Day 27 - Cheap plastic plane… wait, can I get off?

I had my last coconut bread French toasts, we packed our stuff and relaxed at our guesthouse until noon.

We had to walk to the boat dock to buy our tickets and have lunch before leaving the island. It was so hot! After 5 minutes, it was like we didn't shower at all. I was disgusting! And I was out of deodorant!

We got on the 2pm panga boat and this time, unlike the fishing boat we took to get there, it was quick, smooth and fun.

It took 20 minutes compared to 1.5 hour! And it cost $5 instead of $20 each! "Adios" Little Corn Island! I hope to see you again one day!

Once on Corn Island, taxis were all waiting for us and we got a ride to the airport for $2. The airport there is so small that I thought the taxi driver was dropping us at the wrong place and that we were at the taxi stand!

Since I had the window seat on our way to Corn Island on the cool bush plane a few days earlier, Steve and I agreed that today would be his turn. He doesn't usually care but this little plane was so cool!

But unfortunately, we got a bigger plane this time. It was for about 40 passengers so we were disappointed and I felt bad for Steve.

And I didn't trust this plane! For the first time in my life, I thought I would not make it to Managua alive! Steve thinks I exaggerate but this plane looked so cheap! It wasn't old but everything was made of cheap thin plastic.

First of all, because it was bigger than the other plane, I wasn't even sure the runway would be long enough! I mean, I know it is, because they know what they are doing, but you know what I mean. 

Then, just when we took off, a big plastic piece of about 1-meter long detached from the plane ceiling right above our heads with the vibration and almost hit passengers. I was just hoping that they had invested more money in the mechanic and electronics!

As you know, the most critical moments when on a plane are the take off and landing and, lucky us, we survived it twice because we made a stop in Bloomfield, Nicaragua on our way to Managua. And guess what! After our landing in Bloomfield, in order to get ready for take off, we continued to the end of the track to make a U-turn and, of course, got a big bump on the track. Really?! Who got the smart idea to put a "speed bump" on a runway?! Euh! I'm not an engineer but it seems a bit dangerous to me. Because obviously, if we got this bump while doing a U-turn, we will get the same bump while accelerating for the take off! Ok… Can I please get off the plane now? Shout! It was too late! We started accelerating, I closed my eyes, just like it would totally save my life, we jumped a little bit on the bump and miraculously lifted off. I opened one eye to make sure I was still alive and started breathing again. Now, I was all sweaty again.

At least, we had a smooth landing in Managua and I was very happy to touch the ground. Although I smelled like a teenager who just finished a marathon at 40°C!

In Managua, we took a taxi to Masaya because apparently, this is where most of the craft in the country comes from so it's a good place for shopping. It's a good way to spend our last day in Nicaragua! And it's less than 1 hour from the airport.

We arrived at our hostel at about 7pm. First thing we did was to get naked. Yes! Our clothes were begging us to free them. Luckily, a few days earlier, we bought a fabric refresher spray so we sprayed our repulsive clothes and hanged them everywhere in the room.

And now was the time for a well-needed shower! Of course, we had no hot water but I was now used to it and didn't really care. However, I had a problem with the showerhead. You know, when the little holes on the showerhead are kinda half-blocked and the water goes crazy! Well, I think this showerhead had a mind of its own and was actually playing with me. Just to find more than 3 water mists that were going sort of the same way was almost impossible. And I won't even talk about the almost non-existent water pressure!

Great! I looked and smelled like I didn't see civilization for ages and the water was tickling me more than wetting me... I did what I had to do… the soap and shampoo rinsing dance! It consists in moving your body and head from mists to mists back and forth and left to right and hoping to remove as much soap as possible. It was… interesting! Especially for my hair! I really envy Steve sometimes!

After this fun activity, we stopped at a grocery store and I bought deodorant so I don't poison more people and we went to a very good restaurant. I had a delicious vegetarian burger and Steve had chimichurri steak. This was a lovely night and we had a good time.

We walked back to our hostel to relax and make research to know where we wanted to go shopping and went to bed.