The Final Days in Managua - Saturday

 From One Activity to the Next:

 

 

My couchsurfing host, Dorian, is an artist and graphic designer. He works for the government cultural ministry and promotes and studies visual arts around the country. He showed me a wide variety of artwork from Nicaragua, from Leon to Bluefields on the Caribbean coast. There is a huge variety of art and influences packed into such a small space.

He had a plan in his head and I was fine to go along with it and let someone else be in the driver's seat for a while. We started the day with a breakfast of Nacatamales, traditional Nicaraguan style tamales - corn meal filled with pork and potatoes and wrapped in a banana leaf. We picked them up from a house just around the corner from his. An elderly lady came out of the nondescript house with the Nacatamales in a plastic bag, these were some truly home-prepared delicacies.

 

The wrapped Nacatamales

A delicious Nicaraguan breakfast

We then set off to the offices of the ministry of health. I needed a Covid test in order to get on the plane back to the US. The mandated rate for a Covid test was $150. And they required payment in US dollars, as well. I didn't argue, it's just an added cost of traveling. And I figured I was less likely to be able to "help the nurse out financially" at the airport as I did when I crossed into Nicaragua from Honduras. My test results would be published online at 4PM.

We then took a bus from the medical center to Granada, a colonial city about an hour south-east of Managua. This is a very quaint place with brightly colored buildings, and nice looking shops and restaurants along several boulevards as well as a large plaza covered with well-groomed trees.

 

A lady who was selling items on the bus handed me her parrot as she took people's drink orders. The parrot and I hung out for a bit and it spoke to me in Spanish.

After walking around the center of town, Dorian took me to "La Mansion de Chocolate," a chocolate museum/hotel that gives you a free tour of their artesanal chocolate making process, starting from the cacao pod, a guide takes you through every step of the drying, fermenting and roasting processes. Stopping at each step to let you sniff or taste the cacao bean in many forms. I even got to grind some beans myself using a grinding stone. The place has a lot of chocolate products, but Dorian and I had some chocolate milkshakes and a brownie. Rich and delicious.

 

 

Smelling pure, fermented and roasted cacao beans at the Mansion de Chocolate

 

 

A raw chocolate milkshake

Then we walked over to the town square and went up into the bell tower of the colonial church in the center and enjoyed a nice view over the entire town.

 

The view of Granada from the Cathedral's bell tower

Dorian and I on the streets of Granada, with the cathedral and bell tower in the background

Dorian then whisked me away to another area of the town where we took a taxi to a lagoon. The lagoon is located inside a giant crater, formed several thousand years ago when the volcano experienced a massive eruption, spewing lava in every direction. The lava flow created over 300 small islands in the Lake Cocilbolca, located at its base. The volcano is now inactive, but the lagoon is a beautiful oasis inside the crater. It was a nice afternoon stop for us as well, we jumped in the water and swam around for a while until it was time to go to our next stop.

We hitched a ride from the lagoon to the Masaya Volcano. We wanted to get up there with enough time to see it during the day, but the sunsets at the volcano are amazing and it is also advisable to stay a little bit into the night in order to see the glow of the lava inside the crater. The last time Dorian had been to the volcano, he had hiked about 4 miles from the road to the top. However, they had made some recent changes and they do not allow you to walk up any more. The entrance fee is also $5 per person.

 

The beach at the Laguna de Apoyo

On the way up, there was a welcome center and a volcano museum that explained the evolution of the volcano, the types of rock below the surface as well as the flora and fauna and microclimates that existed within the direct vicinity of the volcano.

 

Inside the Masaya Volcano museum

After having seen so many volcanoes on my ride, I had an idea on my last couple days of riding. I had brought a small vial of my late father's ashes with me and kept it in one of my bags the whole way. I figured my dad would have enjoyed seeing what was going on during this whole trip. But after riding this entire way with no specific agenda for the ashes other than to take them with me - I suddenly thought that I could go to the top of a volcano and throw his ashes into a crater. 

 

 Throwing my dad's ashes into the crater

 

So this is exactly what I did. During a dramatic golden hour sunset, and lit by the glow of the boiling magma in the crater below, I uncapped the vial and poured his ashes into the volcano, with Dorian as my witness. This seemed like a cathartic way to conclude my trip, rife with the kind of symbolism that can be conjured by leaving a part of someone's body in a place where no living thing could possibly survive.

 

Overlooking the smoking crater

The lava glowing after the sunset

Dorian and I at one of the supports erected for the tightrope walk

If you would like to see some wild aerial shots of the Masaya Volcano, check out this mini documentary about aerialist Nik Wallenda, who tightrope walked across the 1800ft crater in 2020.

After the volcano, we took a bus back to Managua. Dorian wanted to make sure I tried another Nicaraguan specialty, the fritanga - a kind of carne asada, but with Nicaraguan spices.

 

The fritanga restaurant

The fritanga platter

After dinner we took a taxi back down to the Trees of Life where I had ridden in the day before. But at night they were all lit up in a bright display of colors. 

 

The trees of life at the boardwalk, all lit up

 

The entire seat of government was lit up with many types of lights and it was a very different experience to see it at night. We walked around to a bunch of the monuments and Dorian explained to me the significance of some of the national figures, like Augusto Sandino, who fought against the United States' occupation of Nicaragua in the 1930's and was subsequently assassinated for his resistance movement. Today, he is considered a national hero who opposed domination from wealthy elites and foreigners. He has a signature oversized cowboy hat and his silhouette and figure can be spotted in many shapes and sizes all over the capital. Another major national figure is Ruben Dario, a prominent literary figure and philosopher from the early 20th century who's works have been extremely influential across Latin America.

Dorian's favorite Dario quote is:

"Qué el amor no admite cuerdas reflexiones"

 

One of the many Ruben Dario posters in the downtown area

 

In front of the national palace

 

Dorian and I at the national church

 

Of course, this tour of downtown would not be complete without a walk along the boardwalk of Salvador Allende. Salvador Allende was the first freely elected Marxist to a Latin American country, in Chile. He was ousted and either assassinated or committed suicide by a coup d'etat supported by the United States, which saw Augusto Pinochet rise to power.

 

The Salvador Allende boardwalk

The boardwalk was very lively this evening. It is filled with restaurants and bars and some live music venues. However, tonight was a special night. A native son of Nicaragua, Chocolatito, was having an internationally ranked championship boxing match against his Mexican opponent, Ray Martinez. The boardwalk was packed with people watching the fight, which lasted the full rounds, but saw Chocolatito win by unanimous decision. The boardwalk was elated and everyone cheered his win.

Of course, the evening wasn't over yet. Dorian said that since it was the beginning of the month, a lot of people would be out and about, spending their newfound money at local establishments. We left the boardwalk and went to Camino de Oriente, a trendy neighborhood in Managua known for its nightlife. Unfortunately, due to the location of Dorian's house, we had been out all day and still had our backpacks with us, precluding us entry into any of the packed clubs. We hung out at a bar and observed the dancing going on outside at one of the clubs and enjoyed people watching and commenting on the wide variety of people coming and going from where we were seated.

 

Outside the nightclub on Camino de Oriente on a Saturday night

Finally, at about 3AM, I needed to head back home, I had to be at the airport at 4AM for my 6AM flight. I am very impressed by what we were able to pack into a single day, and navigating the various areas and modes of transportation would not have been possible without Dorian's help. This was a fantastic way to cap off a month of pure traveling and adventures.