Lietuviskas aprasymas zemiau
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Days 59-61: Last Weekend in Nicaragua
April 7-9, 2006
The waterbus left Mancarron as scheduled, at 3:30AM. After the no-surprise ride back to San Carlos (the only event worth mentioning was the spectacular sunrise, which gave us an idea to finally start getting up early more often! :)), we just wiped off a thick layer of dead Chayules from the Nissan and hit the road. Back to Masaya at full throttle! (which translates into 10-15 mph on the infamous San Carlos road). At around 6PM, all bones sore from the hellish ride, we arrived in Masaya. What a relief to be back!
It's Friday night, the last week before Semana Santa (The Holy Week before Easter), so there are many different things happening in town: religious processions marching down the main streets, live music being played in the squares and cafés, people decorating their house façades for Easter… And then, there is our true favorite old market, Mercado Antiguo, which is closed tonight but will reopen tomorrow… And suddenly we both feel that we deserve a lazy recuperation weekend in Masaya before continuing south… :) So we simply linger in Masaya until late Sunday afternoon.
With all due respect to the creative people of the secluded Solentiname, it felt extremely good to be back to the more social life... Guess some of us like civilization a little bit more than others :)
On Sunday we get back on the road, make a single quick stop to see the volcanoes of the Ometepe Island (Volcan Concepcion, 17419 ft, and Volcan Madera, 14545 ft, both stand gracefully on Isla Ometepe in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua and can be clearly seen from the Pan-American highway), and then continue driving toward the border of Costa Rica until by dusk we reach San Juan del Sur, a little relaxed beach town on the Pacific coast, known as the most popular resort of Nicaragua. Judging by the numerous hotels, restaurants and bars, San Juan del Sur truly sees more visitors than Solentiname :) The busy Malecon (beachfront street) looks like a perfect place for the 'Bye Nica!' party. The border of Costa Rica is just a few hours away.
Tip #1: If you are waiting for the 3:30AM waterbus from Solentiname to San Carlos (there is no other but this early morning one, twice a week), make sure you have a powerful flash light. You will surely get on the boat if you are departing from Mancarron. However, if you happen to have stayed on San Fernando or La Venada and want to get on the water bus from there, you have to clearly wave a flashlight from the wharf when you hear the boat approach. It is still completely dark at 3:30AM, and the boat does not stop to check if there is anybody waiting in the dark. There are so few tourists on the islands on Solentiname that you better get familiar with the local rules before you go there :)
Tip #2: There are several places along the road to San Carlos where you can buy water, beer and food. There are no gas stations, however, and the one in San Carlos sells only low octane leaded gasoline, so fill the tank to the maximum before leaving Juigalpa.
Tip #3: In case you are really thinking about going to Solentiname, seriously consider taking a boat from Granada. It will take you the same 9-11 hours to get there, but you will later send us a thank-you e-mail for advising you not to take the San Carlos road.
Tip #4: Most hotels in San Juan del Sur are nicer and pricier than
elsewhere in Nicaragua, but you can find a decent cheap place as well. We
can recommend Hospedaje Eleonora, if you don't mind pink :) A big, clean,
simple room for USD 15 had almost everything pink, from the curtains and bed
covers to the soap holder! We were about to thank the happy owner of the Pink
Place for not wearing a pink T-shirt at the time he let us in. Or maybe he
just wasn't dressed in the business attire…
Click on the pictures to enlarge
|
Ometepe Island. The view from the Pan-American highway.
Ometepes sala nuo Pan-American greitkelio. |
Volcan Concepcion with its head in the clouds
Ugnikalnis Volcan Concepcion su stilinga debesu kepuraite |
Head in the clouds
Debeseli, debeseli, truputi uzkliuvai uz ugnikalnio? |
Nuvesk pelyte virs paveiksliuko, spustelk jos kaire ausele, ir paveiksliukas padides
59- 61- oji dienos: Paskutinis savaitgalis Nikaragvoje
2006 m. balandzio 7-9
2:30 ryto keliames su tokiu entuziazmu, lyg butumem 4 dienas sito ryto lauke.
Lauke tamsu kaip kisenej, o reikia kazkaip susirasti kelia siuru misko takeliu
iki prieplaukos, kuria butu gerai pasiekti nenusisukus sprando, neissisukus
kojos ir neuzmynus ant apsnudusios gyvates. Prozektoriaus, aisku, neturim
- liko masinoj, gi ne i negyvenamas salas issiruosem! :)
Eiti nakti apgraibom misku visai nesmagu, ypac kada pasonej kazkas vis garsiai
slumsteli. Ir kas sugalvojo sitoki absurdiska valties grafika!? Apie I naturalias
kliutis nudauzytus koju pirstelius jau net neminesim, nes tame yra ir siokios
naudos - nagai ilga laika bus naturaliai melyni, nereiks lakuot. Isgelbsti
tai, kad takeli iki prieplaukos per 4 dienas buvom suspeje praeiti tiek kartu
(kas pora valandu eidavom patikrinti, ar netycia neisplaukia koks laivelis
I San Carlos), kad ismokom ji beveik taip pat gerai, kaip kelia I mokykla.
Vandens autobusas isplaukia tiksliai pagal grafika - 3:30 val. ryto. Pakeliui I San Carlos spejam ir snustelti taip trukstama rytinio miego valandele, ir pasigrozeti nuostabiu sauletekiu, kurio vaizdas, beje, sukelia eretisku minciu apie tai, jog reiktu dazniau ansksti keltis, nes kas ryta pramiegam dideli grozi. Grize I dar mieganti miesta, tik nuvalom nuo masinos langu stora tragiskai zuvusiu cajuliu sluoksni ir neatsisukdami lekiam atgal I Masaja beprotisku 15 km/h greiciu. Po kokiu 10-ties valandu purtymosi (nepasirode taip blogai kaip pirma karta - matyt, pripratom!) zemai nusilenkiam Nissanui uz neitiketina patvaruma - parvaziavom!
Masajoje gyvenimas verda - penktadienio vakaras, be to paskutinis savaitgalis pries Semana Santa (sventoji savaite pries Velykas, kurios metu daugelis instituciju uzsidaro, ir darbuotojai gauna savaite atostogu). Gatvemis zygiuoja baznytines procesijos ir gieda giesmes, aikstese ir kavinese koncertuoja muzikantai, kai kurie zmones puosiasi namu fasadus ir kiemus Velykoms. Mieste toks smagus surmulys, kad neatsispiriame pagundai pasilikti cia savaitgaliui. Manome, kad per savaite "atostogu" San Carlose ir Solentinameje uzsitarnavome pora dienu atostogu :)
Kaip vis delto gera grizti i civilizacija! Prireike savaites, kad isitikintumem, jog Nikaragvos meninikai, kaip ir mes, megsta gyventi tarp zmoniu :) Ta proga maloniai pratinginiaujame visa savaitgali Masajoje, o nuotykius Solentinameje "uzregistruojam" kaip vienus is ispudingiausiu kelioneje po Centrine Amerika.
Sekmadieni po pietu pagaliau issijudinam - laikas vaziuoti link Kosta Rikos. Pakeliui sustojame pasigrozeti ugnikalniais Nikaragvos ezere (du auksti ugnikalniai - Volcan Concepcion (5285 m) ir Volcan Madera (4413 m) ispudingai pupso paciame Lago de Nicaragua viduryje, abu kartu sudarydami Ometepe sala - Isla Ometepe). Abudu ugnikalniai labai aiskiai matosi tiesiai nuo Pan-American greitkelio. Jau temstant privaziuojam San Juan del Sur. Nedidukas mielas miestelis yra isikures ant paties Ramiojo vandenyno kranto ir garseja kaip populiarausias nikaragvieciu kurortas. Judri, linskmu zmoniu, jaukiu kaviniu, lauko restoranu ir baru pilna pakrantes gatve pasirodo labai tinkama "isleistuviu" vakarui, tad San Juane ir pasiliekame paskutiniam Nikaragvos vakarui. Iki Kosta Rikos sienos liko gera valanda kelio.
Keistenybes: Nikaragvoje stiklo tara turi aukso verte. Vienintele galimybe
nusipirkti gerima issinesimui - aliuminio skardineje. Nusipirkus ka nors stikliniame
butelyje (gerimai buteliuose zymiai pigesni) nevalia atsitraukti nuo pulperijos
nei per zingsni - teks isgerti parduotuveje, akylai stebint pardavejai, kad,
neduokdie, nepradingtum kartu su vertinguoju buteliu. Idomiausia, kad uz buteli
sumoketi ir ji pasiimti - negalima!! Galima tik "pasiskolinti" kol
geri. Nekantriausiems (arba prie tokiu taisykliu nepratusiems) pasiulomas
kompromisas -butelio turini supilti issinesimui i …polietilenini maiseli.
(mateme ne viena taip issinesanti! :))
