NICARAGUA – GRANADA

February 12 – 16, 2024

Gus had taken us to an express bus to Granada. We said our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch. As typically happens, the bus people hurry you onto the bus like there is an Apocalypse about to happen. The man said it was 400 Nicaraguan dollars. (almost $15 CDN) It seemed a lot, but hurry, hurry, hurry. I though maybe it was because it was an express bus, one that does not stop at every street corner. We noticed that the man was collecting 35 Nicaraguan from the other passengers. We asked the man next to us how much he paid. He said 35. We told him we were charged 200 each. He intervened for us and began arguing with the bus man. The bus man remained firm. Our new friend had to depart the bus. Others took up his cause on our behalf. Again the bus man was firm. When we finally got off I had my Google Translate ready to tell him he had overcharged us. He didn’t give a damn. He brushed us off and got back on the bus. It was the only time we had been blatantly ripped off on a bus. We knew we were generally charged a bit more than the locals, but this was ridiculous.

A taxi was handy to take us to our guesthouse. He was pleasant and undercharged us. (I usually ask the host to quote me an estimated price for a taxi.) We let ourselves in to our guesthouse. It was like trying to break into Fort Knox. First there was the lock box with the keys, then one of the keys opened the big master lock that held the chain around the steel gate. Another key opened the lock on the steel gate. Yet another key opened the wooden door. The same master key opened the padlock on the steel gate to the kitchen and garden – which was surrounded with rolls of razor wire on top of the fence. Every place had this, so no worries. Some places even had the razor wire electrified, for added security.

The inside was real nice. There was a decent sized living room with a ceiling fan. The bedroom was next, with another ceiling fan and A/C. The bathroom was attached to the bedroom. Beyond the bedroom was the outdoor kitchen and garden. It was one of the nicest places we had stayed in during our travels in Central America.

We learned the hard way not to leave any food outside during the night. Something chewed on a banana. We left it on the step and the following night it was gone. Something had carted it away. We accidentally left a foil bag of peanuts out another night. The next morning a huge hole had been chewed through the bag. We learned to put everything in the fridge, even the paper towels.

Historically, Granada is one of Nicaragua’s most important cities – economically and politically. It’s architecture still speaks to its rich colonial heritage. It is the first European City in mainland America. For many years Granada and Leon families and political factions fought, sometimes violently, over dominance over Nicaragua. They finally compromised and settled on Managua as the capital in 1852.

Granada is now a popular tourist spot, as well as an expat haven. It is a lovely little city with nice weather, nice hotels, good restaurants and museums. They also have a thriving agriculture with coffee, cocao, cattle, plantain and bananas. Expats from America and Europe have purchased and renovated retirement and holiday homes. There are hundreds of little islands scattered around Asese Peninsula on Lake Nicaragua. Many of these islands are privately owned by expats. They have built luxury homes on them.

We took a walk to the Central Park that evening. Each corner of the park had a nice arch.

It had a Valentine’s display set up in front of the gazebo.

A few days later there were a string of horse and carriages brightly decorated and ready to give romantic rides around the city. But they were all empty.

Inside the park, and under a tree a group of drivers sat playing checkers.

Just walking down the street we came across many beautiful colonial buildings. Some were abandoned

but some seemed like they were government buildings.

There is a street that seemed to have lots of artisans. I bought a silver ring. One fellow had fantastic hair. He let me take a picture of his products.

There were modern mosaics on the pedestrian only boulevard.

We paused to look at a tourist office sandwich board. A girl was sitting at the desk, but never even looked up at us. We decided to move along. We had not gone 10 steps when Wilfredo approached us hustling his private tour company. He got us hooked when he offered us an hour boat ride around the islands. If we did not like it, we did not have to pay him. It was $35 USD.

How could we decline an offer like that?

He called a taxi and off we went. Needless to say it was a fantastic experience. This is where we saw the many private islands,

some with mansions still under construction.

One island was for sale for $700,000 USD and owed by a Canadian.

We saw some HUGE trees,

howler monkeys and spider monkeys. Howler monkeys can swim, so they can go from island to island. Spider monkeys cannot swim. They are stuck on a tiny island relying on tourists to feed them.

There were bats sleeping under a boat on a lift.

Wilfredo had the boatman to go up close to a tree and he picked what looked like a skinny banana. He pressed on the sides and this beautiful flower popped out.

We ended up booking another tour with Wilfredo to go to Volcan Masaya. He picked us up the next day and took us first to Mirador de Catarina. It is a high point overlooking Laguna de Apoyo, a crater lake that formed 23,000 years ago. It is six kilometres (3.7 miles) across and about 200 metres (656 ft) deep. Because it is of volcanic origin that still expels gases which has led to a high accumulation of arsenic, too high for human consumption; but keeping the temperature between 27-30 degrees Celcius. Nice and warm, but don’t drink it.

We took some pictures of the lagoon. We could see Mombacho Volcano and Lake Nicaragua from this vantage point. We then spent a few minutes looking through the nearby market. Pierre bought 2 linen shirts because the ones he had were just too hot for this weather.

We then headed to a lovely restaurant down at water level of the Laguna de Apoyo.

After lunch we went to Volcan Masaya Museum. We had about a half hour to kill before we were allowed to head to the volcano itself. There was a guide who explained the dynamics of the volcanic area via a diorama. Volcan Masaya is actually a volcano inside of another volcano – kind of like Russian nesting dolls.

There was other information about volcanoes in the small museum. It was all very interesting.

Finally, our turn had come to go to the crater. We thought we had to walk, but we actually drove up and parked a few feet away. On the short drive we could see the sulphur cloud. Once we parked the cloud was causing the light to turn a dark red color.

The crater is 500 metres (1640 ft) wide and 200 metres (656 ft) deep, and is perfectly round. It was a bit disconcerting to stand on a small platform, on the very edge of the crater and look directly down onto the boiling lava. Our visit was timed to coincide with the setting sun.

The darker it got, the brighter the lava. We had only 15 minutes on site due to the high sulphur smell. Naturally, everyone was slow in leaving. As we drove back to the information centre, we met a new stream of cars heading to the crater. I told our guide he should just turn around so we could have another look. He said our time slot was better because the darker it got the harder it was to see past the sulphur cloud.

A few days later we talked with a fellow who said that a few years ago the entire park was closed due to volcanic activity. The lava was reaching up the sides of the cauldron. He has a buddy who works for the park and invited him to have a look. He said it was stupid to go and very dangerous, but he did. He said the lava was much higher than it usually is. He said it felt like you could touch it. I don’t know how he didn’t fry like a pork rind, with the lava reaching over 1000 degrees Celcius.

It was the perfect Valentine’s Day but time to head back to Granada.

We spent some time looking at churches. They are always interesting because the best artisans were used in the construction and decorations. The Church of the Mercy had a tower that we could climb up. We had a nice view of the city and sunset.

The first church was built in 1534. Additions and renovations have been ongoing until 1959. It still maintains its baroque style.

Iglesia Xalteva also had a tower but it was small and full of bird shit.

The ceiling of the chapel had large murals painted on them.

The Xalteva Park across the street looked Roman-like. It had arches and columns scattered along the stone paths, with lots of big trees to enjoy the shade.

Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral is across the street from the Central Park. It has paintings on the ceiling depicting various Bible stories.

We saw a centaur sculpture along the street.

When we stopped to take a picture of it, we realized there was an entire sculpture workshop behind it.

We went inside and the two artists showed me how they make a drawing on paper, lay it over Styrofoam then cut the pattern out.

Some of the artwork was made this way, some were actual carvings. They were incredibly beautiful and the artists were very pleased when I asked to take pictures of their work.

We had some lemonade at Jori’s little cafe next door. He told us he used to have a successful business but sold it for a good price. He then bought an old Volkswagen van and has been living in it for 7 years. He thought maybe it was time to think about settling down, but he still had the van and still lives out of it.

We walked to the edge of Lake Nicaragua. It is huge, and the waves coming in made it feel like the ocean.

We walked to the end of the dock. It was rather a sad dock. There were rail tracks and an old cart on steel wheels that looked like it had not been used in decades.

We ended up at Mercado Principal. It looked like an old church that has been taken over by vendors. It was actually built in 1892 as a public market. We walked through a bit of it, but were not interested in anything they were selling so we carried on.

The San Francisco Convent Museum was a delightful and educational. There were exhibits of the beautiful and intricate wicker furniture that is locally made.

Embroidery was taught in school.

Food kiosks got their start at the baseball diamond in 1914 by an entrepreneurial woman. She had the idea to sell food and drinks. She even invented a new dish of pork skin, yucca and sour gherkins served on a plantain leaf. Fast food on a biodegradable plate!

There were exhibits with mannequins showing different (mostly religious) celebrations. There were exhibits and explanations of some basic architecture. The different styles were depicted with a display of doors. Pre-Christ inhabitants used constructive elements from nature. Wood, Reed, Straw and palm were easy to acquire, kept the people cool and were anti- seismic.

There were rooms dedicated to Mary, Jesus, and St. Francis of Assisi. There was a beautiful poem which told the story of a wolf that terrorized a village. St. Francis went to the forest and calmed the wolf with his gentle demeanour. He convinced the wolf to come live in the village with the people. The people agreed to care for the wolf and live in harmony. The saint left the town and within short time the wolf went back to the hills and returned to his old ways. When the saint returned he went to find the wolf and ask why. The wolf responded that although he was happy living in the village, he “began to see hate, envy, passion and anger, and in all the faces shone danger.” Brother turned against brother. They began to beat the wolf. The wolf realized he was better off struggling for food in the forest. The saint left, in tears.

There were displays of pottery

There were samples of paintings by local artists.

Outside, under a roof were huge stone sculptures were carved out of basaltic rocks and depicted deities, heroes, and chiefs.

We left the museum feeling that the $3 entry fee was more than worth it.

We went to the restaurant across the street for a lemonade and plate of nachos.

Other Observations:

We looked into a chocolate bar making workshop, but didn’t feel like paying $25 USD for a chocolate bar.

Our time in Granada was done. We really liked the laid back vibe of Granada. There is lots to see and do. It would be a good place to just chill. I guess that is why so many expats settled here.

We caught a chicken bus to San Juan del Sur.