Another Long Day

I didn´t like waking up today. Last night I ate at the only restaurant close enough to my hotel that I though I wouldn´t get stabbed at: Wendys. That was kinda gross and when I got up to grab a shower I saw my first cockroach of the trip... in fact it was my first one ever outside of a zoo. I must live a privilaged life. When I got out to the bus stop at 6AM I got to test the limits of mf my Spanish skills when I found out that a bus going south to Nicaragua does not stop at my town despite what I had heard the night before. Maybe it´s because it´s a Sunday. I made clear my needs to anyone who´d listen to me nearby the bus stop and they indicated that I should take a `chicken bus´ north and get off in some town that sounded like Jicama at the Oasis Hotel. I was falling asleep on the ride out there, but the bus driver kindly informed me when to get off and I found a very nice bus to Managua waiting for me. Quite literaly because I was the last person there and it took off the moment I stepped on board. Oh, about chicked busses... I don´t think that I´ve explained them before, but they´re old american school busses refitted with more seats, bigger engines, extremely tackey paint jobs and lots of chrome. They´re the cheapest busses and they´re so fast that they pass everyone on the road. I like em but they´re a bit crowded.

After changing busses a few more times I eventually got to Granada, a fairly famous city in Nicaragua. It´s supposedly the oldest European city in the new world, whatever that means. It´s very pretty, built on a lake, it´s been sacked by pirates no less than 3 times, and it once faught a civil war against the city of Leon a hundred miles away in an attempt to become the capital of Central America. They´re full of pride around here. That and Regetone music, the most vile kind of music there is.

After I found a cool hostel to stay at, the `Bearded Monkey´, I wandered around for a little while and watched a small concery being held in the town square. It was a bit of live ranchero music and I thought it was pretty good. Also I got Erika a preasent here but don´t tell her that ;) Shortly thereafter I ran into someone that I saw at the hostel eating alone so I had some beers with them and wandered around the city some more. It´s fiercely hot today and I don´t think that it´s gonna get any better when the two of us climb up some volcano tomorrow. I don´t recal what it´s called but I´m pretty sure that there´s no lava. It´s late now so I´m gonna go catch a shower... there´s a draught here so the city shuts off the water during daylight hours and you have to catch up on your bathing late at night. ttyl