I left beautiful San Cristobal on Tuesday and pulled an all night bus to Oaxaca town in the neighboring state of the same name.
With Mexico City now only five hours away by bus, I am near the completion of the loop I started a couple weeks ago when I made my way to Palenque via Veracruz and Villahermosa.
My first impressions here are that while Oaxaca is a nice town, by comparison to San Cristobal it's a bit expensive for lodging. I'm paying 400 pesos here for something I could get in San Cristobal for less than 200.
And while San Cristobal had dozens of low cost laundry services available, here I've been unable to find any service but dry cleaning! A minor annoyance perhaps, but clean clothes would be nice. . .
Check out the Lonely Planet's take below:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/oaxaca-state/oaxaca
Showing posts with label Lonely Planet guidebooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lonely Planet guidebooks. Show all posts
Friday, August 24, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
San Miguel to Guanajuato
On the bus ride out of San Miguel this morning we made a brief stop at the old railroad terminal--then crossed the tracks to join the back road to Guanajuato.
This reminded me that the remains of Jack Kerouac's old running buddy, Neal Cassady, were found nearby the tracks in 1968, apparently the victim of an accident, suicide, or otherwise untimely death.
Cassady was Kerouac's inspiration for Dean Moriarty, the anti-hero of his seminal Beat Generation novel On the Road.
Today I fell from the lap of luxury into the rock bottom of grungy hostelries when I relocated from the very excellent value Posada de las Monjas ($42 per night) in San Miguel to an extremely divey $12.50 room in the Hotel Granaditas in downtown Guanjuato--described by the Lonely Planet as "best of the cheapies" in the area.
My edition of the LP is 8-9 years old. . .but this place is a dump!
In all fairness, though, I was looking for something a little cheaper to "average out" my daily budget after a couple days in expensive San Miguel.
The entire ordeal reminds me that Mexico isn't as cheap as it used to be. Yes, it's nominally cheaper than in the States, but I've found that my budget projections for lodging have fallen quite a bit short of the reality of 2011.
Strangely enough, I've seen that lodging in the capital is perhaps cheaper than in the provinces. Maybe that's because DF is saturated with hotels, and that glut of hotels runs the entire dive-to-five-star price spectrum.
The Granaditas seems to be run by Jehovah's Witnesses, judging by the piles of The Watchtower at the reception desk.
Again, this is a reminder to me of last Saturday night when I was out and about in Queretaro and made acquaintence with several JWs who were approaching people--me included--with tracts and invitations to their Sunday morning service. Turns out the JWs were in the midst of their annual convention.
Jehovah's Witnesses around town were easily recognizable by their sharp, conservative dress and their "Hello my name is. . ." name tag lanyards.
Also well dressed and approaching strangers were salespersons of Herbalife, Inc. I met a few of them, too. Each one showed me a "before" picture: sometimes overweight, now these folks were walking/talking cheerful promoters of a product "that really changed my life." And one young lady wasn't shy about telling me how many thousands of dollars she makes pushing the product.
Back to San Miguel, though: yes, it's really expensive, so apparently the influx Americans and Europeans is driving up local costs considerably (?).
The cheapest hotel I could find was in the 300 peso range, and in some cases that was without private bath. I paid 520 pesos ($42) for my room in Las Monjas, which was by far the most luxurious place I've stayed in Mexico so far. My room was very nice, and for a bonus it had one of the best views of the hilly old town available.
There is a mini real estate boom happening in the old town with For Sale signs everywhere. Long popular with Euro/American artists and other creative types, San Miguel's old town has many art galleries and expensive antique shops. Craft stores and touristy gift shops dot the Centro a-plenty.
And yet apparently the local expatriate community doesn't support bookstores. Both local bookshops, listed in Lonely Planet and described as "very good" and with a great selection of English language titles, either went out of business in the past eight years, or moved somewhere I couldn't find in my two days there.
An older boomer gentleman informed me: "The best place to find books is the Thursday sale at the Bibliotech." He was referring to an American lending library which I visited yesterday afternoon.
This reminded me that the remains of Jack Kerouac's old running buddy, Neal Cassady, were found nearby the tracks in 1968, apparently the victim of an accident, suicide, or otherwise untimely death.
Cassady was Kerouac's inspiration for Dean Moriarty, the anti-hero of his seminal Beat Generation novel On the Road.
Today I fell from the lap of luxury into the rock bottom of grungy hostelries when I relocated from the very excellent value Posada de las Monjas ($42 per night) in San Miguel to an extremely divey $12.50 room in the Hotel Granaditas in downtown Guanjuato--described by the Lonely Planet as "best of the cheapies" in the area.
My edition of the LP is 8-9 years old. . .but this place is a dump!
In all fairness, though, I was looking for something a little cheaper to "average out" my daily budget after a couple days in expensive San Miguel.
The entire ordeal reminds me that Mexico isn't as cheap as it used to be. Yes, it's nominally cheaper than in the States, but I've found that my budget projections for lodging have fallen quite a bit short of the reality of 2011.
Strangely enough, I've seen that lodging in the capital is perhaps cheaper than in the provinces. Maybe that's because DF is saturated with hotels, and that glut of hotels runs the entire dive-to-five-star price spectrum.
The Granaditas seems to be run by Jehovah's Witnesses, judging by the piles of The Watchtower at the reception desk.
Again, this is a reminder to me of last Saturday night when I was out and about in Queretaro and made acquaintence with several JWs who were approaching people--me included--with tracts and invitations to their Sunday morning service. Turns out the JWs were in the midst of their annual convention.
Jehovah's Witnesses around town were easily recognizable by their sharp, conservative dress and their "Hello my name is. . ." name tag lanyards.
Also well dressed and approaching strangers were salespersons of Herbalife, Inc. I met a few of them, too. Each one showed me a "before" picture: sometimes overweight, now these folks were walking/talking cheerful promoters of a product "that really changed my life." And one young lady wasn't shy about telling me how many thousands of dollars she makes pushing the product.
Back to San Miguel, though: yes, it's really expensive, so apparently the influx Americans and Europeans is driving up local costs considerably (?).
The cheapest hotel I could find was in the 300 peso range, and in some cases that was without private bath. I paid 520 pesos ($42) for my room in Las Monjas, which was by far the most luxurious place I've stayed in Mexico so far. My room was very nice, and for a bonus it had one of the best views of the hilly old town available.
There is a mini real estate boom happening in the old town with For Sale signs everywhere. Long popular with Euro/American artists and other creative types, San Miguel's old town has many art galleries and expensive antique shops. Craft stores and touristy gift shops dot the Centro a-plenty.
And yet apparently the local expatriate community doesn't support bookstores. Both local bookshops, listed in Lonely Planet and described as "very good" and with a great selection of English language titles, either went out of business in the past eight years, or moved somewhere I couldn't find in my two days there.
An older boomer gentleman informed me: "The best place to find books is the Thursday sale at the Bibliotech." He was referring to an American lending library which I visited yesterday afternoon.
Friday, July 2, 2010
In Gracias!
I had a pleasant surprise today when I found that the road from La Esperanza to Gracias is paved nearly all the way, cutting an anticipated four hour trip down to three. The 25 mile stretch from La Esperanza to the halfway point San Juan was so new that the painted lane markers couldn't have been more than a week old. For the locals this must make their lives a bit easier, at least for getting around more conveniently. And it occurred to me that with this new road, the area suddenly goes from being very underdeveloped, to having one of the best roads in all of Central America--a "first world" perk!
I'm realizing now that my Lonely Planet guide definitely needs an updated edition, at least for this part of Honduras, since their stated travel times around are no longer valid. And whereas three or four years ago, when my edition of LP's Central America on a Shoestring was published, there were no hotels in San Juan, today I counted three as we passed through.
How quickly things can change, even in a very impoverished place like western Honduras.
Gracias is a lovely town but much hotter than in La Esperanza. I'm staying at an excellent place, the Hotel Guancascos, which is perched on a hill overlooking the town and features a large terrace restaurant. I will stay here for at least two nights which will take me to Sunday July Fourth. I now have just a little less than two weeks--about 12 days--to get back to Guatemala City.
I'm realizing now that my Lonely Planet guide definitely needs an updated edition, at least for this part of Honduras, since their stated travel times around are no longer valid. And whereas three or four years ago, when my edition of LP's Central America on a Shoestring was published, there were no hotels in San Juan, today I counted three as we passed through.
How quickly things can change, even in a very impoverished place like western Honduras.
Gracias is a lovely town but much hotter than in La Esperanza. I'm staying at an excellent place, the Hotel Guancascos, which is perched on a hill overlooking the town and features a large terrace restaurant. I will stay here for at least two nights which will take me to Sunday July Fourth. I now have just a little less than two weeks--about 12 days--to get back to Guatemala City.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Unanticipated Honduras Leg Adds Excitement
We've had fairly steady rains for three days straight in northwestern Nicaragua, southern Honduras, and eastern El Salvador, but meanwhile I've managed to cover some miles the past two days, and I've fixed an itinerary for the coming week.
With the postponement of the Costa Rica leg, a new Honduran leg becomes feasible, even desirable. Apart from two recent transit trips through Choluteca and a brief visit to Copan Ruinas in 2008, this will be my first extended visit, so as always with a new place, I feel excited.
After a day or two in Perquin, to begin hopefully tomorrow, I can continue north on that road to Sabanetas at the Honduran border which will place me in western Honduras. The first big town on that road is Marcala.
Continuing further northwest will bring me to the the colonial town of Gracias, founded in the 16th century, another of the many Spanish capitals dotting Central America. The Lonely Planet tells me this region is seldom visited by the tourist, but that it's even more charming for that reason. This is relatively high country, surrounded by beautiful mountains and populated with friendly rural folk.
From Gracias the road winds up in Santa Rosa de Copan which-- the Lonely Planet warns--is still some hours from the famous Copan Ruinas, which is another primary destination for me. Though I visited this massive Mayan attraction two years ago, the archaeological site is so impressive and well preserved that I feel I should pass through again in order to get some photos.
From Copan Ruinas, the Guatemalan border is just ten minutes away, so I can cross back there, take a bus to Antigua, and hopefully have time to visit Chichicastenango before wrapping up this trip.
With the postponement of the Costa Rica leg, a new Honduran leg becomes feasible, even desirable. Apart from two recent transit trips through Choluteca and a brief visit to Copan Ruinas in 2008, this will be my first extended visit, so as always with a new place, I feel excited.
After a day or two in Perquin, to begin hopefully tomorrow, I can continue north on that road to Sabanetas at the Honduran border which will place me in western Honduras. The first big town on that road is Marcala.
Continuing further northwest will bring me to the the colonial town of Gracias, founded in the 16th century, another of the many Spanish capitals dotting Central America. The Lonely Planet tells me this region is seldom visited by the tourist, but that it's even more charming for that reason. This is relatively high country, surrounded by beautiful mountains and populated with friendly rural folk.
From Gracias the road winds up in Santa Rosa de Copan which-- the Lonely Planet warns--is still some hours from the famous Copan Ruinas, which is another primary destination for me. Though I visited this massive Mayan attraction two years ago, the archaeological site is so impressive and well preserved that I feel I should pass through again in order to get some photos.
From Copan Ruinas, the Guatemalan border is just ten minutes away, so I can cross back there, take a bus to Antigua, and hopefully have time to visit Chichicastenango before wrapping up this trip.
Friday, June 25, 2010
To Perquin Via Choluteca, or From the North?
My next decision is one of logisitics: should I return to El Salvador right away from the east and proceed to Perquin from there? Or should I travel by way of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa and approach Perquin from the north?
The Lonely Planet warns that because of a border dispute with Honduras, El Salvador does not have an immigration checkpoint on the road to Perquin from the north. This may not be a problem for me since technically I'm still traveling on my initial 90 day stamp I received from the Guatemalans at the start of my journey.
But the Planet warns that if I exit from another El Salvador checkpoint, I could conceivably face the issue of having formally exited Honduras without formally entering El Salvador. Because of this potential uncertainty, I'm probably inclined to enter El Salvador from the east, just to be on the better-safe-than-sorry side of things.
On the other hand, since I've now postponed Costa Rica until late this summer, that gives me more time now to visit Honduras for a bit, which I'd really like to do. Though I'd prefer to skip Tegucigalpa, it might be worth my while to explore some of the area to the north of El Salvador.
My original intent had been to use Honduras as a transit point between destinations, but now that the option is open, it seems a shame to completely pass on by.
Thus I'll be busy with my guidebooks tonight to fix some alternate plans.
The Lonely Planet warns that because of a border dispute with Honduras, El Salvador does not have an immigration checkpoint on the road to Perquin from the north. This may not be a problem for me since technically I'm still traveling on my initial 90 day stamp I received from the Guatemalans at the start of my journey.
But the Planet warns that if I exit from another El Salvador checkpoint, I could conceivably face the issue of having formally exited Honduras without formally entering El Salvador. Because of this potential uncertainty, I'm probably inclined to enter El Salvador from the east, just to be on the better-safe-than-sorry side of things.
On the other hand, since I've now postponed Costa Rica until late this summer, that gives me more time now to visit Honduras for a bit, which I'd really like to do. Though I'd prefer to skip Tegucigalpa, it might be worth my while to explore some of the area to the north of El Salvador.
My original intent had been to use Honduras as a transit point between destinations, but now that the option is open, it seems a shame to completely pass on by.
Thus I'll be busy with my guidebooks tonight to fix some alternate plans.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Return to Leon Via Managua and Via Via
After my encounter with Moses I cleared out of my hotel room. My timing was excellent as I headed back to parque central with my backpack because the Managua express was just leaving and I got one of its last seats. In Managua I transfered right away for a microbus to Leon. Unusually, this micro was airconditioned, so it was a nice cool ride.
As we approached the city I could see storm clouds coming in, and I wondered if I really wanted to continue as far as Chinandega. To put off the decision, I decided to take a taxi into the center for coffee. It was only 1.00 p.m. or so and I had plenty of time to continue my journey.
But in the city we passed a hotel that I'd noticed before, having walked past it many times. If I stay, I'll try this one, I thought, rather than go back to the "widower's" place.
That's how I found Via Via. Though I didn't choose it from my guidebooks, it turns out this place gets very high marks from the Lonely Planet.
I like it for a number of reasons. First, the bar and restaurant seemed very inviting. Second, I could tell the place was popular with a certain type of young, western traveler. Third, even though a bar was attached, the hotel was far enough away from that potentially raucous action, that it wouldn't matter to me. And fourth, the rooms were really nice, cozy and inviting, with high ceilings, a very clean bathroom, a large bed, and (I always like this rare touch) a reading lamp! The fan was in great shape, and the room was really big, too. I was immediately sold on it. Best of all, it cost only 350 cordobas.
So that's my plug for Via Via--a fine place to stay, especially if you're a traveler of a certain age, and want to meet others like you. As an added bonus, the restaurant/bar turns out to be popular with young locals, too. Remember Willy? He spotted me last night where he was seated at a table with a young woman (his Salvadoran girlfriend?). "Yo, man, whassup!" Believe it or not, it took me a moment to remember his name.
"Willy!" I finally said, as we shook hands.
Via Via has nice large maps on the wall of Nicaragua including a bumpy topographical one with the mountains rising out from and around the country's principal geographical features of the very large Lake Managua and the even bigger Lake Nicaragua. The walls of the place are full of other useful and not so useful information.
According to one notice, Via Via's clientele in 2008 consisted of the following:
Europeans 53.25%
Americans 19.29%
Canadians 10.41%
Asians 6.07%
Latin Americans 5.85%
Oceanians 4.84%
Africans 0.29%
Via Via has a book exchange with volumes in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, and Japanese.
I met a couple Quebecois Canadians, Max and Hugo, who were watching England beat Slovenia 1-0 this morning while the U.S. beat Algeria, also 1-0. Ghana managed to hold mighty Germany 0-0 until the 60th-something minute.
In Via Via's bar/restaurant and in the courtyard where the magnificent rooms are located, I hear the accents of other Americans (and possibly Anglo-Canadians), British, Scottish, and Europeans including Belgian and Scandinavian. This smorgasbord of young backpackers reminds me in a nostalgiac way of my younger days as a backpacker in Europe and Asia. What happens to our youth?! sigh. . .
As we approached the city I could see storm clouds coming in, and I wondered if I really wanted to continue as far as Chinandega. To put off the decision, I decided to take a taxi into the center for coffee. It was only 1.00 p.m. or so and I had plenty of time to continue my journey.
But in the city we passed a hotel that I'd noticed before, having walked past it many times. If I stay, I'll try this one, I thought, rather than go back to the "widower's" place.
That's how I found Via Via. Though I didn't choose it from my guidebooks, it turns out this place gets very high marks from the Lonely Planet.
I like it for a number of reasons. First, the bar and restaurant seemed very inviting. Second, I could tell the place was popular with a certain type of young, western traveler. Third, even though a bar was attached, the hotel was far enough away from that potentially raucous action, that it wouldn't matter to me. And fourth, the rooms were really nice, cozy and inviting, with high ceilings, a very clean bathroom, a large bed, and (I always like this rare touch) a reading lamp! The fan was in great shape, and the room was really big, too. I was immediately sold on it. Best of all, it cost only 350 cordobas.
So that's my plug for Via Via--a fine place to stay, especially if you're a traveler of a certain age, and want to meet others like you. As an added bonus, the restaurant/bar turns out to be popular with young locals, too. Remember Willy? He spotted me last night where he was seated at a table with a young woman (his Salvadoran girlfriend?). "Yo, man, whassup!" Believe it or not, it took me a moment to remember his name.
"Willy!" I finally said, as we shook hands.
Via Via has nice large maps on the wall of Nicaragua including a bumpy topographical one with the mountains rising out from and around the country's principal geographical features of the very large Lake Managua and the even bigger Lake Nicaragua. The walls of the place are full of other useful and not so useful information.
According to one notice, Via Via's clientele in 2008 consisted of the following:
Europeans 53.25%
Americans 19.29%
Canadians 10.41%
Asians 6.07%
Latin Americans 5.85%
Oceanians 4.84%
Africans 0.29%
Via Via has a book exchange with volumes in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, and Japanese.
I met a couple Quebecois Canadians, Max and Hugo, who were watching England beat Slovenia 1-0 this morning while the U.S. beat Algeria, also 1-0. Ghana managed to hold mighty Germany 0-0 until the 60th-something minute.
In Via Via's bar/restaurant and in the courtyard where the magnificent rooms are located, I hear the accents of other Americans (and possibly Anglo-Canadians), British, Scottish, and Europeans including Belgian and Scandinavian. This smorgasbord of young backpackers reminds me in a nostalgiac way of my younger days as a backpacker in Europe and Asia. What happens to our youth?! sigh. . .
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Escape From Las Peñitas
Perhaps I overstayed my welcome in Las Peñitas, but my last day and evening there weren't so fine for my privileged and pampered norteamericano posterior.
I still don't know if the electric company was busy doing repairs, as someone informed me, or if the incident was part of a "routine" rolling blackout, but at around 3.00 p.m. Thursday the power went out in the entire village, just as I was returning to my airconditioned room for a nap and some much needed refuge from a very hot day.
By 6.00 p.m. I started to worry a bit because dusk was fast approaching with its attendant swarms of nasty mosquitos, but my informant assured me that the power would be on "by 7.00." How did she know this? "We called them and they said they were doing repairs" but that the power would soon return.
Before the black of night descended completely I took a walk around only to discover that everyone else was suffering from the mosquitos as much as I, but further down the road a couple places had gasoline operated generators. One of these places was the $50 hotel I mentioned several posts ago, the Suyapa Beach, which had mysteriously doubled its rates from Lonely Planet's last edition of 2-3 years ago.
I was torn about bailing from my $30 room at Barca de Oro and moving to a place that I felt barely justified the cost, so I walked back to my place to wait for 7.00. And then I waited til 8.00.
By then, the Barca de Oro had provided a few candles but not much else. Apparently there was only one flashlight in the house for use by the staff who were still doing okay business with their excellent restaurant. I felt kind of sorry for them because they seemed a little embarrassed, but under the circumstances I was feeling a bit more sorry for myself! I couldn't even take a shower by then because there was no way to see anything in the bathroom. (I was their only guest in the hotel side of the business.)
Finally I headed back to the Suyapa Beach to see if they had a room. It turns out they had one room left, with no TV, but at least it was airconditioned and I'd be able to get a shower. Why was the hotel full that night? Because it was hosting a private party, either a wedding or a birthday, complete with loud disco music for everyone's enjoyment! The music continued, to my relief, only til 12.30 a.m. And by then, though I'm not 100% certain, I believe the electricity finally returned to the rest of the village.
There was a time not too long ago when I would've ridden out such a "crisis" and "gone with the flow" and suffered whatever it took to get through the night. But there also was a time, not so long ago, when I stayed in dorms when traveling, or crashed on people's couches, or didn't own a car or a bank account or even a credit card.
These days are a little different from the past: let's just say that I won't stay in dorms anymore because I can afford more comfortable alternatives. And owning a credit card is definitely convenient whenever such an "emergency" disrupts the best laid plans. . .
I still don't know if the electric company was busy doing repairs, as someone informed me, or if the incident was part of a "routine" rolling blackout, but at around 3.00 p.m. Thursday the power went out in the entire village, just as I was returning to my airconditioned room for a nap and some much needed refuge from a very hot day.
By 6.00 p.m. I started to worry a bit because dusk was fast approaching with its attendant swarms of nasty mosquitos, but my informant assured me that the power would be on "by 7.00." How did she know this? "We called them and they said they were doing repairs" but that the power would soon return.
Before the black of night descended completely I took a walk around only to discover that everyone else was suffering from the mosquitos as much as I, but further down the road a couple places had gasoline operated generators. One of these places was the $50 hotel I mentioned several posts ago, the Suyapa Beach, which had mysteriously doubled its rates from Lonely Planet's last edition of 2-3 years ago.
I was torn about bailing from my $30 room at Barca de Oro and moving to a place that I felt barely justified the cost, so I walked back to my place to wait for 7.00. And then I waited til 8.00.
By then, the Barca de Oro had provided a few candles but not much else. Apparently there was only one flashlight in the house for use by the staff who were still doing okay business with their excellent restaurant. I felt kind of sorry for them because they seemed a little embarrassed, but under the circumstances I was feeling a bit more sorry for myself! I couldn't even take a shower by then because there was no way to see anything in the bathroom. (I was their only guest in the hotel side of the business.)
Finally I headed back to the Suyapa Beach to see if they had a room. It turns out they had one room left, with no TV, but at least it was airconditioned and I'd be able to get a shower. Why was the hotel full that night? Because it was hosting a private party, either a wedding or a birthday, complete with loud disco music for everyone's enjoyment! The music continued, to my relief, only til 12.30 a.m. And by then, though I'm not 100% certain, I believe the electricity finally returned to the rest of the village.
There was a time not too long ago when I would've ridden out such a "crisis" and "gone with the flow" and suffered whatever it took to get through the night. But there also was a time, not so long ago, when I stayed in dorms when traveling, or crashed on people's couches, or didn't own a car or a bank account or even a credit card.
These days are a little different from the past: let's just say that I won't stay in dorms anymore because I can afford more comfortable alternatives. And owning a credit card is definitely convenient whenever such an "emergency" disrupts the best laid plans. . .
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Daytripping to Poneloya & Las Peñitas Beaches
The Pacific Ocean is a mere 12 miles from Leon so this morning I hopped on a bus full of Nicaraguan daytrippers (and more than a couple westerners) to visit the beachside communities of Poneloya & La Peñitas.
The main problem with beaches in this part of the world is that private property development blocks off almost all access to the beach. This is very nice for the people who own houses there but not so nice for the casual visitor like me. I spent 90 minutes walking a couple miles this morning trying to find my way in.
For sale/for rent signs abound. Beautiful, huge mansions sit on lots next to totally ruined shacks while there are occasional parcels of vacant land. The Lonely Planet blames foreigners for driving up local housing & land costs.
I had a taste of this affect when I was informed, to my shock, that the rate for my chosen hotel room (with AC) has doubled to $50 per night. At 11.00 a.m. it was 93 degrees Farenheit in the shade, so AC seems necessary, but these rooms didn't really seem worth the cost. However the beachside restaurant looked clean & professional and featured $10 fish dinners on the menu.
I'm not really a beach bum type, though I identify with the surfer crowd which hangs out here. Like mountaineers, ski bums & yacht crew, they're the type who work seasonal jobs at home to pay for trips to cool places abroad.
Although Poneloya & Las Peñitas are fairly sizeable, there's not much commerce happening apart from the hotel/restaurant biz. I found only one cyber cafe and only a couple basic ma & pa corner stores. And there was no sign of any good coffee even at the $50 per night joint, so maybe an overnight there isn't worth it for me. Just give me the cooler, higher ground with all my creature comforts & a few really old churches.
But I'm very impressed with the relaxed security situation. Unlike in El Salvador or Honduras, these private dwellings and scattered businesses on the Pacific didn't sport much of the usual tall, intimidating walls & gates topped with razor wire or electric fencing. And I didn't see even one armed guard anywhere!
Check back tomorrow to see if I decide to return to Las Peñitas for a day or two anyway. . .
The main problem with beaches in this part of the world is that private property development blocks off almost all access to the beach. This is very nice for the people who own houses there but not so nice for the casual visitor like me. I spent 90 minutes walking a couple miles this morning trying to find my way in.
For sale/for rent signs abound. Beautiful, huge mansions sit on lots next to totally ruined shacks while there are occasional parcels of vacant land. The Lonely Planet blames foreigners for driving up local housing & land costs.
I had a taste of this affect when I was informed, to my shock, that the rate for my chosen hotel room (with AC) has doubled to $50 per night. At 11.00 a.m. it was 93 degrees Farenheit in the shade, so AC seems necessary, but these rooms didn't really seem worth the cost. However the beachside restaurant looked clean & professional and featured $10 fish dinners on the menu.
I'm not really a beach bum type, though I identify with the surfer crowd which hangs out here. Like mountaineers, ski bums & yacht crew, they're the type who work seasonal jobs at home to pay for trips to cool places abroad.
Although Poneloya & Las Peñitas are fairly sizeable, there's not much commerce happening apart from the hotel/restaurant biz. I found only one cyber cafe and only a couple basic ma & pa corner stores. And there was no sign of any good coffee even at the $50 per night joint, so maybe an overnight there isn't worth it for me. Just give me the cooler, higher ground with all my creature comforts & a few really old churches.
But I'm very impressed with the relaxed security situation. Unlike in El Salvador or Honduras, these private dwellings and scattered businesses on the Pacific didn't sport much of the usual tall, intimidating walls & gates topped with razor wire or electric fencing. And I didn't see even one armed guard anywhere!
Check back tomorrow to see if I decide to return to Las Peñitas for a day or two anyway. . .
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Nica´s One of My Favorites
Leon is a premier destination for me on this trip, but I gotta admit that Nicaragua itself is a prime destination for me.
With all due respect to my Costa Rican Suzuki mother and her beautiful country and people, I have to declare that Nicaragua might be my favorite Central American country. However, I´m not sure I can explain why. There´s something about it I immediately notice once I´m past the formalities and on a bus moving toward my destination, but as I write this I´m still trying to put my finger on it.
It´s not only that Nicaragua, compared to Guatemala, El Salvador, or Honduras, seems so much less menacing, though that truly seems to be the case. Lonely Planet claims El Salvador has 16,000 shotgun-toting private security guards, and it´s clear that Nicaragua is not nearly as obsessed with basic security as the other countries I´ve mentioned.
And like the others, in Nicaragua there is poverty, broken infrastructure and the usual political conflict and controversy.
Yet it seems that Nicaragua has better tourist facilities and more features for ordinary joes like me. For example, I love a good cup of coffee, and El Salvador was almost completely horrible for getting one. Nearly every day last week I struggled in the morning just to feel awake with the muddy water that passes for coffee in that country. But in Leon I´ve counted at least three espresso shops so far and I´m sure there are more. The infrastructure here is already set up to get me moving on a daily basis.
In El Salvador at least so far there are very few entrepreneurs stepping up to provide guiding and other services to places like Volcan de San Miguel. As the Lonely Planet points out, if you want to go there you have to do all the legwork yourself. But here in Leon, there are plenty of businesses geared toward meeting the needs of the foreign visitor.
I´m not saying that espresso shops or guide services make it for me. El Salvador is a fascinating place with very hardworking people who generally are quite welcoming to foreigners, and I still want to swing back there to visit Perquin on my way back north. But I gotta say the Salvadoreans have a lousy cup of coffee, and after 10 days that´s wearing for me, on top of all the usual chores I have to do just to get around and be around in safety.
Here in Leon and other Nicaraguan towns I feel there are many people in a nascent tourist industry who care about what I need, about where I want to go, and about how I might get there. At the same time the local scene isn´t spoiled to the point where the visitor feels any pressure to kick up bucks to an industry. Most importantly, the security situation here doesn´t feel nearly as ¨edgy¨ as in other places in the region. Altogether that´s a most basic definition of hospitality, and my impression is the Nicaraguans have it in spades.
With all due respect to my Costa Rican Suzuki mother and her beautiful country and people, I have to declare that Nicaragua might be my favorite Central American country. However, I´m not sure I can explain why. There´s something about it I immediately notice once I´m past the formalities and on a bus moving toward my destination, but as I write this I´m still trying to put my finger on it.
It´s not only that Nicaragua, compared to Guatemala, El Salvador, or Honduras, seems so much less menacing, though that truly seems to be the case. Lonely Planet claims El Salvador has 16,000 shotgun-toting private security guards, and it´s clear that Nicaragua is not nearly as obsessed with basic security as the other countries I´ve mentioned.
And like the others, in Nicaragua there is poverty, broken infrastructure and the usual political conflict and controversy.
Yet it seems that Nicaragua has better tourist facilities and more features for ordinary joes like me. For example, I love a good cup of coffee, and El Salvador was almost completely horrible for getting one. Nearly every day last week I struggled in the morning just to feel awake with the muddy water that passes for coffee in that country. But in Leon I´ve counted at least three espresso shops so far and I´m sure there are more. The infrastructure here is already set up to get me moving on a daily basis.
In El Salvador at least so far there are very few entrepreneurs stepping up to provide guiding and other services to places like Volcan de San Miguel. As the Lonely Planet points out, if you want to go there you have to do all the legwork yourself. But here in Leon, there are plenty of businesses geared toward meeting the needs of the foreign visitor.
I´m not saying that espresso shops or guide services make it for me. El Salvador is a fascinating place with very hardworking people who generally are quite welcoming to foreigners, and I still want to swing back there to visit Perquin on my way back north. But I gotta say the Salvadoreans have a lousy cup of coffee, and after 10 days that´s wearing for me, on top of all the usual chores I have to do just to get around and be around in safety.
Here in Leon and other Nicaraguan towns I feel there are many people in a nascent tourist industry who care about what I need, about where I want to go, and about how I might get there. At the same time the local scene isn´t spoiled to the point where the visitor feels any pressure to kick up bucks to an industry. Most importantly, the security situation here doesn´t feel nearly as ¨edgy¨ as in other places in the region. Altogether that´s a most basic definition of hospitality, and my impression is the Nicaraguans have it in spades.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Crossroads in San Miguel
A touch of "Delhi belly" early yesterday kept me here for another day & today the imminent prospect of a temporary cash shortage is keeping me from moving on immediately. So I took advantage of the hotel laundry service & will have clean clothes tonight!
I'm still on the fence about visiting remote, mountainous Perquin, but the Lonely Planet advises there are no ATMs in this town of 5000 for when I expect a funds transfer to be completed on Thursday. Lonely Planet also claims that Perquin is a highlight "for most visitors" to El Salvador, whatever that means. It sounds cool to me, though.
Thus I'm at a crossroads of decision (or "indecision" might be a better way to put it). Perquin sounds exactly like something that's right up my alley, but of course the longer I don't move, the further I remain from my ostensible destination goal in Venezuala.
Today I took a bus to a point about 5 miles west of town where there was a great view of this region's main geographical landmark, the 2130 meter Volcan de San Miguel which looms like a towering, fire-eating god over this city. Today its massive cone was shrouded in an envelope of ominous looking clouds that seemed ready to burst with rain. This short trip to the outskirts of town was rewarded with a noticable cooling of temperature--a welcome relief from the brutal hot in the centro.
The volcano is less than 20 miles from here, but my guidebook explains that a trip there is a bit of an undertaking: you have to rent a car or take a bus & then a taxi to get to the base; if you want to climb to the top, it's a 9 hour trek & you have to hire police escorts ("reserve two weeks in advance"). Lonely Planet also reminds us that you have to provide lunch for your escorts. Now that's "mordida"!
I'm still on the fence about visiting remote, mountainous Perquin, but the Lonely Planet advises there are no ATMs in this town of 5000 for when I expect a funds transfer to be completed on Thursday. Lonely Planet also claims that Perquin is a highlight "for most visitors" to El Salvador, whatever that means. It sounds cool to me, though.
Thus I'm at a crossroads of decision (or "indecision" might be a better way to put it). Perquin sounds exactly like something that's right up my alley, but of course the longer I don't move, the further I remain from my ostensible destination goal in Venezuala.
Today I took a bus to a point about 5 miles west of town where there was a great view of this region's main geographical landmark, the 2130 meter Volcan de San Miguel which looms like a towering, fire-eating god over this city. Today its massive cone was shrouded in an envelope of ominous looking clouds that seemed ready to burst with rain. This short trip to the outskirts of town was rewarded with a noticable cooling of temperature--a welcome relief from the brutal hot in the centro.
The volcano is less than 20 miles from here, but my guidebook explains that a trip there is a bit of an undertaking: you have to rent a car or take a bus & then a taxi to get to the base; if you want to climb to the top, it's a 9 hour trek & you have to hire police escorts ("reserve two weeks in advance"). Lonely Planet also reminds us that you have to provide lunch for your escorts. Now that's "mordida"!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Great Place for a James Bond Movie Chase
The Lonely Planet´s 1000 Ultimate Travel Experiences Guide lists Guatemala City among the ten best cities in the world to film a James Bond-style movie chase scene.
I think I know what they're saying if they mean this city's perfect backdrop for it includes the horrendous traffic and the wide variety of motorcycles, cars, vans, trucks & buses; the gridlocked grid system of numbered squalid streets & wide photogenic avenues; the modern skyscrapers next door to the two story shacks; the hustle & bustle of the Mercado Central with its shoe shine boys, CD peddlers, street food stalls, and beggars; the armed guards at the entrances of not only banks & jewelry stores but also most businesses, higher end restaurants, and even supermarkets; similarly armed guards literally "riding shotgun" in every delivery van to discourage old-fashioned highway robbery; fat cats & their entourages who exude wealth & power on the street as you've never seen it in a rich country like America while the vast majority of ordinary people--indigenous and mestizo alike--go about their ordinary, difficult everyday lives.
I think I know what they're saying if they mean this city's perfect backdrop for it includes the horrendous traffic and the wide variety of motorcycles, cars, vans, trucks & buses; the gridlocked grid system of numbered squalid streets & wide photogenic avenues; the modern skyscrapers next door to the two story shacks; the hustle & bustle of the Mercado Central with its shoe shine boys, CD peddlers, street food stalls, and beggars; the armed guards at the entrances of not only banks & jewelry stores but also most businesses, higher end restaurants, and even supermarkets; similarly armed guards literally "riding shotgun" in every delivery van to discourage old-fashioned highway robbery; fat cats & their entourages who exude wealth & power on the street as you've never seen it in a rich country like America while the vast majority of ordinary people--indigenous and mestizo alike--go about their ordinary, difficult everyday lives.
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