28 October 2010

The power was on this morning. I took a shower and headed to El Gato Negro for breakfast. The Norwegian girls were there and I sat with them.

27 October 2010

Woke up around 11 a.m. and had lunch with Gerry at El Gato Negro before he left for Granada. Spent the rest of the day at the hostel napping in a hammock or trying to read. For dinner four of us guys went out to a Mexican restaurant to watch the world series. I do not care for sports or for doing such American things as watching sports while I’m here but it was comfortable. Jim, an older guy from Boston, was explaining to Paul, an Irishman, the rules of baseball. Later that night the power went out in town and Jim and I watched a movie, Lenny, about Lenny Bruce. Today there was a parade of trucks with a presidential candidate visiting. Arnoldo Alemán.

26 October 2010

This is the first day in San Juan del Sur in which I did not spend all day in bed recovering from a late night of drinking and dancing. That’s because we went home early last night.

This morning at ten Gerry, Paul, Helena, Ana, Sigma, and I all hiked up to the large statue of Jesus overlooking the town. The walk was only 90 minutes but part of the path was very steep to walk up. There are two large Rottweilers at the entrance gate guarding from vandals. The view from the side of the mountain is gorgeous. You can see all the green hilly countryside and the reefs in the ocean. 

We only stayed for about 30 minutes then hiked down the other side to the beach and back into town. The tide was low but my shoes got soaked crossing a small stream pouring into the ocean. We all had lunch at the market then went out separate ways. I dropped off some laundry and headed to El Gato Negro for coffee. I also had a detox bomb smoothie. I met two Jehovah’s Witness ladies who had moved here from Hawaii. They had Watchtower magazines and left them amongst the other magazines in the cafe.

Later that night Gerry got into a heated discussion with the sports bar owner (Republik) about America and why America sucks. Gerry says he wants to talk about girls and he likes simple music that doesn’t require you to think but he cannot be so simple. All his conversations turn to politics or something learned. He is a very intelligent individual. He’s an Irishman from Kerry.

25 October 2010

Stayed in hostel sleeping and in bed all day. Went out for dinner. Met a girl I’d met earlier and had dinner with her. Then to the Iguana for drinks where we met other people. 

24 October 2010

Stayed in my bed mostly all day sleeping and on the internet. Went out and at a show a guy was playing “Piss Up a Rope” by Ween. Went to see live music at another club. I have been here way too long.

23 October 2010

Today I spent most of the day in my room in bed. I went out to buy some water and powerade and came back for a nap. Went out for dinner but probably ate something too heavy and my stomach is not well.

22 October 2010

Left Granada and came to San Juan del Sur. Walked around town a bit after getting a hostel then took a nap. Had dinner at an American sports bar.  I didn’t realize it till I’d ordered a drink. The owners are from Wilmington, N.C.. Met two guys at the hostel. One played my guitar very well. We all went out for drinks and came back late.

In Granda someone wrote "Fuck You" on the roof of my car.

21 October 2010

Last night I met at the hostel a guy from Chicago named Jake and a guy from Australia named Patrick and we hung out for a bit and then went to a bar for an hour where we met a friend of Patrick's who said he lost all his money playing Pokerville. He plays poker online for a living.  

I decided to stay in Grenada for another day to research shipping from Panama to Colombia and buy a few things. I had breakfast at Kathy’s Waffle House and the owner, Sandy, came out to meet me. I was reading my bible while waiting for my food and he asked if I was a Jew. He had a huge star of David ring. After breakfast I explored the cathedral across the street then walked to Lake Grenada. I took a boat tour of the lake which I did not intend to take. There was an American couple and two Nicaraguan sisters. The tour was around the tiny islands and was mostly a tour of summer homes of the rich and famous and powerful of Nicaragua. There was an island with monkeys.

I bought a tape measure and mirror and tape at the market then got on the internet for a while before I had dinner at a guy named Dan’s house. Sophie cooked with Dan and I hung out with Nancy and Jake. Chicken cordon bleu, fish, mashed potatoes, red wine. The corkscrew was broken and the bottle of white shattered and the bottle of red ended up having bits of cork in it but I used a coffee filter to filter the wine into glasses. I talked with Sophie into the morning just past one.

20 October 2010

This morning at 5:46 a.m. I was woken by the crow of a rooster but I was able to fall back asleep for another hour and a half. On the way to the Nicaraguan border I was stopped by the transit police three times. The first two times they searched my car and the third time the cop wanted money for some imaginary fine and infraction. It took me a while to realize this before I told him I had no money to give him. Then he gave me my papers back and let me go.

The border was uneventful. I bought insurance for $12 and gave the tramitador $5 for his help.

Rented a room at the Bearded Monkey Hostel and walked around Granada. Visited the Cocoa Museum and had chocolate tea. Walked thought the market and bought a new band for my watch, a converter for my lap top plug from three prongs to two, and duct tape. The market was crowded with all kinds of food products, hygiene products, and bootleg DVDs being sold. I regret not buying Wall-E 2 which was Short Circuit repackaged. I turned the corner and a guy shouted out laughing “Osama bin Laden!”

  

Grenada is an old crumbling city with narrow streets. There are no stop signs or stop lights. People are everywhere as are horse carriages. It is a lively place. For dinner I ate at a place called Imagine. It is a John Lennon themed restaurant. I met a guy from Chicago who plays guitar here and also lives here.