Nicaragua, Part 1

Nicaragua

Places visited during trip:

• Granada
• Managua
• Catarina
• San Juan del Sur

We left San José, and just to find the right highway to lead us towards Nica, we got a little lost. I found out later after the trip that the neighborhood we were lost in, was a very dangerous place to be in and we were there after midnight...great!...but I was in safe hands and nothing not even slightly sketchy happened to us. We finally arrived at the border, much earlier than planned, at 4:30 AM. However, the border doesn't open until 6:00 AM. So we got in line to wait until the doors opened so we could enter the country. We followed a small group of people who were from Nicaragua who arrived at the border at midnight...which meant they had to wait SIX hours. No thank you! Although it was very early and we were tired, I was thankful we got there that early. It is much better than waiting in line! And soon after we walked about a quarter mile-half a mile to reach the building to wait, a huge bus full of people got off to get into line. After them, another huge bus, after them, another. So this line to enter Nica was quickly becoming a line at Disney World stretching down the whole quarter of a mile in which we had just parked the car and walked to the building. When 6 AM came around, we quickly got our passports stamped and took care of registering the car, used the restrooms, all easily and quickly. No complaints!

I exchanged $20 at the border which lasted me up until the last day. This is easily the cheapest trip I ever took, but thanks to "not being allowed" to pay for gas, I know I was lucky to travel the way I did and never again will a trip be this cheap! I calculated about $90 for four days in Nicaragua. Twenty of those dollars were spent on souvenirs. Wait until you see, I should take pictures and upload them. It doesn't feel just for what I paid for my gifts. For example. I found a mortar and pestle (always wanted one), hand carved out of solid rock. Two solid pieces. Must have taken days to make. I paid $2. That means $1 for the mortar, $1 for the pestle. And it's solid. I'm going to have it forever, and for many generations! (Note to self: post picture!)

First stop: Granada. First activity: boat tour of Las Isletas on Lago Cocibolca. There were over 365 little islands on the lake. We took a personal boat with a guide and his two sons on about an hour and a half long tour. Nicaragua's climate is HOT. All the time. You can imagine how nice it was to have the breeze of being on the boat! On the islands, most are privately owned homes. Each home needs a boat, either motorized or non-motorized in order to get to and from your house. 

 I don't know what you call these trees, but they are beautiful! 

 One home connected two islands by being built over the water. Below, boats could pass through. Two islands for the price of one.

An egret. 

 A pretty flower that grows on the lilipads/plants where the egret is standing above. Our guide reached over and pulled one out of the water. 

 One small private island with nothing more than the name, Monkey Island, was home to about 3 monkeys. Apparently they are 'owned' by someone who lives on another island. They were really curious about our boat. Our guide threw the purple flower to them and they caught it and ate it!

One of the nicer homes on the islands.

 These are birds nests!

 This flower was taken off a tree when it looked like it had the shape of a long skinny banana. Our guide plucked it off the tree and nothing more than shaking it gently, it exploded open like a peeled banana to expose this firework of a red flower inside. Surprise!!

 The sun going down...

I loved all the stone paved roads and the architecture of Granada. It was so beautiful! Needless to say, I didn't know what was going on as far as plans during most of the trip. If I would have known we were not coming back to Granada, I would've taken more photos. But I have a couple of the church and another building or two. This is me outside of the church. 

 The parents of Berto, who took me on this trip. They knew that I had to leave the country for another 72 hours and they have a friend in Nicaragua who they have been wanting to visit as well as visit the cities of Granada, Managua, San Juan del Sur, and Catalina for their own pleasure. So they found my having to leave the country a perfectly good excuse to go to Nicaragua! So I went with them and Berto's aunt, nicknamed Nana, and they generously did not let me pay for gas money. In exchange, I cooked them an italian dinner with all ingredients that I had to buy at the grocery store because they had nothing of the sort in their kitchen.

So different, isn't it? For me, we always have olive oil, pasta, and basil and tomato sauce in our cupboards. They are staples for my family. For them, it's rice, beans, and bread (and fresh vegetables from the market).

When I first met them, they coincidentally made me spaghetti for lunch. However, I distinctly remember the dish had quite a bit of cilantro and a tomato sauce very different than your typical marinara, garden vegetable, or meat sauce. Still very tasty! (I LOVE cilantro!) But nonetheless, simply different.

 There was a restaurant called "imagine", with a big picture of John Lennon. Outside the restaurant, a typical United States/(maybe UK too, I've never been there) street sign. One side read, "Abbey Road", the other, "Penny Lane". In this historic town with almost all buildings with original architecture, I found this a bit random and touristy, but nonetheless a good photo op. to show friends and family.

 This was a nice looking hotel we stayed in our first night, Palacio Real. It was a drive outside Granada. We drove to a few different to compare rooms and prices and decided on this gem. It had air conditioning, a TV, incredibly comfortable beds, and a clean bathroom with hot water.

There was a cement divider in the street that didn't allow traffic to cross over lanes in the other direction to say, turn into your hotel easily. Rather than driving a mile out of the way in order to turn around, we drove through the round about that was about 75 yards from the hotel, turned around and pulled over on the side of the road as if we were facing the same direction as traffic. And when no cars or pedestrians or bikers were coming, we drove backwards all the way safely to the parking lot. Success. Saved gas.

Just to show how much I didn't know about the trip... one day I packed my bag of snacks, water, and a tank top, you know whatever I might need for the day to Granada. Leaving everything else in the room, I waited in the car in the parking lot for everyone else. Sergio came down and asked me, "Do you have another bag in the room"? And I said, "yeah, but I really only need this one for today". He replied, "Well you might want to grab your other one, we're not coming back!" Confused...I tilted my head in question and him noting my confusion said, "We're leaving for Managua!" OOHH! So that explains a lot!! 1) That's why everyone is taking so long to pack for the day and 2) That's why I need my bag and 3) Why didn't anyone tell me? 4) Maybe they told me and it was lost in translation

 This is a "taxi"/horse-drawn carriage we took to get from the "mercado viejo" to the "mercado nuevo" for a day of shopping!

 A baby sleeping on a couple blankets, in a basket, balancing over two stools. I asked if they had a big enough basket for me...but no luck.

 Cooking meat in a big pot in the market. I don't think a traveler's stomach should try something like that, but it was pretty cool to watch! (I think it was called...Baul? Or something like that)

 A bunch of candies and cookies!

 The other taxi we took to get back to the first market, where we parked the car. The driver first told us, 20 córdobas, but we said no it was a lot cheaper the last ride. Then right away almost without hesitation nor a single care he said, "OK, 10". I guess they can tell who are the people who know what is a good price vs. when they are being overcharged.

This is what I tried for lunch, didn't eat much of it, but it consisted of rice, refried beans, a salad, pulled meat with vegetables, and double fried plantains. 

 I thought this crucifix was interesting and different, a "campesino" Jesus with a sombrero, bag, and miner's tools.

"Evacuation Route" in the case of a volcano eruption. Nicaragua is nicknamed "land of volcanoes".