Week in Managua

When we got back from the last trip, we were told that instead of going out again so soon, Jim and I would be spending the week in Managua, working on preparing materials for another project that Suni is working on in conjunction with the EU.  The project involves installing 42 large solar systems composed of seven panels each for use, I believe by local clinics out towards the Atlantic coast.  This is a rather large undertaking, because according to EU specifications, the arrays have to be mounted on 5 meter tall towers for the sake of security etc...  Jim and I were supposed to be working on the construction of the bases of the towers, i.e. pouring concrete around a rebar framework.  The only problem was that the money had not yet arrived from the EU, so materials could not be purchased, and work could not yet start.  From Monday to Thursday, we sat here in the Suni building, waiting to see whether or not the money would arrive, and thus whether or not there would be anything for us to do.  There wasn't.  A number of factors combined to make this the longest, and arguably most unpleasant week of my life.  Finally, on friday there was work to do, and we spent the entire day cutting hundreds of pieces of re-bar with highly inadequate hacksaws.  At least it made the day go by.

So far on this trip the following has disappeared:

my digital camera

Jim's 2 gb xd camera memory card

my ludicrously expensive sunglasses that it was insisted i have for this trip.

By disappeared, I mean that I suspect they were stolen.  I have no proof of this, and truthfully can't think of how.  Both times, I had visual confirmation of where my items were, by both myself and Jim, but when a day or so later I went to retrieve said items, they were no longer where they had been placed.   I understand that I am a person who is very vulnerable to misplacing things, but I never actually lose them, and after Jim and I thoroughly searched through all of our belongings at least four times, and nothing turned up, I gave up on blaming myself.  I truthfully don't think that Don Juan has anything to do with this, but there are other young men living in the house, whom I have never met, and one who purposefully seems to avoid Jim and I whenever possible (Suspicious?).  We keep our room locked with a padlock (to which I believe only Don Juan, and ourselves have a key), and both times, the items in question have disappeared from closed bags or suitcases, which means they couldn't have just fallen out somewhere, and someone would have had to purposefully go looking for them.  This has me more than a bit angry and confused, but there's not really much I can do about it.

So right now, Jim and I are trying to figure out something interesting to do in Managua for the day, because we're both going to go crazy if we have to sit here all day again.