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December 30 2006 |
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Jack has packed his bag with the most important things - a toy and a passport. He is ready to trade a spent year and his predictable days for a new year and adventure in a strange land. Our driver picked us up early for our flight from Miami to Managua. As usual, Miami International Airport was very crowded and crazy with people moving in every direction at once. Almost immediately we encountered a security canine who barked and lunged at Jack. After the strange process of checking our bags, we moved on to the security area. I removed Jack's leash and vest, asked him to wait, went through the metal detector, then asked him to come through. He sat and waited until his leash and vest exited the x-ray machine. It is amazing that he can display such great confidence and professionalism in environments that can only be characterized as insane! We were fortunate enough to travel in the first-class cabin and were served wine and a delicious meal. Jack had plenty of room on the oversized seats. Josh had plenty of wine. As we prepared to land, we were treated to a perfect view of Lake Managua and Isla Momotombito (foreground) and the Vulcan Momotombo in the distance. Perfectly cone-shaped and one of the highest volcanoes in Nicaragua, Momotombo is active. It last erupted in 1905 and volcanic activity has been measured as recently as April, 2000. We arrived in Managua around noon and were met by hotel staff, whisked through customs and Jack's papers were expedited. It was a good thing. The crowds just outside the arrival area at the airport were crushing. Jack and I waited in the hotel van while Josh went back inside to purchase some water. In my pathetic Spanish, I explained to the driver that my "wife is in water"...oops. We travel to the shores of Lake Managua, just beyond the section of the city destroyed by an earthquake in 1972. Abandoned skyscrapers loom in the distance and the rubble still stands after these many years. Jack is happy to get comfortable in the hotel room. Our hotel is across the street from a shopping mall and the convention center and next to the ministry of defense. The area is a hive of activity as it is being readied to receive the world leaders who will come for Daniel Ortega's inauguration. An abandoned prison sits on a hill behind us, on the spot where Somosa's presidential palace once stood. A silhouette of Augusto Sandino stands upon the highest point and casts a long shadow across the city and its souls. Jack accompanied us to the hotel bar where we had a drink of Flor deCana and waited for Josh's friends, a French businessman and his lovely Nica esposa. They took us into downtown Managua to their favorite restaurant and told us many things about the city, Nicaragua and about their animals and their life there. Under a palapa roof strung with Christmas lights, Jack had his own chair at the table and a clay pot of water. While we dined, Jack watched the traffic move by on the street and listened to firecrackers going off all over the city. Afterwards, he enjoyed a dinner of tender grass-fed Nica beef. Life is good for the American perro. Our Nicaraguan hostess began the country's animal rights movement several years ago. Animals have no rights in Nicaragua. Small ponies, horses and oxen are used for transport and hauling. The ponies and horses look nearly starved. Dogs roam throughout the city and seem to be tolerated about as well as cockroaches; they appear to fear people. Downtown Managua is a strange scene. Tiny young children squat in the street begging. They were still there as we left the restaurant late at night. Pony-drawn carts move in crazy traffic with exhaust-belching autos and trucks. It is a weird juxtaposition of abject poverty and Christmas decorations. There is no grass anywhere near our hotel in Managua and a dog is peering around every corner. We were all anxious to be on our way to Rancho Santana. |
