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Background
Our story begins on August 11, 2013. I had been out in Los Angeles with my family for a couple of baseball games and was supposed to fly home on AA’s LAX-RDU nonstop. But then, something beautiful happened. More people than there were seats wanted to fly to Raleigh (no idea why, but thanks to them anyway) and they offered me $500 to fly LAX-JFK-RDU. Who was I to say no? No one, that’s who.



Jackpot!

But now we have the question, the most important question of all, how should I use this $500? As it had been a light travel year for me, I decided I wanted to see a new country. At first I considered Honduras (for the single reason that I had never been to a country starting with the letter H) and saw AA had a $691 fare that was Business both ways. But first, I contacted my top advisors, namely my brother and Flyertalk. My brother was very much against the idea and directed me to the State Department website for travel to Honduras. Here are some choice statements
Answers on the Flyertalk thread I made: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/centr...-honduras.html echoed similar theories so I had to think again. Still, the idea of Central America was appealing as I’d never been so I looked a little farther south and decided to go to Nicaragua. Why? Well, why not? But if you want more than that (and I don’t blame you!) because it would be a new country, Central America would be new to me, and the US Dollar has real value in Nicaragua. Plus, it was $742 to fly to MGA (mix of paid coach/Business) and it would be a good base of operations where I could see a few other cities. Plus, the thread mentioned above spoke highly of the place so I went ahead and booked it (which required driving to RDU because AA doesn’t do electronic vouchers but that’s another story). The final plan was:

Wednesday December 25:
AA Coach (Upgraded to First) RDU-MIA

Thursday December 26:
AA Coach MIA-MGA
Managua

Friday December 27:
Granada

Saturday December 28:
Masaya
Masaya Volcano National Park

Sunday December 29:
AA Business (Paid) MGA-MIA
AA First (Paid) MIA-ORD

Sunday December 30:
AA First (Paid) ORD-RDU

Oh, I used a new camera on this trip so I apologize some of the pictures are a little blurry because I’m still figuring the thing out.

AA 1541 RDU-MIA 737-800 2000-2210
Christmas Day is always a fun day in my household, we’re Jewish on my Mom’s side and Catholic on my Dad’s and we celebrate both holidays. So it was present unwrapping under the tree, we went to go see The Wolf of Wall Street and had a big dinner.


Dinner, two types of lamb, numerous sides, rolls, beer and wine etc. After dinner, my brother was kind enough to drive me to RDU.







Through my sister-in-law and also Flyertalk, I had picked up a couple expiring Admirals Club passes. I passed a very enjoyable hour at the Club sipping on the beer (four free choices: Coors, Coors Light, Bud, Bud Light) and eating snacks.



Upgraded AA snack offerings include the yogurt covered pretzels, cheese and crackers and vegetables and dip. It’s an improvement but still a little disappointing if you’re on the LHR flight.





Today’s flight ended up pretty full in the back but was an easy upgrade for me to First…always nice as a Gold. What was even nicer was that the service today was impeccable. Made me glad I’d paid the $60 to upgrade.



A Full Pre-Departure drink was offered, I asked for sparkling wine and was told this was “champagne” but I really really doubt that. Still, even crappy wine beats just “OJ or Water”.



I got this as a Christmas present from my brother William. Thankfully, no one seemed to mind that this was my inflight reading material



Heading south over Raleigh.





Amazingly, despite being a mere 1hr47 flight and leaving at 8 PM, AA serves a full dinner with a choice of two hot entrees on this flight. It was a chicken breast with mashed potatoes or this option of brocollini pasta. And sure, I’d just had a full dinner at 4:30 PM but what’s to stop me from eating again, right? This was all quite good and when I was offered wine, and asked for water, the flight attendant said “oh no, did I give you too much scotch?”. Ma’am, I’m a Flyertalk, there is no such thing!



After the meal there wasn’t much left to fly and I continued using Gogo which worked very well on the flight and then we arrived in Miami 15 minutes early. Again, great flight crew, I handed out a couple of the AAplause Certificates. The little mints at the end of the flight are such a simple touch but I always appreciate them.



Miami
I was staying tonight at the MIA Airport Hilton which was a mere $106 all in. I’d stayed here once before and felt very well taken care of as a Hilton Gold so I was happy to go back. Things started off on a negative note, however, when I had to wait over 20 minutes for the shuttle bus. Not too long a wait but still, it was quite humid. I arrived and asked about an upgrade and was told I was getting an “upgraded view” which is hotel speak for “you’ll get nothing and like it!”. I couldn’t even get them to give me a King instead of the two doubles I’d booked.







The hotel also gave me that very personalized welcome, would it have killed them to at least attempt to guess my gender?



My upgraded view…how about that freeway? That’s why I make sure to earn Gold every year!

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I went down for breakfast which for Golds at this hotel is a continental breakfast buffet. You can upgrade to the hot breakfast for $9 plus tax. I passed on the upgrade and had croissants, cereal, yogurt and fruit. The spread is okay but the service was really good. I had to keep assuring the server that I really didn’t need anything else, so that was nice. After that I headed back to the airport.

AA 928 MIA-MGA 737-800 1240-1415







MIA was of course chaos as only MIA can be. Huge lines of people for everything, and the people watching was as always top notch. I did manage to get through security within about 20 minutes (using the Priority AAcess line) so that wasn’t too bad. It gave me a few minutes to use my next AAdmirals Club pass.



As you can see, the Club was absolutely mobbed. I didn’t have much time so I took the first seat I found. I’ve since learned about a quieter area (above gates D32/D33) I should look for next time.





Options this morning, I also hit up the for sale area for a hot sandwich to bring on the plane with me.





I had my first missed AA upgrade of the year today, in fact I was 5/5 on the list for zero seats. This was with requesting the upgrade back in September and flying on an M-Fare (AA’s third highest). Still, it was a fairly short flight and I had the exit row and my sandwich so it wasn’t that bad.



As you can see, it was an ugly day in Miami today with rain and thunder so I was happy when we left only a little late.






The scenery was beautiful today as we flew over Marathon and Cuba and I didn’t mind that Gogo cut out after a half hour.



My $10 Admirals Club sandwich, not bad and certainly convenient, but next time I might get to the airport earlier and go hunt out the Cuban place everyone’s always telling me about. MIA has far better catering options than it used to and I think I was a little too lazy this time.







The plane continued on south while I read my books and planned out an evening of activities using my guidebook. Then I got to have even more fun filling out all these landing cards for Nicaragua. Seriously, I think I filled out less paperwork when I leased my last apartment.







We made our descent by overflying Managua and Lake Nicaragua and then approached MGA from the west. Of course as I learned later unlike US cities Managua doesn’t really have a skyline or identifiable cultural center from the air so I wasn’t able to spot anything.

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After landing and then turning around and taxiing back down the runway (quaint, but somewhat terrifying), we had arrived a mere five minutes late!

Nicaragua
As I always tell people at this point, if you just want to view the airplane stuff, feel free to skip to the flights home, otherwise, I’ll continue.

When I was a child and first traveling to Europe with my Mother, she trained my brother and I that we were to always run to customs. I don’t run literally, but I always power walk and pass as many people as possible so to not get stuck in a long line. I of course did so here in MGA and after a short walk found that this was an utter waste of time. And not in the bad way. MGA is the easiest airport I’ve ever cleared immigration and customs at. There was no line, and the time spent with the agent was giving him a simple Buenos tardes and a $10 bill so he could give me my tourist visa into the country. I think I was at the rental car counter in probably the same amount of time it would have taken me to get there in say RDU.



It does help that this airport is really tiny.



I’ve heard from a ton of people since visiting the following sentence “I can’t believe you rented a car down there!”. Well, I’m glad I did, it gave the chance to see a cities and locations and made for a fun cultural experience. Said experience started right away. After signing my contract, I was told to wait outside for “the shuttle”. The shuttle turned out to be an employee of Budget driving the Versa (which is somehow a full size car in Nicaragua) I was to rent. He drove me to the rental car area which is secured by a chain link gate guarded by a member of the Army armed with an AK-74 rifle. This was followed by the most thorough rental car walk around I’ve ever experienced. Seriously, the guys in the Enterprise training video I watched when I worked there didn’t spend as much time as this guy did.



What are these large numbers? I’m from the US, we don’t do this METRIC SYSTEM!?!?!?!






The drive was something else. These Google Map directions claim the streets I was on had names but I never saw a street sign. In fact, during three days in Managua other than on their national highways (NIC-1 and NIC-4) I didn’t see a single street sign. This meant I had to navigate by using the odometer and after going the right amount, turning. Through equal parts prayer and luck, I managed to reach my hotel without getting lost!



The hotel I was at, the Hilton Princess Managua, ended up being a really good choice on my behalf. It’s well located on Nicaragua Highway 4 (called at this point the Carretera a Masaya) which makes for an easy drive to Masaya or Granada and is also surrounded by a lot of restaurants and a couple shopping centers and a movie theater. The staff were all amazing and were very friendly and helpful during my entire stay. At check-in, I was told I was upgraded to an Executive King on the top floor.





Pool area at the hotel.







My Executive King. The bed was very comfortable and wifi worked really well, also there were enough outlets. My only complaint would be that there weren’t very many English TV channels, though as so few Americans seem to visit Nicaragua I can’t really hold that against the hotel.





The view from my room. That crossroads attracted a lot of street salesmen and beggars but frankly, so do the streets here in Durham.

Day 1 - Managua
I decided to start my visit with a little walking tour of Managua. Not wanting to drive much in the city, and especially not at night, I decided to take a cab. The hotel hailed one for me which I later regretted. Managua, and in fact, all of Nicaragua, has more cabs than anywhere I’ve been…including New York City. Street hails are no issue and as long as you don’t mind sharing the cab with other people it’s no issue. The ride from the hotel cost me $10 and probably would have been a lot less if I’d walked outside and found my own cab but I didn’t know that my first day.



My first stop was the Plaza de la Revolucion which features Antigua Catedral on the left and Presidential Palace on the right.



The cathedral is a ruined shell ever since the earthquake of 1972. The then president embezzled most of the international aid and the cathedral, like a lot of the country, has never been repaired.







The area also had a number of tombs including Nicaraguan poet Ruben Dario and Sandinista leader Carlos Fonseca.



Next I decided to walk south on the Avenue Simon Bolivar. During this time of the year people build Nativity displays and they’re featured on the street, it made for great strolling.

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A memorial to the Nicaraguan worker…how socialistic!









They’re fans of Hugo Chavez down here as he was willing to trade with Nicaragua when the FSLN came to power when most other places (including the United States) would not. Also, Nicaragua has a ton of these roundabouts. They are a pain to drive through as few people signal or stay in their designated lane so each time I went through felt like taking my life in my hands.



I always try to pop into a local mall to get a look at things in there, this was one of the older ones on the border of the Barrio Martha Quezada which is the Managua neighborhood I was warned to be the most careful in.





After much strolling I found my dinner spot, the street café Dona Pilar. Again, no street signs and the fact that places in Managua do not have addresses, meant I made a lot of wrong turns but found it eventually.





I was told this would be a great introduction to Nicaraguan cuisine and it certainly was. Chicken, ever-present rice and beans, cabbage, plantain chips and a Coke for less than $5. Ahhh, what a country.



After that I headed back to the hotel and found this waiting for me. In seven years of Hilton status I’ve never received a gesture like this, the letter from the manager was even signed. It was a great touch from a great hotel.



I then went down to the 4th floor and checked out the Executive Lounge. It’s open daily from 6 AM to 11 PM with breakfast from 6 AM to 11 AM and evening food from 5 PM to 10 PM. This included free alcohol (local beers and rum, whiskey, vodka etc.), a couple hot dishes (usually a chicken dish or something else like meatballs and rice and soup) plus cold cuts, cheese, bread, peanuts, fruit and a few dessert items.




They even had a book exchange which was a nice touch. Following that I watched some TV and used the wifi in my room then went to sleep. As much as I like traveling solo, it does get a little lonely at times like this when I don’t feel comfortable driving around the city and I’m not one for solo nightlife.

Day 2 – Grenada







Breakfast options were the usual cold stuff of cereal, breads, pastries, yogurt, fruit and cold cuts and cheese plus six hot options which included local food (something wrapped in plantain leaves, rice and beans) and breakfast meats, plantains and those rubbery squares I can’t identify. They also did omelets to order. Much like the rest of the hotel, service was impeccable.



Following breakfast, I headed to my trusty stead in this case a banged up Nissan Versa with 33,000 KMs on it for the 44 KM drive to Grenada.







The drive was pretty but required in the words of Harry Potter IV “constant vigilance”. There were the omnipresent buses that stop frequently to pick people up, scooters and motorcycles, tuk-tuks, cars, pedestrians, bicycles and even donkeys. I don’t think I’ve kept my hands at the 10 and 2 position so much since Driver’s Ed! Luckily, the scenery kept me sane as did this English radio station I found which played a weird mix of Oldies (seriously, who follows “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” with “Kung Fu Fighting”?) got me there.

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I instantly liked Grenada. It was a pretty town and had that nice mix of appealing to tourists but without being too touristy. So there was stuff to do and places to eat and drink and even some street signs (hooray!) but it wasn’t too overcrowded. Of course, I still managed to get lost almost instantly when I made a wrong turn and walked too far. But I had all the time in the world and my wits about me so eventually I found my bearings and got going the right way again.







The plan for today was this here walking tour, one of my favorite ways to see a city. Incidentally, this was my first time using a Lonely Planet Guidebook and I really liked it, I may use LP for all future trips in fact.



Anyway, this is the Parque Central, of course dominated by a cathedral (this is Latin America after all) and next to it was another Plaza de la Revolution. Nicaragua has had their fair share of revolutions, from overthrowing Spanish control in 1821, to getting the US Marines out in the 1930’s then the Sandinista rebellion in the 70’s and finally fighting with the Contras in the 80’s, they have much to commemorate.





There’s the church (the boringly named Catedral de Granada) and the plaza by the way.







Beautiful scenery, is it not?



Next up, the Convento San Francisco. Amusingly, I was wearing a San Francisco Giants hat when I visited!








For only $2 I got to visit the oldest church in Latin America and enjoy their small museum and ruins. I’d like to point out that at no point were US Dollars rejected. Also, the official parity rate was 25 Cordobas : 1 USD and no one ripped me off on change. They do tend to get rankled by wrinkled, stained or torn bills but if I gave them crisp greenbacks they were thrilled.







Nothing was labeled in English but I’m a scholar so I’ll interpret…ahem…first there were some Godless savages, many of whom were naked, then we showed up and gave them Christ…you’re welcome!

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Now back on the road, enjoying the random places I’d stumble across and with lots of time, exploring them.



Give peace AND Cerveza a chance!





Damn fine selection for Latin America, plus this means I officially found more used bookstores in 24 hours in Nicaragua than I did living in Las Vegas for four months.



Last year when I visited Santo Domingo I got a bad case of heat exhaustion. This time, every time my water bottle ran out I refilled it or bought more (and I wore a hat). I didn’t get sick but I did get really good at pronouncing banos…if you catch my drift.





Heading towards the Malecon (esplanade, embaracdeo etc.) and passing by the Capilla del Sagrado Corazo, an ex-fort and now church (man, if I had a shot every time I saw a church I’d be passed out by noon!).





And there’s the lake! That gentleman there Mr. Cordoba discovered Nicaragua and founded the city of Granada. He’s rewarded by having the currency named after him.







Very pretty, and the breeze sure helped cool me down in the 90+ degree heat!



Heading back towards town for lunch. Nicaragua is a big fan of putting statutes of famous people along their streets which make for interesting learning and can be helpful for a landmark as to where you parked your car.





Back at the park, about to get lost again!



Wandering through the Mercado Municipal. One of the nicest things about Nicaragua was not only did I never feel unsafe, but people generally left me alone. While I was in the D.R. last year there were dozens of touts who would try to sell me tours, prostitutes, drugs and God knows what else but here people didn’t even stare at the gringo…it was very refreshing.



After a slight walking a half mile in the wrong direction issue (it happens!) I ended up here at the Igelsia de la Merced which is arguably the prettiest church here (meh, I say). I then decided I needed food.



I found this place nearby and it’s certainly one the more unique places I’ve eaten at. It’s a not-for-profit café run by a local school for the deaf. The waitstaff are all deaf and you communicate via pointing or by using sign language from the instruction card you’re given. It sure made not being fluent in Spanish mute! The waitress also really seemed to appreciate my efforts to sign, far more so than the loud tourists near me who just raised their voices and yelled in Spanish.





A burrito with beef, rice and beans with cabbage and a pineapple water. All quite good and something like $6.

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The building also hosts a place where blind people weave hammocks. Good for them!


Back on my feet, now heading west, and eating ice cream I got from Eskimo, a local ice cream company.





The end of my journey brought me to an old fort that I’d wanted to tour but it seems a lot of attractions here close around lunch. Disappointing, but understandable. So looking at my map, I took a detour south (which took me through a residential neighborhood which meant leaping over a small canal) and found the local cemetery.



I find a lot of beauty in aboveground cemeteries and this one did not disappoint at all.












After that I wandered back towards the center of town (where Operation: Where Did I Park? Would commence). I love how the Mercado Municipal is essentially a pedestrian market but the road is still open to both car and TRUCK traffic.



Before heading back I had a celebratory beer at the Hotel Gran Francia which used to be William Walker’s house. This ended up being my most expensive purchase of the day…at $1.55! Great relaxing spot though.





A safe and uneventful drive home got me back in time for a dip in the pool and a rest before heading to dinner.





I headed about .2 miles from the hotel to the Cocina Dona Haydee which features, like most restaurants here, outdoor dining and also waitstaff in traditional garb. Plus, it’s good food for low prices, that steak with sides and salad and two beers (in mugs!) was about $14.



I also stopped into a local casino which was pretty terrible. A few slot machines (which dispense your winnings in 50 cent pieces, I won 160 of them…not fun) and some table games. I played a little blackjack in the small, dimly lit, smoky room and did manage to double my money but left fairly quickly. Still, I’ve now gambled in another country!



Roundabout by my hotel by night, they put some real effort into decorating these things.



Ending the night with dessert at the Exec Lounge.

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Day 3 – Masaya, Masaya Volcano National Park
After another breakfast at the exec lounge and printing off some directions from the hotel’s business center (two computers in the lobby, but who’s complaining? Free printing) it was time to head out.



Today’s plan was the small town of Masaya than their nearby volcano national park.


By now I was used to the driving style so it was an easy cruise down for me. I then drove around until I saw a church and parked by it figuring I could find my way back to a giant domed building later no matter where I ended up.



Seems legit.





At this point, I got lost for my first time that day when I walked east instead of south. Despite attempting to use the sun to figure out my direction, I got hopelessly lost.







Thankfully, this was Nicaragua! So I just hailed a cab, said “Mercado Artesanias” and after he dropped off the first passenger, then picked up another, I was deposited where I had been trying to go. The fare: something like 40 cents.



This is why I came, an old crafts market that was a great place to stroll around and get offered Cuban cigars.





They also had a pretty decent museum inside which only cost me $2 and thankfully, had some much needed air-conditioning.









Next up, the Parque 17 du Octobre and their main church the Iglesia San Juan where I caught a guy in mid-junk grab.



At this point I popped into the neighboring Café La Ronda for a Tona and some pollo fajitas. There was a party right next to me celebrating what I think was a Baby Shower that provided for some enjoyable entertainment as I ate and fended off salesmen trying to sell me pirated copies of Frozen and child beggars. I learned quickly to just stick my head in my guidebook whenever anyone came close to my table.



Now full, I commenced Day 2 of Operation Find my Auto. Thankfully, my plan to park near a giant church paid off as I walked a few blocks then saw the dome and headed in that direction til I found it. This enabled me to go see their Malecon.



Aw young lovers, and here I am…so alone! 





That’s it for Masaya. Not as nice as Grenada I think, but the market was absolutely worth it. Plus, it put me very near the volcano park.

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This place was phenomenal. And not to keep beating the same drum, but I gave the gate staff at $10 and got back 160 Cordoba which means it costs about $4 to see it. You could drive a lot of the areas and then hike the trails you wanted to…my kind of place!



Yep, I’m going to like it here.



My first stop was the visitor center which had a free museum, free bathrooms (yes!) and sold water (double yes!)



Screw that, I smoke my alcohol wherever I want to!





Exhibits explained in English…oh Thank God!





Lava really hates New Zealand for some reason.



Looking back at the lagoon I was just checking out in Masaya.


Heading up to the famous crater, I kept pulling over to take pictures as there was so much beauty to be found.





The cross was put there by the first priest who came to visit, apparently they thought this area was the gates to Hell. No, that would be the UA A Terminal Gates at EWR…rimshot!









Finally, the crater. As the guidebook says, in a more litigious country you would not be allowed to drive so close to an active volcano crater. It’s like nothing I’ve seen before…like being in front of a giant cloud.



Some tourists were nice enough to take my picture, but as you can see, just clouds/vapor/smoke/who knows what? Thankfully, there were numerous hiking trails which were not only fun but gave a lot of needful perspective on the crater.



Time to climb! I had everything I needed…shorts, comfortable shoes, my hat, lots of aqua and I was covered in sunblock.



There’s some good perspective on that thar crater! You used to be able to walk up to the cross but the path is now too dangerous and anyone who tried got a whistle blown at them by the rangers. Other than that though, they didn’t seem to care what you did.

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Close-up on the cross with a view almost to Managua behind it.







Many miles to go before I sleep!





Looking the other way towards yet another crater. A lot of people explored this area on horseback but I’ve never ridden one and am somewhat terrified of doing so.



Looking down into their fertile valley (or whatever it was), reminds me of Central Africa in a lot of ways. At that point I’d gone as high and far as I wanted to and headed back. I spun around the other side of the cross before heading down though.



Gives you an idea of how narrow the trails were. It was also literal hold onto your hat windy up there.



One last look into the void.





Goodbye, volcano! Seriously though, this is one of the best things I’ve ever seen while traveling and definitely the best activity I did all year.



Heading back to my hotel to shower and rest before dinner.



How you know you’ve had a good hike!





For dinner tonight I decided to try a different cuisine instead of Nicaraguan food and headed over by the Intercontinental to this place. Food was of course excellent and it was fun trying to not let on that I didn’t speak Spanish by just picking the second of the options for how I wanted my shrimp to be cooked when the waiter rattled them all off. It turned out really well in fact. My only regret was I chose to walk instead of drive and it started raining! I might add I did not feel unsafe at all walking around the area by my hotel either at night or during the day.

Day 4 – More Managua, then Home
My flight was at 3:20 but the car was due at 2 so I decided on a minor walking tour today. Of course, when I woke up I found out my flight was going to be delayed. I only had 2hr05 in MIA so I quickly worked out some rebooking options (with the help of FTers on Facebook and Expert Flyer). I also got my brother to call my hotel at ORD and they were nice enough to cancel it for free. But, that wasn’t going to deter my fun.




I like walking around universities but sadly, the University of Central America was closed (it was Sunday around Christmas) but at least I got to see a bit of it…seemed nice enough.



Che statue by a university, seems college-y



I’m not a fan of the Nicaraguan country flag, but then again most Central American ones are kind of boring.

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The esteemed el Presidente of Nicaragua. His billboards are freaking everywhere.







I wanted to see the newest church in Managua, the Catedral Metropolitana. Apparently, the 63 domes represent the 63 Catholic churches of Nicaragua and are also earthquake proof. Sure ranks as the strangest church I’ve seen.





When I got there, a service was in progress and I decided to stay for a while. It ended up being an interesting experience, hearing the gospel music and the preacher shouting in Latin and swinging his censer (what’s up with that by the way? My Dad doesn’t remember).





Okay, don’t judge me but this is where I ate lunch. I like going to McDonalds in other countries and frankly, a couple-a hamburgesas sounded really good at the time.



Admit it, you’re equal parts hungered and intrigued by the pollo McCrispy!

With that though I went back to the hotel (who had been kind enough to grant me a 1 PM checkout) and packed up to leave. When checking-out the manager was kind enough to ask me if I had been upgraded as I should have been. Nice touch.





AA 344 MGA-MIA 737-800 1520-1855 (Delayed 1hr20)
Returning the car was a bit of a pain and why I factored in a lot of extra time, even with the delay. The place was mobbed and understaffed so it took a while for me to get checked in (makes me long for the US with the handheld scanners that even print your receipt!) and to get dropped off back at the airport.





There were also only two AAgents working and most people were inquiring about connections and/or had massive amounts of baggage so I got slowed down again. But I did have a nice chat with the agent who told me I had to come back to visit Leon (his hometown) and thanked me for being polite and visiting his country.



Getting through border control and security was a very painless process, though I inadvertently made the border police agent upset when he was trying to ask if I was here on tourism but couldn’t say it in English and I kept saying “que?” until I said “OH Tourist?” to his “too sist?”.



The only lounge here is the Sala VIP which you can get into for free if you’re on Copa otherwise it’s $35. No thanks, even with the lack of wifi in the terminal.



There are lots of duty free shops with some very aggressive sales tactics and also very overt messages to not smoke. Where’s Aaron Eckhart from Thank You For Smoking when you need him?




I figured I’d have one last Tona at the bar (I really grew to love the beer while I was there) and forgot I was no longer downtown. The bartender said cinco and I figured he didn’t mean it so I gave him two ones. He said “no CINCO ” and I realized I had indeed just paid $5 for a beer :-O



Thankfully, the rest of the wait passed quickly and they managed to get the 738 turned around fast. Apparently, earlier that morning at MIA a catering truck hit it causing some damage which just ripped out down the line.





Goodbye, Nicaragua! Believe it or not, I wish I was staying another day. Had I known how much I’d enjoy myself, I’d have stayed all of the 29th and gone up to Leon and then flown home the 30th. Oh well, another excuse to come back!

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Once in the air, the crew sprang into action. While I had been disappointed at no pre-departure drinks (the only flight on this trip without them), they made up for it once airborne. Everything was perfect, lots of refills, wine, offering bread, confirming pre-reserved entrée orders…the works.







Pretty views today, even if my window was dirty and caused a lot of glare.





A damn fine meal today for a 2hr15 flight. Choice of steak or chicken and the steak even had some pink in it. Plus a choice of three breads (pretzel (pictured), wheat and sourdough), decent wines and even though dessert is just a piece of chocolate it was really tasty chocolate.



After that it was a matter of waiting for Gogo to work again (which it did a half hour out of MIA), finishing my books and hoping customs wouldn’t care that literally all I was bringing home was 7 bars of hotel soap, 4 pens and two shot glasses. After that we got some mints and then came in at 8:10 PM giving me 50 minutes to make the next flight and hope they didn’t give away my seat to someone wanting to upgrade. Annoyingly, AA had protected me on a MIA-RDU flight the next day in Coach. As the flight was wide open in F and I had an F ticket, this was annoying.

AA 1664 MIA-ORD 757-200 2100-2310 (Delayed 0h45)



Time for the 50 Yard Dash to CBP by Willie Makeit and Betty Won’t!



The agent on duty was directing everyone to what I think are the G.E. kiosks even though I certainly don’t have Global Entry. I took this ticket up to an agent who said “okay and what are you doing here?” so I said “well I just got back from 3 days in Nicaragua”. He said “no what are you doing with ME, you only show up if there’s a big black X on this ticket”. I said “oh, in that case, can I have a passport stamp?”. He was kind enough to give me one. I then went to customs where I was waived through and had cleared security by 8:25 PM. An amazingly easy effort. Incidentally, don’t laugh at that awful picture of me, I figure if I get caught murdering someone it will save the police money on a mugshot.





Ahhh, sometimes you’re thrilled at a delay. This meant…free booze at the Club!





Much emptier than a few days ago too.





Not a bad use of two coupons, in fact the champagne was actually quite good. I also had a nice phone conversation catching up with my brother. Oh and if you’re wondering why I’m going MIA-ORD, overnight, ORD-RDU instead of MIA-RDU it’s because:
- It was the same price
- MIA-ORD is a new route for my Flight Memory
- More miles
- MIA-ORD has a meal, MIA-RDU does not
- I am literally insane



Oh God, 20 degrees? AND I DIDN’T EVEN BRING A COAT! Oh no oh no!





This was my first AA 757 since 2010 and I was very happy to see the plane had been retrofitted with the newer seats. Frankly, I never thought I’d see the day where AA ditched those horrible leather recliners that have literally been in the 757s since I started flying them in the mid-90’s.



Plane Selfie! Yeah, I’m not above them.



Despite the full flight, 1L boarding, and delay, they offered OJ or Water to everyone AND got 2E coffee when he asked for it. Big thumbs up to this crew.

CMK10

Nice to have working internet again, means I can make my own moving map!





Choices were a beef wrap (pictured) or a chicken and pear salad I’d had before. The wrap was pretty good though there wasn’t much of it as you can see. Still, it was something like 10:30 by this point so I probably should shut up. Sadly, despite how good the crew had been earlier offering wine, refills etc. they did do an amazing disappearing act for the last 45 minutes until they returned with mints, oh well.




I kept myself entertained



Sadly, I was not on the right side of the plane (which in this case was the left) for the good views of Chicago.



The 757 traveler’s worst nightmare…1L boarding, 2L deplaning. 4E literally can’t deal with it.

Chicago



Of course we came into K16 which is literally the last gate down and I was tired and sore from all the walking, boo!





As I mentioned earlier, I had canceled my reservation at the Hilton Rosemont. As I now had 40 minutes less time in the area, I booked the Sheraton Four Points ORD which was $63. I ended up regretting it as the hotel was rather subpar. It’s in the middle of nowhere (though it’s the US Airways crew hotel) and feels very old.







My issues with the hotel were a lot of little things. Like bad lighting and worn carpet in the hallways, half the elevators being out of order meaning long walks, worn furniture, chips in the paint on the tub, only one bar of soap, no pen and paper in the room, bad wifi, wall a/c/heat units that didn’t work much and no light switch by the door which meant coming into a dark room…something I hate. While all of this didn’t mean I slept badly I guess I’ve heard so much about how great Starwood is that I was amazed this was an SPG property. Frankly, it was worse than any Hampton Inn I’ve stayed at and felt like a Choice property.



My favorite touch, this is the bathroom light, took me forever to figure it out.

CMK10

AA 985 ORD-RDU 737-800 0640-0925



Way too early a start, maybe I should have done the nonstop?





I got through security very easily and found this nice touch by AA employees who decorated this area for Christmas. I was able to get into the Club fairly easily after explaining I’d flown MGA-MIA the night before. The agent asked me “so what went wrong?” and I said “nothing, I planned it this way!”.





More drink coupons!



Upgraded breakfast options, back in June it was just muffins.



Never too early!







Pretty empty up front today. I paid for F, 6E upgraded and then there were five non-revs. Probably not what AA wants to make on this flight. But as there’s no meal I don’t blame elites for not upgrading. I personally brought McDonalds which got many an envious glance!



Good crew today though, friendly and quick with the refills and did a pre-departure drink which I always appreciate.



I went 0 for 5 on new painted planes and 0 for 4 on Sky Interior, bet those people over there are laughing!





The extent of the service this morning, but at least my OJ/Cranberry Apple/Vodka drink always tastes good.



The flight was very uneventful, I sipped my drink, chatted on Facebook with my brother James (who was very helpful preparing me for this trip I might add) and Flyertalked until landing.



My Dad was even nice enough to pick me up from the airport AND take me to lunch! What a guy!



Guess I won’t need to buy soap or pens for a while!

Conclusion
It’s nice to be able to look back on a trip with no real regrets having made no real mistakes. Sure, I got lost several times but that was part of the fun. I had a blast in Nicaragua and recommend it to anyone. It’s a beautiful country and I’m really glad I went. I’m sure many people here have never thought about going but I recommend you do, I don’t think you’ll regret it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, comments and questions are welcome.

FlyIgglesFly

Great report...and I have that plane crash book as well. Fascinating stuff.