Nica Party: Day Three

Today Greta woke me up before she went to work to let me know that the driver could take me to el Mercado Oriental if I wanted to. Perfect. I woke up right away and looked like complete ass. I hadn't taken a shower and I looked all tired and gross. The driver, Pedro, Greta and I all went down to her work, dropped her off, filled up the tank and then zipped over to el Mercado.

I felt kind of like a jerk because the guy had to drive me around and I was just a guest at the house. Regardless, I talked him up a bit and he even offered to walk me around el Mercado, seeing as though I hadn't been there in eight months, and it's super crowded and busy. It's not dangerous but if you're not careful (and if you're kind of an idiot), you could totally get pick-pocketed.

At first I declined the offer, but then the more I thought about it, maybe it was a good idea. I said something like "Well, I know how much guys like to shop. So, if you want to join me, Pedro, that would actually be a good idea." He smiled and accepted.

I was done very quickly at el Mercado. I bought roughly 15 yards of fabric (in 5-6 different colors/styles) for a little less than $20/300 cordobas. Radical. I also bought two pairs of nice shoes for $10 bucks each.

When I was done shopping, I asked Pedro to take me to Pollo Campero. (It's a KFC-esque fast food chain in Central America. I used to LOVE it when I'd visit El Salvador). I asked Pedro if he wanted to eat, but he declined anything except for a soda. I trotted in, ate, and realized "Wow, maybe this isn't as good as I remember it being..." It was decent, but I think it's more the good memories that surround Pollo Campero that I miss and not so much the food. I've defected the country of PC, sadly.

Pedro took me home as we sipped our sodas. (That's is another thing! I don't drink soda, except when I'm here - and it's makes me burp like crazy!! Also, another weird thing about Nicaragua that I learned when we bought gas, they don't accept any American dollars if they have the slightest of tears on them. They have to be in pristine condition. Weird).

As Pedro drove me home, Elin called me (Greta lent me her cell phone so that I'd be more accessible). She invited me to go with her to La Playa de Apollo - less than an hour's drive from Managua - to go tanning. I graciously accepted. She said she'd come to pick me up. Not five minutes after returning to the house, I was jumping into Elin's car with my bathing suit and flip flops in tow. It was rad.

Elin and I had a nice talk driving there. She's really a nice girl. When we got there, I was amazed. It was beautiful and very resort like. (Strange, now that I look back on my travel experiences, I've had a lot of opportunity to go to these luxurious lodgings and feel like it's almost normal. I feel incredibly lucky to experience that. I mean, I know I sound like a little brat "You know, some people never get to stay at 5-star hotels! Isn't that crazy?!" but it's just incredible to me that I've gotten to see such things).

(I look like a hippy backpacker. Gross).. The view was beautiful and it was nice and hot. Also, Elin('s mom) was friends with the owners. So, we got to met the husband and his son. It was nice to have some form of welcome there. Anyway, we sunbathed, swam, ate and then left. It was a quick little trip that lasted about 5 hours with travel.

On our way back, Elin stopped by el Volcan Masaya so I could stop and see it. It was kind of funny - you have to back up your car ass-first into the parking spot so that in case the volcano erupts, you can get out easier. It was hard to view because of all the smoke, but I climbed up to the top of the lookout point regardless. It was really rad.

Anyway, we decided it'd be best if I stayed with Elin until Greta got off of work. Then, she'd pick me up and we'd go see the seamstress so that I could get some custom-made clothes. Elin and I went to her house, I met her mother and we took off to a small coffeeshop. It was nice. They had apple fritters (not exactly like those from home) but still delicious. I hadn't had one in years.

It started pouring rain for about an hour. So, we fled back to the house and played on Photobooth for awhile until Greta came. Photobooth is hilarious. Some of the distorted photos of me actually look like realy people I've seen in my life before. HA!

Once she came we hustled to the seamstress', I got fitted and she told me to come back on Monday night to see if the dresses needed any alterations. She's really busting her ass to try and get them done before I leave. In total, I'm getting two dresses made from her, two dresses altered (which I brought from home), 3 pairs of pants made and 2 vests. Guess how much it will cost me? Roughly $55/900 cordobas. Ridonkulous!

When we got back, Elin let us take showers there (Greta had brought my things), ate dinner and then left for a night out. It was insane. We got there and a round of drinks was ordered for us right off of the bat by some mysterious gentleman. Then, it happened again (but this time from a friend of the girls). After that, a girl named Xiomara haphazardly came to join us. I don't think Elin was that fond of her, but I thought she was pretty fun. We went to the bathroom together and she kept dancing in there. Hahaha, I asked her if she was ready to go and then said "Um, you know this is the bathroom, right?" To which she retorted, "Yeah, I know." Brilliant.

After that we went to Moods - this dance club/bar I'm a fan of. Anyway, Elin parked herself at the bar and merely stated "I'll sit here and see how many guys come up to me." Seeing as though she looks (and is) foreign, guys are really attracted to her. Greta and I scampered off to dance. When we turned around, nearly 7 dudes were all hitting on Elin. It was insane! I've never seen such a thing!

Anyway, we danced a lot, Greta got severely burned with a cigarette, we saw these really awkwardly dressed Americans (whom we dubbed "The Missionaries"), we drove home - blasted "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (twice) and I, for sure, got out to ghost ride the whip. It was great because Elin kept saying "You guys! This could be really dangerous!" Haha, but actuality, it really could have been...

We got to Elin's and stayed there that night. We woke up very early the next morning and left for another adventure.

Ciao for now,
Lil Gup