Back in Managua Again

I would loved to have stayed at Oasis for another week or two or three, but Im just not getting any work done. Yesterday's trip from Granada back to Managua was uneventful. The Backpackers' Inn seemed just as I left it. I even got the same dorm bed as I had last time. Only the faces of the guests have changed. It's still a cool place to hang out, but I have to say that Oasis has become my second home. Oasis is extraordinary. It's a 5-star hostel. Just look at this lovely pool. I'm thinking of going back there for a few days before I leave for Costa Rica. strangely, the thought of leaving Nicaragua is not appealing. But I got my ticket to Costa Rica when I was still in El Salvador, so I'm kind of committed to going. I'm beginning to think about not going to South America this trip. I may just go as far as Panama, then turn around and come back to Nicaragua. I've fallen in love -- with a whole country.

In today's sweltering heat, I've only been able to work for a couple of hours on my micro mini-documentary video of the ex-banana workers affected by Nemagon. I tried editing it while lying in a hammock, and ended up sleeping for a couple of hours. Students at Bucknell made a video last year (featuring some of the same people a friend and I interviewed there). It's called Missing Seeds.

From now on, I'll have to take videos with my digital still camera because my handycam lost a lens. I discovered it was missing at the Masaya volcano. It would have been nice to get some good video of that beautiful smoking volcano. I may be able to get the lens replaced in Costa Rica, but it's more likely that I'll have to wait until I get home. Too bad, but these things happen. Fortunately, thanks to someone who posted an eruption of Masaya on YouTube. What an amazing sight. The Spaniards called Masaya Boca del Infierno (the mouth of hell). I could just imagine Father Bobadilla performing an exorcism on it.

The evening breeze is coming up now. I'll spend some time on my Spanish lessons and head off to bed. There's not much else to do in Managua in the evening. For a capital city, it's pretty boring. Granada is way more fun.