Granada

Granada was our favourite place in Nicaragua, it was really pretty and all the houses were painted different colour and it really reminded us of our favourite city in Mexico, Valladolid. It's on a very pretty lake which we did a day trip around, and it's a great base for the surrounding areas.

Getting There

We got a collectivo to Managua, and then a public bus, which was really, really crowded during rush hour to Granada. Luckily the bus dropped us off at the centre of town where it was only round the corner to the hostel.

Where we stayed

Hostel El Momento had really friendly and helpful staff, the food from the restaurant was also well priced and very tasty.

Things to do

• Las Isletas tour - this is rated number one on tripadvisor, it's 15 USD, and only runs til the afternoon which meant we had more time to explore the city. You are taken out on a boat with a slide out the back, there are beers and food available. You are taken though Las Isletas which are lots of little islands in one part of Lake Nicaragua. You stop in a lagoon at the bottom of a volcano which is heated by the volcano, so it's a great temperature for swimming, then you head back to the city for a drink. We loved it!

Journal

Arrival

The collectivo from Leon was pretty full and we had our large bags pretty much on our laps. This was a nice change as we weren't worrying about people stealing anything from them, though after our legs went numb we wished there was a place to put them on the roof after all. We were very peckish while we were waiting so we bought a few pieces of what looked like cake for 10 Cordobas, after a couple of bites they were put away and stored until we found a bin.

Soon the Collectivo was on it's way and it was about an hour to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. We asked for them to drop us at the station so we were able to get another bus to Granada, and soon we were getting dropped off at a busy bus stop rather than a bus station. After nipping to the loo we set about trying to find a bus to take us to Granada. Confused about where we were and not completely sure about the best way to do this we asked a few people who didn't really understand us, and nor us them before we spotted a bus with Granada written on the front and jumped on. It was busy, really busy and before we knew it I was standing at the back of the bus with the bags propped up uncomfortably against my legs and Kate was at the front attempting to sit on the dashboard; Attempting, but apparently bot succeeding. It ended up being a really long bus ride and the bus we had chosen was definitely the cheap commuter bus and it was definitely rush hour. For most of the trip it was reminiscient of the London tube, during rush hour, in the height of summer. It was very unpleasant.

Eventually we rolled in to Granada and the bus dropped us off in the main square, luckily the hostel we had booked in to was just round the corner so it was a short walk through the main square to get there. We checked-in and decided whether it was worth exploring and looking for food or taking advantage of the hostels restaurant. After checking the hostels menu and seeing a Thai curry we decided to stay in the for the night. While we were eating we ran in to a guy who we'd met while doing the blue hole dive in Belize. We caught up with him for a while and discussed what him and his friend were going to do in Granada which gave us a couple of ideas to think about over night.

Day 1

In the morning we decided to go for the "Las Isletas" tour after seeing it was rated number one on tripadvisor. We had time for breakfast which is included and around 10:30 an open bus pulled up outside to pick us up. We joined our two friends who were going as well and went outside where we met the owner who is a friendly Canadian and he told us he'd built the bus and the boat himself. We stopped off at an Irish bar in the centre of town to wait for a few others to arrive. We had about 10 minutes so we had a quick wander around the main square before jumping back on the bus to be taken to the dock where we'd get on the boat.

The drive around Granada to the dock was very pretty and was a great way to see the town in a short space of time. Every now and then you'd look up a street which would be lined with very colourful houses which framed the volcano that towers over Granada in the background. We pulled up at the dock which again was very pretty and we could immediately see a few of the little islands that makes up 'las isletas'. We were told that the islands were all created by the volcano a long time ago and ever since the islands have been lived on by locals, as well as bought and sold by the Nicaraguan aristocracy. They ranged in size from tiny little islands with a tree or two, to larger islands with resorts and mansions on them.

We boarded the boat which was a large and open, two story boat, almost in the style of a paddle steamer (without the paddle and the steam). It was large enough for everyone to spread out and have their own space which was great as we were worried we were going to be overrun by kids! The bar was open and fully stocked so even though it was still morning most people made a start, us included! The boat started to move out in to lake Nicaragua and we moved through some of the islands which varied a lot, one of them even had an infinity pool which we were very jealous of.

After about half an hour we pulled in to the lagoon and the engine was switch off and we were free to jump in an enjoy the geothermic water. Everyone rushed to have a go at the slide which went off the back of the boat and was a lot of fun. After a while the owner got out another of his inventions which was a floating beer holder made out of some drain pipe, it held eight beers perfectly for us to float out on the lake taking a sip every now at them. We had around an hour in the lagoon before we all got out and were able to place our orders for lunch. Kate and I ordered the chicken burger which was a little cheaper (lunch isn't included) and they turned out to be a delicious, if a little small.

After lunch the boat was turned around and we headed back to the dock to end a short but enjoyable trip. When we got back to the dock the owner told us about a spider monkey that lived on one of the islands that apparently appeared every time a boat went past. Sure enough a boat went past and a spider dropped from the tree and ran to the edge of the island expectantly. Apparently one of the rich island owners had at one point purchased a few monkeys to frequent his island. The day after his purchase he went out to inspect their progress only to find they disappeared. It was a lesson for him that some monkeys can swim, and these particular monkeys had swam away overnight.

We boarded the bus back to down where we were dropped off at the Irish bar and treated to free drink which was a nice way to end the tour. Afterwards we went we our other two friends to explore a little of Granada. We'd heard one of the old churches was a great place to go to get a good view of the city so went to find that. We found it just as a few drops of rain started to fall and headed up the bell tower to have a look over Granada(I think it was about 6C each). It was a great view and you good see the main Cathedral too to get some good photos. The drops of rain quickly turned to a torrential downpour that seemed to be coming in horizontally to the bell tower so we quickly descended the stairs to seek shelter in the main church. We found a lot of people had done the same so we took up seats and got our books out while the church doors were all closed to stop the rain coming in.

After about fifteen minutes the rain started to stop and we made a run for it, back to the hostel. Luckily most of the pavements were actually covered so we only had to duck across the roads a few times to make it back. We chilled out at the hostel for a few hours before heading out to dinner, we chose El Camello which was apparently good for american style ribs. The ribs were indeed incredible and afterwards we decided we needed some cake for dessert and to celebrate our impending birthdays. We thought it would be unlikely we'd be able to track down any good cake but we took a look around the main square and found the coffee shop for the plaza colon hotel was selling some very nice looking - if a little expensive - cake. We took it back to the hostel where we devoured it, it was worth every penny.

Day 2

The next day we were planning to head to Isla Ometepe where we were planning on spending our birthdays at a very nice looking Eco-lodge. Before we left Granada though we had planned to meet one of my best friend's girlfriend, Maura, who is living in Nicaragua while working with the peace corps. Maura suggested meeting at "The Garden Cafe" for a coffee and some brunch, we packed our bags before meeting her so we'd be able to come back just before check-out and grab our things before heading to Isla Ometepe.

The cafe was really good. It was like a being back in Melbourne, with great coffee (still no fresh milk though) and smashed avocado on the menu. We'd been there a couple of minutes before Maura arrived and we were able to properly introduce ourselves. It was great to finally meet her as I'd heard all about her but because I'd lived in Melbourne for the last couple of years I'd not had the opportunity. We talked all about her work in Nicaragua and I had the opportunity to tell her lots of embarrassing stories about one of my oldest school friends. We unfortunately only had about an hour with Maura before we needed to head back to the hostel to pick up our bags, but before that we bought some coffee to replace the coffee we'd been carrying since Mexico.

Meeting Maura at the Garden Cafe

Maura walked with us back to our hostel and then pointed us in the direction of the buses to Rivas, it's about a 10 minute walk from the centre, though the streets are extremely crowded as it's around the market area. When we got to the Rivas bus terminal we were boarded on to an extremely full bus, so full in fact there were people hanging out the back. We were standing uncomfortably towards the back of the bus making conversation with the other unfortunate souls around us. The bus waited there for about 15 minutes, occasionally being loaded with more and more people until even breathing space was in short supply. Eventually the bus roared in to action and bounced out of the terminal. Luckily everyone was very secure in their spots. Who needs seat belts when you've got people?!