Nicaragua

This crossing was mucho tranquillo. Again I just hung out with the border workers and the bikes while Scott did the Espanole.

Did that on purpose …. and just for fun …..

We are now in Granada, Nicaragua and staying here for 22US a night, very close to El Centro. Of course I’ll be taking more pictures and posting them later. Today however I am just chilling out in this cafe, picture later. I need to do some laundry and work on the bike. The problem is getting coolant and water into the rad without taking off the shroud, crash bars and such. I’m hoping to devise a way that I can put more fluid in without having to take apart a bunch of stuff. And as they say in the KLR forums, a picture tells a thousand words so I’ll take some to show my dilemma. Peace out.

El Centro ….

The bikes are parked across the street from the hotel which is also owned by Jimmy ‘three fingers’, a famous gringo who’s been here 6 years. I’m hoping I get to hear him play before I leave. ….

Yesterday while working on my bike and going back and forth from the hotel to the bikes Jimmy was also working as he cooks the food in his restaurant. So the two of us shot the shit while working. He’s got 5 Harley’s, only 39 in Nicaragua. I’ve heard more stories from this guy in such a short time I could write a book about his life alone. Today we are to meet in front of his hotel and he’s going to take me on a tour of Granada via the bikes. Anyway, last night I went on a mini night tour by myself and checked out the strip and which is down from El Centro pictured in the previous photos.

Here I found a bar called Zoom.

And then the Calgary Stampeders horse of all things. Apparantly a couple of older dudes stuck this on after watching the Grey Cup final on the internet here in Granada. I can’t believe they had a Stampeders sticker with them. I of course have two of them on my panniers that I bought in Calgary before heading on this trip so to find this horse right in front of me while sipping a beer was pretty amazing.

And then while walking back to the hotel I met Mirabelle who was soliciting me but instead we chose to be friends, exchanging Spanish words for English ones. I think at some point she thought I might be gay but I assured her I was not, not that that’s a problem, being gay that is. One of the most interesting things she asked me was, if in Canada do people get robbed for their jewelry and such. Yeah, I suppose I answered. She said it doesn’t happen here in Granada, but in Managua yes. So we walked back to the hotel as she wanted to use my bathroom, and maybe more. After innocence, we sat with Jimmy and again had a good chat about life. We were talking about revolutions, modern economy and more of the significant things in life that are usually overlooked.

It’s crazy really, how life is so different and just the same. Bob Dylan’s Gonna Travel On just came on the ipod. Thanks JJ for that tune you gave me a long time ago. Actually, some times the songs that appear on the shuffle amaze me when it comes to the timing of when they begin playing in relation to what is happening on the bike etc. . Yes it’s true, I’m easily amazed. The other thing Mirabelle and I talked about in broken language was what she said to me, ‘You are solo?’. ‘Si, like the dogs on the streets of Central America’. ‘That is sad no?’ ‘No. Just the truth.’ I also met a guy and his lady from Chicago who have been in Granada for three months, and he happened to also be reading for the first time, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. That’s pretty crazy considering one happens to have a discussion about a book that isn’t really popular within another world that niether belong to. Tu comprende? Intiendo? Alright, time to get ready for the Granada bike tour. Adios. Incidentally, this is day 63 on August 20th, 2009.

Then in order of the photo’s for a walk one day. It’s funny for a self-professed non-religious person I once in awhile get caught walking inside. Old churches and old castles always find a way in my heart; they’re so well built and they can tolerate a lot of weight which is the beauty I suppose …..

… and then off to Costa Rica …

Again Scott handled the border with good sense and saved us 64 bucks for the scam that is like this …. one has to buy insurance for $16 a month which is true, but isn’t is that you are required to buy a minimum of 3 months times the sixteen which equals 64 for both bikes.