NICARAGUA – MANAGUA

January 31 – February 5, 2024

We took a chicken bus to Managua. We had some lovely views of steaming Volcan Momotombo. It was this volcano’s eruption in 1610 that caused Leon to move to its current location, 48 km (30 miles) to the west. It erupted again in 1886 and most recently in 2016.

As always happens with these chicken buses, it stops and lets people off and on at random places. We knew we were in Managua from Google Maps. We thought we were going to a proper bus terminal. The bus stopped along the street and a bunch of people were getting off. A lady next to us alerted us that this was our stop. I don’t know how she knew, but she did. We were sitting at the back and opened the emergency door to get out. I don’t think the driver minded, as we exited faster than if we had gone through the front door.

A taxi driver helped us by grabbing our bags as we exited. Then we used him to take us to our guesthouse. Kindness pays off.

Our host, Armando, greeted us at the door. He explained a few house rules, which included information that between 2:00 – 7:00 PM there is no water. Why? There is a huge lake (Lago Xolotian) on the edge of town. It turns out that lake is totally polluted.

Armando said the water restrictions have been going as long as he could remember. During those hours, we had to flush the toilet with a bucket from a large plastic garbage can that he filled during water hours. He provided huge bottles of filtered water for drinking.

He also made a point of telling us we were in the newer and safe part of town. He cautioned us about leaving the area and to NOT go out in the evening. We immediately set out to the Malecon – way outside of the safe area and a destination we were cautioned about walking to.

We walked down several streets that sold nothing but tires. Except for the dress shop stuck in the middle. I guess the women can buy a dress while the man shops.

We passed through the HUGE Roberto Huembes Market. It was an absolute maze of food items (the best cucumbers ever!), huge avocados, clothing with the first ever plus size mannequin,

household items and knock off electronics. It took us about a half hour just to find our way through it.

As we got closer to our destination, we came to some abstract, brightly coloured tree sculptures. There are 140 of these Trees of Life. They are decorated with 2.5 million light bulbs and cost $20,000 – $25.000 each to build and cost $1 million a year to light up.

There are other illuminated statues along this stretch of road, like Hugo Chaves – at a cost of $1.1 million to construct

and national hero, Sandino.

The Seawall had large funky walls behind the trees, with even more lights. Did I mention that there are routine brown-outs in Managua??

We took a taxi one evening to see them lit up. It was very nice, but it makes one wonder as to the fiscal responsibility of the government.

The creepy thing was the barren streets. There was not a person, car, or dog on the streets after dark. We drove along a freeway and I could easily take pictures out the window of the car without another car obstructing my shot. Armando told us that only about 20% of the population had a vehicle. It made for quiet streets and little exhaust pollution. I wish I could say the same for garbage pollution.

Run down houses along street with abstract trees

We finally ended up near the lake at Paseo Xolotlan – the Xolotlan Walk. There was a large portion of the park that had 50 replicas of 50 of the most representative churches of Nicaragua. It was inaugurated in 2016 and meant to be an addition to the already built replica of Old Managua, which was widely received and visited.

It is currently roped off to foot traffic. However, 7 years later the models of the churches have deteriorated, the signage almost illegible and the anticipated visitors did not manifest. 4 Million cordobas ($150,000 CDN) has gone into maintaining the structures. The government has not released the initial cost of construction. Yet another example of questionable fiscal responsibility.

The walk along the water was cool and breezy, which was very pleasant considering the weather was still in the high 30 degrees Celsius. We stopped for a water at one of the many cabana vendors along the walk.

There was a cement retaining wall between the sidewalk and the bank down to the water’s edge. There were some beautiful and unique flowers on the other side of the wall. I crawled over the wall and was taking some pictures of the flowers when Pierre called me in a tone that hinted I was in trouble. I turned around and a guard was standing beside Pierre wiggling his index finger for me to come back over the wall. I said I liked flowers and feigned innocence. He said, “Sure, but there are lots of snakes on that side.” AUGH!

There was an old 737 plane in the middle of the park. It was open to the public so we went in. To see the basic features of this passenger liner was eye opening. The guide spoke broken English but enough to explain that he used to be the pilot. He also told us that he was a pilot during the civil war and was shot in the head. He showed us the huge scar and dent!

Parque Acuaticox is a modern water park. It is located in this area. We did not partake.

We could see the steeples of a church in the not-to-far distance. We walked to the Plaza de la Revolucion, where the Santiago of Managua Cathedral was located. This grand church was built between 1928-1938. The partly constructed church survived the 1931 earthquake but was not so lucky in the 1972 earthquake. It was only 34 years old. The shell of this magnificent church still stands, but is cordoned off due to its precarious condition.

To the right of the church is the National Palace. We went inside to inquire about a tour, but they only offered them in Spanish.

The girl did allow us to walk around to see the courtyards, however. I would be quite content to have my office space there.

Opposite the church is the Central Park. The Ruben Dario Monument stands on one side. He was a poet, journalist, and diplomat.

There was a central gazebo. It was very modern looking with its white columns. There were friezes along the top edge that depicted the history of Nicaragua.

On top was a figure looking to the sky.

No park in Nicaragua would be complete without some kind of memorial to Sandino. This one had an eternal flame.

To the left of the church is the Presidential House with two huge statues. One is of Sandino. I think the other man was Ruben Dario, but I’m not positive.

On our walk back to our guesthouse we crossed the market again, but made it through a lot quicker because we knew where we were going this time. We also stopped at La Colonia for some groceries. We were happy to discover they had a place to eat as well. We ordered some chicken, rice and salad and ate it there in the lovely air conditioned space. We discovered that La Colonia is like our Safeway, they are in nearly every town and a very nice supermarket.

And there ended our Do Not Walk anywhere in this city adventure. The only time we had any trouble was when a homeless man approached us and was a bit aggressive. Pierre created a human wall between me and the man. He backed off quickly.

The next day I was not feeling very well. I realized I was getting heat stroke. I needed to cool off so we stayed in. I decided to take a cool shower. There is really no other option, as there is no hot water anyway. As I was washing my hair, I could feel the heat on my scalp. As the water ran down, it got warmer and warmer. By the time it reached my feet it was very warm. It felt like I had pee’d myself from my head. The shower cooled me down and I felt much better. Think about it, our body’s normal temperature is between 36-37 degrees Celsius. The temperature outside is around 38 degrees. It is like having a constant fever.

According to Google Maps Loma de Tiscapa was just around the corner. Perfect. We took the route presented to us and ended up on a dead end street overlooking a drainage ditch. Well, this was not right. Armando had cautioned us about crime and to never walk with our cell phones out. Oops! And here we were on a dead end street with a bunch of strangers staring at us and me with my cell phone out.

It turns out this was a kind family who also cautioned us about walking around with our cell phones out and they offered to drive us to where we wanted to go. They told us NOT to walk back, but to take a taxi. But not any taxi, only taxis with three stripes of square dotted lines. They even showed us a picture of the proper kind. We paid them for their trouble and thanked them. They even gave us their phone number in case we needed help again. So much for being cautious of strangers. (We walked back)

SIDE NOTE: Other than the usual beggars asking for money, we found the people to be extremely kind, helpful, and generous.

Loma de Tiscapa is on the ridge along the lip of Tiscapa Lagoon, an extinct volcano that is now filled with water.

It was a strategic location due to its ease of defense and complete view of the city.

There was a fortress built her in the late 1800s. It is also the location where Augusto Sandino was captured and subsequently assassinated in 1934, after signing a Peace Agreement. The top of the hill is a National Historical Park and where the huge Sandino Monument stands.

There was a mini 2-man tank (Carro Velace CV33) nearby. It was a gift from Mussolini to Somoza.

We wanted to see Catedral Metropolitana. It is a new cathedral with an Islamic flare, built in 1993 at a cost of $45 million. It was partly funded by the owner of Domino’s Pizza. The design and the donation upset a lot of Managuans. It has 63 domes on top, which has earned it the unflattering nickname of La Chichona (Spanish for breasts) The 63 domes represent the 63 parishes of the archdiocese.

However, when we got there (we walked) the guard at the gate was very rude and yelling at us. We had no idea why. Just then a kindly old man approached us and told us, in good English, that the church was closed until tomorrow. He was so nice, we took him for lunch in a nearby mall. He gave us a bit of history of the country, from the socialist and religious point of view. – Things were not good, but they could be worse. God will help us. The government is doing what it can. We should pray for them. – We enjoyed his rendition of facts, but were quite happy to finally get away from him. We walked back to our guesthouse. Still no altercations from the criminal element. We began to wonder if things really were as bad as we were told. We never did return to see the church.

When we left the sparkling clean mall, we were shocked to see people just throwing their garbage onto the street. How could they spend time in a spit & polish environment to just toss their garbage 5 seconds later? Not far away we had to cross a busy street and the stark reality of squalor and refuse was shocking.

We had had enough of the heat. We booked a flight to the Corn Islands.