Advertisement: Breakfast is included in the price of the hotel
Reality: Cornflakes, warm milk, and fruit salad (fresh) are what you're gonna get. Eat up!
We worried about the water provided for Coffee (Marci brought Starbucks Via) but in the end, we wanted coffee more than we were scared of disease. We drank.... The food was ok - if you like lots of watermelon seeds in your fruit salad. The juice is fresh though - watermelon and guava were the choices.
Originally we had planned on staying in Managua overnight and heading to Granada. Then we read the guide book and decided there were a few things we'd like to see. So, we locked our things in our room (check out was 1:00 PM), grabbed our camelbacks (filled with bottled water) and set out into the mean streets of Managua.
The first thing you will notice (after you get over the fact that it is 90* and 95% humidity) is that there is concertina wire along the tops of all the fences and properties. Oh well, the people seem friendly. We walked on.
The map showed us to be about two blocks from a major street - and we found it quickly (Monumental). It is small by US standards (Think Yale street in Denver) but large for here. We walked about a mile, before stopping to ask a locksmith (cerrajero) if we were where we thought we were. He was kind enough to confirm our location, and then (perhaps) more kind to mimic street robbers with knives taking my camera. Hmmm, maybe just a bad neighborhood? Undaunted - We turned east toward the Cathedral.
About five or six blocks east we heard the familiar Spanish accent from an illegal US immigrant with about six months at a Taco Bell (well, maybe McDonalds - he was pretty good). He was a security guard (there a LOTS of them here) with a revolver (circa 1922) and a desire to talk to anyone from the US.
We asked if it was safe where we were walking. He said he thought it was, but that this was his first day (besides - he was packing warmth (it wasn't powerful enough to be called heat)). He said we should walk with him and ask his boss.
Down the street to El Jefe. He was standing with two other 'gentlemen' and was none to pleased that junior security guard boy was disturbing his peace on a quiet Sunday morning (apparently, the new guy hadn't read the orientation manual). When our amigo nuevo explained that we wanted to walk to the Old Cathedral - the boss frowned, the guy on a motorcycle with mirrored glasses held back a smirk, and the fat guy in the street busted up laughing. After an invective string of Spanish - our friend said it wasn't really safe for people who look like us (gringos) to go there. In fact, maybe we should walk back - or better yet, catch a cab (we would have figured this was some scam that the two professions had cooked up to make more money - but from the look on his face it seemed as if he was worried about having to write all the reports about the two dead gringos who'd passed his post before meeting their untimely death).
We hoofed it back to the hotel - packed our stuff - and took a taxi to the bus station. The bus was nice - a little too nice for the price of an hours ride (.70 per person US) - but sure enough, we paid $2.50 (our luggage counted as another passenger) we took off to Granada.
I'M JUST ASKING.... I have no idea why people pay $50 for a total of 6 hours in line and 8 minutes of thrill at Elitches. Here, you can get an entire HOUR for $1.25 - and it includes the joy of your neighbor's knee up your ass and the fear that your luggage was thrown from the top of the bus at the last 65 kmh turn, or the one before that, or.....
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