2019: Nicaragua

Mar 4, 2019.  El Arce de Noe, Granada, Nicaragua 

• Travel day: Walk to bus > bus to Ferry > Ferry to mainland > bus to Granada > walk to hostel.  About 7 hours.  At least I had a seat on the buses (most of the time).  Pretty much no food until I reached Granada (the food vendors are just not as numerous in this country, for some reason), then a cheap steak dinner near the Plaza Central.  

• Oh, forgot: stopped in at the Mi Museo - wonderful private collection of pots, some with jaguars , crocodiles, even preying mantises.  Bought a small vase (my first and only tourist purchase) for Rachael.

Mar 5, 2019.  El Arce de Noe, Granada, Nicaragua 

• Last day on the road!  Tomorrow: condo!

• Taxi to the lake front, then two hours in a lancha among La Isletas.  Biggest surprise: luxury homes of ex-presidents (and drug lords?) on little islands.  

• Big meal at The Garden Café, and some pottery purchases for family & condo.  Now contemplating if I want to take a bus to see La Laguna de Apoyo - it’s hot outside!  And I did it easy peazy lemon squeezy (as Mike used to say).  

• Bought more stuff for the family and.  the condo.  Will have an extra bag of goodies, but only for three flights.

• Had last dinner at El Burrito Loco: mushroom & pineapple & guacamole & other stuff quesadillas, and a melon smoothie.  Probably my best meal ever in good old Nicaragua.  A nice way to end the trip.  Gotta catch a 5:45 AM shuttle to the airport ($15) tomorrow morning: probably a one hour ride, and my flight doesn’t leave until 10:30.  Nice not to have to worry about getting to the airport on time...

• Booked 5 days with ViaHero.  Wrote everybody I’m coming home (and will be at Gold Lake). 

Notes on packing on this trip:

• on person: worn (hiking shoes, Darn Tough short socks, pants with zipoff legs, underpants, shirt, hat, t.p. In ziplock bag in left rear pocket, wallet in right rear pocket: Visa card, debit card, driver’s license, money); iPhone (front left pocket); hotel key (front right pocket); battery charger (bottom left pocket); charge cable (bottom right pocket)

• in knapsack: electronics ziplock (one cord charger, two cord charger, spare UBS cord, long Apple cord, car cigarette to UBS adapter, 32 GB flash drive - never used, headlamp, wild angle lens and polarizing filter for iPhone - hardly ever used, zipper container for hearing aid), personal hygiene ziplock (hydrocodone pain killers, Lisinopril tablets, Pantene single use shampoo, 600 mg ibuprofen, zolpiderm, pill splitter, shaver, toenail clippers, Valium, comb, Imodium, between teetth cleaners, toothpaste, toothbrush , dental floss, deodorant) mostly medical ziplock (bandaids, antibiotic ointment, barmicil, adhesive tape, laxative, Cialis, Sudafed, Valium, extra shaver blade, lip gloss - never used, potable aqua tablets - never used, valacyclovir, hearing aid batteries, 2 pens, sleeping pills, papers ziplock (passport, Visa card x6117, debut card x0111, 3 blank checks x9564, Medicare card, memo pad - never used, photo of all my cars (to be updated), pen), extra underwear, jeans; flip-flops; shirt; 2 pair socks, Outdoor Research rain jacket; undershirt; towel; condo keys; water bottle; bathing suit; umbrella -never used; lightweight waterproof day pack, Depend in ziplock, bag of ziplock bags.

• Just read that more illegal border crossings are occurring at Antelope Wells - that’s where the CDT begins!  90% are from northern Guatemala.  Since October, 236,000 migrants have been apprehended at the border, a 97% increase from the previous year.  In 2008, 5,000 applicants claimed they had a credible fear of persecution; last year, 100,000.  Poverty is not among the grounds for receiving asylum.