Managua, Managua, Managua

Yesterday, we visited the big, bad city of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. My Lonely Planet guide swears that Managua gets a bad rap and is worthy of tourist exploration beyond the airport, but I'm not so sure. We saw a few interesting sights and the history and political significance of the place is worth learning about, but I'm still not sure I'd count it as a "must-see".

One of the biggest hindrances to exploring Managua is the fact that the city is very hard to navigate. A massive earthquake in 1972 leveled much of the city, and much of what was destroyed has never been rebuilt. Consequently, Managua lacks a city center and thus a focal point from which to orient oneself to the city. Additionally, I've heard multiple stories of robberies committed by taxi drivers who pick up unsuspecting tourists and proceed to drive them to every ATM in town so that they can empty their bank accounts. Not exactly a giant welcome mat for the tourist crowd.

In any case, it was nice to check out the city for an afternoon and amusing to note which chain restaurants have infiltrated this part of the world, including the obvious McDonald's, Burger King ("La Casa del Whopper"), etc. as well as a place called "GHOP", whose logo and All-American menu bore a strange resemblance to that of IHOP.

The first place we visited was the "Huellas de Acahualinca", a small museum where ancient footprints were discovered and unearthed. The footprints are believed to be 6,000 years old, making them some of the oldest human footprints in the Americas. It is also believed that the preservation of the footprints is the result of a volcano that erupted and dropped volcanic ash on the site, thereby burying them safely underground. The site was spare but interesting, and certainly worth the $2 price of admission.

Next, we took a drive through some of the neighborhoods of Managua, and Bergman pointed out the Nica equivalent of a low-income housing project known as "Casas para el Pueblo". The project receives funding from Venezuela but is overseen by the Nicaraguan government (currently run by the Sandinistas) and has been building approximately 100-200 houses per year. The houses are basic but well-built and include electricity, certainly a huge improvement over the houses in which many of the poor currently live, many of which are made of zinc or even plastic.

After a quick visit to a somewhat odd cultural/tourist center built by the Ortega government on the shores of Lake Managua, we visited the Palacio Nacional and its surroundings. The impressive Palacia was constructed for the Somoza family, which ruled Nicaragua for over 40 years. If you're not familiar with the Somozas, suffice it to say that they ran a repressive regime that plundered the resources of the country and used any necessary means to squelch any sort of political opposition. It's no coincidence that the museum, in addition to telling the story of Nicaragua's history from prehistoric times, is also a showcase for information about Augusto Cesar Sandino, Nicaragua's most famous son, and sports giant Sandinista banners on the exterior of the building. Next door to the Palacio is an impressive cathedral that was destroyed in the 1972 earthquake and neither rebuilt nor torn down, leaving a crumbling but beautiful landmark.

On the way to our final stop, we passed by the Asamblea Nacional (essentially Nica's Congress) building, across from which we noticed tons of makeshift structures made from black plastic sheets (a la Hefty garbage bags). Bergman explained that these are inhabited by protestors who stake themselves out across from the Asamblea in rotating shifts to call attention to their respective causes. At least one such group is individuals from the Chinandega region who once worked for Dole (then known as Standard Fruit) as banana pickers and suffered health problems due to exposure to a dangerous pesticide (that at the time was banned in the U.S.) without protection. Standard Fruit actually pulled out of Nica in the late 1970s and has never paid reparations to the affected workers; hence, their continuing protest over 30 years later. Another group includes former workers from Flor de Cana rum with similar issues.

Our final stop was an incredible viewpoint over the city of Managua on the grounds of the former Palacio National, which was leveled in 1931 by yet another earthquake. The site now features canopy tours, a rusted old army tank sent to Somoza by Mussolini and a giant cutout of Sandino that reminded me a bit of the Marlboro man.

Last night, I was treated to a dance performance by some neighborhood children at the home of one of my teachers, Elisa. Elisa's 8-year old daughter and some of her friends put on traditional costumes and performed Nica folkloric dances for myself, a couple of other students and several family members. To be honest, I preferred this performance to the more elaborate folklore performance I saw in Masaya, and I didn't have to pay an entrance fee or buy an overpriced meal at this one!

Tonight, I move into my homestay - 3 boys aged 12, 8 and 3! I imagine there will be no shortage of activity there. Tomorrow, I'll head to Granada, Nica's so-called crown jewel and also an expat haven. I'm already dreaming about a cappucino and maybe some Thai or Indian food for lunch.

Ciao for now!