Blogs from Masaya, Capital Region, Nicaragua, Central America Caribbean

Definitely get to Masaya. It is an easy day trip from Granada or Managua. The market is excellent, the square is lively and comfortable, and the lake, though polluted, makes for a wonderful view. There are more photos below. ... read more

After spending only 5 days in El Salvador we trotted on to Nicaragua. We got a 12 hour Ticabus to big bad Managua the capital of Nicaragua. We got mugged off by a taxi driver then headed to Granada by bus. Granada is the oldest continually inhabited colonial city in Central America (first fact of the blog i think). Granada is the best city that we have visited, it has great architecture, streets and really nice people. Granada was a great place to explore with lots going on in the central park and some great buildings to see. While in Granada we went to Masaya and the artisan market to barter for some goods. We came away with a good haul and some interesting presents.We visited Coyotepe, an old fort that was turned into a prison ... read more

I spent hours typing this morning while Geoff slept. There's free coffee which is always bad & good for us. I just keep drinking & typing & by the time Geoff wakes up I'm totally wired. It is a system that works well though. Once Geoff woke up around 9:30 (because I woke him up) we headed out into town. We were on a mission to see the local market & the neighborhood known for making hammocks. The neighborhood is Barrio San Juan & many of the houses there had their wares hanging on their porches or in the front room of their house. While walking around we were stopped by an older man who invited us onto his porch to watch his nephew making a hammock. It was not as interesting watching the young guy ... read more

La siguiente parada fue Jinotega, y no para quedarnos sino para ir al lago Apanás del que nos habían hablado muy bien. Abordamos el lago por la costa oeste, cogimos el bus que lo rodea y nos apeamos en Los Robles, un pueblecito que pensábamos estaba a la orilla pero resultó no ser así, tuvimos que andar unas 2 horas con la mochilota a cuestas para alcanzar la orilla y a medida que íbamos andando nos íbamos encontrado lugareños que nos decían: "pero hasta la orilla andando? si queda un montón!" resulta que por el pueblo de Los Robles la costa hace como una entrada dentro del lago, como una minipenínsula, y allí estábamos nosotros. Es lo que tiene viajar sin ruta fija, sobre la marcha, uno nunca sabe lo que se va a encontrar, así ... read more

Hi everyone, I have been on the go for the last three days. Every night a different city. After I left Granada I went to Masaya because I knew I could get a direct bus from there to Matagalpa. It turned out to be a very interesting city and visit. In Masaya they are famous for a wonderful market for all sorts of Nicaraguan made things. There were boots, bags, clothes, wood art, guitars, scarves and every other bauble I have seen in all the other places. This market is very high end and for the tourists who are bussed in. I was sitting in an area watching kids practicing for a dance performance and who should show up but my Japonese friend, Cuto (actually she is Koro, but the spanish translation sounds to me like ... read more

Decided to include Masaya and Managua in one blog. We did 2 side trips to Masaya and spent our final night in the capital of Managua. From Granada, we did our first trip to Masaya on Thursday night as on this night every week they have music, dancing, folklore and food in the Masaya central market. We hired a taxi driver from the hotel to take us there. He was very nice and I had a lot of fun with him. First, we listened to a Nicaraguan rock group. During this show, daddy bought me a cool puppet (I have liked puppets since daddy bought me the water puppets in Vietnam). I had so much fun with it, that I got up in front of the stage while the rock band played and put on a ... read more

Hello everyone, We went to an orphanage this morning, but my camera´s batteries died, so I have no photos. Several of us were able to convince our teachers that we would practice spanish on the way and have conversations. We bought stuff at the grocery store so that we could give the kids some snacks and visited those kids that had no relations to stay with over the holidays. Afterwards we came back and had our conversation class. Then we had lunch at the Mariposa. In the afternoon we had a wonderful time touring a pineapple farm. I did replace my batteries and now have some pictures to upload. It was great to understand the way that they farm and see a farmer who plants sustainably and organically. The Masaya volcano is close by and the ... read more