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Published: September 22nd 2013
The Cathedral
Semi-pedestrianized street, GranadaWe left Ometepe on a beautiful calm day watching the twin peaks of Concepcion and Maderas all the way to the port town of San Jorge back on the mainland of Nicaragua. Our plan was to catch a bus to Rivas then another bus onto Granada but a rather enthusiastic taxi driver offered us a deal we couldn't refuse, so we had a very comfortable 1 1/2 hour ride all the way to our hostel, start as you mean to go on I say, always looking for the easy path.
Having spent the past few weeks in fairly remote locations some of which didn't even have cars it was a bit of an assault on our ears when we first ventured out to visit the nearby market. Packed in tighter than any other market we've been to, the stalls seemed like they were on top of each other and the passageways between them were so narrow it felt like we were in a maze, concentration focused on which way to go next rather than the goods on sale. An interesting area but one we didn't go back to, preferring to avoid the beeping stinking traffic that seemed to constantly circle
the market area.
The main plaza is a leafy shady sanctuary very popular for hanging out, getting a drink at one of the many stalls and avoiding the searing heat of the day. Surrounded by horse and traps all offering tourist tours of the city. The city's Cathedral is also on the main plaza and a semi-pedestrianized walkway leads down the side of the Cathedral all the way to lake Nicaragua, all along the street there are restaurants and cafes and although a bit touristy it had a nice atmosphere.
Granada is a small city, more like a town really, which is great as I love being able to walk to everything that I want to see in a town. There are many old colonial buildings, some of them lovingly restored to their former splendor, others looking like they are ready to give up and slide onto the pavement. A new park and walk way has been built at the lake side which is lovely for an evening stroll, it might even be nice during the day in a few years time once the plants have matured enough to provide a bit of shade. Granada is hot, although
it doesn't feel as humid as some of the other places we have been to. The other problem we had was the mosquitoes. This is the worst place we have come across, we have stayed on wetland jungle lodges, islands on the lake where locals kept farm animals surrounded by fresh water and nothing has compared to the voraciousness and abundance of mosquitoes in Granada. As soon as you get in the shower and the repellent is washed off, they are on you! No escape!
Nicaragua is a tabacco growing country and they grow some of the best in the world (when Cuba hasn't grown enough they import their extra tabacco from Nicaragua as the quality is so high). We had to do a tour and went to a small place right in the center of town. We were shown around the different processes and watched the expert hand rolling where they explained how to choose the different leaves, some for strength, some for flavour, some for flexibility in wrapping the end product. The outer leaves were so soft they felt like a very supple pig skin leather. It was a great tour lead by a fat friendly woman
smoking a huge fat stubby cigar!
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