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Published: March 18th 2005
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Market scene in Granada
Rachel at the Saturday market in Granada So......quite a few experiences I still have to write about...let's start with one of the most amazing/scary/fun experiences ever!!!!!
After a night of partying in Heredia on St Patricks Day we left Heredia at about 1pm, 9 of us in a little van, on our way to Granada, Nicaragua. We finally get to Penas Blancas, the border, at about 6.45 and have to wait in line to get our passports stamped, which took about 1- 1 and a half hours in the sticky heat, surrounded by a lot of men trying to persuade you to change your Colones/Dollars into Cordobas or vice versa. Finally at about 8pm we all have our stamps and head for the next checkpoint, where we end up standing for a long time because there's no one actually manning the booth, it all seemed a bit deserted, which was pretty strange to start off with.....eventually a little man comes out and all I could hear was "Manana manana" which I knew could not be a good sign. So it turns out that the border closes at 8pm for vehicles (!!!!!!) Yet at the previous checkpoint there were still queues of people waiting to get stamped, no
Volcano Masaya Crater
we could only stand here for a few minutes, after that the sulphur smell and smoke got too bad one bothers to tell you that no cars/buses will be able to get through. After about 20 minutes of contemplating what to do next (including just lifting the gate ourselves, there didn't really seem to be anyone watching us) we decided that we would take our luggage, walk across the border and there would be a bus on the Nicaraguan side that would pick us up and tak us to the hotel in Granada. Our tour guide would stay with the van and go through the whole stamping process again the next day) After about another 45 minutes at the next checkpoint (how many can you have?!!!) in a completely deserted No Mans Land we get to the final gate. We decided to stay inside the gate as there were groups of sketchy looking people ready to pounce on us with more offers of money changing (pretty persistent) Quite ironic, while we were waiting by these gates there were all these people being let in and out of the gates without checking, some money deals going on, all pretty surreal. It was definitely a bonding experience for our little group though, after first being really annoyed by the whole situation,
Lake Nicaragua Boat Tour
The restaurant on one of the Ïsletas¨ where we stopped for a bebida. at this point we all thought it was pretty hilarious!!!) Finally a bus arrives and we go through the gates, and as expected about 15-20 Nicaraguans run for the bus not only to harass us but to try and get on the bus!! It was hilarious, the music that was playing in the bus at full volume were some classics, i.e. "Girl You Know It's True" (Milli Vanilli??) We were singing along to every song, I was so exhausted I fell asleep after about 4 songs, then woke up when the driver stopped in a town called Rivas, which he insisted we all need to see.
We finally get to our hostel "Oasis" (absolutely gorgeous murals, ultimate backpackers haven with hammocks, a pool and delicious pancake breakfast and free Internet) at around half past 12. The next day we decide to take our own tour of the city, as our tour guide was still on his way to Nicaragua. It was market time and the difference between Costa Rica and Nicaragua were so evident. Granada is a gorgeous little city, bright, old buildings, and it's really obvious that Nicaragua is a whole lot poorer. As we walked through the market stalls ("fresh meat" laying out on dirty tables in the heat- yum) we got quite a few stares and especially the little children will try and sell you all sorts of things (or just try and rip your watch off as one little girl tried to)
That afternoon we went to Volcano Masaya Parque Nacional, great view of the crater, but you could only look at it for about 2 minutes until the sulphur smells gave you a coughing fit. So we went for a hike in the park, great views of the mountains, and views of Lake Nicaragua. That night we decided to check out the nightlife and ended up in a little bar/disco which seemed to have more foreigners than Nica's but it was pretty fun anyway (it seems like nowhere here is safe from the Springbreakers....😉
The next morning we headed for Lake Nicaragua right by the city, and we took a boat tour around the little 'isletas'. A lot of them have big villas on them, a very strange sight; like a neighbourhood but only reachable by boat. Also saw some monkeys hanging from the trees before stopping at one of the islands where we had a few drinks in the restaurant. Didn't see any sharks (yes sharks, I believe its the only freshwater lake that has sharks, quite a mystery). Also stopped off at another island where there was a fort that was used to protect the city from the pirates...crazy idea.
That afternoon we got a city tour by oxcart pulled by some very sad-looking horses, really quite terrible. Ours were not as bad as some of the terribly underfed ones that are all over the place here. Our "driver" told us all about Granada's history - in Spanish - so all I really understood was "This house was owned by the so-and-so family", all quite poshlooking. Then a lot about William Walker who at one point tried to take over the place (history really is not my forte) After our tour did some touristy souvenir shopping, then went over to a balcony bar where we had some drinks and one of the best meals ever. We settled the bill and everything was fine until the waiter comes back and says he can't accept our 20 dollar bill (you can pay in Cordobas or US Dollars in Nicaragua) as it had a little rip in it, apart from that there was nothing wrong with it though. It turns out that none of the banks will change it for you if it has a rip in it, and 20 dollars over there is about the amount of money the whole restaurant staff make in one day. You understand this was a pretty big deal to them. So me and two of the guys from our group say, "well we don't have another 20 dollar bill" within about 2 minutes about 7-8 policemen with AK47's come running up the stairs into the bar and we find ourselves surrounded!!!! A surreal moment let me tell you. By now the others from our group have come to join us. One of the girls, Faye, had another 20 bill so the problem was solved pretty smoothly, but we could hardly believe what had just happened!! (Although Faye is now stuck with a 20 dollar bill she can't use anywhere in C. America)
The next morning it's already time to head back to Costa Rica....it goes a lot smoother than the way to Nicaragua, we're in and out of the border area within half an hour, which is a huge relief!! (while driving through "No Mans Land" we see a few people climb over the border fence, so much for all that strict security) Me and two of the girls are dropped off at a crossroad just past Liberia, Guanacaste Province, where we start our next phase, our 2-week stay in Samara on the Pacific Coast. More about that next time.....
Hasta Luego- Flora xx
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