Walking Tour Granada

We found ourselves spending more time than we would have expected just roaming the streets of the city.  The best place to start a walking tour is at the heart of the city.  I just love the Latin American central parks.  They seem to be a focal point for the community and everything branches out from there.  Here the Parque Central  is lined with mango trees, street vendors selling trinkets, and horse-drawn carriages just waiting to take tourists on a ride through the city.  Each time we walked through the park several of the carriage drivers would give us their sales pitch - where they could take us, what we could see, all in the luxury of a horse-drawn carriage.

Of course every central park seems to have that key tenant - the Cathedral..  This one was built in the 20th Century using the original foundation of an older church.  The bright yellow bell tower can be seen from all over the city.









The area around the Convento y Iglesia de San Francisco reminds us of Nepal with flags drapped across the streets.  The Convento was burned to the ground by William Walker in 1856 and rebuilt a few years later.















The church is a very busy place both for services and tours for the tourists.  We found a great place to people watch just across the street from the Convento - Kathy’s Waffle House - I know, sounds just like the states right?  We indulged in excellent pancakes with real syrup - John was in was in his own idea of heaven.

The most elaborate church was the baroque Iglesia de La Merced.  Built in 1539 it was a victim of pirate attacks in 1655 and then further damaged by Leonese forces in 1854 before being restored in 1862.  The view from the bell tower was unbelievable!  Picture postcard perfect! 

Here’s a few more photos from the bell tower.

Granada - Vibrant Colors, Restored Colonial Buildings and Horse-drawn Carriages

Sitting on the coast of Laguna Nicaragua, Granada is a picture perfect colonial town -  a photographer’s dream with vibrant, sun drenched colored colonial architecture, elegant churches, horse-drawn carriages trotting down wide cobblestone roads and surprising interior garden courtyards which come into full bloom once entering the arched entryways.

Granada is Nicaragua’s oldest colonial city  - founded in 1524.  Located on the northwestern shore of Laguna de Nicaragua and with access to the Caribbean Sea via the lake and the Rio San Juan, Granada was an important trade center - which also made it a target for English and French buccaneers who made several runs on the city.  Conservative Granada and liberal Leon were bitter rivals and the 2 cities entered a full blown civil war in 1850s.

Although Granada suffered huge destruction in those times the city has recently undergone a restoration program resulting in the stunning city we encountered.

We spent our first night at the Hospedaje Cocibolca located in a prime location on Calle LaCalzada a beautiful pedestrian street, with a great view of the Cathedral over the red tiled roofs.  Unfortunately the room was quite small and unbelievably hot - then again it was only $15 a night.

As we planned on spending a few days in town and we had been sticking to a tight budget for awhile we decided to splurge a little and we moved down the street to the Posada San Juan a renovated old colonial building with a friendly staff, AC,  TV and breakfast. Ok it was more than double the price at $35 a night but sleeping without the fan blowing on my face like a hot blowdryer was worth every penny!

Final Days in San Juan del Sur

Since the very first day when we arrived in  San Juan del Sur, every time you are at the beach, you couldn't help but notice the huge Jesus statute perched up on a hill where he could look over and protect the city.  So, in our final days in SJDS we decided we needed to make an obligatory pilgrimage up to the statute.  It wasn't really that far, you just followed the road, up along the coast and then up the steepest road to the gate, where you paid your entrance fee ($1) to get close to the sacred figure of fiberglass.  









The view from the statute is impressive - the entire horseshoe bay of SJDS unfolds in front of you.











 Besides this small pilgrimage to the statute, we also manage to squeeze in a few more days of surfing. My ear is feeling better so we decide to check out Playa Remanso.  There really isn’t much swell but we take some long boards out and have a great time   The beach is nice and there is a small little rancho serving snacks and drinks  Our second day out we decide to take a private transport and get there early. When we arrive we are the only ones there.  Unfortunately the surf is small, but we have a blast just the 2 of us with the entire beach to ourselves.  Not like our normal crowded Southern California breaks which are packed by 6 a.m.  

In contrast to our flash travel through South East Asia we had managed to spend almost 4 weeks in SJDS and it was time to move on.  So we said our good byes to our friends, Randy, Brenda and others at the Gato Negro, and of course, enjoyed one last delicious dinner with Jessica, Carlos and Ximena.  We will miss our SJDS friends and family.

Here are some final beach shots of  San Juan del Sur.

Kabinas and Butterflies on Ometepe

We spent our last night back at Playa Santa Domingo in the Kabinas.  A bit of a splurge for us but an adorable little octagon cabina down a cobblestoned path lined with flowers which attracted hundreds of butterflies.

We catch the bus back to Altagracia, a sleepy little town at the other end of the island near Conception..  From there we catch another bus, which actually goes back the way we had just come and then turns to Moyogalpa where we catch a lancha back to San Jorge.  We had been warned about taking these lanchas.  As the wind picks up, these smaller boats get tossed about, rising up with each swell only to drop down the other side.  It was a crazy ride and we were glad to put our feet back on ground.

Hiking the Volcano Maderas

After a few days of relaxing we decide to head further north and look into climbing one of the volcanoes. We catch the local bus to Merida to find out that the normally quiet Hacienda Merida, which was a former ranch of the Somoza family - now owned by the current government - is hosting a summer camp of sorts with about 20 or so teenagers.  Just our luck!  We get one of the last rooms with a set of bunk-beds right next to the dorms occupied by the kids. Right outside our room is a community area where several of the kids volunteer to teach local kids English, or at least that is the intent.  But I’m not sure playing hangman is really teaching them much, especially  when no one seems to understand each other.  On the other hand,  there is a lot of laughter, so I guess its not so bad.

The Hacienda is an interesting place, the walls are lined with information about bus schedules, volcano hikes, and other activities.  In the evening a couple of guides show up to get recruits to make the climb up the volcano the next morning.  We sign up with 3 other travelers,

Isle de Ometepe is comprised of  Volcano Conception (1610m) and Volcano Maderas(1395m). We had heard mixed reports on whether you could actually reach the summit on Conception so we opted for Maderas.  Both volcanos are known to be rugged and we expect the trail to be steep and muddy.  But steep and muddy doesn’t quite capture it.  The day starts easy enough, sun is out, trail is nice …

but it quickly gets steep,  and the trail … well we are just climbing up and over tree roots.
















And then the rain starts, and keeps going for the next several hours.  We expected to get to the top in about 4 hours.  We had been promised spectacular views out over the island and down to a crater lake which we could hike down to and swim if we wanted.  Well, that was before the rain and fog rolled in.












We got to the top, and could have been anywhere in the jungle.  We looked at each other, the 5 of us and 2 guides, and decided to beeline it back down.  Notwithstanding the lack of view, the rain and fog, when it was all said and done, and after washing all the mud out of our clothes, we decided it was a great hike after all and we were glad we did it.

Isle de Ometepe

It was one of the first sights we encountered when we entered Nicaragua a few weeks back,  two stunning volcanoes rising up out of Lago Nicaragua to form the island known as Isle de Ometepe.  After a week of surfing I developed some sort of ear infection .  I bought some gotas (ear drops) from the local pharmacy but have decided I probably should stay out of the ocean for a few days.  We are staying with Carlos and Jessica when we are in SJDS.  Its great to have a home base and it allows us to travel with just a small backpack, leaving our big backpacks behind in storage.  We decided to head out for a few days to explore Ometepe and hopefully hike one of the volcanoes.

Our new friends, Randy and Brenda are also heading to the Isle so we decide to catch a ferry over to the island together.   We had met Randy one day while getting our daily fix of caffeine at the Gato Negro Bookstore.  He is a a fellow Santa Monica resident now living in San Juan del Sur in a beautiful home called Casa del Soul which he built and operates as a guest house.  It’s a great place with a refreshing pool, tucked away a little bit out of town with a gorgeous view overlooking a  private beach.   Randy has someone drive us to San Jorge and we board the ferry for the hour ride  The winds are calm and it’s a smooth and easy journey.

From there we all head across the island.  John and I get off at Playa Santa Domingo located at the waist of the hourglass of the Isle between the two volcanoes and said to be the best beach on the island.  As far as beaches go its pretty drab. A flat ocean and a dark sand beach.  Considering how touristed the Isle is it is surprising that the facilities have remained fairly  basic.  The road here is essentially dirt with the occasional chicken crossing or cowboy ushering his herd along.

We take a place at the Hospedaje Buena Vista which has a row of rockers lining the rooms, as well as numerous hammocks and other areas  for lounging, which is a good thing as it is hot and there isn’t much to do other than kick back with a book - not a bad itinerary for a few days.

We found a little shack called Julia's serving good food down by the beach.  The wind was really blowing and we were surprised her grass walls didn't blow away. 









Here's the view from the comedor.

Playa Maderas: Crowded Surf and Private Beaches

Playa Maderas is surely in the running for one of the most spectacular surf beaches in Central America due to its fairly consistent waves assisted by regular offshore breezes created by the "lake-effect" of Lago Nicaragua. But, it has one downfall, regular shuttle-buses full of tourists (including us) wanting to surf arrive consistently throughout the day making it a very crowded break and beach. Before the first shuttle arrives around 10 a.m.the beach may be empty but if the tide is right the water is already lined with surfers, including a handfull of locals who can really rip. The waves here are steeper and at least when we arrive, bigger than we have encountered on this trip.

We made our first trip out to this break on Saturday - two big mistakes, it was low tide and duh .. it was Saturday and that meant even bigger crowds.  We only stayed a few hours as we had to get back to SJDS for my last few hours of spanish class.  But we decided to head back on Monday and spend a few days at a local hostal located about 15 minutes walk up the beach.



Playa Mathilda is absolutely beautiful - the first white sand beach we have encountered in Nicaragua. The water is refreshing and you don't have to walk half a mile before you get your shoulders wet.


 
We take a room at Matilida's this funky, colorful, beachfront hostel with friendly staff and room options running from a "doghouse" (think over-sized concrete doghouse or tent with tin roof and windows) for $4 or a private room for $25. We opted for the private room with a hammock on the porch just calling my name.






The place is a surfer's dream and just about everyone here is here with one thing in mind - surfing. Which is a good thing since there is nothing else out here - no bars or discos and food is served from some simply shacks - we loved Juanita's hut on the beach and ate almost every meal there. 
We did splurge one night for the local lobster - served from the most dilapidated shack you could image - but delicious just the same.

For the next 5 days we slipped into the same routine as all the other surfer's staying here (although many of them have been here a month or more). Its early morning surf sessions to catch the rising tide, then chill with a book for the afternoon until after low tide and head back for another session. At least once during your stay you need to make the obligatory walk over to Playa Majagual nicknamed "sunset beach" for.. you guessed it ... a beautiful sunset. Then its dinner and hang around and listen to it rain on our tin roof (which if you have never experienced it can be pretty loud when it rains all night!). 

The walk to the Maderas surf break is short but you need to time it with the tide as its very difficult to cross the rocky outcropping at high tide. We found this out one day one as the water was already crashing into the shoreline. We thought we had seen a map that showed a dirt road following the coastline so we bushwacked inland to where we saw a road. Sounds right ... right! An hour and a half later and after getting a ride from a local up the big hill we final make it to Maderas - John carrying his surfboard the whole way! Lesson learned - watch the tide.

Early in the week a swell had come in so I struggled with the surf to the point where some days I had to demote myself to the whitewater - an ego-crushing fate. John on the other hand took the challenge head-on,  engaged his testosterone,  paddled out and proceeded to get wiped out of the ocean and tossed in the air.  It was spectacular.  But he kept at it, and eventually got the hang of the drop in and caught a few waves.  For the most part of small point and shoot camera has been sufficient, but this was one of those times I wished we had a better zoom, both for the crashes and the successes.  By the end of our stay I too had faced the challenge, albeit the swell had died  down by then and the guys from Mathilda's gave me some tips on where the softest part of the wave was (i.e. easiest to catch). Why didn't they say so sooner!