Blogs from Granada, Southern Pacific Coast, Nicaragua, Central America Caribbean

Olly Murs cranked out “Trouble Maker” at 7.01am this morning as we had an early start to our kayaking tour. We were finally staying at a hotel that providing breakfast and it wasn't too bad; really sugary cornflakes, fresh fruit salad and toast. Most of our tour group had booked on the kayaking trip and we loaded onto the waiting mini-bus at 8am. Its was a short drive down to Lake Nicaragua where we'd be paddling along for the next 4.5 hours. This lake is massive and completely fresh water. We got kitted out in life jackets which were 'one size fits all'. Well, they didn't really fit the girls and the kids ones were too small so they had to settle for uncomfortably massive life jackets. We strode down the beach (yep, the lake had ... read more

The 15th provided us with a full day to explore the town. We basically went from one end to the other. On one end, is our hotel area and on the other, Lake Nicaragua. The lake is large and beautiful. They are working on improving the road leading up to it by repairing the road, landscaping and making pretty parks. It will be beautiful, but for now, it is run down. On the way to the lake, a boy nicely approached us for some money. Clay asked him, “For what?” The kid said, “comida” (food). Clay said, “What kind?” The poor kid was clearly never asked that question before. After a few awkward moments, kid says “Queso.” Cute and a nice recovery. We decided against a lengthy boat trip around the little Isletas. There is also ... read more

Saturday 10/11/12 – We rose to our first Nicaraguan morning, and had a frustrating time trying to start my uncooperative bike. Once we were up and going, it was a fantastic ride south. The roads here are the best since USA, it’s a pleasure to ride without needing to worry about potholes, missing roads or speed humps; however the ever present dogs, cows, pigs, donkeys and the occasional horse still insist they have right of way. We rode through the city of Matagalpa and decided to ride up to the mountain town of Jinotega, it’s the highest city in Nicaragua and the rode is very scenic. We rode up through the misty mountains on a windy and remote road. We rode on through mountain passes without seeing any other vehicles and few people. We flew around ... read more

August 5 – Today started like most recent days. Awake at 7:30am, breakfast, skype with Jeroen. I had to finish packing and then I got a taxi to the bus station, a direct bus to Managua and then changed over to a bus to Granada. It was one of the buses that stopped frequently to get people, yet it still only took an hour or so. I sat up front next to the driver, along with my things, as there was nowhere for the backpack to go. Tight fit, but far better than standing. When I arrived, I walked over to the two closest hostels, and picked one similar to last night, though with a tv in my room. But the wifi doesn't reach that far. You can't have it all here. It took a while ... read more