Lietuviskas aprasymas zemiau
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Day 52: Nicaragua Continued
March 31, 2006
Oh those sleepless nights… there are so many reasons they happen! The hotel neighbor in the next room was snoring so loudly all night long that it felt like he was sleeping in the same bed! Too close to ignore, and yet too far to apply any measures to make him stop sleeping at full volume. For sure, he was the only one who got any sleep that night. Seriously, the morning after countless beers feels much better - at least you know it's your own fault you are feeling groggy. Nothing you can do about those paper walls of the tropics :)
On the way from Managua to Masaya there is Parque Nacional Volcano Masaya
(Volcano Masaya National Park). The admission fee (USD 7 per person) seems
a bit too high for what the park has to offer, and yet, if you have never
seen a smoldering volcano, the little round shaped Nindiri, which looks like
a boiling kettle on your grandmas stove, is your perfect opportunity. A short
walk further, there is another volcano, Volcan Masaya. This one is much bigger
than Nindiri (according to the booklet, also still active) but completely
plugged up: the crater is filled with moss, bushes, trees and other kind of
dirt - obviously has not been properly maintained! It is common knowledge
that you have to clean your volcanoes regularly if you want them to serve
for a long time :)
If you are already there, don't miss the hike around the crater for the nicest
views. The opposite side of the Masaya crater is higher up and opens up the
splendid sight of the city of Masaya and Laguna Masaya on one side, and the
smoking Volcan Nindiri on the other. Perhaps the nicest views open up from
the opposite side of the crater. The trail is not officially marked but is
easy to find - just face the highest point of the Masaya crater and start
climbing :)
No day without a happy coincidence! On the way back from the volcanoes, a
fellow tourist asks us for a ride to the bus stop. Guess what? - Turns out
our passenger was born and raised in Southern California, in our "native"
Santa Ana, and had lived most of his life in the downtown, almost next door
to our "second home", the
Gypsy Den Café…which he had never noticed! :)) Well, it's
okay not to notice a new bench in the park, but living next to the funkiest
café in town for 50 years and not noticing it is a real talent!!
In exchange for the ride, our passenger promised to visit the Gypsy Den the
very next time he goes home :)
Our next stop is Masaya, the famous artist town. The town itself is very compact, easily navigable, and reminds of one extensive artist workshop. There is some artistic activity happening in the backyard of nearly every house, and you are more than welcome to step in and chat with the artists while observing the creation of the beautiful hand-woven hammocks, ceramics, carvings, paintings or the famous artesanias (bright colored wooden animals).
Masaya, without a doubt, is a craft lovers' paradise. Perhaps the most impressive
place in town (if not in the entire country) is the gigantic Mercado Antiguo,
situated just steps from the central plaza. The market is very clean, neatly
organized and so appealing that you don't even notice how the day flies by
while you are strolling among the booths filled with fine paintings, wood
carvings, hammocks and leather goods, all surprisingly inexpensive.
Despite being the main attraction, Mercado Antiguo is unbelievably tranquil
and relaxed - a complete opposite to its counterpart, Mercado Municipal. Similar
merchandise might be slightly cheaper in the latter, but you are sure to get
an aggressive "market guide" at the entrance, and even if you manage
to get rid of that one (be ready to use much stronger refusals that "no
gracias" :)), you will have to deal with unbearably annoying traders
- every one of them will try to pull you into their booth and will do anything
to sell. In general, the place is somewhat draining - we left Mercado Municipal
completely worn out and headed straight back to Mercado Antiguo :)
If a day in Mercado Antiguo is not enough, you can stay there for the night
of live music. Local bands often perform on the stage inside the market. If
you don't want to pay the admission, you can stay outside the market and still
listen to the music :)
Completely saturated by the Nicaraguan art, late in the evening we left for
Granada, the famous conservative old-time rival of the liberal Leon. As conservative
as it might be, Granada appeared to be much hipper and happier than Leon.
Plenty of places were open late at night, playing music for all tastes: from
old American rock hits to the typical salsa-cumbia-merengue mix, featuring
some very atypical lyrics. For example, instead of singing about a lost lover
or a new sweetheart, a Granadian salsero narrates a tale about a long-nosed
fellow from Leon, and how good it is that the Leonese are so ugly :) The message
under the comical lines is unequivocal: there is no way the two cities would
ever meet.
Cick on the pictures to enlarge
|
Volcano Nindiri
Nindiri ugnikalnis |
Please don't errupt for another hour... then please errupt :)
Garuojantis Nindiri ir musu Nissanas nuo Masayos kraterio krasto |
The Red Cross fundraising the Latin style
Lesu rinkimas Raudonajam Kryziui - lotynisku ritmu! |
|
Mercado Antiguo
Senasis Masayos turgus Mercado Antiguo |
Care for a swing on the rainbow?
Senojo turgaus gerybes |
Semana Santa decorations on the streets of Masaya
Masayos gatves paruostos sventoms Velykoms |
Nuvesk pelyte virs paveiksliuko, spustelk jos kaire ausele, ir paveiksliukas padides
52-oji diena: Nikaragvos pazinimas tesiasi
2006 m. kovo 31
Nakti viesbucio kaimynas taip garsiai knarke, jog atrode, kad guli ne uz sienos, o pasoneje! Ir is kur tiek energijos - visa nakti sitaip garsiai miegoti…Tas ponas turetu rytais atsibusti pavarges (bent jau jo kaimynai tai garantuotai dziaugiasi pagaliau sulauke ryto!)
Pakelui i Masaya uzsukom apziureti "vartu i pragara" - Parque Nacional
Volcano Masaya. Nedidukas nacionalinis parkelis - pilnas ugnikalniu, is kuriu
vienas tebera aktyvus. Pasirodo, "aktyvus" ugnikalniu teminologijoje
yra labai plati savoka - aktyvus yra ir lava spjaudantis piktuolis, ir ramus,
jau daugeli metu jokiu gyvybes zenklu nerodantis kalnas - tol, kol ugnikalnis
mokslininkams siuncia nors koki zenkla apie kada nors imanoma issiverzima,
tol jis tebera aktyvus. Masayos parko ugnikalnis, vardu Nindiri, savo aktyvuma
demonstruoja ramiai papsedamas pypkute, o ziurint aukstai is virsaus, labiausiai
primena didziuli garuojanti puoda ant mociutes krosnies. Salia Nindiri ramiai
snuduriuoja kitas, daug didesnis ugnikalnis Masaya, kurio krateris priauges
krumu, medziu, samanu ir kitokiu nesvarumu. Zinia, kad ugnikalnius reikia
reguliariai valyti, jei nori, kad jie ilgai tarnautu! :)
Jei kada busite Masayos ungikalnio nacionaliniame parke, nepatingekite uzlipti
I pacia Masayos virsune - vaizdelis nuostabus, is vienos puses labai graziai
matosi visa Masaya ir Laguna de Masaya, o is kitos - tingiai dumojantis Nindiri.
Besigrozedami ugnikalniais, susitinkom amerikieti, kuris pasiprase, kad paveztumem iki pagrindinio kelio. Nebutu reikalo apie tai rasyti, nes keliautoju is JAV susitinkame kas diena ir ne po viena, bet sitas buvo ypatingas! Gi pasirodo, gimes ir uzauges musu "gimtojoje" Santa Anoje, CA! Ir ne bet kur Santa Anoje, o visai salia musu megstamiausios kavines, The Gypsy Den, kurios nei karto nebuvo mates… Zmogaus issiblaskymas beribis! Galima kuri laika nepamatyti parke naujo suoliuko, bet nugyventi apie 50 metu salia kavines ir jos nepastebeti… cia jau savotiskas talentas!
Taip linksmai privaziuojame Masaya. O sis miestelis - tarytum viena didele
menininku dirbtuve. Kas antro namo kieme kas nors tapo paveiksla, audzia hamaka,
siuvineja tautine suknele, drozineja arba spalvina pauksciuka (ryskiaspalviai
pauksciukai, drugeliai ir zuvytes, vadinami artesanijomis (artesanias) - tradiciniai
Nikaragvos rankdarbiai), lipdo puoda arba vaza... Menininkai draugiskai moja
uzeiti vidun, apziureti dirbinius, arba pasisveciuoti ilgeliau ir paziureti
kaip atsiranda artesanija arba hamakas.
Likusi dienos dalis nepastebimai prabega senajame Masayos meno dirbiniu turguje
(Mercado Antiguo). Turgus didziulis, labai tvarkingas ir pilnas liaudisku
meno dirbiniu - ko tik sirdis geidzia! Po toki turgu ir kelias paras su malonumu
galetum smirineti, tik kad po pusdienio nuo intensyvios ryskiu tropiniu spalvu
terapijos pradeda raibti akys...
Nuo Masayos iki Granados - tik apie 30 kilometru, todel vakara nusprendziame praleisti Granadoje. Palyginti mazyte Granada velu vakara atrodo daug gyvesne uz dvigubai didesni Leona - panasu, kad Nikaragvos konservatoriai linskmybes megsta daug labiau nei liberalai! Pasigrozeje naktiniu senamiesciu ir susirade kur nakvoti, skubame ieskoti lotynu muzikos klubo. Labai idomu, kaip konservatyvieji, grieztos klasikines muzikos mokyklos salininkai granadieciai soka egzotiskuosius lotynu sokius. Issiaiskinom, kad soka ir kraiposi nei kiek ne prasciau uz apolitiskuosius kaimynus is gretimu saliu, taciau vienas kitas skirtumelis vis tik krito i ausi - tuo metu, kada dauguma "latinu" dainuoja apie gera arba bloga mylimaja ir atitinkamus dziaugsmus bei vargus, granadieciai salsos ritmu pasakoja apie ilga ir juokinga leoniecio nosi, ir kaip smagu, kad leonietis toks neisvaizdus. Staiga si ambiciju kova tarp Leono ir Granados primine kazka iki skausmo pazistamo... Koks tiksliai atstumas tarp Vilniaus ir Kauno - simtas kilometru ar... amzinybe? :)
