Ometepe to Masaya
Trip Start
Aug 05, 2007
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3
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Trip End
Aug 08, 2007
Masaya, Nicaragua
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
After the sun went down, dark clouds surrounded the big volcano and a massive lightening storm took place. Not a drop of rain came our way, all the action was on the volcano. It was wonderful to watch from a safe place, all the colours and flashes and the eerie sounds.
woke up this morning and decided to head to Masaya. As much as we loved LOVED Ometepe, we had some serious souvinier shopping to do for family, and Masaya is the place to do it. Ometepe lacked any kind of markets or trinket stores, as it is still not overly tourist-friendly (which is what makes it so fantastic).
So pack up we did, and called for a taxi. We split it with 4 other travelers, a couple from England, a long-haired dude from Alabama, and a girl named Angela (also american). Our taxi ride took longer than expected, since we got stuck in rush hour cows. But we made it back to Moyogalpa with a few minutes to spare, so Nicole and I went off into the little town so i could take pictures. The buildings were so colourful and such characters themselves, i just wanted pictures of them. Then we snagged some 5cent fanta and pretty gross popcycles, and onto the ferry we went.
we sat below, in a room with a little TV that played some kind of Spanish talk show where people cried and hugged a lot. i fell asleep with my ipod and woke up to suzi being sick over the side of the boat. when we docked, we opted to take a taxi to Masaya, instead of dragging suzi into town to take a local bus and save $3.
$7 and an hour later, we arrived in Masaya, with our new friend Angela, who abandoned her group to join us. We walked down the crowded streets trying to be inconspicuous with our lonely planet maps. we had no idea which way was north...
but we found Hotel Regis with help from some locals and checked into our $4, 4 bed room. We unloaded, turned around, and power walked to the markets.
The Masaya Markets are inside an old castle, and they go on forever. It's a lot of the same stuff over and over again, and they don't barter much, but since it's all pretty cheap, it's okay. Bags and hammocks hung from the ceiling and tables and shelves lined the walls for blocks. We began to list off people we needed presents for and started our work.
i purchased a little dress for my neice, leather shoes for my nephew, and a bag for myself. I also purchased cigars for my dad for $12 (a bit steep) to find out that back home, one of them runs about $30 in a cigar store (i got a pack of six).
It began to pour rain, and the shops starting closing so we walked back to our hotel. We dropped off our loot and decided to do three things: find a bus stop that we would need tomorrow, find internet and find food.
1) the bus stop. as we walked, it got dark quickly, and soon we were four white girls roaming the back alleys of Masaya at night. from every home, eyes peered as us through windows and shop doors, some concerned, some mocking, some shifty. the night was sticky hot and my long flowy skirt clung to me like a child. We acted calm and continued walking into the night. We reached a gas station and discovered this was the bus stop. GOOD. then we opted to take a $1 cab back into town.
2) back in town we quickly found an internet cafe. apparently they're very popular among the nicaraguans. they were brand new and even had skype and msn and keyboards that worked. I printed off my plane ticket and emailed everyone i knew. I found out that an article i had published had picked up some heat and i was wanted for an interivew. i hastly replied that i was in nicaragua but i would be there.
3) food. we went to a place called "Fancy", which we hoped would live up to its name. Actually it was quite great, since it was dead quiet (at 8pm). Our server never left our sight, standing quietly off to the side until we needed something. we ordered lots of food and more Tonas (except suzi) and had a gay old time. we left time a huge tip and returned to our room full and happy.
4) except on the way home, nicole and i stopped at a wine shop and bought a cheap bottle of strawberry wine (i know, cheesy cheesy). The shop owners were very nice and cheerful.
5) in fact, they were so nice as to follow us back to our hotel to return my plane ticket, which i'd left on the counter.
6) mocking ensued.
