 Welcome to Blue Ocean Studios  Around the World
After that, we waited for our taxi which we had arranged the night before - a no show. We were looking to take the 9 am ferry - so after waiting 20 minutes for our taxi - we were about to commit to taking the 12:30 pm ferry with a new taxi, when the hotel manager told some one standing around to take us in his truck. It was 8:40 am, and the ferry dock 20 minutes away - it was going to be a tight connection! After waiting 2 minutes for the driver to fill his radiator, we were off - dodging at least 4 different sets of cows (at one point, we waited 30 seconds with the horn completely depressed waiting for a cow to move!). Past the dirt road, the pot holes, all of the kids double biking (two kids on one bike is popular here in Nicaragua), we made it to the dock a minute before 9! We thanked the driver, paid him $10, and were on the ferry. Unfortunately, all that wind last night continued through the morning, making the passage across Lake Nicaragua not the best - the waves were very rough, going in all kinds of directions! They ferry operators made us get off the top deck, because it was too dangerous - this was frustrating, because it seemed to be the easiest way to withstand the constant lolling of the boat. To add to our 50/35 lb packs, and the waving boat, 3 Nicaraguans were bothering Jaimie, asking if she was single, telling her that she's pretty, saying wow, that's a big pack you're carrying - basically all the things you don't want someone saying to you or your wife! These kids were def. trouble, so we moved to another side of the boat and waited the travels out with our packs on - both of us staring at the horizon to fight back the motion sickness - it was tough. There were 7 Nicaraguan guys staying in the 2 rooms next to us the night before - they happened to be on the boat as well, and I started talking to one of them. They were travelling musicians that play wherever they can play - usually mamba, merengue, or jazz. Seemed like they were having a good time. At least talking to him, in the primitive Spanish I do speak made me feel a bit more comfortable (the guy could tell we were having a tough morning :)). Annoying that the 3 kids hassling us had ruined the journey - but once we were out of port - things settled back down.
Pointing out some of the little things in Nicaragua life, when people want to say "No", instead of shaking their head like we do in the States, they use their index finger, and wave it from side to side - most of the time not actually saying the word "no" (weird). Other weird items: - A popular "to go" travel item is pouring a drink (either fruit juice or other), into a plastic bag, throwing in a straw and then sealing the bag with a twisty. As Miguel is a 320 lb man, he wasn't going to make it the 2.5 hours unless he had some food. He pulled over to a road side vendor to grab some food where he picked up one of these drinks (we watched them pour a coke into a plastic bag with a straw). Strange - he also bought a tortilla with cheese and hot peppers which leads me to my next oddity/annoyance: After passing through a police checkpoint - which evidently they were looking for drugs, and asked for our passports :) - we continued on and after a little hunting, found a hotel in Managua, El Conquistador - across from the Crowne Plaza - for $50. The first room we had was very damp, musty, and had no windows. We asked for another room - possibly on the 2nd floor, and got a great huge room with big windows and a fantastic AC! After settling in, we grabbed a quick Pizza across the street in the Plaza, and we're off to see some of the national monuments in the old city central. While we aren't spending a lot of time in Managua, it was good to get some background from a guide in the Palacio National - the national museum (she spoke English!). We learned that the America's were originally 2 separate continents. About 25 million years ago, oceanic crust rose forming islands, and just 3 million years ago :), this land coalesced to form a single land mass - linking North and South America. The latest addition to form the final connection between North and South is what we now call Nicaragua. Well - without going too much into a history lesson - it was great to hear about Nicaragua from a Nicaraguan. We moved on from there to view the very impressive old Cathedral which had succumbed to condemnation through an earthquake 1972, and an unimpressive presidential palace. We also strolled through Parque de Velasquez and the Parque de Paz - the latter being a concrete park with a tank and truck loads of AK47's cemented into the ground - a permanent post to years of turmoil and fighting coming to end. We caught a taxi back to El Conquistador for $2.50 (as we have heard that the Parque de La Paz is not the safest place in town!).
Food: Very bland beans and rice (at the nicer and not so nice restaurants) is very popular. The eggs are actually tasteful but could use some help from the very common hot sauce usually found at every table (although you're lucky if there's any sauce left in the ont at your table :). Things aren't always what they seem - ie tacos are jumbled food with a tostada underneath, fajitas don't have tortillas, and when you order fish, it may just be the entire fish! :). Beer of Choice: Victoria Memories: Kayaking through a velvet forest. Mars falling in his kayak and losing his sunglasses :(. Pigs, horses, cows, goats grazing on the road with no owners in sight. Howler monkeys waking you up before the roosters do. Banana trucks galore! Climbing a Volcano but not really knowning when you reached the top except for your guide saying - you're there. Rough seas and high winds across Lake Nicaragua. Incredibly nice people and beautiful scenery.
Economy: Bananas, bananas, bananamas and coffee are main exports - you'll be challenged to find any view point where you don't see banana trees. The country suffered great debt during it's civil war against the contras - and has had severe drought and flood disasters in the late 90's, continuing it's struggle to escape it's debt. The country is very poor - but the people are still impressively vibrant.
Climate: Humid and warm, usually in the 80s but feels like 90s on a sunny day. We had several days of very strong wind but not sure if this is typical or not. Many mosquitos and flies made us glad we had our DEET and anti-malaria pills! Exchange Rate: 1 US dollar = 17 Cordobas Recommendation to friends: 9 out of 10 - this place is beautiful and the people are awesome! Prices are super cheap. View Isla de Ometepe and Managua Photo Gallery Day 12 - Isla de Ometepe < | Index | Photo Galleries | > Day 14 - Panama City © 2007 Blue Ocean Studios, LTD. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Services | About | Contact Prints | Return Policy | View Cart World Travel Galleries | World Travel Blog | Links |
Another sleepless night for us :(. The winds howled all night, with so many noises I couldn't identify, such as either something hitting our corrogated metal roof (the rooftop choice in central america :)), or the howler monkey's howling back at the wind at 4 am - either way it was a tough morning. After breakfast, we had to review the hotel bill line by line (as they add your meals to your bill directly with no signature), so there was a good 10% of error (guess in who's favor :)). 
Because I was so spooked with the 3 guys, I didn't want to chance getting on a bus to Managua with them (as they said they were from Managua). Instead, we opted for the safer taxi. We got a great driver, Miguel - as we were settling in for the 2 1/2 hour journey ($40), he asked if he could bring his wife with him - we said we didn't care - so he took us to his house. Turns out his wife didn't want to come, so we began our departure of San Jorge for Managua. 
Anyways - just wanted to write about the odd things - as it's the little things that you may forget but make the experience unforgettable :). 
Final thoughts on Nicaragua:
People: Awesome! So kind - almost always with huge smiles and a genuine interest in who you are and what your doing. They're attire seems more Northern American, wearing shorts, tank tops, etc. as opposed to the Mayan dress we encountered in Guatemala.