March 25, 2011
Leaving Little Corn at 6:30am on the panga boat was an adventure in itself. The ocean was so windy and the waves were massive. Our driver was pretty good at handling the boat but a few times when we had to climb a wave the boat felt like it was going to run out of steam. When we finally got to the dock we were bombarded with taxi drivers trying to grab our bags to take us to the airport. One guy selling conch shells and sea stars was outright yelling at everyone about the prices and saying "deese guys have to eat, why you try to only pay dem ten! dis ride cost ya 20!" We paid our 20 cordobas (the last cash we had) and got to their airport with lots of time to spare. Our flight back to Managua was rough and we had to land in Bluefields to pick up more people. I thought we were making an emergency landing because we started to descend while we still over the ocean!
We decided to stay in Managua and try to get Chad a haircut because he was starting to look on the shabby side. His mood is also proportional to his hair length. The longer the hair the crankier the Chad. We took a taxi from the airport to Managua Backpackers Inn which is actually run by a Canadian. It was really close to a mall so we hung out there and ate food court food went to the movies and drank delicious coffee's. Chad finally bought a sencond pair of shorts. I was getting pretty tired of looking at those grubby old red shorts that he has had for 10 years. On the way back from the mall the hostel owner told us to be careful because there was a group of little boys roaming around sniffing glue and might try to grab my bag or something. We were actually warned by a lot of people about how dangerous and horrible Managua is but we didn't really find it too bad. There were definately areas that you would stay away from but generally people were really helpful and nice to us.
Next on our list of shit to do in the city was a haircut. We asked one of the guys who worked at the hostel a good place to go and he told about this place called "Juane's". Apparently that's where he goes to get his hair cut and dyed because he started going grey at 15 and "this is a very bad thing" for him he says. He gave us directions and we found it fairly easily. When we walked in Chad was almost ready to turn around and run away. The place was almost exclusively staffed by very pretty, very fabulous gay fellas! They were gorgeous! The place was decortated all in white and pink and women seemed to have been there all day for various treatments. I plunked myself into a white leather couch and watched as chad tried to pantomime what kind of a hair cut he wanted. While this was going on one of the fabulous ones asked me if i wanted any agua, tea or cafe. I asked for agua and he said "oh no no no!" and brought me out a glass of iced tea that was amazing! They brought one for chad too while he was getting pampered. After his hair was cut chad tried to ask her to cut his sideburns a little more because as we all know they can become quite unruly. She said ok and proceeded to produce a straight blade razor! The woman sitting beside me asked if my husband spoke any spanish and might end up bald if he wasn't careful! She thought this was hilarious and we had quite the chuckle. His hairdresser wanted to put gel in his hair soooo badly but of course chad said no. All in all the whole experience costed $9 and we had the best time ever. I got to sit on a big white leather couch sipping ice tea and watching Enrique Iglesias videos and chad got to have a taste of how a real guapo latino has his hair done. His mood has also since improved.
Other things we did in the city: went to a movie staring sylvester stallone and a bunch of other meat heads and it wasn't even that bad, went out for wings, went out for an overpriced steak dinner and wine in our backpacker grubbyness in a really fancy restaurant, went for a walk around the Plaza de Revolucion and saw some cool statues and a church that looks like its about ready to fall over and went to a meuseum of sorts about the Sandinistas. Over two days we did a lot and actually had a really good time in Managua.
I got really frustrated on our last night there because I was getting sick of living out of my backpack and feeling trapped because your not supposed to walk around at night and always feeling like everyone is just trying to rip you off. Just tired I suppose, so we went for steak and wine. That made me feel better even though they fricken pan fried the steak....you just don't do that to a delicious cut of meat I tell you! It was delicious non the less and so was the wine. The next morning feeling refreshed and a little hung over we went for coffee at the mall again and got a taxi to the bus station. We went to San Jorge which is the town where you catch the ferry to Isla de Ometepe. All our timing worked out perfectly and we got to Finca Magdalena at sundown. We met a Dr. from Prince George and a speech therapist from Smithers on the boat and were going to share a taxi with them but as he spoke fluent spanish he found us a chicken bus for a $1 each instead of a $20 taxi. Super nice of him and I regret not even getting their names.
This is our second night here at the Finca (farm). It supposedly a working organic coffee and produce farm but we have yet to see any coffee or produce. We asked about horse back riding tours and they said they don't do any tours at the farm. We checked down the road and if you go through a different company they will give you a tour of the farm. Fricken backwards here sometimes.
an ant was crawling on chads pillow just now.....ewww. don't worry i got it.
We went for the longest walk in the world today. We thought that the town was close but it was actually a two hour walk away. The good thing however was that we ran into our friends from Quebec and Mexico. They were part of the big group we traveled with from Utila to Leon. They had picked up a Beligian along the way. They were headed to meet the other girls from Switzerland and the Netherlands on the beach. On Donnagee's head was a little baby white faced monkey. They picked him up at the restaurant and he liked to cuddle so when they tried to leave he wouldn't leave her. The owner said they could take him to the beach if they wanted. So of course the logical thing would be to take the monkey along. This particular monkey had a bit of cold and was a little on the boogery side. He was also deathly afraid of water so taking him to the beach was not a good idea. When Donnagee went swimming he decided he wasn't going to stick around and so he took off and they couldn't find him again. When we got back to the restaurant the owner asked where the monkey was and luckily Donnagee being from Mexico told her in spanish the whole story and the lady didn't seem to mad. This restaurant was filled with animals just hanging out everywhere, there were two parrots on a chair, a piglet had run of the whole house and a rooster made a home behind my chair and crowed right in my ear! Fidelio will make it home sooner or later. Poor little Fidelio is out there swinging in the trees probably having the time of his life...i hope! He even "made a pee pee" on me! Poor Donnagee felt so bad..."i loose so many thing today! first my earings, my pink bra, a monkey and now my washing soaps!".
This island is alive with farm animals. Everywhere you look there are actually well fed, decent sized horses, pigs, chickens, goats and big huge brahma looking cows. I tried to rent a couple horses today and I said that I didn't want a guide because I have "mucho experience con cabellos!". He didn't believe me so we didn't go
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