Granada. A taste of Colonialism
Our taxi from San Jorge to Granada got haggled down to $20 which we were happy with. Marie and I were sharing with the Aussies from San Juan del Sur. The only moment of note on the journey was spotting a dude standing on the roof of a large truck which was going full tilt in the opposite direction. Crazy.
We met up with Elaine, Irina and Helene at the Oasis Hostel which was full for the evening. We luckily bunked down at Los Amigos Hospedaje which was 3 doors down and provided a great breakfast.
Not wanting to waste any time, we walked around town, taking in the attractive main square. The traditional colonial architecture reminded me strongly of Salta in Argentina. There were some very striking churches and municipal designs. Most of the single story buildings were painted in a shade of the primary colours which added a bit of energy to otherwise dull looking structures. We found a place for lunch called Nectar. The girls all got dodgy Greek salads with no feta cheese and I found a long black hair in my Chicken Curry Crepe. After a bit of complaining I got my meal for free although the girls weren´t so lucky and had to pay for theirs (minus the tip).
The unfortunate lunch at Nectar
Town square in Granada
Uno, Dos Tres!!! SALSA!!!
The following day, after checking into Oasis hostel, we booked onto an excursion to the Laguna Apoyo in the extinct Apoyo Volcano crater. The fresh water is regarded as being some of the clearest in all of Nicaragua and scuba trips are even offered there. The laguna also has several species of endemic fish. I spotted a few that resembled minnows and tilapia but didn´t manage to catch any. The water was very warm and nice to snorkel in although the steep banks meant the water quickly got deep so viewing was quite limited. We spent the day kayaking, swimming and lounging in hammocks on the water´s edge. Very nice and relaxing.
Water´s edge at Laguna Apoyo
Some of the endemic fishies
I let Marie do all the paddling
The evening started with another salsa lesson where we learnt a few new steps. The humidity meant that it wasn´t long before we were dripping in sweat despite the low intensity of exercise! We ended up at El Club and Cafe Nuit (salsa club) for a few more late night bevvies with the Aussies. The humidity in Granada was much the same as we had been used to the entire time in Nicaragua, meaning that sleep was uncomfortable and hard to get. Luckily the town is very relaxed so most of the day could be easily spent procrastinating in hammocks or in cafes without distraction.
Drunk gringos
Party time with Marie, Jess (Aus), Amy (Aus), Nic (Aus) and Irina
Midday the next day, Helene, Marie and myself were in a taxi to Leon to check out some of the famous volcano trekking.
We met up with Elaine, Irina and Helene at the Oasis Hostel which was full for the evening. We luckily bunked down at Los Amigos Hospedaje which was 3 doors down and provided a great breakfast.
Not wanting to waste any time, we walked around town, taking in the attractive main square. The traditional colonial architecture reminded me strongly of Salta in Argentina. There were some very striking churches and municipal designs. Most of the single story buildings were painted in a shade of the primary colours which added a bit of energy to otherwise dull looking structures. We found a place for lunch called Nectar. The girls all got dodgy Greek salads with no feta cheese and I found a long black hair in my Chicken Curry Crepe. After a bit of complaining I got my meal for free although the girls weren´t so lucky and had to pay for theirs (minus the tip).
The unfortunate lunch at Nectar
Town square in GranadaWe also found a place that offered Salsa lessons right on the town square. We arranged for a lesson which was great fun although I wasn´t too good to start with! The lesson was conducted on a high balcony overlooking the square which was a terrific setting. Afterward we enjoyed a nice meal at an Indian restaurant which had surprisingly good service and excellent Mahi Mahi fish fillets!
Uno, Dos Tres!!! SALSA!!!
Water´s edge at Laguna Apoyo
Some of the endemic fishies
I let Marie do all the paddlingThe evening started with another salsa lesson where we learnt a few new steps. The humidity meant that it wasn´t long before we were dripping in sweat despite the low intensity of exercise! We ended up at El Club and Cafe Nuit (salsa club) for a few more late night bevvies with the Aussies. The humidity in Granada was much the same as we had been used to the entire time in Nicaragua, meaning that sleep was uncomfortable and hard to get. Luckily the town is very relaxed so most of the day could be easily spent procrastinating in hammocks or in cafes without distraction.
Drunk gringos
Party time with Marie, Jess (Aus), Amy (Aus), Nic (Aus) and IrinaMidday the next day, Helene, Marie and myself were in a taxi to Leon to check out some of the famous volcano trekking.
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