life @ 13

it's the eights and fifteen (8:15)

another day, another city. besides the constant wind (still against me) and my left crank arm (8-inch part that connects the pedal to the rest of the bicycle) falling off midday it was a pretty short and easy 45k ride from outside managua to granada. since i knew i had so much time and so little to do today i started by getting lost in the streets of managua. most all the capital cities in latin america have a reputation for being somewhat bleak, but so far managua is the only one i've seen that fits. besides literally having no center, when i was wandering around the scenery was dominated by dead grass, dead trees, and trash. and i think the mexican president se?or fox was around (there were a few billboards dedicated to this; i don't think managua gets many visitors) so there were road blocks and police everywhere. about 20k into the day said crank arm came loose and eventually fell off, but a 4k walk and buying a $.20 pepsi at the mechanic's place set things straight.
granada is probably the most popular coloniel city in central america save antigua guatemala. it's a really attractive place, set on the shore of the grand lago de nicaragua and surrounded by cliffs and volcanoes, with more than a sprinking of old spanish churches and architectural stuff. there are a few friendly travellers around, as me and the world are on speaking terms again, and it's not just what's your name and where are you from and how do you like our country. but two things among others set me off about this place:
1) within 5 minutes of arriving in the city a young kid speaking good english offered to sell me some drugs (a bad sign, not a bad thing in and of itself)
2) the two 50-year old americans drinking and chain-smoking at the bar at my hostel
so instead of spending the day i had planned to i was content with eating some tacos and staring out at the lake. as a side note one of the guys staying at the hostel knew about me via gunnar and oskar, which is pretty cool (similarly, vince from guatemala met gunnar and oskar based on my description of them). anyway, after failing to come close to completing the 135k ride from leon to granada in one day, tomorrow should be the perfect day to attempt an imperial century (100 miles, 165k). of course it all depends on the wind, whether or not i adhere to my 6:30 (the sixes and thirty) alarm and my ability to sit in the saddle for 8-10 hours. if i do manage the ride to liberia, CR in one day, it will be the closest i get to the feeling of returning to 1724 after a long day's ride, as i have actually been to this city before and enjoyed it. if i'm really lucky i'll even remember how to get to the hospedaje i stayed at last time, since i certainly don't remember the name.
yet again the forecast doesn't look good. at the very least it looks hot. the weather in northern costa rica will be damn near 100 in a few days, all the more reason to make a sprint for the highlands of the san jose area.