El Vago en Suramerica

I arrived yesterday in San Jose, Costa Rica, and its very possible that I will leave tomorrow for Panama City. It all depends on whether there is space available on the bus leaving tomorrow evening. I like it here, actually… it is a real shame that ive been able to see so little of Costa Rica. Some day I’ll have to come back. San Jose is pretty, a very nice, modern city. There are lots of tranquil parks along a busy shopping street in the center. In fact, of all of the cities I’ve seen since entering Mexico, San Jose looks and feels the most American. The buildings look just like parts of Boston, the streets are clean, and it is a safe place to walk around. People seem fairly self-concerned and indifferent to strangers, just as in the states. The one very latino thing I saw today when walking around the center was a line of guys at the edge of one park, all looking at the women who passed by and commenting on their appearance. This is something that never exists in Boston.

Last Thursday I went to Granada, Nicaragua, for the first time in a year and a half. I had no idea what to expect upon arrival. The first thing that struck me were the crowds of tourists in all parts of the city. In my first visit there were quite a few tourists, but nothing compared to nowadays. I found it funny how some things remained the same, yet there were always subtle changes. The central park looked the same, but my little friend selling necklaces, everyones’s favorite “amigo”, wasn’t there. Nor was a girl who worked at a drink stand, who I met during my spanish classes. Mario, the bartender at one internet cafe, was now working down the street at a restaurant. The city was full of new hotels, mainly aimed at backpackers. In front of my old house there was a hostel, and the entire street had been given a fresh coat of paint.

To be honest, I am rather concerned by the current state of Granada. It is still beautiful and a wonderful city, but I fear it is being turned into another Antigua, another tourist museum. Granada, unlike Antigua, is a real city with a significant population and industries other than tourism.

I visited the family with whom I stayed during my earlier visit, the Ortegas. The mother was home, as were the two sisters; they were extremely suprised to see me. We talked awhile, and they offered to let me sleep in their house. Later, they told me to go see the brother of the family play in a salsa band in a local cafe.

I also met two friends that my friend from home, Greg Storch, met during his visit to Nicaragua. We spent quite a bit of time together. On Sunday, we took an excursion to the city of Diriamba to see the local hipica, or horse parade. These horse parades are a big deal in Nicaragua, and people come from all over the country to take part in the festivities. Bands rove through the streets, rum is sold dirt-cheap, and everyone is drinking and dancing on the sidewalks as the horses make loops around the city. It was loads of fun, and reminiscent of the hipica that I saw in Granada when I was first in the country.

Yesterday I made the journey here from Granada taking public buses. I arrived in the evening, and went first to one hostel recommended by my taxi driver. It was a nice place, but because it was very new, it was also nearly empty. Today I decided to change hostels, and now Im staying in a crowded but lively hostel, “tranquilo backpackers.”

I was going to go out tonight, but I decided to take it easy instead. In Panama City, I will party like crazy.

Ive started a new tradition of seeing the sunrise on Sunday morning after a long party. I’ve done it the last two weeks, at least. I think its a trend Id like to continue.

Y Asi Es.
Love,
Dan

Rockin out in Managua, Nicaragua.

Yeah its been a while since Ive written, and Im sorry if anyone has been overly concerned. Im safe, and having lots of fun.

Its funny… Im not gay (honestly), but I could probably write the “Gay Travelers Guide to Central America.” I keep meeting gay people everywhere I go. If anybody is gay and interested in heading to San Pedro Sula, I could most definitely hook you up. Let me know.

I arrived in Managua yesterday. I was going to spend some time in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, but after looking several minutes at a calendar, i decided it was time to be on my way.

Managua is bizarre. On my previous trip to Nicaragua, in the summer of 2004, i never saw the capital, staying instead in the tourist center of Granada. This time, I decided to see something a bit different. It is a city without skyscrapers, but also without any big buildings whatsoever. Most of the city was destroyed in the 1970´s by an earthquake, and in the aftermath it developed haphazardly and randomly, resulting in the current city layout. The historic center is the site of the ruins of the pre-earthquake city, an interesting, pretty spot, but extremely quiet and empty. The city´s modern centers seem to be based around several markets and shopping malls quite far from one another. Public transportation is somewhat infrequent compared with other Central American cities. There are numerous parks, which are unfortunately quite polluted and lacking in shade. It is a hot place, comparable to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. I do like Managua, however, in several ways. The natural setting of the city is gorgeous; there is a beautiful lake below a tall hill in the center, and the city is located right on the edge of the enormous lake Managua. Also, I´ve had no trouble meeting people, and everyone seems very friendly.

Today I walked for hours, all over the city, and it was nice to do this type of exploration again. I havent spent so much time walking around any other big city in Central America. It was a good learning experience, and I found some true chaos during my wanderings. According to my Footprints Guide, “The Mercado Oriental is said to be the largest informal marketin Latin America, and its barrio, Ciudad Jardin, should be avoided at all costs.” I have to agree with them. You would have to be crazy, as a tourist, to go shopping there. In the sprawling mess, I saw not a single cop but hundreds of drunks and drug addicts, streets piled high with trash, and wild hordes of people. It was quite an experience. I dont think Ive ever seen a place so hectic, dirty, and poor as that market and the surrounding area. There was an empty lot full of trash 15 feet high, and on top of the trash were about 25 people, adults and children, looking through the trash for food. In nearly all of the abandoned buildings scattered around the area, destroyed by the earthquake, including former hotels, churches, and government buildings, are packed dozens of families, living one on top of the other. It was tough to see, even after having seen so much poverty and desperation during my travels.

I spent the past week in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. I never really thought I would end up in San Pedro, but thats just how things turned out. I ended up leaving San Salvador a bit late on a Monday, so I had no choice but to spend a night in the town of Ocotepeque, on the other side of the border in Honduras. In the morning, I looked at a map, and realized that I was far closer to San Pedro, so I went there instead.

As I wandered around San Pedro, several guys came over and began to talk to me. They were all clearly gay, but I had no problem talking to them. Soon, I had made about 8 gay friends, all crazy partiers and crazy people. At night, I ended up going to a gay disco, which had a great atmosphere but was obviously quite lacking in girls. I went with Johan, my best friend of the group, to the Caribbean at the city of Puerto Cortes, on Thursday and Friday. On Friday we made another friend, a Salvadorean living in Cortes, with a big house on the ocean. His mom cooked us a soup, and we sat gazing at the sea and talking all day.

I had a great time in San Salvador. I hope this doesnt sound repetetive, but i made a number of friends there as well (including one gay guy), who owned cars and were able to drive me around the city. We went to the best place in the country to eat Pupusas, the national dish, and we spent one evening at the beach by the city of La Libertad. The parties were good in San Salvador, and I usually started drinking early with friends from my hostel before going out. I also spent a lot of time there in a huge shopping mall called MetroCentro. Though I have always hated malls, young people don´t have any business in the city center or in the parks, so the malls were the best place to be around people my age. After seeing so much chaos in the markets of central america, sometimes the malls can be a relief, but I still get tired of them rather quickly.

I love you all, and will update soon. If anybody has any questions about my travels, dont be afraid to ask…

Dan