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zitsky
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« on: July 12, 2006, 07:46:56 PM » |
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I was in Managua with a day to kill before my flight and a bunch of us went into the Oriental Market to check it out. Wild ride, but pretty scary. We went in with no wallets or anything, just $200 in a sock to get a taxi back home. I swear the Moon guide has got it right - if you can't get it in that market, it's not for sale. We found some crazy medicines, and a huge number of sketchy people. Someone said you could even find hookers back there if you knew where to look. We weren't looking.
Anyone get the Oriental Market experience while they were in Nica? Anyone else want some tips?
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Joshua Berman
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« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2006, 01:10:25 PM » |
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You're right, zit. Mercado Oriental is like the Walmart of the underground. It's where I buy all my light arms: <img src=" http://blog.stonegrooves.net/Josue.AK.jpg"> *Just kidding. This was a borrowed AK. Vive la paz... |
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josefito
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« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2006, 03:41:26 PM » |
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Hmmm, that brings up another question I had. Lots of people, incluiding my Costa Rican buddy are telling me Nicaragua is dangerous. I know there's no war there anymore but what about left over weapons caches or gangs or crazys with knives or whatever. Should I be concerned about my safety in Nicaragua?
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Joshua Berman
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« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2006, 12:42:43 PM » |
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josefito -- this photo was taken in 1998 at a friend's ranch in esteli. not long after, the government confiscated his guns. you'll see more AK-47s and shotguns in nicaragua than at home, but they will be in the hands of security guards and police (the military stay pretty hidden away in general, except for an occasional public appearance near election times). the point is, nicaragua is arguably the safest country in all of central america. there is data to back this up, but not at my fingertips. you can check out this MSNBC article that addresses the issue: http://www.pronicaragua.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=97of course, as tourism grows in some areas like granada, it is followed by an increase of petty crime, but rest assured, the war is long over and nica does not suffer the gang problems seen in honduras and el salvador. |
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chelito
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« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2006, 09:54:38 AM » |
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I got _so_ robbed in Oriental. Never again will I go there!
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LadyJ
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« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2006, 01:07:53 PM » |
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Wild ride, but pretty scary. We went in with no wallets or anything, just $200 in a sock to get a taxi back home.
Zitsky - I admire your bravery, but isn't $200 a bit excessive? I mean you can travel anywhere in the city for less than $5. I make sure I never travel in Managua with more than about $40 in cash, and if I were venturing into Oriental I would carry less than that. Too risky for me. |
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delta
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« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2006, 02:35:09 PM » |
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Yeah i personally never been inside but i heard its pretty dangerous. I heard somebody gets stabbed in there every 9 minutes!
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Chinandegano_Lu
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« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2007, 12:19:35 PM » |
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A neighbor of mine used to run a store in the Mercado Oriental and he said he had been robbed a total of three times by gangs of chavalos and vagos with knives and guns. They never hurt him, but they did leave him standing there with nothing but his underwear. And that guy is a saavy nicaraguan, please dont go there unless you get something stolen and you want to buy it back.
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Timoteo
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« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2008, 12:44:54 PM » |
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I was in Nicaragua three weeks ago, and went to Huembes Market. I've been there a number of times, have never had any problems whatsoever, and never heard of any problems. And they have everything.
This time I was talking to some of the vendors, and to two guys who shine shoes at Huembes Market, and I asked about Oriental.
To a person, they all said AVOID MERCADO ORIENTAL. VERY DANGEROUS!
A security guard told me that he had heard that some of the vendors work in conjunction with some of the gangs at Oriental. They make a sale to you, then discretely point you out to some thug, who then relieves you of your possessions.
It pays to talk to the locals...go to Huembes, and be safe.
Timoteo
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Randall Wood
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« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2008, 01:14:10 AM » |
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Looks like Oriental Market in Managua is no longer dangerous; it's just gone. Follow the link below to an article reporting Managua's largest market has burned to the ground (no injuries). Amazing. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/223055,blaze-reduces-managuas-largest-market-hall-to-ash.html"Managua, Nicaragua - A huge fire destroyed Managua's landmark Oriental Market, wiping out 1,500 vendor stalls and causing an estimated 100 million dollars in damage, local media reported early Saturday. The conflagration raged Friday for 11 hours, destroying most of the sprawling Mercado Oriental, reputedly Central America's largest market hall. No injuries were reported. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega promised merchants that the market hall would be rebuilt. The building had been the only one of Managua's three main markets to survive the capital's devastating 1972 earthquake." More at La Prensa (in Spanish, of course): http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2008/agosto/02/noticias/nacionales/275162.shtmlThe attached photo is courtesy of Univision, whose site is currently so slow I could barely read the article. |
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« Last Edit: August 02, 2008, 02:55:09 AM by Randall Wood »
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