Managua Trip - Part 2 : Managua

After arriving in Managua, Stephanie and I spent the following few days running around town gathering various supplies and running errands of one kind of another. On Thursday we had the pleasure of sitting through a three hour presentation by the US Embassy on their role in aiding NGOs operating in Nicaragua. Over the course of those 3 hours, only about 3 things they said were actually interesting and useful, but it wasn't a horrible way to spend the afternoon. In theory, the objective of the meeting was to provide a arena for networking among NGOs, but in reality, everyone was so tired of being there by the time the presentations were done that no one stuck around long enough to chat with. Not that it would have made much difference if they had. We were the only people there who do any kind of work on the Atlantic coast, so there weren't that many options for partnerships or mutual aid. However, I've neglected to mention how ridiculously ostentatious the Embassy ground were. After going through 2 security checks just to get through the front gate, we were met by a mini-van that shuttled us across the expansive grounds and up the hill to 'casa grande,' which lived up to it's name. Sitting in the entrance hall with roughly 100 other people, we had more than enough room to spare. I was somewhat flabbergasted when we were informed that the massive structure we were sitting will shortly be converted into the private residence of the ambassador. What anyone needs with quite that much space is well beyond my understanding.

Once we left the Embassy, we headed home where a couple other volunteers were just arriving from the airport on their way off on vacation. A little jealous, Steph and I determined that we also deserved a short vacation and began planning our own short trip for the weekend. Sometime after dinner as our friends were filing off to bed in preparation for their 4am departure, Steph and I decided we were in the mood for a few rounds of pool. Enlisting Rafael to act as our negotiator, we flagged down a cab and headed off to a very high class pool hall complete with full-size tables and air conditioning. Once again we were the only females in the room, but we're getting used to that pretty quick so it wasn't much of a bother. Plus, since the place was air conditioned, you didn't have to fight the stickiness of your own skin while sliding your cue into place. This made for significantly better games on all accounts. A few beers later, we were ready to make our way home.

It being quite late by this point, there weren't many taxis around, but we were willing to be patient. Finally one drove by and stopped only to inform us that the asking price was 3 times what we had paid to get there. Sending that driver on his way, Steph and I decided to test our theory of ginga price inflation by stepping out of sight while the next taxi rolled up. Our hypothesis was proven correct when Rafael had absolutely no problem getting a reasonable price the first time he asked. Thoroughly amused, we stepped out from behind the SUV we'd been watching through and hopped in the cab. I don't think our driver was all that impressed, but he'd already made the deal with Rafael and hence had to give us a fair price.

The next day, Juli called to inform us that she was coming into town to hang out for the weekend. Excited to have another friend in the big city with us, we managed to finish up the last of our most important errands in time to meet her back at the house as she came in from the airport. Having already made plans with a group of her French friends for the evening, all we had to do was step outside and climb into the back of the truck her friend was driving. It must have been quite a sight for everyone we passed on the way. Here were 10 'extranjeros' dressed up to go out on the town and riding in the back of a pickup truck through the streets of Managua. Again, thoroughly amused.

When we got out, we were at Bar Arriba where an apparently famous Nicaraguan band from Masaya was rocking the house. The music was actually awesome, but so incredibly loud that it was impossible to enjoy properly. We hung out through a couple sets and enjoyed some good old Toña (local beer for those of you who missed that blog). Had a rather amusing few moments when a guy came up and started trying to chat in rather broken Spanish. A little unused to being the one speaking superior Spanish, I asked him where he was from and discovered he had just come down from San Francisco to visit his family for Father's day. When I offered to switch to English, he was visibly relieved, but the conversation didn't last all that long anyway.

After the music had come to an end, all the Frenchies decided to head across town to a gay bar with a ridiculously high cover price (for Nicaragua, that is). Being on a rather tight budget, Steph and I opted for the free salsa bar down the road instead. Despite being the only people there, we still had a good time spinning across our own private dance floor. We were joined relatively shortly by a friend of G's who had come to visit Bluefields and who we had run into at the concert just a little while before. He didn't really know how to salsa, but he was forgiven when we discovered he had a car and offered to drive us to Granada the next day. Excited at the possibility of getting a free ride down the coast, we called it a night relatively early and headed home.