Managua has its shanties, typical of capitals and urban migration. The city is ugly, noisy, but not dangerous. The walls crumble, the restaurants do their best to be Spanish rather than Central American, and the air feels stained with moderate poisons, if any pollution can be considered not extreme. You can play the angles of the churches and the people, but all signs led me toward escape, to the ocean or mountain, and some cities are simply like this, brushing visitors off to better places. In Managua's case, the shrug is made with a smile and indulgence; nobody is angry or hurt to admit the city boasts little. Anyone in your shoes would scamper to beach or stream, too.
