Managua, Nicaruagua

After stamping my passport my instructions were to go to the pharmacy and wait for this driver to appear with my name on a sign. I spoke no spanish so i just kinda wandered up and down the strip for an hour getting hasseled by cab drivers that were fustrated that i didnt want a ride, but wouldnt leave....

I finally gave in. All i had was the name of a hotel on a piece of paper (i didnt even know the name of the city it was in!!!) and I knew it was about a 2.5 hour ride.

I showed a cabbie named Luise the paper and he rattled off some spanish i couldnt understand to a group of cabbies. he came back and said " We will take zou there for 100$ us"

I was out of options so i agreed. Luise turned to another cabbie and said lets go. He took me to a car, and got in the back seat. I was surprised he was coming with for a 5 hour plus round trip ride so i asked, why are you coming?
He answered "security"

My immediate thought was that i was about to get driven to the ghetto and jummped. why would you ever need to taxi cab drivers????

Turnes out both of them were outstanding humans. Luise came along just for a tip and so he could help interperate for me. I must have looked astonished as the sun set in Managua, while the cab rolled through the most run down neighborhoods i had ever seen.People were burning trash everywhere and I was glad when we out of the city and movine at a steady pace.

The only problem came when i realized, none of us knew where to go. We made it to san jan del sur, but the hostel i was to find was no where to be found. But the guys stayed with me. they kindly stopped on the back roads and walked into peoples homes to ask directions. after about an hour and a half of this I was becoming worried we would never find the place but i just kept quiet thinking that they would eventually find someplace suitable to stay in. we asked for advice one more time from a local man, and he seemed to point up the hill. we went for it, but the 2 wheel drive cab couldnt tackle the hill. Luise tried several times, but eventually we gave up.

At this point i had allready been awake for almost 40 hours, and i was readz to give up. "Just take me into town and drop me off" i told them. They semed worried for me and when we passed a fancy looking hotel they offered to leave me there.

I walked around to the bar-reception area and was stoked to meet a fellow gringo. we quickly got shit sorted out. yes i was close to the spot, and yes it was up the hill. He offered to have his friend drive me up the hill on his dirt bike for a price. I agreed and we zipped up the hill, only to find that the hostel had lost my reservation!!!!

fustrated and tired i went back to the fancy place and asked how much their rooms were. 80$ a night was the answer. In despair i told them there was no way i could afford that and if i could just sleep on the floor or something.

The gringo looked at me and said " you know what, im gunna take care of you." we jumped back on the dirt bike and rode into town to this mans home, where we switched bikes and homie took me to exactly where i never knew i needed to be. Everything happes for a reason, and i knew this in my marrow, when i got to the hostel and found a pile of english speaking new friends laughing and singing sublime and playing drinking games.

7$ a night. ill take it. I passed out within minutes.......