That is what the parrot I am living with yells constantly. It´s a term of endearment for a grandmother, and it´s what Isabela calls Jamila, the woman who owns the beauty salon where I am staying. It´s pretty hilarious to hear this bird just flipping out and yelling ABUELITA!!!!!!!! over and over and over and over again.
I went to Las Penitas again today and met a Canadian guy who gives deep sea fishing tours, I might go for one, try to catch some snapper and sailfish. The waves at Las Penitas are big for this time of year, and there are some surfers there but it´s a really chill beach with only a few hotels and bars that are really small. The Canadian also invited me to go on an iguana hunt, where I would hunt iguanas and shoot them with a sling shot, then grill them up and eat them. I saw a few young boys walking down the road with dead iguanas and sling shots. DINNER!!!!
So, when I return to Leon, which I have to do at some point to catch a bus to Chinandega, I might stay a while and do an iguana hunt. I mean, how many times in my life will I have the chance to hunt iguanas with a sling shot? Guessing not too many.
I learned a lot about Germany today, from a girl named Katya who is here studying Spanish as well. I think the most important piece of information that I learned is that leather pants come from Bavaria, and they do silly dances and said leather pants have been imported to Miami, which is the world´s largest importer of Bavarian leather pants, apparently. So, if you see someone in leather pants, you have Bavaria to thank for it. Katya hates Bavaria. But she loves hefeweisen.
I´m tired as hell, and slightly bronzed. Tomorrow is my last day of class in Leon, then I hop a chicken bus to Matagalpa, then back to Leon, then to Chinandega, then to Jiquilillo, then to Isla de Ometepe, then who knows. Hopefully diving off Little Corn Island. Nicaragua is amazing and exhausting.
Entonces, les despido con eso -- Abuelita!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
getting the bug ...
Well, it was only a matter of time before I got sick here. I was stupid and against the advisement of my guide book, I bought a bag of fresh cut watermelon, mango and papaya on the street yesterday. It was hot out and I couldn´t resist. About four hours later I really regretted the decision. But fortunately people who have been traveling longer than I have gave me some Pepto and some kind of anti-parasite pill, and after a little bit of feeling like total crap, I now feel great. I think the orange pop made with pure cane sugar helped as well.
I´ve been enjoying my Spanish classes with Rolando. He´s been telling me about the history of this country, as well as century-old government corruption on levels that would even make W. shake his head.
The FSLN revolution of 1979 and the following Civil War of the 80s are still very fresh in the minds of the people here, and it is very interesting to hear them talk about it. And, much like my experience in Cuba, people in Nicaragua know a great deal about U.S. history. Mostly because ,like most countries, the US has had a firm hand in the history of Nicaragua, both good and bad, for centuries. I am always surprised by how much people in other countries care and pay attention to what happens in other parts of the world. In the U.S., granted it´s not everyone, but a lot of people just don´t give a crap about anything that doesn´t directly affect them. Or that they perceive doesn´t directly affect them. Rolando and I discuss the U.S. a lot, and it´s really wonderful to be able to see someone else´s point of view on my home country. And also, to clear things up for him. It´s difficult to explain the complexities of the U.S. to people here. All of our gravest problems are so sugar-coated, to people in other countries it seems they don´t even realize they exist. But many of the issues in Nicaragua - poverty, corruption - exist in the U.S. as well, but they are not quite as blatant. But, I´m not really comparing the countries. After all, NICA is the second most impoverished country in the western hemisphere, and the U.S., of course, is the most properous, over all. At least for now.
I love traveling to places with such an interesting history, and such welcoming people. I am learning a million things every day and so far, it´s one of the best trips I´ve ever been on.
I´ve met a lot of interesting Nicaraguans, and other gringos as well. Gringo, by the way, means anyone foreign, not just Americans. But I get called Chela or Chelita more often. I´ve been hanging out with two girls and a guy from Alaska who spend six months a year in Skagway (which they call the Disney World of Alaska, getting like 10,000 tourists a day) during which they work at restaurants and bars, and live in a campground with other workers, making enough money to travel for the other six months of the year. They keep telling me I should go up there this summer and work, and honestly, I think I might be a fool not to do it.
Anyway, there are great people here. But also, as anywhere, there are shady individuals and I have heard some horror stories. Nothing really too bad about NICA, but about other countries in the area. Though I have heard some scary stories about theft here, namely involving cab rides in Managua. There are little scams around the area too. Namely a really pretty Nicaraguan girl who targets male tourists at the popular backpacker hotel and bar in town, gets them drunk or volunteers to show them around, and while they are enamored - or hammered - robs them of all they are worth. That´s the rumor anyway. Also, it´s important to look out for people who get a comission for bringing you to certain stores to buy things that are way overpriced. It´s a Third World country so it happens, and a lot of the same things happen in the U.S.
Oh, one thing that sucks is that my brand new Winchester multi-tool got stolen from my checked back. The knife´s blade wasn´t long enough to be confiscated for safety reasons, and something makes me doubt they would do that here anyway, so I think someone just saw it and decided they wanted it. Oh well, there was a reason I didn´t the most expensive one. I´m going in search of a knife at the market today. Siempre debe de llevar un cuchillo afilado.
But ... I feel safe. I´m not an idiot, so I feel that cuts down my chances of something bad happening by ten fold. Still, I take a lot of precautions.
But at the same time .... I am having an amazing time. I love learning and seeing new things - especially in tropical destinations.
I think I am going volcano boarding this Friday. Which involves climbing up Cerro Negro volcano and riding down it on a piece of plywood. It´s one of the many things people come here to do. But tomorrow, first thing is first, I´m going back to the Las Penitas beach with my classmates after class.
Que lindo!!!!
I´ve been enjoying my Spanish classes with Rolando. He´s been telling me about the history of this country, as well as century-old government corruption on levels that would even make W. shake his head.
The FSLN revolution of 1979 and the following Civil War of the 80s are still very fresh in the minds of the people here, and it is very interesting to hear them talk about it. And, much like my experience in Cuba, people in Nicaragua know a great deal about U.S. history. Mostly because ,like most countries, the US has had a firm hand in the history of Nicaragua, both good and bad, for centuries. I am always surprised by how much people in other countries care and pay attention to what happens in other parts of the world. In the U.S., granted it´s not everyone, but a lot of people just don´t give a crap about anything that doesn´t directly affect them. Or that they perceive doesn´t directly affect them. Rolando and I discuss the U.S. a lot, and it´s really wonderful to be able to see someone else´s point of view on my home country. And also, to clear things up for him. It´s difficult to explain the complexities of the U.S. to people here. All of our gravest problems are so sugar-coated, to people in other countries it seems they don´t even realize they exist. But many of the issues in Nicaragua - poverty, corruption - exist in the U.S. as well, but they are not quite as blatant. But, I´m not really comparing the countries. After all, NICA is the second most impoverished country in the western hemisphere, and the U.S., of course, is the most properous, over all. At least for now.
I love traveling to places with such an interesting history, and such welcoming people. I am learning a million things every day and so far, it´s one of the best trips I´ve ever been on.
I´ve met a lot of interesting Nicaraguans, and other gringos as well. Gringo, by the way, means anyone foreign, not just Americans. But I get called Chela or Chelita more often. I´ve been hanging out with two girls and a guy from Alaska who spend six months a year in Skagway (which they call the Disney World of Alaska, getting like 10,000 tourists a day) during which they work at restaurants and bars, and live in a campground with other workers, making enough money to travel for the other six months of the year. They keep telling me I should go up there this summer and work, and honestly, I think I might be a fool not to do it.
Anyway, there are great people here. But also, as anywhere, there are shady individuals and I have heard some horror stories. Nothing really too bad about NICA, but about other countries in the area. Though I have heard some scary stories about theft here, namely involving cab rides in Managua. There are little scams around the area too. Namely a really pretty Nicaraguan girl who targets male tourists at the popular backpacker hotel and bar in town, gets them drunk or volunteers to show them around, and while they are enamored - or hammered - robs them of all they are worth. That´s the rumor anyway. Also, it´s important to look out for people who get a comission for bringing you to certain stores to buy things that are way overpriced. It´s a Third World country so it happens, and a lot of the same things happen in the U.S.
Oh, one thing that sucks is that my brand new Winchester multi-tool got stolen from my checked back. The knife´s blade wasn´t long enough to be confiscated for safety reasons, and something makes me doubt they would do that here anyway, so I think someone just saw it and decided they wanted it. Oh well, there was a reason I didn´t the most expensive one. I´m going in search of a knife at the market today. Siempre debe de llevar un cuchillo afilado.
But ... I feel safe. I´m not an idiot, so I feel that cuts down my chances of something bad happening by ten fold. Still, I take a lot of precautions.
But at the same time .... I am having an amazing time. I love learning and seeing new things - especially in tropical destinations.
I think I am going volcano boarding this Friday. Which involves climbing up Cerro Negro volcano and riding down it on a piece of plywood. It´s one of the many things people come here to do. But tomorrow, first thing is first, I´m going back to the Las Penitas beach with my classmates after class.
Que lindo!!!!
Monday, January 26, 2009
a few questions ...
Ben asked me a few good questions via e-mail and I thought I´d share my answers ...
- Are there any unusual critters? Lots of weird birds that make crazy noises. Skinny dogs with big balls and big nipples that no one loves. Skinny and small horses than no one loves, but that work constantly. I saw a few crabs on the beach yesterday. Lots of really odd looking cows, the ones with the giant horns and sagging skin. I heard there are freshwater sharks, but I have yet to see them. And there are monkeys, but I have not seen them either.
- Do they like green tea? I have not seen any tea. There was some for sale at the super market. Mostly, they drink lots of Nescafe instant coffee (blah, and odd for a country that produces some of the best coffee in the world), Tamarindo juice, Flor de Cana rum - which is sweet as sugar, which it is made from like all rums, but this one is especially good - and Tona beer, which is better than Budweiser. Kinda reminds me of a tropical Yuengling if such a thing exists.
- Sports? Si. El futbol - soccer - y el beisbol - baseball. Also cock fights - peleas de gallos.
- Music? YES! I have heard everything from Britney Spears to Bob Marley to some weird stuff called bachata. My favorites are Cumbia, kind of reggae like, and Ranchera, which is like Mexican country music. The old stuff sounds like Buck Owens. It´s really cool. The house owner´s daughter and Isabela´s mom was listening to it while lifting weights today.
- Homelessness? Not that I have really seen. I think there´s a few ragged individuals, but maybe they are backpackers? No I think mostly even the most poor of people make a home, even if it is a few boards stacked together in the city dump.
- Karaoke? Funny you should bring this up. I was hanging out with some Nicaraguans yesterday at a bar on the beach and that ¨Turn Around Bright Eyes¨ song came on and I tried to explain to them about how I have some friends who like to sing it at karaoke and get really excited while doing it. They like karaoke, but didn´t see the humor in that I have friends who REALLY like to sing that song. I think it´s because they honestly really, really like that song. Have not yet seen any performed yet though.
- Street Performers? Other than would-be Romeos that blow me kisses and try to practice their English romancisms on me, not really.
- Stars at night? I´m in a pretty decent size city right now, but they are definitely brighter than they are at home. The house I am staying at has an upstairs open area with a hammock and it´s got a great view of La Iglesia de Calvario, and also of the stars above. Also has a great breeze at night. I am looking forward to being on the Pacific for a few weeks, I think they will be very bright and plentiful there.
- White boys with dredlocks? Yes, there is one sitting next to me right now. And one across from me too, but they´re really tan Europeans with dreadlocks. Lots of really rich Americans and Europeans that have been traveling for way too long on their parents´ paychecks and trust funds. Pretty annoying, actually. Most annoying was this guy in his 40s that has been traveling for three years. He is from Wisconsin and bragged to me how he blew 12 grand in Europe in three months, and then three grand a month in Panama for almost a year. BORING. He also told me how great shopping and cocaine are in Panama but how crazy I am for traveling alone. I was like .. .well maybe if i hung out with coke heads and Panama and blew a bunch of cash like you, it would be a crazy lifestyle for a female, but I´m here studying espanol, cabron, y quedando me con una famila. Pinche cabron. I did meet one girl from Canada who also quit her job to come here and study Spanish. I was really excited to meet another person and completely nutso as myself. She got pissed at me though today when I couldn´t figure out Skype and I kept asking her questions while she was talking to her boyfriend on there. Oh well.
-Do they play beer pong or any derivative thereof? Actually they pretty much just sit and drink. Pool is pretty popular, and I´m sure there is beer pong somewhere, probably in one of the gringo hostels here.
- What is the name of the DAMN PARROT? Officially, Rosita. But Isabela - the five year old girl that I am living with this week - calls her La Princesa and also, La Lora. She does this thing where she puts a red scarf over its cage and pulls it off and says ¨les presento a la lora!!!!!!¨ which means I present to you the female parrot!!!! It´s ridiculously adorable.
- Are there any unusual critters? Lots of weird birds that make crazy noises. Skinny dogs with big balls and big nipples that no one loves. Skinny and small horses than no one loves, but that work constantly. I saw a few crabs on the beach yesterday. Lots of really odd looking cows, the ones with the giant horns and sagging skin. I heard there are freshwater sharks, but I have yet to see them. And there are monkeys, but I have not seen them either.
- Do they like green tea? I have not seen any tea. There was some for sale at the super market. Mostly, they drink lots of Nescafe instant coffee (blah, and odd for a country that produces some of the best coffee in the world), Tamarindo juice, Flor de Cana rum - which is sweet as sugar, which it is made from like all rums, but this one is especially good - and Tona beer, which is better than Budweiser. Kinda reminds me of a tropical Yuengling if such a thing exists.
- Sports? Si. El futbol - soccer - y el beisbol - baseball. Also cock fights - peleas de gallos.
- Music? YES! I have heard everything from Britney Spears to Bob Marley to some weird stuff called bachata. My favorites are Cumbia, kind of reggae like, and Ranchera, which is like Mexican country music. The old stuff sounds like Buck Owens. It´s really cool. The house owner´s daughter and Isabela´s mom was listening to it while lifting weights today.
- Homelessness? Not that I have really seen. I think there´s a few ragged individuals, but maybe they are backpackers? No I think mostly even the most poor of people make a home, even if it is a few boards stacked together in the city dump.
- Karaoke? Funny you should bring this up. I was hanging out with some Nicaraguans yesterday at a bar on the beach and that ¨Turn Around Bright Eyes¨ song came on and I tried to explain to them about how I have some friends who like to sing it at karaoke and get really excited while doing it. They like karaoke, but didn´t see the humor in that I have friends who REALLY like to sing that song. I think it´s because they honestly really, really like that song. Have not yet seen any performed yet though.
- Street Performers? Other than would-be Romeos that blow me kisses and try to practice their English romancisms on me, not really.
- Stars at night? I´m in a pretty decent size city right now, but they are definitely brighter than they are at home. The house I am staying at has an upstairs open area with a hammock and it´s got a great view of La Iglesia de Calvario, and also of the stars above. Also has a great breeze at night. I am looking forward to being on the Pacific for a few weeks, I think they will be very bright and plentiful there.
- White boys with dredlocks? Yes, there is one sitting next to me right now. And one across from me too, but they´re really tan Europeans with dreadlocks. Lots of really rich Americans and Europeans that have been traveling for way too long on their parents´ paychecks and trust funds. Pretty annoying, actually. Most annoying was this guy in his 40s that has been traveling for three years. He is from Wisconsin and bragged to me how he blew 12 grand in Europe in three months, and then three grand a month in Panama for almost a year. BORING. He also told me how great shopping and cocaine are in Panama but how crazy I am for traveling alone. I was like .. .well maybe if i hung out with coke heads and Panama and blew a bunch of cash like you, it would be a crazy lifestyle for a female, but I´m here studying espanol, cabron, y quedando me con una famila. Pinche cabron. I did meet one girl from Canada who also quit her job to come here and study Spanish. I was really excited to meet another person and completely nutso as myself. She got pissed at me though today when I couldn´t figure out Skype and I kept asking her questions while she was talking to her boyfriend on there. Oh well.
-Do they play beer pong or any derivative thereof? Actually they pretty much just sit and drink. Pool is pretty popular, and I´m sure there is beer pong somewhere, probably in one of the gringo hostels here.
- What is the name of the DAMN PARROT? Officially, Rosita. But Isabela - the five year old girl that I am living with this week - calls her La Princesa and also, La Lora. She does this thing where she puts a red scarf over its cage and pulls it off and says ¨les presento a la lora!!!!!!¨ which means I present to you the female parrot!!!! It´s ridiculously adorable.
Buenas noticias
I found a bank that accepts my debit card and can give me money, in either dollars or Cordobas.
I just finished my first morning of class, and will be heading back to watch a video on the Contra war at 4 p.m.
Ronaldo is my instructor, he´s very nice, and intelligent. He has many interesting stories, such as when he sold his AK 47 to the government in a U.S.-backed program, and bought a computer with it. AK47s, by the way, are common sight. All the police carry them. Though, the police are surprising laid back, not that I have had any experiences with them.
We were talking about government corruption in Nicaragua, of which there is plenty, and I also told him of the corruption in Detroit with Kwame. He was very wide eyed while I told him, and I think he is going to look up the scandal while I am out and about. He says my Spanish es ´muy bueno¨ but there are certain things we need to work on. But I understood 90 percent of what he said during our four hours of class.
Cold showers here, but that´s OK because it´s already 90 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky since I got here. Lots of interesting things, totally different world, but with many of the same comforts as home. I could buy whatever i need at the pharmacy or a giant supermarket about the size of any at home, slightly smaller than a Kroger. Everything is really cheap, which is good. The food at the house is pretty good, rice and beans and bread, also eggs and ham and tortilla, instant coffee, and a few native nicaraguan dishes. I haven´t been brave enough to try to street food yet. But so far, I haven´t had any gastro issues.
It´s getting much easier to understand people, but some are still really hard to understand. Many people with experience with foreigners tend to speak more slowly, and I can understand a lot of it. Speaking is still difficult, but being thrown into it like this means there´s nowhere to go but up. I´ve met a lot of nice foreigners many from canada, germany and the western US. also have had some great conversations with Nicaraguans of my age.
I realized I forgot to mention one small detail of my first daunting day here. After being awake for 40 hours, I tried to sleep a little early Saturday night, and as soon as I closed my eyes, I was shaken awake by fireworks. The bar next to the beauty salon I am staying at was lighting off bottle rockets or something for five minutes straight every 15 minutes for well over an hour. Thankfully, it wasn´t all night which was my first thought. It was so loud, that my ear plugs barely even muffled it. Apparently it was in the name of some patron saint. Not up on my saints.
Last night I ended up getting escorted home from Via Via - a bohemian hostel and bar which had a clown band playing that would make the pirate band seem like led zeppelin - on a bicycle by a girl named Kristin from Oregon and Donaldo, a guy who rents bikes here. This was my first time riding side saddle on a bicycle with two other people and I´m really glad the ride was only for three blocks. Donaldo claims he can fit 5 people on his mountain bike, and ride up a volcano. I expressed my doubts.
I also discovered the difference between classes in Nicaragua over the past couple of days. There are people here who live in the city dump, or who live in shacks outside the city. Then there are people with iPods and cars. It´s not anywhere near as well off as some people in U.S., but the disparities are pretty overwhelming. More on this inequity later. And more on the home stay later as well. The people are nice, but I am thinking that I might rather stay at a hostel when I get to Matagalpa. It is somewhat awkward to be a guest in the home of someone who doesn´t speak your language. There are so many opportunities to speak Spanish, hardly anyone speaks English, or at least not much if they do, that I think staying in hostel would not really hinder my learning, but we will see.
Right now I´m trying to figure out Skype. But calling the U.S. here is less than one cent per minute, and using the Internet is about 50 cents U.S. an hour, actually I think less.
Would write more but it´s stifling hot in this cafe, one reason why the lack of hot water is totally fine. Leon is bustling with markets today. I think I´ll go in search of some fresh mango or papaya.
I just finished my first morning of class, and will be heading back to watch a video on the Contra war at 4 p.m.
Ronaldo is my instructor, he´s very nice, and intelligent. He has many interesting stories, such as when he sold his AK 47 to the government in a U.S.-backed program, and bought a computer with it. AK47s, by the way, are common sight. All the police carry them. Though, the police are surprising laid back, not that I have had any experiences with them.
We were talking about government corruption in Nicaragua, of which there is plenty, and I also told him of the corruption in Detroit with Kwame. He was very wide eyed while I told him, and I think he is going to look up the scandal while I am out and about. He says my Spanish es ´muy bueno¨ but there are certain things we need to work on. But I understood 90 percent of what he said during our four hours of class.
Cold showers here, but that´s OK because it´s already 90 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky since I got here. Lots of interesting things, totally different world, but with many of the same comforts as home. I could buy whatever i need at the pharmacy or a giant supermarket about the size of any at home, slightly smaller than a Kroger. Everything is really cheap, which is good. The food at the house is pretty good, rice and beans and bread, also eggs and ham and tortilla, instant coffee, and a few native nicaraguan dishes. I haven´t been brave enough to try to street food yet. But so far, I haven´t had any gastro issues.
It´s getting much easier to understand people, but some are still really hard to understand. Many people with experience with foreigners tend to speak more slowly, and I can understand a lot of it. Speaking is still difficult, but being thrown into it like this means there´s nowhere to go but up. I´ve met a lot of nice foreigners many from canada, germany and the western US. also have had some great conversations with Nicaraguans of my age.
I realized I forgot to mention one small detail of my first daunting day here. After being awake for 40 hours, I tried to sleep a little early Saturday night, and as soon as I closed my eyes, I was shaken awake by fireworks. The bar next to the beauty salon I am staying at was lighting off bottle rockets or something for five minutes straight every 15 minutes for well over an hour. Thankfully, it wasn´t all night which was my first thought. It was so loud, that my ear plugs barely even muffled it. Apparently it was in the name of some patron saint. Not up on my saints.
Last night I ended up getting escorted home from Via Via - a bohemian hostel and bar which had a clown band playing that would make the pirate band seem like led zeppelin - on a bicycle by a girl named Kristin from Oregon and Donaldo, a guy who rents bikes here. This was my first time riding side saddle on a bicycle with two other people and I´m really glad the ride was only for three blocks. Donaldo claims he can fit 5 people on his mountain bike, and ride up a volcano. I expressed my doubts.
I also discovered the difference between classes in Nicaragua over the past couple of days. There are people here who live in the city dump, or who live in shacks outside the city. Then there are people with iPods and cars. It´s not anywhere near as well off as some people in U.S., but the disparities are pretty overwhelming. More on this inequity later. And more on the home stay later as well. The people are nice, but I am thinking that I might rather stay at a hostel when I get to Matagalpa. It is somewhat awkward to be a guest in the home of someone who doesn´t speak your language. There are so many opportunities to speak Spanish, hardly anyone speaks English, or at least not much if they do, that I think staying in hostel would not really hinder my learning, but we will see.
Right now I´m trying to figure out Skype. But calling the U.S. here is less than one cent per minute, and using the Internet is about 50 cents U.S. an hour, actually I think less.
Would write more but it´s stifling hot in this cafe, one reason why the lack of hot water is totally fine. Leon is bustling with markets today. I think I´ll go in search of some fresh mango or papaya.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Paradise found ...
Today my host brother Carlos took me to Las Penitas beach. It´s about 20 miles away, but it took us more than an hour to get there, climbing up roads that are worse than Duck Lake extension gets at is absolute most horrid. We did this all in a small Toyota, like a Prelude. He brought two of his friends along, and they all let me ride in the front. We did about 15 MPH for the entire trip, and I had the background music of two drunk Nicaraguans singing along to Mexican Ranchera tunes at full blast and drinking Flor de Cana and Tona beer, crawling past sprawling expanses of ranches and looming in the distance several volcanoes. I have the beginnings of a tan, and since Carlos is EXTREMELY difficult to understand, I think I´m improving my espanol un pico.
Las Penitas is easily one of the most beautiful beaches I´ve ever seen.
There aren´t many people on Las Penitas, just some red gringos and several drunk locals. It has grey and black sand beaches from the lava, and decent size waves. It was the first time in seven years that I´ve gone into the Pacific.
I´m eating ... you guessed it, rice and beans. Lots of fresh fruit and fruit juice though, if I want it.
I spent an hour this morning playing dolls with Isabella, the five year old granddaughter that lives at the house I´m staying at. She is precious, and a very good and patient Spanish teacher.
I was wondering how long it would take me to earn a nickname here. In Cuba, I was La Espanola. Here, at first, I was Miami Ink. But that quickly changed to La Coyota. Sorry, I can´t find the parenthesis or quotes on this foreign machine. I looked up La Coyota in my guidebook upon my return out of curiosity, and it said Illegal Immigrant or Profit-stealing middle man. I suppose it could go either way. Meanwhile, in jest, I nicknamed one of them El Piaso, or the clown for his attention craving jokes. I also got laughs when I pulled out my favorite line, Tengo que Mear Como el Diablo.
Right now, I¨m sitting in an internet cafe full of foreigners. Mostly Dutch I think, except one dude from Seattle sitting next to me who has been in NIcaragua for three months. He´s tan as hell and playing chess on facebook. THis place isn´t very touristy, but it has huge potential. Anyone who wants to make a good buck should take advantage of it quickly and open a beach house or an internet cafe.
I really like it here. It´s not easy to travel here, no luxury or hot water and occasionally no toilet, but it´s muy tranquilo. Muy, muy tranquilo. In other words, ditch the gringo attitude lest you be considered a spaz.
Oh, I was invited to a Pelea de Gallos, or cock fight today, I declined because there is one next weekend and I really wanted to see the beach today.
Hasta luego.
Las Penitas is easily one of the most beautiful beaches I´ve ever seen.
There aren´t many people on Las Penitas, just some red gringos and several drunk locals. It has grey and black sand beaches from the lava, and decent size waves. It was the first time in seven years that I´ve gone into the Pacific.
I´m eating ... you guessed it, rice and beans. Lots of fresh fruit and fruit juice though, if I want it.
I spent an hour this morning playing dolls with Isabella, the five year old granddaughter that lives at the house I´m staying at. She is precious, and a very good and patient Spanish teacher.
I was wondering how long it would take me to earn a nickname here. In Cuba, I was La Espanola. Here, at first, I was Miami Ink. But that quickly changed to La Coyota. Sorry, I can´t find the parenthesis or quotes on this foreign machine. I looked up La Coyota in my guidebook upon my return out of curiosity, and it said Illegal Immigrant or Profit-stealing middle man. I suppose it could go either way. Meanwhile, in jest, I nicknamed one of them El Piaso, or the clown for his attention craving jokes. I also got laughs when I pulled out my favorite line, Tengo que Mear Como el Diablo.
Right now, I¨m sitting in an internet cafe full of foreigners. Mostly Dutch I think, except one dude from Seattle sitting next to me who has been in NIcaragua for three months. He´s tan as hell and playing chess on facebook. THis place isn´t very touristy, but it has huge potential. Anyone who wants to make a good buck should take advantage of it quickly and open a beach house or an internet cafe.
I really like it here. It´s not easy to travel here, no luxury or hot water and occasionally no toilet, but it´s muy tranquilo. Muy, muy tranquilo. In other words, ditch the gringo attitude lest you be considered a spaz.
Oh, I was invited to a Pelea de Gallos, or cock fight today, I declined because there is one next weekend and I really wanted to see the beach today.
Hasta luego.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Smoking hot in Leon ...
Couldn´t sleep last night, for several reasons, but one being that I actually had to WAKE UP at 3 a.m. to make it to the airport in time for a 6 a.m. flight to Houston, then connecting to Managua, which I barely made, due to so many people checking in for flights and security and what not. But I did make it as the last rows were boarding, and ended up sitting next to a guy named Ed from Ohio who was on his way with several of his other middle age friends to Costa Rica for a week. His connecting flight in Houston was to San Jose. Anyway, Ed from Ohio said he thinks I´m a little nutty for traveling to Nicaragua by myself. But, he´s from Ohio.
Had about a fifteen minute layover in Houston. On the plane I met a woman named Maria Cecilia, a Leonese headed to Leon as well. For not speaking Spanish in roughly three years, I think I did pretty well. We talked most of the flight, she´s an architect and was in Austin visiting a friend, mostly hanging out on Sixth Street (El Calle Seis) and shopping. She laughed at a few of my text book Spanish-isms but overall things went smoothly.
Flying into Nicaragua was nothing short of surreal. First we passed over what I think was the Honduran coast, very beautiful from the air - could see the coral reefs. Then we cruised over the Honduras-Nica border, and there was a beautiful range of mountains, with rivers and the occasional lonely freeway snaking among them.
THe whole time I could see the ominous figures of volcanos peeking up through the thick clouds. As we went further west, more volcanos appeared, and the clouds disappeared. These GIANT smoking cones rose from a flat patchwork quilt of a land. Huge lakes and deep blue hole craters dot the landscape.
Behind me, people with Texas accents talked about their mission trips and digging wells and what not.
Going through customs was a breeze. And I was greeted by Carlos, a guy who drives for the Spanish school I´m attending for the next week. Carlos, like Maria Cecilia, doesn´t speak a word of English. He was great to talk to though, patient, and friendly. A great introduction to the country. His driving was a little erratic, but so is everyone´s here. Pick-up trucks piled 20 deep with people in the back passing on corner, dodging horses and cattle. Motorcycles weaving in and out. Constant honking. Carlos is about my age, maybe older. He has an 8 year old daughter and worked in a sugar cane factory for eight years, before he took on the job of picking up tourists at the airport. He drives a five speed early 90s KIA, one I´ve never seen before. He is a big fan of Barack Obama and loves his job, because he gets to meet so many people from all over the world. He also is a poet, and recited some beautiful prose to me. I have a feeling everyone in this country is a poet, as Ruben Dario seems to be a bit of a national hero.
We buzzed through Managua, which I had heard horror stories about. But, maybe coming from the Detroit area I am a little bias, but honestly it´s not any worse than Detroit. At least there are bright colors and people moving about. Granted, I didn´t see a lot of it, but I didn´t see any abandonded buildings.
Anyway, I arrived at my school, prepared to say hi to the director and go on to get a hotel room. Instead, I was showed my room in an apartment behind a beauty salon, run by a woman named Jamila. She lives there with her daughter and granddaughter Isabella, and a parrot, but I didn´t catch his name.
The beauty parlor also is a garage, with a kitchen and three bedrooms. Mine is in the back, next to the laundry. It could be best described as spartan, I suppose. But it has a toilet and a shower, which has running water on occasion, but not right now. Dinner is at 7, then I hope to try some of this famous Flor de Cana rum I´ve been hearing about.
The weather here is hot, but it´s not unbearable and it´s a really nice change from the tundra. It´s sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and about 88 degrees. So far this is a cool town. It´s colonial, but hasn´t really been kept up as much as some colonial cities in Latin AMerica. STill, I find it beautiful. The people are nice and there´s a ton of amenities.
Big freak out of the day, no ATMs are accepting my card, although my bank ASSURED me they would. I have cash and a credit card, which seems to be working, but there are only so many places that accept credit card, and I´d rather not continue to pay with US dollars. Can´t do anything about it until Monday though.
There are a lot of gringo folks here. You can tell them because not only of their light skin, but they´re typically not as clean or dressed as nicely as the Nicaraguans.
Gotta fly for now. Or at least walk and try not to get hit by a bus.
Had about a fifteen minute layover in Houston. On the plane I met a woman named Maria Cecilia, a Leonese headed to Leon as well. For not speaking Spanish in roughly three years, I think I did pretty well. We talked most of the flight, she´s an architect and was in Austin visiting a friend, mostly hanging out on Sixth Street (El Calle Seis) and shopping. She laughed at a few of my text book Spanish-isms but overall things went smoothly.
Flying into Nicaragua was nothing short of surreal. First we passed over what I think was the Honduran coast, very beautiful from the air - could see the coral reefs. Then we cruised over the Honduras-Nica border, and there was a beautiful range of mountains, with rivers and the occasional lonely freeway snaking among them.
THe whole time I could see the ominous figures of volcanos peeking up through the thick clouds. As we went further west, more volcanos appeared, and the clouds disappeared. These GIANT smoking cones rose from a flat patchwork quilt of a land. Huge lakes and deep blue hole craters dot the landscape.
Behind me, people with Texas accents talked about their mission trips and digging wells and what not.
Going through customs was a breeze. And I was greeted by Carlos, a guy who drives for the Spanish school I´m attending for the next week. Carlos, like Maria Cecilia, doesn´t speak a word of English. He was great to talk to though, patient, and friendly. A great introduction to the country. His driving was a little erratic, but so is everyone´s here. Pick-up trucks piled 20 deep with people in the back passing on corner, dodging horses and cattle. Motorcycles weaving in and out. Constant honking. Carlos is about my age, maybe older. He has an 8 year old daughter and worked in a sugar cane factory for eight years, before he took on the job of picking up tourists at the airport. He drives a five speed early 90s KIA, one I´ve never seen before. He is a big fan of Barack Obama and loves his job, because he gets to meet so many people from all over the world. He also is a poet, and recited some beautiful prose to me. I have a feeling everyone in this country is a poet, as Ruben Dario seems to be a bit of a national hero.
We buzzed through Managua, which I had heard horror stories about. But, maybe coming from the Detroit area I am a little bias, but honestly it´s not any worse than Detroit. At least there are bright colors and people moving about. Granted, I didn´t see a lot of it, but I didn´t see any abandonded buildings.
Anyway, I arrived at my school, prepared to say hi to the director and go on to get a hotel room. Instead, I was showed my room in an apartment behind a beauty salon, run by a woman named Jamila. She lives there with her daughter and granddaughter Isabella, and a parrot, but I didn´t catch his name.
The beauty parlor also is a garage, with a kitchen and three bedrooms. Mine is in the back, next to the laundry. It could be best described as spartan, I suppose. But it has a toilet and a shower, which has running water on occasion, but not right now. Dinner is at 7, then I hope to try some of this famous Flor de Cana rum I´ve been hearing about.
The weather here is hot, but it´s not unbearable and it´s a really nice change from the tundra. It´s sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and about 88 degrees. So far this is a cool town. It´s colonial, but hasn´t really been kept up as much as some colonial cities in Latin AMerica. STill, I find it beautiful. The people are nice and there´s a ton of amenities.
Big freak out of the day, no ATMs are accepting my card, although my bank ASSURED me they would. I have cash and a credit card, which seems to be working, but there are only so many places that accept credit card, and I´d rather not continue to pay with US dollars. Can´t do anything about it until Monday though.
There are a lot of gringo folks here. You can tell them because not only of their light skin, but they´re typically not as clean or dressed as nicely as the Nicaraguans.
Gotta fly for now. Or at least walk and try not to get hit by a bus.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Two days ...
Well, I am getting things sorted and packed. I went to the dentist to get a cavity filled; I still have insurance until the end of the month. I've been busy moving things back into my parents' house. I have tons upon tons of boxes, having moved twice in the past year. Hell, I still have boxes from my apartment in Lansing to sort through. Which means I should probably just burn them and their contents, as whatever is inside them obviously doesn't matter that much to me, save for a few photos of college shenanigans and tomfoolery.
I'm also researching away, as always. I don't hardly ever STICK to a plan, but I like to have one. GoToNicaragua.com and the Lonely Planet forum have been a godsend. I'm a little nervous of the money exchange, as I can't quite find any info on exchanging money in the Managua airport. But I'm sure I'll be bombarded by people wanting to exchange money with me, so it's not really nerve wracking. Not sure where I'll be spending my first night. I get into Managua at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, and I'm getting picked up from the airport by some mysterious Carlos character, who will be taking me to Leon - roughly an hour-and-a-half drive. My family homestay doesn't start til Sunday, so I'll probably just stay at a hostel or a hotel. I'd say "cheap" but they're all cheap.
Saying good bye to folks was hard. I'm going to miss everyone a lot, severely at times, I'm sure. But I have full anticipation of returning, so, let the extended eco-vacation begin.
I'm also researching away, as always. I don't hardly ever STICK to a plan, but I like to have one. GoToNicaragua.com and the Lonely Planet forum have been a godsend. I'm a little nervous of the money exchange, as I can't quite find any info on exchanging money in the Managua airport. But I'm sure I'll be bombarded by people wanting to exchange money with me, so it's not really nerve wracking. Not sure where I'll be spending my first night. I get into Managua at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, and I'm getting picked up from the airport by some mysterious Carlos character, who will be taking me to Leon - roughly an hour-and-a-half drive. My family homestay doesn't start til Sunday, so I'll probably just stay at a hostel or a hotel. I'd say "cheap" but they're all cheap.
Saying good bye to folks was hard. I'm going to miss everyone a lot, severely at times, I'm sure. But I have full anticipation of returning, so, let the extended eco-vacation begin.
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