Nicaragua here we come!

Jeff and I successfully booked tickets to Managua, Nicaragua about a half an hour ago. We'll be there for two weeks.

When I asked Jeff for a quote on how he's feeling about the trip, he said, "I don't want to do this right now. Stop blogging and pay attention to me." He's a little cranky because he's worried about whether or not I booked the right two seats on the connecting flights. He wanted the pick the ones with the extra leg room and the right numerology. I didn't choose seats at all because I skipped ahead to the paying part.

I can't tell yet whether or not I'll be able to get him on the puddle jumper to go to the small islands off the Atlantic coast. Every time I bring it up he starts babbling about boozed up pilots and duct tape on the plane. In fact, to get a real feel for what it's like to travel with Jeff, check out this snippet from pieces he's collecting for a blog of his own:

"We want to go somewhere warm and tropical where we can lounge on the beach without a care in the world, with the whole fruity drink and little umbrella thing and such. At least that's what I want, something low stress and totally relaxing.

Where am I being coerced into going? Nicaragua! Yes, everyone's favorite Sandinista stronghold, where kidnapping tourists is the national sport, and the only thing more plentiful than crooked policia is shrink-wrapped packages of cocaine that frequently wash up on the beach... I'm not joking, that's a quote from a guidebook that RB's company publishes.

To make matters worse, the only airline we could find that actually flies to Nicaragua is based in neighboring El Salvador, and I shit you not is called Taco airlines (it's actually called Taca, but close enough). Kinda makes sense though. What other country's airline would fly to Nica than the only other country down there whose reputation is actually worse?

Anyway, for someone who doesn't like to fly, this is probably one of the worst situations imaginable. I'm picturing chickens and goats on the plane. I wonder if they let you board with your assault rifle. Have to find that one out. We get to have a nice little layover in San Salvador too. Got that goin' for me... which is nice.

I'm sure I'm probably overreacting to this whole thing though. I have heard that Nica has changed a lot and it's one of the last few destinations that hasn't been completely spoiled by foreign tourists. I'm sure we will be able to sit on the beaches with the drinks and do the relaxing and everything like that, and for cheaper than anywhere else. Still though, wish me luck.

I'm anticipating going through a lot of Xanax."