Hotter than an oven and crisscrossed
by anonymous highways, there can't
be a more tourist-unfriendly capital
than
MANAGUA. Less a city in
the European sense than a
conglomeration of neighbourhoods and
commercial districts, Managua offers
few sights or cultural experiences
of the type you can have in other
Central American cities - in fact,
most visitors are so disturbed by
the lack of street names or any real
centre to the city that they get out
as fast as they can. Being a tourist
in Managua does require some
tenacity, but there
are
things to enjoy, and as Nicaragua's
largest city and home to a quarter
of its population, the city occupies
a key position in the nation's
economy and psyche. Unfortunately,
it's difficult as a tourist in
Managua to enter into
"real" Nicaraguan life
unless you have a local contact, due
both to the lack of public spaces
and meeting places like cafés or
galleries and the fact that
Managuans' social life is based in
their own neighbourhoods, in
churches, discos and playgrounds.
Set on the southern shore of Lago
de Managua , the city is hot,
low-lying and swampy, the flatness
of its setting relieved only by the
few eroded volcanoes and volcanic
craters a few kilometres inland. The
city is home to Nicaragua's few
national museums and cultural
organizations, most of them in the
old ruined centre , whose
historic cathedral is worth
visiting, along with the Palacio
Nacional, a museum of Nicaragua's
culture and the home of its national
library. Still, the reality is that
there are few sights of interest,
though the good news is that most of
the city's modest attractions can be
found within a few blocks of each
other - an advantage in the draining
heat.
Meanwhile, attempts are being
made to establish a new commercial
centre in the south along the Carretera
a Masaya , just over the hill of
Laguna de Tiscapa. A new Metrocentro
shopping centre has opened here,
along with hotels, restaurants, bars
and cinemas, while the nearby
district of Altamira boasts a
number of elegant restaurants and
cafés serving tourists and the
city's smart set. Another feature of
post-earthquake Managua is the
proliferation of centros
comerciales , mostly low-slung
North American-style shopping
malls , with banks, supermarkets
and secure parking.
Even if the city's tourist sights
have been given a lick of paint (for
the most part paid for by the Dutch,
Austrian or Chinese governments),
the majority of Managuans are still
very poor. This begs a mention only
because street crime is on
the rise, and Managua has developed
a reputation as a dangerous city -
not so much for foreigners as for
Managuans, since gang warfare is an
increasing problem. Even so, it's
best to travel by taxi, even in the
daytime; not to walk around at
night; and generally to be on your
guard.
