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Regarding the car and driver I am going to both Leon and Masaya for full days and spending quite a bit of non-mongering time in Managua. For a price less than a rental car and taxes and gas, to get a full time driver all inclusive seems like a good idea the first trip.
I have no desire at all for neon and upstairs strip girls at the usual gringo prices - I quite like the ideas of both the semi-pro Polanco girls for modest sums and also the drop in Fanny's or Franny's near Kelly Tire which should be a short jaunt from my hotel.
And El Almendro seems like a lucky choice, with or without breakfast it seems to be clean, small, discreet, girl friendly, well located and a good price. No worse than Boca Chica, for example.
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I was thinking about a trip to Nicaraugua but now I'm not sure. Are all the working girls in Nicaraugua a little overweight and out of shape like the ones in the photos area? It just seems to me the girls in the Philippines are much hotter looking. On the otherhand airfare is probably cheaper to Nicaraugua.
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J Boy,
All the working women in Nicaragua are not chubby or overweight. Come on, that is just a dumb thought. Like in all Latin American countries you have some totally hot, drop dead lookers, as well as a few "double baggers"! On the whole, Nicaraguan women are not as great looking as elsewhere in Latin America (and this is from someone that loves Nicaragua) but they are mostly on the smaller side. Most of the girls in the clubs are average weight to on the slim side, always real breasts (I have never seen a boob-job in Nicaragua). They basically look like the working girls in Costa Rica and Guatemala. Gee, half the dancers in those two countries are Nicaraguan anyway.
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I will be in Managua from tomorrow until Friday. Will be staying at the Princess.
Anybody around to have a drink or two?
Super David
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Missed by a week. I arrive on the 31st for four days. Let us know what you found and how it was, maybe it will be of value to me next week.
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j boy: i'm normally on the es board but travel all of central america so check in everywhere. i agree with monaghan! saying that "nicas" are fatter, uglier, anything elser, is simplistic (and i love salvadroenas). and monaghan is also right about the mobility of our women. we have more and more 'nicas" dancing here, especially in the eastern part of es; and more and more of our women go north to guatemala; hondurenas (catrachas) are rep001tered around.
they are all princesses...generally shorter (but in any height you want), golden brown (but in any color you want), great bodies (in any shape you want) and with passion and humanity (what more do you want??).
come on down...our women deserve to earn a living, too.
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managua trip report july 31 to august 4
arrival at the international airport is very easy - $5 at immigration, then the red/green light system at exiting customs. tip: have 2 bags in total or less- there is less inspection with 2 bags or just carry on, and a separate inspection lane for 3 or more bags - obviously targeting the nicos that seem to have about 5 giant bags each.
i found having a full time driver at us$50 a day from 8-12 (16 hours a day, gas included) to be a great help and with a couple or three guys the daily cost would be much more tolerable. anyway without you take taxis for a dollar to two dollars a ride but risk adding passengers from the street on the same route.
i checked out a bunch of places - generally there are four categories - street girls, casas de masaje, nightclubs (such as club venus, red planet, vale todo, cueto club) and "other" which is mainly aqui polanco and fanny's (near llantas kelly). i will review in that order.
street girls are located exclusively on carretera masaya, with both ts and real girls (some look carefully) for c$200 (c$ = cordobas, currently 16:1 us$). up to this writing did not use the street girls. vs. other countries they look pretty good though and there are love hotels for $10 if you don't want to try your own hotel.
in theory you could pick up girls who are not working girls - there are so few tourists here ( except the hippie backpackers that haven't got two cents to rub together so you get some attention (and with my younger photo guide in the outlying towns we got even more attention) you are a curiosity and i suspect temptation comes quick where the going wage is us$100 to $200 a month. at best.
the girls here are in many cases stunningly pretty and have to carry a cedula after age 15 so id is not an issue. one warning - apparently the legal age is less than 18 ( i won't say by how much) but you are still committing a crime in the usa even so, and there is a lot of anti-adolescent propaganda so do not be tempted no matter what. i say this mainly since it is the right thing (not) to do and a cedula does not mean they are 18, so check the id for the birth-date.
casas were the main staple this trip - tried a total of 6. note some are more or less fixed and some come and go, you can check the clasificados in the papers, ask drivers etc. this is where a driver is handy - the ads have no addresses and just phone numbers . not that an address would gain much, since managua has no street names or addresses and as such the directions are like this : from the old factory, go two blocks towards the lake, then a block south then a block towards the direction the sun rises, then go 50 varas (about 0.8 of a meter) to the yellow house. you can see not knowing the non compass directions, the old factory location and a vara, a driver is essential. i had the driver call and ask:
directions
air conditioned or not
price
number of girls
hours
here's the rundown:
gloria's: (permanent) - did the gringo trick, asked for us$60 (c$960) and i pointed out no gd way, price went to c$500 an hour or c$300 1/2 hour. ok room with a/c and private shower, the girl vanessa was a rank amateur , cbj only, no touching, terrible overall experience and as it turns out overpriced. avoid thus based on service, and rip-off attempt being the mo.
casa lorena in barrio monsenor lezcano 268-1283 - the madam's husband speaks english, one girl does as well (jennifer) and the price is set at c$300, full service. one room has ac, one a fan. other girl mercedes was ok as well, massage was non existent but bbbj, didn't freak at cim, nor did jennifer who speaks english. not stellar beauties, but low pressure, cheap drinks in a hot waiting room/sala and a good neighborhood - if you suffer a pulled dick muscle there is a really good private hospital down the block. late addition jenny, thin and darker, today, another good one, three for three. recommended.
casa morena in barrio bello horizonte 249-4886 (cell 885-8414) also c$300 or for c$500 she'll send a girl including the taxi fare to your place for a full hour. frankly everything is about 15 minutes apart here so c$200 not to go there is up to you. gina the madam speaks english as do almost all the girls who come from bluefield where english is spoken more than spanish. clean room with private shower, pornos and ac and bbbj and cim if you don't let on you are planning to cim. other girls range from somewhat large to quite nice, the sala is much nicer than lorena and she will not go for the non-monger locals that just want to drink and paw, which is good if you are not a local that wants to drink and paw. also recommended.
did a hat trick today : 3 casas from the clasificados as follows:
"lady" - wants c$600 an hour, says "beautiful" girls and great premises, so we go there, dodgy barrio, horrible old house, ugly girls and essentially overpriced x3. given the demographics in the area i have no idea who she expects to come, risk life and limb or take ugly girls, so.......avoid.
"tantra" - this is the blue light special at c$150 for 1/2 hour, c$200 for an hour, but it was the crummiest house in a gang banger barrio and we didn't even go inside, based on the area and the hulk waiting in the doorway. avoid even more.
"claudia" - this had a non working phone # in the ad, but we went anyway - the right # is 266-4595 and it is in the same area as lorena. a bit run down house and a flaming gay houseman, i don't think he was the madam, but 5 girls, 2 quite good, one ok, two rooms with fans one with ac. price is a deal and a half - c$200 or c$250 with the ac room. wanda was 20 with a great body and the angelina jolie lips for c$200 ($12). going back to try another, so far recommended, but pay the c$50 for the ac.
clubs: owing to the ear shattering music i generally avoid clubs but i did go into club venus across from polancos. this is quite an amazing place as essentially you see naked beef cattle stripping on a stage. i presume they were cows as if they were girls they looked more attractive as cows. cover of c$50 minimum spend on a drink ( which won't take long) and they have at least 4 rooms in the place where take bossie the cow for c$500. i'd avoid, but the price isn't terrible and if there were ok girls it is one location to drink and take the girl. dodgy barrio, after dark it reminds me of blade runner. i have to say they (club venus) were nice enough to let us in for a peek and a chat without the cover (whew!).
i did not go to the rest, cueto club, vale todo, as the local buzz is you are looking at us$100 for not that long a time and the drinks cost a lot. not recommended unless that's your bag - i am told a strategy is to find a girl and arrange off hours visits so they don't split with the house and you can in theory pay less as well.
other: this is polanco's and fanny's. (no need for addresses unless you find the one cabbie out of about 25,000 that doesn't know where these two places are located)
first fanny's - i tried two times to go there as it is supposedly c$200 on site and a bunch of girls and open all day so it is no more than a big mac combo for two and you get laid. first try was during the fiesta here and there were 2 girls and that horrible red lighting only where you can't see much. the two girls were nothing much and we left. second attempt was after fiesta and later at night - maybe 6 girls counting the one that seemed to be unconscious (taking up one decent sofa out of not many). they were ok, i guess but when the drink estimate came at us$4 or c$84 per drink ( or 1/4 bottle of rum for us$10 plus the mix) i quickly figured out drinking cost more than screwing and combined with the pile of drunken goons and the general racket, we left again.
second: polanco (actually aqui polanco) - this place is gigantic. two floors, the main floor is a disco with some couples and free lance girls that you can hardly see and if you wanted to talk to you cannot hear due to the pounding music. at 9 p.m. there were maybe 4 non-pros (sure) on the first floor. so the manager (reminds you of someone from from dusk till dawn) takes us upstairs to the strip area where their own girls work. thankfully the music hadn't started and we could chat. one thing i must say is the lack of pressure at all the places, they are happy to tell you costs and details, look around, not be pressured into staying, drinking, paying or partaking.
cost is c$500 for any stripper you like (and the one i saw was a knockout -she hadn't started yet but they called her out to meet us as a sample) who you take across the alley in the love motel (included in price). also you can pay us$100 for all night and if you want to come at opening (6 p.m.) and take the girl to closing (6 a.m.) that's fine , though i suspect the girl is not wild about going at it for 12 hours in your hotel. i gathered that el jefe didn't care what the girl liked or not for us$100 , since you paid for it.
there are mixed feelings in managua as to the safety of polanco and the barrio, and i can see why - a lot of cholos hang around outside, there is one parking lot guy and a guard with handcuffs but as far as i could see, no gun. if you didn't get sh**faced drunk and stay observant i think getting to your taxi is pretty easy way to avoid conflicts. there is also quite a history of bar fights (downstairs) and you need to keep situational awareness. we may go back early tonight - last day here i really should do a street girl or a polanco girl (up or down) - will advise. i think for fans of robert rodriguez and quentin tarantino the place is like a movie set.
note about terminology - "nightclubs" mean strip joints with take out/do in girls. discotecas are for people to go dance. bars are bars, many or very very local in nature and you can tell by the locations and the occupants. polanco and fannys defy a label. casas de bellaza are either hair salons, massage parlors or like gloria, and lorena, both at once. so you can get a haircut after (in gloria's case the attempt to clip you comes before). there are also about 50 casinos from tiny strip mall things with apparently no clients to fancier ones named after ones in vegas such as pharaohs and aladdin, though i doubt there is a real affiliation.
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Grand_P,
Good and substantive report, excellent for one lurking while considering Managua as place to hobby. Assignment: Get the skinny on the town of Bluefields, was told of good action there, although a long trek.
Regardless, will be waiting for the update -- pictures too!
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Gina's girls at Casa Moreno are Bluefields girls. Bluefields is a small Atlantic coast town you cannot drive to, you have to fly to from MGA and is having a run of problems with Colombian narcotrafficantes right now and it is not recommended.
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Yours was an excellent report on Managua. It truly captured the “ambiance” of the country, even though the ambiance really isn’t anything to brag about.
Just a couple of comments. The average wage in Nicaragua is not $100-$200 per month. That would actually be quite good. A teacher or a maid will make $60-$80 per month, a factory worker maybe around $100, a cop $60/month (plus tips!), and a medical doctor with a real, legitimate medical degree will make $150/month!
Did you do the stunner at Polanco’s? What was the highlight of your trip? Did you pick up any of the street girls on Carretera Masaya? Some of these can be a lot of fun.
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I was advised the Zona Franca and maquiladora girls made $100 a month and others made more as much as $200, not that it matters a lot.
I didn't do the stunner at Polancos - I planned to go back the next day but wound up doing 4 girls in three different casas and ran out of time and steam.
The Carratera Masaya girls were pretty business like and not all that great. That said it is a whole $12 for an hour and we were 10 minutes from the hotel so I could have. Next trip I have to finish research at both Polanco and the street and also try in front of the love hotels where there are apparently girls and the rooms are right there too. Though for US$10 the room is 85% the cost of the girl.
Good news the Transvestites are not on C. Masaya they are now on the road in front of the 3 screen movie house off C. Masaya offering a reduction in the risk of blundering home with a guy.
Another comment to an earlier question - I found the girls generally in Managua, Masaya and Leon and other points between are among the best looking women in Latin America.
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For those who might be interested in using Sergio's services, here is how to reach him:
By Cell: (505) 866-6144
By E-Mail: pub_movi@hotmail.com
Tell him Ricardo from Canada recommended him.
I suggest for those not very good with Spanish to use the e-mail, and the Altavista.com babelfish translator will do an adequate job of getting your point across. Keep the sentences short if using Babelfish.
As for the hotel, I should have mentioned El Almendro was great. http://www.hotelelalmendro.com/
I asked for a deal and got essentially $45 a day with tax but because they can't do that officially they charged me $40 a day plus tax which was really $46 and I wasn't going to argue the $1.
You can connect YOUR laptop to their cable internet for US$1.50 per 1/2 hour, and behind the hotel is the UCA campus and across from that, a 3 minute walk on Avendica de Universidad are a few internet cafes even cheaper than that.
Almendro was clean, had great bathrooms, air, nice TV (60+ channels, many in English) and 24 hour security guards, not just at night. No swimming pool though if that's your thing. The location is ideal - central enough that any barrio was a reasonable drive.
There is a rudimentary breakfast included, coffeee, fake OJ, varous breads, cereal, milk. I ate out mostly though. Prices for comida tipica are low, for US style food about the same as the US. McDonalds is almost identical as is Pizza Hut.
Cordobas are on a fixed rate with the US$, adjusted by the gov't so there are no cambios like the DR, however two alternate methods are available - near large groceries and on some corners there are hombres with a LOT of cash who will sell you cords. Sergio knows who's good or not. They are also in the driveways of major supermarkets as well . On Sundays, ONLY use trusted changers near grocery stores or stick to spending US$ as there are many thieves working the Sunday cambio racket that are trying to rip you off. Note also nearby the guy with the 6 inch stack of C$100's in his hand will be someone with a gun as his guard, so be aware of getting into arguments over things could be fatal.
Secondly, some stores will accept US$ and make change in cordobas. Some will do it at the bank rate (like the stores in the Esso and Shell gas stations of which there are a lot) and also better restaurants. Plus if you don't mind tipping 80 cents paying US$20 for a C$300 massage parlor tab, you can use US$20 to be C$320, close enough.
They won't accpet mangled, torn or old bills and be prepared for a bank to examine a US$100 like CSI does things.
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Hi Grand Pollo and all,
Real good job "GP"! I want to thank you for your excellent reports and to breathing some life into this thread. :)
I wasn't planning to post here so early, but I am scheduling my first trip to MGA in October. I have two quick questions and since things seem to have come back to life on this board I'm hoping someone can give me a hand.
1. I want a hotel near the action and also w/ a pool (this is my thing). I figured my choice should be the Best Western Las Mercedes near the airport at around $70 per night. Does anyone have a better hotel idea with a pool?
2. I wanted to take a day trip to Granada. I read on escape artist.com that there is a fairly large ex-patriot population down there. Is this true? How far is Granada from Managua? Is there any "action" in Granada or is it strictly in the capital? Is it worth overnighting there?
Thanks to all and my style is that when I travel, I post, so you can be sure that I'll put up some reports when I return.
Shout out to "GP" again for his reporting.
Cheers,
FORD
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Las Mercedes is across the street from the airport. you could walk there and skip a cab it is that close. It means with the highway under construction that it is 20 minutes away form everything even near the airport and nowhere near the centre of town, e.g. the club and streetwalker area. I found a site which right now I cannot locate, that had a list of all hotels and web links run by the Nic gov't. Try that , try either the Footprint or the Moon guide.
Almendro is missing the pool but you save $30 a night and the location is a hell of a lot closer to things than the airport.
Granada is "the" tourist location, more restoration ,bus tours, Disneyland charm than really historic sites like Leon and Masaya, or esteli. I skipped it intentionally and my guide agreed knowing I was after a little more real Nic activity. From what he and Sergio said there is nothing there anyway. It is about an hour or less depending on the road.
The presence of a szieable ex-pat population just about anywhere, and Nicaragua in particular makes it a bad, not good, choice. Unless you want to do guys in short, black socks and sandals.
NB: Do not wear shorts at any time, you will be thought of as a hippie (with no $ and thus lousy service beckons) or a child since NO adult men wear them , period. Girls do sometimes.
Also if you get out of Managua, espeically into the heavily forested areas below 2,500' altitude don't forget to take Chloroquine 500 mg. starting 2 weeks before and weekly thereafter until 4 week after you leave. You don't want malaria. Use DEET liberally.
It would have nice hotels and no girls. You need to be in Managua with wheels and a phone and Spanish.
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Incidentally, I am likely to go there October 9-16th myself. Oops. I could have edited the last post. Oh well.