Rosi CornwellI really wasn’t sure what to title this …. maybe another “Sh*t Show in Managua” …. or “Are We The Most Unorganised Travellers Ever?!” …. there is a slight running theme about lack or organisation, or as I like to think of it, being chilled out and taking things as they come.
So let’s start off with the fact we only started to think about booking our airport transfer from Managua – Nicaragua about 30 minutes before our first flight out of Mexico. I emailed the hotel with hopes of a magic instant reply, but failing this Hollie booked a transfer on Booking.Com … however she accidentally booked it for a hotel that was 17 minutes away from the airport.
So as we walk towards the gate, Hollie is on a live chat with a real person who says that it is down to the company to refund it, and advised she will cancel it, and we need to re-book for the airport. So literally just before take off, we book a transfer from Managua.
When we arrive in El Salvador for our final lay over Hollie gets a text to say that the booking has been confirmed.
Once we arrive in Managua (which by the way, was the longest flight to queue to get onto, the shortest flight and then the longest queue to get through customs) … we get given masks, show our PCR tests, say how long we are staying, if we are “single or married” and what our occupation is (although we did quit our jobs to travel), and pay $10 for the “tourist card” .. which we did not know about. We collect our bags, which have both been ripped (I always wondered why people used cling film… now I know… the hard way… ) we head outside and don’t see anyone holding a sign with our names on. I positively think, okay they might not be here yet.
Hollie needs wifi to click on the link to contact the driver – she asks and the airport doesn’t have wifi – GREAT.
I ask a man if he speaks English, and he doesn’t, so I use the google translate app (which is a god send as you can download the langauage and use offline) to type that we need to use a hot spot to contact our transfer. He says “perdon” and walks away. We thought that was the end of that.
We ask some girls if they have a hot spot they can use and Hollie connects to their internet, when a lady comes out and says ” my dad says you need some help”.
We explained we needed to contact our transfer and she calls the number given. She speaks in Spanish and then translate in English ” the request was too late so he declined it, he lives too far away” …. so at this point we have paid for 2 unsuccessful transfers, have no cash to get a taxi, and have been told it isn’t exactly safe to travel at night… and it’s about 11.15pm. We thank the lady for her help and she walks away.
Me and Hollie look at each other and I regret saying we shouldn’t of got cash out at the airport due to the high rates they charge (I thought we could use an ATM machine the next day, and didn’t think we needed immediate cash as the transfer was paid – LESSON LEARNT).
The lady/angel sent from above reappeared and asked where we were going, and said she could take us. I felt euphoria in this moment. Her husband pulled up in a pick up truck and we slung our big bags in the back ( she said it was safe) and kept our small bags with valuables in the inside.
We tried 2 cash machines en route, so we could at least give her some money, but they didn’t work ( I think we needed to activate the strip on Monzo) .. but she said she didn’t need the money, she just wanted to help.
Maylim and Alberos dropped us off at the hotel, I hugged them and they went off to see Maylim’s daughter, who had just arrived from LA for Christmas and her birthday. Maylim was so kind to help us when she was being reunited with her daughter.
We checked in with security, and we were led to our room… the lady opened the door quietly, and we expected to see an 8 bed dorm, potentially with sleeping people in, but we were surprised to see a double bed, private room!!!!!!!!!!! What a result ….. it felt like we had time travelled back to the 1990’s but it was a touch. I only hope they didn’t confuse room number 8, with 8 bed dorm ….
