Nicaragua, Part 1

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Totally skipped the during-trip blogging. This is a post-blog, with a bare minimum of details.

Arrived in Nicaragua with my sister about 2 weeks ago after a cancelled connection in Mexico City involving an unexpected day there. That day was spent waiting in lines or simply waiting at the airport trying to resolve how to make the trip from DF to Managua. After a day of waiting in lines and Aeromexico mix ups, we booked an Aeromexico flight the next day, and got a hotel room for the night along with a few meals, courtesy of Aeromexico. After a good night's sleep, we finally arrived in Managua 24 hours later than planned.

From Managua International, we headed directly to our Airbnb stay in Granada. Granada is a small town, dominated primarily by tourists. It sits on the shores of a large lake. A restaurant/bar street leads from the main square down to the lake with 2 blocks of that street packed with restaurants and bars with outdoor seating. It's picturesque and not overly crowded, so is a laid back place to spend time.

Our first full day, we headed out of town to Masaya, a town within easy reach of Granada by public bus, well-known for it's handicraft market. Dropped off on the main road, we walked a few blocks to what we thought was the correct market, but was, instead, the general market. There's a small section there of handicrafts, with the bulk of the large market what one expects in Central America...food and general merchandise.

This was our first real sense of how poor Nicaragua is. Markets are one place to get a sense of this. Granada, being a tourist town is only a hint of the poverty overall.

From Masaya and a walk to the main road again, we caught a public bus to Lago de Apoyo. The lake sits about 20 minutes by public bus outside of Granada. Once dropped off on the main road, there's still about 9 kilometers to reach the lake itself. Most of that can be covered by bus; the last bit by cab. There are a few small hotels at the lake that offer day use for a $6 fee. They're cool, comfortable places to hang for part of a day.

Evenings back in Granada were spent drinking and eating. A bottle of beer is $1; rum drinks $2. Caipirinos are a new, favorite drink. Almost the rum version of a margarita.

Took a day trip to the Mombacha volcano. There's a hike around the crater with the most memorable part of the trip a rewarding view of Granada and Lake Nicaragua. That's what you get when it's clear at the top, which is infrequent. Otherwise, there's very little to see at this relatively inactive volcano, save for some orchids and bromeliads. There are also several canopy trips available earning only fair reviews.

Next stop, Isla de Ometepe. Took a cab from Granada to San Jorge, the port on the "mainland" of Lake Nicaragua with frequent ferries to the Isla. While we contemplated the cheap buses, the difference between $17 each and about $2 each, while substantial, didn't move us to risk the time involved. After a 1.5 hour ferry ride, we headed to the east side of the Isla to stay at Finca el Chipote. There we had a pool and a great view over the lake. One day was spent biking to Oso de Agua, a spring swimming hole, and to Playa Santa Domingo.

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