We rolled out of bed around 8:00 this morning to find a banquet for breakfast. Fruit, juice, cereal, bacon, and these delicious corn pancakes filled our bellies as we prepared for our second day in Nicaragua.
Before heading off in the van around 9:00, we rushed to the outside of the hotel for a quick picture of ourselves and the miniature bird farm that we had not noticed the night before.
Upon leaving the hotel, we realized that no more than a block from our hotel, people were living in poverty. Children ran around without shirts or shoes, street peddlers begged whoever passed to buy their insect-covered fruits, and some people bathed in alleyway streams. Each house and business was surrounded by steel gates or just a cement wall at least seven feet high to protect from robbers, some even had guards on watch. The level of security and mistrust in the city is high, but on every passing face, all I saw were smiles. Even though they had very little, these people were content and happy with their carefree lives; not having to worry about which celebrity is wearing what or how costly the new iPhone will be. Life is on the bare necessities and that's all they need.
Our first stop on the tour of Managua was Lamas Tia Casa. The life of Sandino, a Nicaraguan liberator of the 1930s, is chronicled there. From his travels to Mexico to overthrowing the American senator who declared himself president of Nicaragua. Unfortunately, because of the rain, we were unable to go to the park we had initially planned to eat lunch at. Instead we traveled to Puerto Salvador Allende: a town square with a dilapidated chapel damaged by earthquakes, the three tombs of past Nicaraguan idols, and a tiny temple filled with breakdancing teenagers. Our final stop before Esteli was a lakeside boardwalk call El Malecon Managua Vieja. The shores of Lake Managua were covered with litter and we spotted an adolescent crocodile/alligator in the water, so we collectively decided to steer clear of the lake by at least 20 feet. We walked around for about 30 minutes before realizing the space was more for nightlife as most of the stores weren't open by 12:30.
We finished lunch around 1:25 and piled back into the van to begin our 4 hour trek to Esteli. After leaving the main city, sporadic houses, miles of open farmland, and the high mountains in the distance were the only things to be seen. We passed the time by sleeping, taking pictures, and playing disease and music group ABCs, attempting to name one for each letter of the alphabet. About three hours in we stopped at Maxí Pali, a walmart-like store, to grab some quick ice cream and snacks for lunch. After another hour we arrived to our new humble abode, Hotel Los Arcos. We explored the beautiful courtyard on the first floor and open air space on the roof. We finished off the night with a trip to the town square where families chilled and kids ran around on the playground. All in all the day was fun filled in preparation for the taxing labor we would be doing at the school tomorrow.
- Maddi J.
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| In the bus to Estili. Morgan song starts with Z - go. |
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| Lunch Time out of the rain! |
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