Crowne Plaza Managua

... into each others arms, not quite believing what had just happened. I showed Al the money the woman had given me and we ran down the road stopping when we saw a woman in a driveway. We asked her if we could call the police and where we were. She said we were in Masaya and that we couldnt call the police. What a helpful person.

We continued running down the road and came to a t-section where we saw cars driving. We stopped a taxi with two older ...

... fare - standard gringa discount. For a small lady she can really let loose!

It was nice to be back 'home' - there's nothing like the feeling that someone is looking out for you when surrounded by unfamiliarity and that's exactly what our hosts have done. They took us on a tour of Managua yesterday and showed us the highlights of the city. Managua is not easy to love with it's unnamed streets, highways cutting here and there ...

... stick. So after we got a workable batch made up... we began using the only tools we had to patch these walls... our hands. Needless to say after hours of scooping out concrete with our hands then packing it in holes in a wall, our hands were rubbed raw. My hands and underneath my fingernails still hurt! But it is all good, because tomorrow we head to the beach for a wonderful weekend of relaxation! Oh I cannot wait =)

After showering we went out to the property Wake Forest ...

... and is made out of donated material, and really is some nice stuff! I tried to buy some, but my debit card failed me once again (for the 4th time). I definitely need to get that fixed - I am in debt to my friends haha

Well, I am almost ready to go to bed and I am looking forward to it. I can't help but count down the days until I get home - but I am still thankful for being able to have this experience and to be down here! So.....I am ready to start a fresh new day tomorrow! =)

... am looking forward to seeing here! I am just excited about exploring a new country!!! Granada is a gorgeous little city- in fact it is one of the highlights of Nicaragua (at least according to most travel books.) Brightly colored buildings and very hospitable people makes for a great place to spend a few days... I just wish it was a tiny bit cooler because it is HOT here!!! I know I said that already... but it is so hot it is worth saying twice! :)

... cafe. It was ok. But we forgot to leave tip, because of the chaos with the money: cordobas-dollars, no change, overcharge. So, the guy seemed upset, but only later we figured out why! Ooops. The lake is nice. It's kind of dirty near shore. A few kids swam in it, but very close. Alan read, there are sharks in this lake... They have a playground, but it is all covered with rust and grass. It they just invested a little money, time and effort in it, it ...

... America trip that he made in 2005... to get some useful information about Nicaragua: "what's the best time to go (dry season), is it safe, is it possible to climb volcanoes,......???" I also searched information about car rental (do you need a 4wheel drive?). Before our departure I also took spanish lessons, they told me in Nicaragua they don't speak english at all! And ...

Granada was a busy time, the first day we went on a long tour which started with a boat trip around Lake Nicaragua visiting some of the islands there. We went round one private island which was up for sale (we had to pretend we were interested in buying it!) which was lovely, and only $410000, I did resist however as I thought it might stretch my ...

... find out what it is i can let them know as they have placed bets! next day not much better but we caught bus to santa domingo and beck went horse riding and i slept again. felt better finally in the afternoon. (after id convinced myself i was dying and needed to sort all my insurance details out in case i needed to be rushed to hospital. being a hyperchondriac is not useful in foreign countries prone to tropical and strange diseases.) pretty ...

... buses and a little under six hours to go from Tegucigalpa, Honduras to Somoto, Nicaragua. Somoto had a beautiful canyon that can be entirely visited if you take a six-hour tour, which I did, not knowing what I was getting myself into. Indeed, the first two hours were about rock climbing, not very steep but still going up and down the rocks to walk along the canyon. The next two hours were about swimming down the canyon where the Rio Coco, Central America's ...