Nicaragua : Part 2

---

The city of Granada
I left Managua after only one day and went of in search of local buses for Granada. They guy at the hostel gave me such bad directions that I had to keep walking around the neighbourhood looking for the bus stop with my very heavy backpack on my back. I eventually found it - in the area that he told me I didnt need to go to and caught the first bus that was there (old Toyota vans). The bus was empty so I was able to find a spot in the front to dump by backpack and get a good seat for the 35 minute run to Granada.

I got there sometime later in the early afternoon and went off in search of my hostel, once again getting a bit lost in the side streets trying to find it. The hostel when I eventually found it was rather nice with a small but useful pool - I decided to splurge out and get myself a private room by the pool so I could sleep un-disturbed any time of the day, star-fish style if it so suited me.....

I dumped my things and went for a wander around the town. I had a head-splitting head ache, unusual for me - but I thought it would go away if I forgot about it. I went and found myself a bite to eat! A hotdog (Nicaraguan style - with cabbage), I'm afraid to say and sat down trying to figure out my next steps. It was about all I was capable of at that time - Hot, tired and still with head-ache - I went back to the hostel for a late afternoon snooze. That private room was certainly coming into it's own.

Later that night, after a quick dip in the pool - I made my way down to Calle la Calzada, Granada's most touristy street for a bite to eat. All lit up with it's rows of street lights it was a could have been a very romantic spot, in tribute to the night and the fact that I was here to enjoy it I treated myself to a free mojito and followed it up with another one - just because I could and just because I didn't have to go to work the next day - Again! 😊.

I didn't realise it - but I didn't actually have enough money for my dinner - A tribute to the fact that I stuffed most of my money in very strange places, my bra for one and in other areas in my backpack for another. Anyway - Jose, my waiter offered to walk me to the cashpoint (mainly because I didn't really want to walk there by myself, or maybe because they wanted to be sure that I would return to pay...). I chatted to him the whole way there and back, astounded at how well my Spanish had progressed to a point where I could have a conversation (okay - to be true it wasnt anything deep and meaningful). I paid up and went on my way (But not before he gave me his number and told me that he was free the next day....Hmmm!!!).

I walked back to my hostel - happy in the knowledge that in the heat, I had an air-conditioned room....ALL TO MYSELF!!!

The next day I was at a loss - arguing with myself over how I would spend my day. I felt guilty for wanting to do nothing but do some hammock surfing - so off I went in search of some activity. Initially I went in search of a tour - thinking that at least I would be able to just go, without thinking. That option was ruled out for me almost immediately because most of them required a minimum number of people - and as a result most of them were not running (not enough tourists around to secure the numbers was the most common response I got).

I could have taken the 30 minute bus to take me to Masaya a town on the outskirts of the city renown for its artisan markets - but it was too hot. I wanted a fruit shake and I had no intentions of buying anything in the artisan market or visit another Chichicastenango market look-alike. I had enough just trying to carry what I had packed. Instead - I decided to visit the school I had originally intended to study in to see if I could do some private lessons. They did - so for USD 5.00 an hour I decided to take a private class before dinner and another one again the next day before I started my day.

That done I went in search of some local specialties in the central park. I wandered around the main square which were filled with little eateries and picked one that seemed good. I went up and asked for the plate of the day - they didn't have menus and only had one dish to select from. It is here that I made my first mistake - ALWAYS ASK FOR THE PRICE BEFORE HAND!! I was hoping to try vigoron (a local Granada speciality) but instead their meal of the day was a dish of rice, bread & spaghetti (not very authentic! not very large! and heavy on the carb side). It tasted okay - and I was happy just not sitting in another touristy restaurant. When the bill arrived I got a wonderful surprise by paying almost as much as my dinner the previous night. I hated being thought of as nothing more than a walking dollar sign - but it was my own stupid fault for not checking before hand how much they would charge me for the meal. I was satisfied that I was able to say to the waiter in halting Spanish - "Dont think I dont know that you are ripping me off just because I am not local". I saw his eyes open wide open, gape at me - as I stormed of telling the Señora of the shop exactly what I thought about the situation.....

That aside - the realisation of exactly how much money I was annoyed about made it all seem a pointless to get stressed over.

Later that night I had the first of my 1 hour private Spanish lessons with a maestra at Nicaragua Mia school - It was merely a refresher and based more on a review of what I had done in Guatemala - but after 5 weeks in my school in Antigua - It just wasn't the same to me and I missed all of my teachers at school once again.

On my way back - I walked past a local pizzeria and treated myself to a takeaway pizza and two pre-mixed Cuba Libres for a night on a hammock with my book/laptop/ipod & pillow.....That didn't last long as I spent the rest of the night chatting with a very nice French Canadian guy about the joys of traveling and not having to work....A topic rather close to my heart at the moment...(okay I wont rub it in anymore).

The next day I had intended to go to Laguna de Appoyo overnight to stay at the sister hotel of the one that I was staying at - Sadly It was fully booked leaving me with no alternative but to spend the rest of the day in the hammock, which I did but this time without guilt! I went for a wander around the town later that afternoon visiting the areas that I hadn't visited in my previous walks around the city and got my last smoothie from a smoothie shop I had discovered in some side alley. I treated myself to dinner in Jimmy's three fingers restuarant (on the recommendation of someone I met in the hotdog shop) mainly because of my obsession of ribs...It was very good, escpeically considering that 'Alabama ribs' were the last thing I had expected to be eating in the middle of Granada. The only thing I had to over come was eating in the restaurant all by myself in total darkness (except some candles) because of a power failure and because I had arrived too early for the evening rush....

My impression of Granada
I loved walking down the street and stumbling past a wrough iron gate through which you can see through a door leading too a garden with a hammock & bouganvillia scattered everywhere. Families sit on their front stoop in rocking chairs or on a hammock chatting with themselves with children running in and around their feet. Kids walk past you asking your name and where you're from while locals usually have a smile or two as you walk past.

I love the abundance of fruit everywhere.....In all of Central America in fact - I know that I can stop on any side street and pick up a fresh banana, mango or piña or have it my personal favourite a smoothie with water for only a few pennies.

I loved my hammock.....And whilst I didnt travel around Granada alll that much - I reveled in the fact that for once I didnt feel guilty about doing nothing.

---

Photos

Granada
Plaza de la Independencia

A horse & cart ride along the streets
Granada

Iglesia
Granada

Grafitti Art
Granada

Convento y Iglesia de San Francisco
Initiated in 1585. Burned to the groun in 1856 by William Walker & rebuilt during 1867-68.

Houses
Calle la Calzada

Granada
Plaza de la Independencia

I love this door
On my walk around the city