I'm currently sitting in the lobby of the Camino Real Hotel & Casino in Managua. This hotel is so much nicer than where I have stayed previously. I usually stay at the Las Mercedes Best Western, because it is directly across the street from the airport. This place is night and day from there, and there is a free shuttle to the airport. It's like comparing a Marriott, to a Motel 6. It has a really nice bar, pool, outside living space, and the rooms are nicer too. The crazy thing is that it's a few dollars cheaper.
I only have a few more hours here in Nicaragua before I head back to the states, and I'm sitting here with a cup of joe...reflecting on this trip. It's been pretty incredible, and I can't believe that it's coming to an end.
When I booked this trip, I was planning on staying in SJDS until this morning, but had to come to Managua a day early so Will & I could do some house shopping.
We only had a few hours yesterday morning to get things done, because most of the businesses close at noon. The first place that we went was the tile store. When we pulled up to the front door we immediately noticed that the place was empty....no bueno. It wasn't a big deal though, they had just moved locations and opened a new store a few miles away. The only problem was that Will wasn't exactly sure where it was. The roads in this town can be a maze, so we drove in circles for a little bit before we found it.
It was actually really cool because I got to see a part of Managua that I never have before...the nice part of town. There are a couple of neighborhoods here that look a lot like America. Nice looking coffee shops, restaurants and bars. Most of what I have seen here is the amazing poverty, and unsettling living conditions. It was kind of wierd to see the Park City of Nicaragua.
Anyway...once we found the tile store we spent some time looking at the tile and fixtures for our bathrooms and kitchen. Most of this was already picked out by Tyler & Justin when they were here in January, so we were basically just making the order.
After the tile store we went to the "Nicaragua Home Depot" which is called "Sinsa." This place is really amazing. They sell everything here. We got our kitchen sink, toilets, fans, door handles, and a couple other things. Just in case you didn't know this already...we are going to have a really nice fixtures in the house. Everything that I saw yesterday, and everything we purchased, is top notch for Nicaragua. Another thing that is really nice, is having Will's experience in building. He has completed 25+ houses down here, and he knows some of the challenges that there are in building, and keeping up a house in the tropics. He is always looking for things that won't break after a year of use, or making sure that things can be cleaned easily. It was a definite leaning experience for me.
We also purchased a 5000 liter water tank for our house. This will be used during the rest of our construction to store water on-site. After we are done, it will be our main water holding tank. It's very large, but it will be nice to have such a large amount of water supply at the house.
After the morning of shopping we stopped by Will's business partner, Maria's house. She wasn't there, but we had to stop by there to drop something off for her. Maria grew up in Managua, and seems to split here time between SJDS and here. I have spent a good amount of time with her and she is really a fantastic lady. She's only in her mid 20's, but is years above that in maturity and experience. She will also be a great person to know over the years as she knows Nicaragua so well.
We stopped by her house for a second, but before we could even say "hi" her sister invited us to stay for lunch. So Will and I sat down and had some bean soup and lemonade with the family. Most of the conversation revolved around the Tsunami that had happened hours earlier. Will's wife Vanessa was in SJDS and she said that they were going around town on a loud speaker telling everyone to go to high ground. A Tsunami Warning in SJDS. It was another good reason that we are building our house so far above sea level. Our house would be totally safe if Nicaraguan coast was hit by a Tsunami.
After visiting, and Will interpreting, we headed out here to Camino Real. Will and I discussed a few last things...like more pictures, more regularly...and we said our good bye's. He said that the house should probably be completed in 3 months.
I had the afternoon here to relax, and that's exactly what I did. I went swimming, sat by the pool, and finished off my day by watching the American's win the 4 man bobsled at the hotel bar, while drinking my last Tona of the trip. It was the first event that I have seen since the Olympics started. First & Last, since I managed to book my flight during the Gold Medal Hockey Game.
...I almost changed my flight to a 7am departure this morning, but the idea of spending 12 hours in the Houston airport (and the $150 fee) made me realize it probably wasn't worth it. I'm hoping that I can at least catch the last minute. It's going to be close.
So here I sit on my last morning typing away...
After I post this I'm going to get some breakfast, enjoy the last of the warmth, and I'm off. I will be sure to spend some time early this week going threw all my photos and videos, and will post them all as soon as I can.
I hope you have all enjoyed the progress reports, and I'm sorry that I didn't update is more regularly.
Adios from Nicaragua...
