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Fleeing Civil Unrest in Nicaragua

Published June 20, 2018

For those of you who follow me on social media, you might have seen my posts regarding my short trip to Nicaragua. I had planned to spend 11 days there, but ended up having to leave after only 4. This explanation is long but important. If you don’t care about my personal experience, that’s fine, but please scroll through to see the photos and tweets from the people in the midst of civil unrest in Nicaragua.

I was so excited to see Nicaragua. It has been on my “to visit” list for years and I had made a goal to see at least one new country in 2018. I had also been trying to organize a trip with my good friend Ayngelina for a couple of years. Our birthdays are both in June, so when we got a chance to spend the first 2 weeks of June together in Nicaragua, we booked it without hesitation.

But isn’t the Civil Unrest in Nicaragua dangerous?

Listen, we weren’t oblivious to warnings about safety issues in Nicaragua. Yes, we had heard that were some problems. Ayngelina had visited 8 years prior and confirmed that the capital, Managua, was pretty shady and recommended that we simply land at the Managua airport and immediately head out to another city.

We had both heard some chatter about civil unrest in Nicaragua. We were aware that citizens had recently hit the streets in protest, demanding that their president, Daniel Ortega step down. In 2013 ,Ortega removed the part of the Nicaragua constitution that placed term limits on presidency, so 2018 is his 11th year in office. Here’s the thing though, guys, lots of Latin American countries have a similar story. Corrupt politicians, shaky so-called “democracy,” , protests – nothing I hadn’t seen before. We had both spent a lot of time in Latin America, both as travelers and residents. We brushed it off, knowing that a less-than-desirable government isn’t reason enough to avoid an entire country.

Travel warnings? Whatever, let’s do this.

We booked our trip in March 2018, back when Managua was the only city making the news. Even then, saying it “made the news” was really generous. If you weren’t looking for news, you wouldn’t find it. We heard through social media that the protests were getting more intense in Managua. The people of Nicaragua were speaking out, saying that “president” Daniel Ortega, was more of a dictator. Ortega did not like that, and reports of him authorizing police to use excessive force with peaceful protesters were trickling in. Travel warnings were starting to pop up on airline websites and embassy webpages. But hey, whatevs, am I right? I was never going to stay in Managua anyway. Every country has dangerous cities. Many countries have shitty presidents (including my own), so why should I let that stop me from visiting a country that I had always heard was full of great people and interesting culture? I wasn’t letting a president-turned-dictator ruin tourism for the whole country.

Apparently the price of my personal safety is around $500 bucks

By the end of May, we had heard a few more troubling reports, but details of civil unrest in Nicaragua struggles still weren’t making national news, so it was hard to gauge just how bad the situation had become. Again, I am constantly told that countries are unsafe only to find that the “dangers” are basic things like pickpockets and sketchy areas – issues every country in the world have. My hometown and current city, St. Louis, Missouri, is consistently named the Murder Capital of the USA, but here I am, not getting murdered, day after day. I have traveled to and lived in many places that are considered “dangerous” (Like Puerto Rico, Argentina, and Mexico), and generally found that, as long as you stayed away from certain areas, things were mostly okay. So, I didn’t take the warnings very seriously.

Still, Ayngelina and I were texting, wondering – should we cancel the trip? We were both hesitant to cancel a trip we had waited so long to take, but really it came down to our non-refundable flights. We figured, if the airline was still willing to fly us to Nicaragua, it couldn’t be that bad. As the trip grew closer, I very purposely ignored any warnings because I wasn’t about to lose $500 bucks just because a country might be unsafe.

Here’s your welcome crew – Masked protesters with homemade weapons

As soon as Ayngelina and I got to Managua, we grabbed a taxi to the nearby bus station so we could get on a micro (van/bus) to León. As we drove through Managua, she and I silently took in the graffiti around the city, surreptitiously elbowing each other to point out billboards or signs that were covered in words like “no more deaths!” and pictures of the president with the word “ASESINO” (murderer) scrawled over his face.

When we were getting close to León, we ran into a tranque, a barricade made of bricks and further blocked off by trucks, guarded by masked protesters. Suddenly, our van was surrounded by about 15-20 people with bandanas over their faces. Some of them were holding morteros, home-made weapons made of pipes fused together, which I later found out were used to launch something similar to a homemade grenade. I obviously did not dare take a photo. However, I had nothing to fear. These were normal citizens, protesting and fighting for their rights. The bandanas and t-shirts covering their faces were there to protect their identity from the government and military, not from us. They meant us no harm. They even gave the bus driver directions on how to drive through a field in order to get all of us safely into the city of León. Still, it was a rough way to begin the trip.

What are you gringas even doing here?

When we arrived at our hotel in León, the lone employee immediately told us, “You are our only guests. If you had not made a reservation, we would have already shuttered our doors. You are very brave to be here.”

Cool cool cool. Super solid welcome. I feel great about all of my choices. On point. 10 out of 10 for responsible decision making.

He went on to say that he recommended we be back at the hotel by dark each night, so that they could lock up and keep up away from any “issues” in town. He added that if things started to get worse, they would arrange transport to take us to a small beach town that would be less likely to be affected.

I mean, at least they have a game plan? This is all fine.

Bugs and bombs

Our first night, we sat by the hotel pool, sipping Toña beers and listening a mix of evening insects and the far-off sounds of small explosions. We learned that on the edges of the town, civilians were already preparing to defend their city. Nicaraguans were making something similar to hand grenades, but with much less fire power. The small bombs can be launched by hand or with the homemade pipe-guns, morteros. When they hit their target, they make a loud BANG then hiss as the wick fizzles out. All night long you could hear the whoosh, BANG, hiss of the small explosives shot through the morteros. But we weren’t scared. We had seen the masked protesters, and they didn’t want to hurt us. They were preparing to defend themselves against police and military armed with AK 47s while they themselves were armed only with rocks, slingshots, and the small explosives shot through the morteros, which do not cause fatal wounds, only burns and smoke irritation.

Granada in flames

Our original plan had been to spend some time in León, head to the beach town of Las Peñitas for a couple days, then travel to the picturesque city of Granada. Ayngelina was regularly checking a Facebook Group of travelers and residents in Nicaragua. As of June 4th, everyone reported that Granada was fine during the day. We were told it would be safe to travel there as long as we stayed in after dark.

On June 5th, we were packed and ready to head to Las Peñitas. Ayngelina checked the Facebook group one last time while we were on hotel wifi.

Granada city hall had been burned down. Other buildings throughout town were scorched or still burning. Barricades had increased. The fight between civilians and police/military was in full force.

It should be noted that everything I have found online reports that the police and military were responsible for the fires. There are many reports and photos of local firefighters trying to save their cities.  This article is in Spanish but contains several videos and photos of Granada around this time.

In one day, a city that is known for its beauty was set aflame. In 24 hours it went from relatively safe, to unpassable. The extreme escalation scared us both. We were in shock. The city was not gone, plenty of structures were fine, but if city hall was burned down and people were taking to the streets in daylight, we knew we could no longer visit Granada. The people of Granada had bigger things to deal with than a couple of travelers.

It’s quiet here. TOO quiet.

We headed to Las Peñitas to figure out our next steps. Before we left, we begged our hotel in León to take a reservation for 2 days later. They were hesitant, saying that as soon as we left they planned to shut down. In the end, they agreed to re-open for us upon our return. Imagine how bad it has to be for a hotel to consider turning away their only guests.

When we got to Las Peñitas, it was late afternoon, and a large amount of hotels and restaurants seemed to be closed. We found a hotel and the receptionist lowered the nightly price twice even though we were not haggling. She seemed shocked that we were there.

Once we checked in, the receptionist immediately told us that the restaurant would be closing at 6pm. We figured our hotel was just weird, so around 8pm we ventured out into the night. It would be more accurate to say we ventured out into the dark void because absolutely everything was shut down. We walked down the street, banging on the doors of hotels, hostels, and restaurants, asking if we could get a drink and some snacks. They all shook their heads at us, saying they closed at 6pm. Eventually, we ran into a guy who told us that one place at the end of the road was always open. A friendly stray dog perked up and started walking with us. She seemed to know what was up and trotted along side us, leading us down the long, dark road until we got to literally the only open bar in town.

We didn’t hear any sounds of struggle that night. Las Peñitas was definitely calmer than León and other cities, but the half-deserted town gave off a semi-apocalyptic vibe. The large hotel had maybe 3-5 rooms occupied. When we walked through town, we tried to decide how many of the restaurants and hotels were closed because it was low season or because tourists simply weren’t coming to Nicaragua.

The decision to leave

While in Las Peñitas we learned that AeroMexico was waiving change fees for travelers in the midst of civil unrest in Nicaragua. We had both flown on AeroMexico and had the same layover in Mexico City. Over the past 3 days we had been monitoring the #SOSNicaragua hashtag on Twitter, which seemed to be the best way to get actual news from around the country. Every few hours, reports of police and military infiltrating a new town would pop up. Photos of more barricades throughout the country littered the feed.

Translation: This is how the town defends the town of Nicaragua against the murderers who use high caliber weapons. 

As the fight continued and more barricades were built, news of fuel shortages and more violence trickled in. Cities were keeping tourists inside the hotels, 24 hours a day, in order to protect them. We realized that if we didn’t leave soon, we may no longer have the option to go. We made the decision to take AeroMexico up on their offer to change our flights. We were able to get a flight out for 2 days later, on June 8th. However, we were in Las Peñitas, and the airport is in Managua, a 2 hour drive under normal conditions. We had the flight, but we still had to actually get to the airport. We still had our hotel reservation in León for the 7th, so we took it one step at time, focusing on getting back there.

This is war. Again.

León is only about 30 minutes from Las Peñitas, so we had no trouble contacting the same driver who had taken us to the beach town 2 days prior. However, he arrived almost an hour later than planned and explained that he had been in Chinandega, a town about an hour away. He reported that Chinandega was burning and that there were 2 more deaths that he knew of from that morning alone. He also told us that radio stations were being set aflame, “probably so we can’t get any news,” he added bitterly.

He went on to tell us that he had lived through the civil wars of 1979 and 1989. “I never thought I’d live to see another war,” he added sadly. He explained that he paid taxes that were meant to go to public schools, but those schools were falling apart and the government had nothing to say about the dire need for repairs. He seemed stuck between bitterness and disbelief, chuckling and shaking his head, mumbling more to himself than to us.

News and noise – insomnia in a concrete room

We made it to León without incident, but our driver was well-informed of the barricades and knew how to get around them. We asked if he could get us to Managua the following day and he said we would need to leave no later than 6am so that we could hit the road while protesters and police slept. We agreed to leave as early as needed.

That night, we had to be in our hotel room by 6pm, as usual, but this time it felt a lot more ominous. We did not sip beers by the pool, we holed up in our room, eating Pizza Hut, because that’s what was nearby and open. Both of us obsessively checked Twitter for news. We showed each other photos of barricades and reports of fuel shortages. There was nothing we could do but wait and see.

We both tried to sleep, but throughout the night, the blasts persisted. The once far-off sounds of morteros had gotten much closer. I swore I could feel them, but I knew I was just half-asleep, being awoken by the BANG, hiss of the explosions. I considered waking Ayngelina, but realized we were already inside a locked hotel, within a concrete room with no windows. We were as safe as we were going to get, so why frighten her? I found out the next morning that she was lying awake, having the same debate with herself.

Getting to Managua

We were ready before our driver arrived. We said our goodbyes to the only employee working at the hotel, who civil unrest in nicaraguawished us a safe journey. Our driver was confident that he knew how to get around the known barricades, but 5 minutes into our drive, we hit a brick wall that had been constructed overnight. We got around it fairly easily, but it didn’t bode well for the 2+ hour trip ahead.

The closer we got to Managua, the more loops and turns we made. Our driver was good, he really did know how to get around a city that had become a labyrinth. Every time I saw protesters or stack of bricks, I held my breath, wondering, will there be a way around?

As we wove through narrow neighborhood streets, I couldn’t help but laugh as a series of motorcycles shot out from behind a bus, leaping onto the sidewalks, going against traffic. The ever-resourceful locals were using motorcycles to get around barricades. Our driver explained that the main road to the University had been cut off, and all the motorcyclists with backpacks on were on their way to class. Can you imagine the dedication? To drive through barricades and violence to get to your classes?

 

It’s over for me, but not for Nicaragua

We made it to the airport without any real incidents. We were perfectly fine and our privilege allowed us the option to leave. It was the right choice for us, but it’s not a choice that is available most of the people in Nicaragua. This fight is far from over, and everything I have seen on social media shows that it is only getting worse. I am appalled that, worldwide, news outlets have been shockingly silent. When I arrived in Mexico City on June 8th, I called my mother, finally ready to let her know that she didn’t need to worry about me because I was safe in Mexico. When I reached her, she had no idea what I was talking about. She hadn’t heard a thing about anything happening in Nicaragua. I called my boyfriend and he confirmed that everything he knew, he knew because I had told him. I had naively hoped that escalations such as city halls in various cities being burned to the ground would have caught the interest of some national news outlets, but I was wrong.

As I finished out my trip in Mexico City, I continued to monitor the #SOSNicaragua hashtag and share what I could on my social media channels. I am continuing to read tweets every single day, and my heart breaks more and more each time I scroll through the feed. I have kept the tweets embedded in this article as PG as I could, but trust me, there are horrifying photos of young people bleeding in the streets, clutching nothing more than slingshots, but shot to death by automatic guns. There are photos of homes burning with people inside. There are photos of children wearing bandanas, both to protect their identities and to protect themselves from tear gas thrown at them by police and military. This is a crisis. I feel helpless. I have tried to find places where I can donate, but this situation escalated within only 2 months, so there hasn’t been much time for organizations to put anything together. If I find anything, I will update this article. For now, I hope to share the news and raise awareness about Nicaragua.

Translation: People of Masaya resist against the government paramilitary attacks. Attacks by the butcher and murderer, Dictator Daniel Ortega. 

Yes, this is my story about fleeing Nicaragua during civil unrest, but the real story, the important story, is that Nicaraguans are fighting for basic rights and being shot down in their streets. If you want to know more about how this began, here’s an article written in English by a Nicaraguan-American and another article about the current situation at a University in Managua. Most news is in Spanish and shared on Twitter, so I will also continue to share translations on my Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook periodically. Remember: travel is a privilege, and it’s not always pretty.

 

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