To Nicaragua – Travel + Lifestyle + Architecture Blog

If there’s one core memory I got from my quick stay in Managua, was that nag-tae2x ako dun. Read on.

In all honesty, there’s nothing much to see in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. As other travelers mentioned, the vibe of Nicaragua is found not in the city, but with the small colonial towns located along the beach/coast, to which are not part of my itinerary. I merely passed by Nicaragua on my way to El Salvador where I took my flight back to the United States.

Pansin ko lang din sa Managua ha, wala silang Government-run Tourist Center where I can buy souvenirs. Managua is the only capital city where I had difficulty finding a quality moulded/3d fridge magnet (I collect this, btw). I walked around and happen to pass by the city’s tourism office, gi-tanong ko tlga. They said that there is none, and only offered me some local delicacies and a printed souvenir. So I settled for that nalang.

To give a picture, Managua is like Davao City. Ganun. Actually sa tingin ko mas progressive and mas busy pa ang Davao. Though Managua, as the nation’s capital city, maayos at maalaga sila sa palace nila, where the government seat resides. Maganda, malinis at malawak ang roads at landscaping. Though compared to it’s neighboring countries, Managua has very little preserved colonial/historic areas to offer.

Anyways, share ko some memories and snapshots I took during my stay in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua.

The National Palace of Nicaragua

Some cool installations at the park facing Lake Xolotlán, walking distance from the National Palace

The contemporary-designed Metropolitan Cathedral of Managua. Notice the ceiling composed of multiple domes na oculus/skylight hole sa kada gitna. It’s how the lit up the interior of the Cathedral during daytime, kaya maaliwalas. From the outside, it looks like dozens of white siopao.

It was the first time I had pulled pork bbq sandwich from Mcdonald’s in Nicaragua. We rarely get pork menu from Mcdonald’s, so this meal is quite an experience for me. The cheesecake is also a bomb!

fun fact, whenever I travel to a foreign land, I always make a point to visit a Mcdonald’s branch and check the entries in their menu that are inspired by local flavours. I already have a handful of interesting meals from different countries, I should blog about this soon.

Here are some other cute menus that I found from random restaurants while walking. Interestingly, they call pansit/noodle dish as Chop Suey. talking about language barrier. lol

Accommodation for backpackers are quite limited in Managua. I stayed at Sam’s Travel (located at the second floor of a travel agency). It’s the only place I found that is relatively near TICA bus terminal, where I took my onward bus to Honduras. The hostel do not accept card payment and were also quite skeptic with the cash I used to pay. Kalat daw kasi fake bills dun. So, this is also something to check on. Though ako, sa land border crossing na ako nagpapalit ng local bill before I entered Nicaragua. along the road lang na tao offering exchange. Quite shady to be honest, but I still took the risk.

Sabi sa akin mataas daw crime rate sa Nicaragua. However, Ok naman stay ko dun. I felt safe walking around, kahit gabi. Though I observed na wala masyadong police presence. As for transportation, Wala pang Uber dun when I visited. I used InDrive App. cashless payment din.

Lastly, memorable sa akin ang Tica Bus terminal ng Managua, dahil inatake ako ng LBM dun. To add to the inconvenience, WALANG DOOR INSTALLED sa toilet partition ng terminal like WTF. However, di ko na kinaya ang sakit ng tiyan so deadma na sa ganap. Tumae ako in an open cubicle while other men came in and out. Good thing they did not mind my situation, except for that kid, may batang lalake na around 7 years old na pabalik2x and giving malicious glance like jusko di siguro sanay makakita ng Asian Dude, moreso, tumatae pa in public. Oh well. One for the books! Backpackers tayo eh.