Nicuragua

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Arrived in our final new country of the trip. Nicuragua has been through so much historically and after reading about this I´ve been quite shocked at how much the US interferred in this and other Central American countries. Thankfully now this country has been relatively peaceful for the last 15 years but it clearly takes a lot longer to recover from the years of wars.

The first thing that strikes us on the drive from Manugua their capital to the town of Granada is the poverty, noticeably worse than the other countries. Our taxi driver points out sights along the way and we are treated to Vulcan Masaya spouting smoke as we drive past. One of the more active volcanos are quite dangerous for walking around so a view from the distance is enough for us!

From the times of the Spanish conquests Granada remains today as the oldest of all the New World cities so we are looking forward to seeing it. It sits on the edge of Lake Nicaragua which is the 7th largest lake in the world and overlooks Isle de Ometepe which is the largest island worldwide within a lake. On top of this sits Vulcan Conception, the most active volcano in the country. Now this is one we are going to just look at as it involves a good 9 hour hike to do which would be silly without the proper gear and our karrimors are at home. Instead we plan a tiny boat tour tomorrow with a guide on the lake were we can explore some of the numerous tiny islands of the lake. I say lake but it looks more like an ocean with a wash that you could almost surf!

Now being honest we are not entirely blown away by Granada and certainly still think Antigua in Guatemala far more beautiful. That said these places do grow on you and it is full of lots of churches museums etc which if that´s your thing then it probably ticks the boxes. Lucky for us we have arrived at the end of a national festival celebrating the immaculate conception and the town is buzzing with locals, tons of fireworks and a happy atmophere. The central park is host to a million little traders selling everything from food to bracelets and little baskets of cigarettes and the restaurants seem to offer a bit of everything. Had a great dinner out in the main street last night and with two main courses and four drinks costing a tenner it´s certainly good value. The sad bit about it though is that continually we have small children of around 8 to 10 trying to sell us cigarettes, sweets etc and it shows how tough life is, you can´t help but be impressed at how hard they are working to eat.

Our Hotel Con Corazon is a fantastic find we stumbled on through google. All profits from the hotel go to working with local children and their aim by the end of this year was to be providing the funding for 300 children locally to attend school. Schooling is actually free but many kids don´t go as their parents cannot afford the uniforms or books. The founder of the hotel is a female ex engineer and amateur photographer and the hotel is full of pictures taken by the kids she has worked with as she helps them learn more about their culture and country through taking pictures. The cameras the kids use have been donated and everything we can buy in the hotel such as candles and other crafts are made. The hotel also works extensively in the community, our bedspread and curtains are locally made and all food sourced agan locally. The hotel also organises pottery making with local families, walks in nearby villages which we are doing on friday and crafts with mentally handicapped adults who are always hugely creative as I know from Steph and here they teach the tourists how to make the traditional Nicuraguan dolls. It feels great to stay somewhere like this and know every penny we are spending is going into the local community. The hotel is also gorgeous and one of the nicest places we have stayed in so great for our 3 nights here before we head back to the coast of Nicuragua and San Juan de Sur.

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Photos

Granada
the cathedral in the centre of Granada

Lake Nicaragua
Neil at Lake Nicaragua. Behind us the most tired tourism area you could imagine, maybe was nice in the sixties!

Hotel Con Corazon
The courtyard area with hammocks and giant chess set

Granada
This church gives an idea of how run down some parts of the city are

Granada
Main street Granada

Hotel Con Corazon
A hotel with a conscience