From Dawn To Dusk

Dawn: a dismal winter day at London's Heathrow airport, temperature hovering at 4°C

Dusk: a sultry, oppressive, humid evening in Managua, temperature pushing 32°C

We flew with British Airways from London to Miami and then onwards to Managua with American Airlines. Amazingly, out of all the flights operating out of Heathrow and Miami, ours were the only two that were delayed. Perhaps then it was due to my tiredness that I found it amusing that I could log on to Facebook whilst flying over Cuba and check in at various locations as we crossed the country.

The Nicaraguan capital, Managua, has had a turbulent history. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and ravaged by fire 5 years later.  The city was rebuilt as a modern, commercial centre only to be decimated by another earthquake in 1972.  The city then suffered severe damage during the Sandanista Revolution of 1978 and again during the 10 year Contra War.  In 1998 Hurricane Mitch caused further devastation.  It is not surprising therefore that the city now is a vast low-rise sprawl with little to offer to tourism. For us, however, we were grateful for a comfortable bed and clean room which the lovely Hotel Los Robies, a small colonial mansion, was able to provide.

Over breakfast it was a pure delight to sit in the garden and enjoy the early morning sunshine whilst listening to the unfamiliar sound of tropical bird calls.