new rates and told them I had another place I wanted to see first. The man quickly adjusted his rate to that on the Internet if I would agree to stay 4 nights which I had already mentioned as my plans. So I am at the El Portal de 1610 Hotel for $35 per night including air conditioning and breakfast.
The high temperatures here are around 95 F (35 C). So by the time I got to the hotel, my shirt was damp where my backpack had rested and my socks were damp inside my shoes. I spent the afternoon inside under the air conditioning. That's what I will do most days while here--go out in the morning and in the late afternoon/evening while spending the hot time of the day in the room.
This afternoon, I left about 16:30 to explore. I walked down one street to the center of town and eventually came back out a second. It was nice to realize that the hotel is in a good location. The Parque Central/Cathedral are only a few blocks away. A supermarket is only one block away. An area known for its ladies cooking inexpensive food on the sidewalks starts only across the street. Yet my room is on an inside courtyard and is quiet.
I sat at Parque Central for some time. It has just been rebuilt in a process that, like the rebuilding of Main Plaza in San Antonio, the park has been extended so that there is no street traffic on 3 sides. The construction continues, but it is essentially finished except for installing the old street lights on the concrete pedestals that are still drying. I read while there, but I also looked at the buildings around the square.
Leon is the second most important colonial city in Nicaragua (after Granada). But it has its advantages. It feels more like an older city. I has a nice variety of types of older buildings. It's more alive because of the major university that is here. It has narrower streets which I think give it more atmosphere. However, much fewer of its colonial buildings have been restored in comparison to Granada.
Heading back to the room, I ate dinner on the streets. At a park nearby, I got a slice of cheese and ham pizza hot out of the oven for 60 cents. Then across the street, I got a chicken flauta (called a "taco" here) with a large serving of cabbage salad with sour cream for 50 cents. Although I hadn't eaten all day, together they were filling, satisfying, and pleasant.
I was out of the hotel at 7:30 and at the bus station at 7:56. Two minutes later, the bus to San Isidro left. It was actually a bus to Managua, but to get to Leon from Esteli, it is necessary to change buses in San Isidro or to take one of the two Esteli-Leon buses that leave at 5:00 and 5:45. That was just too early for me. But changing buses only ate up about 15 minutes of time. We arrived in San Isidro, and the next bus to Leon left 15 minutes later.
There was cool, fresh air as we were coming down from the mountains. I had researched the temperatures in Leon and knew that they were coming to an end. Not only did it get warmer, but the last 45 minutes or so of the trip in to Leon, we passengers were packed in like sardines. I had a large cowboy sitting beside me in the window seat. In the aisle, I had at least 3 people pressing against my shoulder, elbow, legs, and knees. I'm glad the 3 hr. 15 min. trip wasn't completely like that.
It was about a 15 block walk from the bus station to the hotel I had decided to try first. When I got to it, they quoted a rate that was $10 more per night than their internet website had shown. I commented that they hadn't adjusted their website with the new rates and told them I had another place I wanted to see first. The man quickly adjusted his rate to that on the Internet if I would agree to stay 4 nights which I had already mentioned as my plans. So I am at the El Portal de 1610 Hotel for $35 per night including air conditioning and breakfast.
The high temperatures here are around 95 F (35 C). So by the time I got to the hotel, my shirt was damp where my backpack had rested and my socks were damp inside my shoes. I spent the afternoon inside under the air conditioning. That's what I will do most days while here--go out in the morning and in the late afternoon/evening while spending the hot time of the day in the room.
This afternoon, I left about 16:30 to explore. I walked down one street to the center of town and eventually came back out a second. It was nice to realize that the hotel is in a good location. The Parque Central/Cathedral are only a few blocks away. A supermarket is only one block away. An area known for its ladies cooking inexpensive food on the sidewalks starts only across the street. Yet my room is on an inside courtyard and is quiet.
I sat at Parque Central for some time. It has just been rebuilt in a process that, like the rebuilding of Main Plaza in San Antonio, the park has been extended so that there is no street traffic on 3 sides. The construction continues, but it is essentially finished except for installing the old street lights on the concrete pedestals that are still drying. I read while there, but I also looked at the buildings around the square.
Leon is the second most important colonial city in Nicaragua (after Granada). But it has its advantages. It feels more like an older city. I has a nice variety of types of older buildings. It's more alive because of the major university that is here. It has narrower streets which I think give it more atmosphere. However, much fewer of its colonial buildings have been restored in comparison to Granada.
Heading back to the room, I ate dinner on the streets. At a park nearby, I got a slice of cheese and ham pizza hot out of the oven for 60 cents. Then across the street, I got a chicken flauta (called a "taco" here) with a large serving of cabbage salad with sour cream for 50 cents. Although I hadn't eaten all day, together they were filling, satisfying, and pleasant.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Lazy Day in a Better Room
Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013--Esteli
Because the private rooms in my hostel were booked up for tonight, I checked out this morning and walked to the Panarama #2 Hotel. It had not been noted in my guide or on the Internet, but I could tell it would be a nice place when I saw it a couple of days ago. A room was available, and it was much nicer than where I had been staying while costing only $2.25 US more per day. This is a CLEAN place. The woman who runs it was cleaning when I arrived and was still cleaning 2 hours later. In my room, the mattress is much better than the one I had in the old place. There is also a TV (with CBS Super Bowl coverage including commercials, although I only watched part of it). I wish I had been staying here for the whole time I've been in town.
I have eaten all my meals while here in Esteli at one place--the Gutierrez Bakery. It is such a wonderful place. All their products are fresh and delicious. They have sandwiches, savory items similar to kolaches with either meat and cheese or vegetables inside, and sweets such as cookies, donuts, cakes, puddings, etc. Fortunately, they were open in the evenings as well as during the daytime. Wish they had a branch in San Antonio.
Sunday is a slow day here. Not much happened, so I mainly relaxed. I even took a deep nap for about an hour in the afternoon. I went to the park for a while to read, but a drunk young man approached me. I couldn't understand what he was saying, and he smelled terrible from the beer he had apparently been drinking all night. When I realized he wasn't going away, I told him I needed to leave and walked away.
I finished reading the novel Ireland by Frank Delaney this morning. It's about a young boy who becomes fascinated with an itinerant storyteller who stops by their home for a few days. It's a very interesting general story, although I began to tire of the historical stories that were inserted into it by the storyteller, by the boy, and by others. I gave the book 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
I have a small problem. I think I only have 2 more books with me. I packed 7 for the trip thinking that one a week would be enough after Wes left. But I have been reading one every 4-5 days. Too bad I didn't leave my winter pullover (which I thought might be needed in the mountains but hasn't been) and put 2-3 more books in the bag.
I'm also a bit worried about going to Leon tomorrow. I do not have a reservation there. I tried to make one at my first-choice place, but they said they are fully booked. The main university of the country is in Leon, and this is the end of the "summer break." That means that potentially the city could be overrun with parents bringing their children to town to move into dorms and apartments and to start classes. I'll just arrive tomorrow and wander until I find a place. I've marked about 8 potential places on the map and will route myself from one to the next hoping that I will find an acceptable place.
Because the private rooms in my hostel were booked up for tonight, I checked out this morning and walked to the Panarama #2 Hotel. It had not been noted in my guide or on the Internet, but I could tell it would be a nice place when I saw it a couple of days ago. A room was available, and it was much nicer than where I had been staying while costing only $2.25 US more per day. This is a CLEAN place. The woman who runs it was cleaning when I arrived and was still cleaning 2 hours later. In my room, the mattress is much better than the one I had in the old place. There is also a TV (with CBS Super Bowl coverage including commercials, although I only watched part of it). I wish I had been staying here for the whole time I've been in town.
I have eaten all my meals while here in Esteli at one place--the Gutierrez Bakery. It is such a wonderful place. All their products are fresh and delicious. They have sandwiches, savory items similar to kolaches with either meat and cheese or vegetables inside, and sweets such as cookies, donuts, cakes, puddings, etc. Fortunately, they were open in the evenings as well as during the daytime. Wish they had a branch in San Antonio.
Sunday is a slow day here. Not much happened, so I mainly relaxed. I even took a deep nap for about an hour in the afternoon. I went to the park for a while to read, but a drunk young man approached me. I couldn't understand what he was saying, and he smelled terrible from the beer he had apparently been drinking all night. When I realized he wasn't going away, I told him I needed to leave and walked away.
I finished reading the novel Ireland by Frank Delaney this morning. It's about a young boy who becomes fascinated with an itinerant storyteller who stops by their home for a few days. It's a very interesting general story, although I began to tire of the historical stories that were inserted into it by the storyteller, by the boy, and by others. I gave the book 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
I have a small problem. I think I only have 2 more books with me. I packed 7 for the trip thinking that one a week would be enough after Wes left. But I have been reading one every 4-5 days. Too bad I didn't leave my winter pullover (which I thought might be needed in the mountains but hasn't been) and put 2-3 more books in the bag.
I'm also a bit worried about going to Leon tomorrow. I do not have a reservation there. I tried to make one at my first-choice place, but they said they are fully booked. The main university of the country is in Leon, and this is the end of the "summer break." That means that potentially the city could be overrun with parents bringing their children to town to move into dorms and apartments and to start classes. I'll just arrive tomorrow and wander until I find a place. I've marked about 8 potential places on the map and will route myself from one to the next hoping that I will find an acceptable place.
Saturday, February 02, 2013
Miscellaneous Topics
Saturday,
February 1, 2013—Esteli
Since I have gone into a relaxing mode for
my time here in Esteli, I thought I would produce a blog enter about various
topics that are on my mind:
There were Internet problems
yesterday. When I arrived, the Internet
wouldn’t work. I didn’t try again until
about 20:00, and apparently it had been on but went off again just as I was
trying it. Therefore, I couldn’t post
the blog entry that I had written in Microsoft Word earlier in the day. Fortunately it is working today. I had my doubts, however. It was a strange situation yesterday; the
small monitor screen on my computer indicating a connection via wifi showed
that data was passing, but none of the websites worked. My first thought was that maybe there was a
permission page where I would have to agree with regulations, but there wasn’t. Second, I asked them to consider rebooting
the modem and the computer. That worked
once, but only briefly. The modem is a
USB modem for a satellite connection.
They even let me plug it into my computer to see if it would work. It wouldn’t (although the wifi monitor still
showed data flowing. This is the first
place I have had any major problems connecting to the Internet via wifi
(although the one place in Costa
Rica
I’m starving for vegetables. Today, I bought a sandwich for lunch—ham,
cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and thousand island dressing on a soft bun. As I ate it, all I could think about was how
good it was to have the tomatoes and the lettuce.
Timberland shoes cannot match Clark ’s in terms of quality. I’ve worn Clark ’s
“Unstructured” slip-on walking loafers made of suede leather for years. But for some reason, the local Clark’s store told me that they have quit making the slip-on version (which is important
to me because of the number of places where one has to remove shoes in other
countries—entering homes, entering temples, etc.) in suede (which is important
so that I won’t be bothered by shoeshine boys and men). I bought a pair of Timberlands that look very
similar about 1 1/2 years ago. I wore
them a few times at the airport, but this is the first foreign trip where I’ve
worn them. After only 5 weeks of travel
walking, the soles are wearing out.
There are holes in the heals and pebbles are getting lodged there.
I saw a funeral procession today. A car with four loud speakers on top led it
with music playing. Next came a pickup
with the casket inside and flowers around it. That was followed by about 125 people walking. Finally, another pickup filled with flowers
concluded it. The procession went down
the busiest street in the center of town, a street that has major traffic
congestion anyway.
When I made my reservation for here, I
should have said I would be here for 3 days.
I expected to do so, but I wanted to be considerate of the hostel. I figured it would be better to add a day
than to tell them I was leaving a day earlier.
They implied there should be no problem if I wanted to extend my
stay. However, they now tell me that
their private rooms are all booked up for tomorrow night. I don’t want to move to a dorm, so I will
change to a hotel. I’ve picked out two
that seem to be fine, but I haven’t tried to reserve a room; I figure if I went
there today asking about a room they would have trouble understanding that I
would want it for tomorrow rather than for tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will head to the nearest
one and ask about a room. If they have
one, I’ll take it. If not, I’ll head to
the other place. If neither of them have
rooms, there is a third place I might consider staying. Otherwise, I’ll just head for the bus
station, because there is a shortage of decent places to stay here in Esteli.
Although Esteli is supposedly the “better”
town up here in the mountains, I think I enjoyed both Matagalpa and Jinotega
more. The latter two were smaller and
the mountains were closer. Esteli,
although a nicer town in terms of shopping and eating, is in a bigger valley. The mountains are not always visible making
the place seem more sterile.
Esteli has a movie theater that was still open at the time my guidebook was published 3 years ago. Now it is closed. It's an attractive theater that looks as if it is in good condition. I'm wondering if it closed only because they couldn't afford the upgrade to digital projection that is being required by Hollywood now. I've read that many theaters in small towns are going out of business because they can't afford the cost.
In Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, I've noticed that essentially the only ice cream available is factory made ice cream under the Eskimo brand. In other words, they are the typical novelties that are sold in the US by ice cream companies--Drumsticks, Eskimo Pies, etc. The larger cities may have a shop that makes and sells Italian gelato, but that's the limit to any variety. All of these countries have so many fresh fruits--melons, papaya, mangoes, guava, pineapple, etc. You would think that they might have wonderful fruit-flavored ice creams and bars like Mexico does, but there has been no sign of it. How sad. Even in much of the US now, you can get Mexican-style fruit bars. It's too bad they don't have any sign of such goodies here. All they have are fruit smoothies made with either ice or milk.
Esteli has a movie theater that was still open at the time my guidebook was published 3 years ago. Now it is closed. It's an attractive theater that looks as if it is in good condition. I'm wondering if it closed only because they couldn't afford the upgrade to digital projection that is being required by Hollywood now. I've read that many theaters in small towns are going out of business because they can't afford the cost.
In Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, I've noticed that essentially the only ice cream available is factory made ice cream under the Eskimo brand. In other words, they are the typical novelties that are sold in the US by ice cream companies--Drumsticks, Eskimo Pies, etc. The larger cities may have a shop that makes and sells Italian gelato, but that's the limit to any variety. All of these countries have so many fresh fruits--melons, papaya, mangoes, guava, pineapple, etc. You would think that they might have wonderful fruit-flavored ice creams and bars like Mexico does, but there has been no sign of it. How sad. Even in much of the US now, you can get Mexican-style fruit bars. It's too bad they don't have any sign of such goodies here. All they have are fruit smoothies made with either ice or milk.
One-Sided Bus Conversation
Friday, February 01, 2013—Jinotega to
Esteli
I’ve had to wear earplugs almost every
night. Last night was not an
exception. Sometime during the night, I
pulled them out, but I had to put them back in at 5:00 when the roosters started
crowing. That made me a bit concerned
that I might oversleep. I knew I needed
to catch a bus this morning at 9:00.
Fortunately, the sun shone through the curtain about 7:30, so I awoke
without having to worry about time, at least temporarily.
I left the hotel at 8:00 and walked to the
bus station. There at 8:10, I wanted to
confirm that the bus for Esteli left there at 9:00. A man told me there was no bus to Esteli and
that I would have to take a bus to Matagalpa and then catch a bus from there
for Esteli. Fortunately, a shoeshine man
overhead and said that there is a direct bus for Esteli from Terminal
Norte. Well, I didn’t even know there
was another terminal. He gave me general
directions, and I headed started walking fast knowing that the bus would load
about 8:30 and that I might have to stand the entire way if I got there late.
Twice, I had to ask directions again to
make sure I was going to the right place.
I got there about 8:25. Again, I
needed to confirm that I was in the right place for the bus to Esteli, since
there were buses parked on streets a block away. One family told me I wasn’t. Another told me I was. I just had to wait to see. In the meantime, I was standing near a shop
where they make saddles. I took a photo,
and when I showed it to the two men working there, I could tell they were proud
that I had done it.
At 8:35, the Esteli bus pulled up. Even the family that had told me I was not in
the right place saw it and pointed it out to me. I gave my bag to the man putting cargo on
top, and I entered and got a seat.
Unfortunately, a very fat man wanted to sit beside me a few minutes
later, and it left me with only a third of a seat to sit on, since these are
old school buses with seats designed to fit two children. A young man across the aisle and one row
ahead was sitting alone, so I asked if I could move there, and he agreed.
The bus pulled out on time with all seats
filled and people standing in the aisles as I had expected. It was the last morning bus headed that
way. As we went along the route, some
people left and others got on. The young
man beside me left, and another young man took his place.
The conductor came to collect for
tickets. I had read that this would be a
1 1/2 hour trip, so I expected to pay about 25 Cordobas, the price I had paid
for a trip of similar length from Matagalpa to Jinotega. Instead, he told me it would be 50
Cordobas. That’s just a little more than
$2, but I wondered if I had been cheated and that the conductor was going home
with an extra dollar from me in his pocket.
Eventually, the trip proved to be 2 3/4 hours, so maybe the fare really
was 50 Cordobas.
The scenery was nice along the way. We definitely came through ranching
areas. There was a man on a horse
herding cattle with his lasso. There
were other men in small villages with their horses tied up in front of
businesses. We passed an accident where
a car went off the road and had its tail sticking up in the air; everyone on
the bus stood to try to see it better. We
seem to have come down in altitude some.
The mountains aren’t as obvious as they were in Jinotega, and the
temperature here seems to be a bit warmer.
The second young man who sat beside me
started talking to me not long after he sat down. I couldn’t understand anything he was
saying. He was talking fast, and he may
have had a strong regional accent. I
listened for words I could recognize to try to understand, but there weren’t
any. He was smiling, and I could tell
that he seemed to just be trying to be friendly. I had to tell him I couldn’t comprehend, but
that didn’t stop him. He would just
smile more, touch my arm, and talk more.
For about 2 hours, he talked off and on.
At one point toward the end of the trip, I heard the words “hotel” and “casa”
in the same sentence, and I got the impression it was a question. My guess is that he may have been inviting me
to his home rather than my staying at a hotel.
But I will never know, because I just kept telling him I didn’t
understand. He got off at a stop just
before we entered Esteli.
I am staying at a hostel for the first time
on the trip—Sonati Hostel. I’m in one of
the two private rooms they have. There
are also some dormitories where most of the people here are staying. I haven’t met anyone yet. They seem to be mostly young Americans, and
they seem to be friendly. I imagine they
are wondering why an older person like me is here. The reason is that the only GOOD place to
stay in town (a B&B and has only 2 rooms) was already booked, and all the
hotels had negative comments in their reviews.
This hostel has only been open for about 2 years, so the beds are
decent. My room is large and clean. So is my bath. There is noise through the walls, but I have
been having that everywhere. It will be
earplug time again at bedtime!
I went out exploring for about 2 hours
during the afternoon. Esteli is a bigger
and cleaner place than Matagalpa or Jinotega.
Also, it is a popular place for expatriates to settle due to the cooler,
dryer air. Apparently there were some
problems for them at first related to resentment from the locals, but that
seems to have been settled. As I
wandered, everyone seemed friendly. I
spent part of the time at the park reading.
I also went into the local branch of La Colonia, the fancy supermarket
chain that caters to the wealthier people and the foreigners. I was so ready to have a cold Coke Zero, but
they did not have it in the cooler. That’s
too bad.
Later in the day, I went out again. This time I walked far to the north side of
town so that I could see the houses of the expatriates who have settled
here. They are huge and nice. I can see why the Nicaraguans are somewhat
resentful. It’s a compound of mansions
with guards.
From there, I walked far to the south of
the city and found the Gutierrez Bakery that my guidebook recommended. I bought 3 pastries for my dinner—one with a sweet
potato-curry type filling; one with bacon, ham, and cheese; and one with
pineapple. They were more filling than I
expected. Then I stopped at Pali, the
Walmart-owned supermarket chain, and they had cold Coke Zero. I bought a 1.5 liter bottle and drank half of
it almost instantly.
Back at the room, I read for most of the
evening. Then I had trouble getting onto
the Internet.
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