Lietuviskas aprasymas zemiau
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Day 51: The Good Lithuanians of Managua
March 30, 2006
Luckily, the capital of Nicaragua is famous not only for the streets with no names, roads with no signs and extremely hospitable hotel guides. In Managua, there also are several very friendly Lithuanians, who helped us to finally solve our computer problems!
You might have noticed that about a month ago we suddenly stopped complaining about the endless tricks of our drunken laptop. No, the miracle didn't happen, and our little puppy did not recover from the hangover after the wine tasting party. Even today it takes the laptop about half an hour to boot, and then for another half an hour it keeps typing its own "reports" - completely random combinations of characters, until about an hour later, the computer finally warms up and starts obeying the user's commands :)
Needless to say, with such technology our trip reports would have been significantly shorter. However, thanks to the Domanskis family, who read about our trip and e-mailed us offering any kind of help, we received a new laptop, identical to the limping one! Our biggest THANKS goes to Maria Domanskis, who currently lives in Managua, and Maria's parents from Chicago, who happened to be visiting their daughter right at the time we arrived in Managua. We had asked them to bring us a new laptop from the States, and they kindly agreed to do so. Thank you guys so much for all the help, as well as for welcoming us to your home!
Back to Managua. Despite being a big city, Managua, we thought, was relatively clean and rather quiet. Green parks were plentiful; the traffic on the wide streets and avenues was almost too orderly! Most of the buildings were modern and stylish, while some were a living reminder of the destructive earthquake. Perhaps the most impressive examples of the traditional old and the trendy new Managua were the two cathedrals. The old one, closed to the public, a little crooked, extensively splintered by the earthquake, with clearly noticeable crack-lines running from the top to the bottom, was still standing as if held together by some supernatural force (might have been SuperGlue... :)). And the new one, which looked more like a nuclear power station than a church…we'll just let the photos tell the rest :)
Managua also was unbearably hot! Staying in the center of the city in the middle of the day was an absolute torture, so we headed towards the lake. Ironically, Malecon, the lake-front street adjacent to Lago de Managua, was the dirtiest place in town… Yet, if you can put up with the piles of trash scattered along the banks of the Lake Managua (just admire the view in the horizon! :)) and stand the ear-drum-busting Latin pop rhythms bursting out of the lake-front restaurants (some of them are more tranquil than others), you will find Malecon the best place to survive the hot day in the city.
At night, the options are plentiful. Just head to the Zona Rosa and make
your pick.
Cick on the pictures to enlarge
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The President of Nicaragua welcoming the Domanskis family to his country.
Gerieji Managvos lietuviai: Rimas (is kaires) , Maria (viduryje) ir Pranute (is desines) Domanskiai su Nikaragvos prezidentu. |
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The old cathedral of Managua, a living reminder of the destructive earthquake
Senoji Managvos katedra - vienas is nedaugelio pastatu, atlaikusiu zemes drebejima |
A little crooked but still standing!
truputi sukrypusi... |
Held together by SuperGlue?
... ir suskilinejusi... |
| Or the Higher Powers?
... bet stebuklo deka tebestovi |
Guess what's in this photo? (don't look at the following pic until you try to guess!)
Kaip manote, kas pavaizduota sioje nuotraukoje? (neziurekite tolimesnes foto su atsakymu, kol nepameginsite atspeti!) |
That's the roof of the new cathedral of Managua :)
Tai - naujosios Managvos katedros stogas :) |
Nuvesk pelyte virs paveiksliuko, spustelk jos kaire ausele, ir paveiksliukas padides
51-oji diena: Gerieji Managvos lietuviai
2006 m. kovo 30
Managua, laimei, garseja ne vien viesbuciu gidais - ten taip pat gyvena (laikinai) keli labai malonus ir draugiski lietuviai, padeje mums pagaliau isspresti didziaja kompiuterine beda. Tikriausiai pastebejote, kad jau senokai nebesiskundziame kompiuterinemis problemomis? Ne be priezasties! Senasis laptopas, net ir praejus pusantram menesiui po "isgertuviu", nenustojo kresti sposu: uzsikrauna mazdaug per pusvalandi, po to dar gera pusvalandi klaviatura pati spausdina atsitiktiniu raidziu "reportazus", kol galiausiai, mazdaug po valandos, kompiuteris "isyla" ir pradeda klausyti vartotojo komandu :) Su tokia technika, deja, daug neprirasysi.
Taciau, laimingo atsitiktinumo deka, "Amerikos Lietuvyje" apie mus paskaite ponai Domanskiai, kuriu dukra Maria siuo metu gyvena Managvoje. Gavome is Marios laiska su kvietimu susitikti ir, kol busime Managvoje, apsistoti jos namuose. Na aisku, kad piktnaudziauti zmoniu svetingumu ir kaip "gimines" uzvirsti savaitelei mes tikrai nesiruoseme :) Bet pagalbos papraseme - pas Maria kaip tik ruosesi is Cikagos atskristi tevai (fantastiskas sutapimas!), kurie mums ir atgabeno nauja laptopa. Dabar turime du! Vienas veikia kaip jauna darbsti bitute, o kitas - kaip tingine vyno prisisiurbusi bite.
Didelis nuosidus dekui Mariai ir jos teveliams uz pagalba ir uz silta priemima. Aciu taip pat ir "Amerikos Lietuviui", kurio deka gavome nemazai laisku su linkejimais ir patarimais is tautieciu, gyvenanciu Kolumbijoje, Meksikoje, Nikaragvoje ir kitose Lotynu Amerikos salyse.
Bendrai Managva - visai neblogas miestas (lyginant su kitom Centrines Amerikos
sostinem - net per grazus! :)) Ispudingiausia - senoji katedra, per zemes
drebejima stebuklo budu nesugriuvusi, bet taip sukrypusi ir suskilinejusi,
kad, rodos, mazuoju pirsteliu stumtelejus, nuvirstu ant sono. Jokios apeigos
sioje katedroje, aisku, nebevyksta - chorui uztraukus giesme, baznycia kaip
mat subyretu iki pamatu. Pamaldos vyksta kitame miesto gale, naujoje katedroje,
kuri irgi savotiskai ispudinga, ypac is tolo - nezinantis, jog tai - baznycia,
laisvai galetu pagalvoti, kad atomines elektrines reaktorius.
Miestas palyginti svarus, tik nezmoniskai karsta - vidurdieni apie 35-40C.
Per toki karsti centre tikrai laukia mirtis! Geidziamiausia miesto vieta tokiomis
dienomis butu Managvos ezero pakrante, esanti prie pat senojo centro. Ten
nuo ezero pucia gaivus vejelis, prie pat vandens yra vienas kitas restoranelis,
kur prisedus ir pasitelkus vidini ausinima saltu alumi, butu galima laukti
vesesniu laiku. "Butu", nes restoranai labiau primena arklides arba
darzines, o pakrante atrodo taip, lyg kas nors maziausiai desimt metu butu
gausiai barstes palei ja ivairiausios kilmes siuksles.
Ka gi, sostines gyvenimo uzteks. Dar karta nuosirdziai dekojam Mariai ir jos teveliams, ir ta pati vakara isskubame i Nikaragvos menininku buveine - Masaya.
Pastebejimas. Nikaragvoje beveik visos kedes - supamos! Is pradziu truputi
keista, bet gana greitai pripranti ir kitokios kedes jau nebenori! Galvojame,
kaip isitaisyti po supama kede i Nissana :)
