Day: 26 May 2005

Managua – The attractions

Don’t think Managua is the best place in the world, it has no commercial district, there are no department stores, you will have trouble finding a bank and what development has taken place is on an urban American Car orientated, decentralised multiple business district system making it useless for the tourist.

It is very hot, almost like India.

The Market
Managua does however have an outdoor market the size of Belgium.
You will get lost here if you are reading your Lonely Planet guide at the same time as trying to find your way around.

Here is a picture from the market.

This woman is cooking up some spicey arroz, vegetables and meat.

Other considerations
The people are friendly (don’t mention the war).

It is safer than Rio.

Managua – A dream shattered

For those that don’t know, Nicaragua was George Bush snr’s Iraq of sorts.

He pervaded influence in the region sometime in the eightees and things have never been the same since.

Alone
When you walk around Managua there is evidence of the beginnings of something, grand structures, wide tree lined boulevards, totems, monuments etc.

When I walked down here I was alone, completely, not a car, not a person in sight.

I imagine this was built as a symbol of the new Nicaragua, a Nicaragua which was never given the chance to develop.

US sponsored terrorism
Unlike Iraq, Nicaragua was a state where the US sponsored terror. Beheadings, ritual rape, food and water poisoning other general nastieness.
The US sponsored Contra Rebels never actually won a fight with the then Government troops and the battle was brought to the people, quite literally.