SJDS to Granada

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Up early on Tuesday. Earlier than I would have liked. The funny thing about traveling now are all the gadgets. All hostels have WiFi. Everyone is using their phone. IPads are everywhere. Videos are being show. I'm taking my leisure time to finally watch House of Cards. How far we've come from the hostel common room with the one TV and VCR/DVD (depending on when you last traveled) and hoping that you wouldn't walk in during the middle of a good movie. I kind of miss it.

Regardless, breakfast is stellar again and once packed I'm off. This time in a small car sitting in the front seat with a man, women and two children in the back. It was quite cute. The ride to Granada is the same from two days prior. This time I stay awake and take in some of the sites. From the highway you can actually see Lake Nicaragua. It's immense. It's the largest lake in Central America. It's another windy day and the waves are massive white caps on the lake. Glad I'm not boating today.

In the middle of the lake is a twin island made up of two active volcanoes. Relax mom, I didn't go out to them. It's supposed to be beautiful but I don't have the time on this trip. For now I just view them from afar and gaze at the cloud ring of mist that gathers at the top of the one. No other cloud in the sky but this one. It's nature at it's best.

The car ride this time is a little more adventurous. I'm not sure if it's because I'm in the front seat or completely alert and awake or due to the driver. I'm going with the driver. On this two lane highway we are bobbing past people on bicycles, horses and carts, cattle crossing the road, buses, slower cars, trucks. Sometimes passing two at a time. I'm fairly certain this guy would not have passed the Pete Lohmann driver's education school. At one point we pull off the road to let the guy in the back out. He doesn't have to pay. Hmmm.

We finally pull into Granada and I'm happy to have been somewhat aware of what happened on Sunday. This driver doesn't speak English and can't find my hostel. We are in what seems to be a very local area of town and he keeps asking me questions which I can not answer. I have shown him the hostel name and address but that doesn't seem to help. We have now asked two different people for directions and no one can seem to help us. I'm now getting nervous. I finally tell him in my best Spanish to take me to the central park. I know there is a super expensive hotel there and assume someone at that hotel speaks English. I assumed right. After gathering all my things I went to the front desk and two very nice men helped me. My driver was way off! My hostel is only a short three blocks from the main square where I now stood and no where near where we had just come from. After a little walk I arrive at my home for the next four nights. Backpackers Inn Hostal. It's huge and I'm in love. It's in one of the traditional buildings here that is essentially an outside wall with interior courtyards and rooms. The ceilings are easily 30 ft with rooms that have comfortable beds and lovely wood doors. All the finishes are in wood and all the furniture is unique. Oh, and there's a pool!

I settle in and then head out for the day. There are several things I want to see and do here so I decide to get moving. I first make my way to Hotel Con Corazon. This is a non profit hotel that also has a tour operation. All the money they make goes directly into education for the poor here in Granada. This is the first place I want to give my money. I talked to the woman and sign up for a city tour via horse drawn carriage with an English speaking guide. It's the only tour they have for me being a single. No problem I saw and will see you in two hours. Then I make my way to the Tierra Tour office to see what they have going on. I put my name on a list for several things hoping they have a minimum sign up for something. Then, lunch.

Granada is amazing city. It's the oldest city in Central America and a very bustling place. Lots of cars, bikes, people, horns, whistles and not one street stop light. Haha. I ended up on the east side of the main square on a pedestrian boulevard and picked a place called Nector for lunch. You can't beat a big sign that says best fish tacos in town. I don't know if they were the best but they tasted good! I had my first beer with them. It's hot here in Granada. Needed to cool down! I sat in the courtyard and enjoyed the sunshine while reading my book. Once done, I was off and back to the Corazon for my tour.

A small man greeted me and led me out to a little carriage drawn by two small horses. My vehicle for the next two hours. As we set out, I'm immediately happy. There's something completely silly about riding in a horse drawn carriage. Very childish. Yet it's relaxing and enjoyable. I'm actually realising it! Our first stop is the old train station. It's a small but lovely building with an interior wood roof. My guide is a wealth of knowledge and is detailing the history of this city but also of the country. It's I intriguing and I of course ask lots of questions. From here we make a detour. I need to go to an ATM and he is more than happy to assist. Next stop is the old Fort. Surprising as it may seem, Granada was attacked by pirates my Times. The same pirate that cruised thru the Caribbean. I think this is my favorite historical fact. From here it's on to the cemetery. This is an incredible place. The tombs are far more elaborate than I've seen in other countries. Some are made completely of marble and the size of a small house. They have intricate designs and details on them. Some are more of less concrete tombs. A family will buy some of the land and as family members die then add another cement tomb. Some were four tombs wide by three tombs high. Even in death, the families stay together. It's a beautiful sunny day and the grounds are shaded by tall royal Palm trees. The chapel in the center of the area shows the wear of it's years but also shows the lives of those that have gone thru it. Even when in a bustling city it's peaceful to walk thru a cemetery.

From here we work our way back towards city center. We ride by the oldest house in the city. We make our way to a few more churches. Then we come upon Iglesias de La Merced. This is a very old church in the city and very beautiful. The years have been hard to it but the city has restored much it. It offers a slice I to the past and a piece of the future. Inside the tile floors are arranged in a floral pattern. Everything is some yet elegant. A few large stained glass windows side off to one side. The dome over the alter is painted in two shades of green and allow for a glow as the afternoon Sun comes in from the yellow and orange stained glass windows. In the front corner of the church are the stairs for the bell tower. This is the tallest point in the city. Up we go on the narrowest circular staircase I've ever been on. I could barely fit a quarter of my foot on each step. The stairs are worth the climb! From the top you have to step over the ropes that pull the three bells but then you are greeted with views for miles. Off in one direction is a volcano and another is the lake and yet another is the valley leading to Managua. You see the entire city. You can see down onto the homes with their courtyard gardens. You can see all the people and bikers and motorbikes and cars and trucks and horse drawn carts trying g to navigate the same narrow streets. The organization of the disorganization is astonishing. The wind is blowing so hard I have to hold on. But I also don't want to leave. From here this bird's eye view explains the pulse of this city.

Once back on the ground we climb back into the carriage. We make our way past the main square with its benches and vendors. We see what is the main focus of the square...a yellow and red painted cathedral that my guide refers to as new. This is not something worth pointing out yet it's the postcard for the city. And then we head to Covento y Museo San Francisco. This is the oldest church in the city. It dates back to the 1500s. It's simple and understated yet lovely and inviting. There is also a museum that I hope to make it to this week.

This concludes the tour and we make our way back to the hotel. I thank my guide profusely and then purchase a few gifts from their souvenir table. They work with women in local communities that make crafts of all kinds. By purchasing these items these single mothers are directly assisted and money is used to put their children in school.

It's late in the afternoon now so I make my way down one of the main boulevards. I need to see if my volcano tour for tomorrow has filled up and then find dinner. I'm elated to see that the tour will go off and then I'm on the hunt for dinner. I find another nice looking restaurant that entices me with a tostone dish on the menu. I sit on the side walk, order a beer and read some in my book. My meal comes and it's about 10 tostones and each one has either a fried square of cheese or a meatball on it. Served with Pico de guillo I assess that this meal will be great! I enjoy every bite and listen to the table of four older women next to me. They're all expats from various countries that have lived all over and now live here. Are you going to book club one asked. Are you taking that class tomorrow says another. On and on. One woman is talking about the business she got bored with in Brazil and how she found/started a new one here helping woman sell their handy works. Part of me wanted to buy them a round of beers and pull up a chair. It's fun to hear of the things we have to look forward to in life.

With dinner and my eavesdropping done, I make my way to the corner to hail a taxi. It's well into dark by now an I'm a little uneasy walking at night. But speaking little Spanish and catching a cab is probably going to just as scary. As I stand on the corner a couple of taxis go by. They all seem full but then I figure out they are all shared. And this takes me back toy Fiji days. I hail a taxi and give the driver my hostel. He shakes his head no and drives away. Uh-oh. The next taxi stops and there is a very large and scary looking man in the passenger seat. I give the name of my hostel and the driver starts to talk. Scary name says something to me and I respond with the landmark near my place. He immediately knows, tells the driver and then tells me to get in. Once in the backseat I'm sitting with a small couple and some big package they are carrying. The car is smaller than a Fiesta. The first stop is for the scary man who one more time tells the driver where to take me. Then is smiles and says goodnight. I thank him and say the same. Never judge people. Never judge. A few minutes later I'm back at the hostel and ready to settle in for the night. A relaxing evening reading in a rocking chair in my temporary garden courtyard.

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