Catching up, From Costa Rica to El Salvador

We never did get to meet Elizabeth. Had a little belly rumble which is usually a good precurser to situations advising one to run for shelter or isolation or best yet a bano privado. However was just a belly adjustment but we had elected to jump of the bus in Granada and avoid returning here from Managua.

Caught a room in a lakeside hostal with a beautiful view of the lake if you walked five blocks down the street.Not much of a hostal with way too many rooms attached to the shared bathroom I think there were 5 rooms sharing but for one night not the end of the world unless of course the belly rumble reappeared. It is funny how much of a concern those issues become travelling down here.

Granada is a very nice city to visit, certainly the most tourist friendly we have been to in our travels in CA. It is filled with restaurants and shops and a tourist walking street just off a beautiful central square.

The bus on to Managua cost around 70 cents each and was about an hour away. Went to look for water as Lou was yelling at me from the bus window as it was leaving We drove by km 15.2 but didn't see the signs on the roads for Elizabeth's. Probably would still be out there wondering around.

Arriving in Managua was a little daunting as the bus terminal is on the edge of the city and filled with a whole carnival like atmosphere. Again we were talked into a taxi and taken to a hotel he recommended. I had seen it on Bookings.com so had some idea about it. Yeah the guy got our taxi fee and a commission from the hotel but it simlified our lives. Had originally figured we would just go downtown and find a place but gotta keep the crew happy. Turned out to be a good thing as there is no cuidad centro or old downtown. It has all been destroyed in the last earthquake and been replaced with a childrens park and sports parks and walk ways.

The crazy thing about Managua is the tree sculptures that line the main street and all along the water front. Seems to be the city symbol. They are very pretty at night when illuminated. 

1. Then the park trees around the government buildings are all decorated with lights as well.

Leaving Managua meant heading back to the same bus terminal area as we arrived at but had to go around back where a plethora of buses where parked getting ready to embark for somewhere. We just found our bus as it was pulling out and had to chase it down. The driver seemed somewhat displeased by the gringos interrupting his plans. He got even by doing a good imitation of a Nascar driver but not as good as the bus driver on a later bus driving on a much more twisted hilly road while engaged in a very heated discussion with a passenger whom he seem to be required to maintain eye contact with. I thought at one point that Lou was going up front to help him steer.

Leon is a nice city in its own right. We stayed 2 nights in a hotel run by a very nice couplewho had just purchased the place and were still very eager to help their guest. Only problem here was a neighbours dog that liked to bark for 5 minutes every other hour all night long. The roosters are not so bad but dogs are very annoying, especially at 2 and 4 in the morning. Gave the owners some info on anti-bark machines they could try. Can't see people staying here if they don't solve the problem. I also suggested hamburger with a warfarin filling but I think they rejected that. Barking dogs and dogs in general are all over the place in Latin America. Part of the culture along with litter and barred windows etc.

From Leon we wimped out and took a shuttle bus to San Salvador. Picked us up at 2am. Lou didn't like having to rent a room for a short time like this but not much of an alternative but to sit on the street. The owner was nice and got up to sit with us to make sure the shuttle came. Our biggest fear was that the shuttle would be packed and we would get lousy seats but not the case as we were the second group picked up so the 10 hours to San Salvador wasn't so bad.

Crossing the border went simply and we were  in El Salvador. It seemed a little more impoverished and seemed more littered than Nicaragua . We both were very impressed with Nicaragua and less so with El Salvador especially after being warned 100 times about the violence and dangers in San Salvador.

Arriving in SS the shuttle dropoff is on the edge of the city so for 25 cents american, which is the currency they use, we headed off downtown to find a cafe and wifi to contact our couchsurfer host.