BACK TO GRANADA

Thursday Jan 6^th,

Thanks to the sanctuary provided by mosquito nets, I awoke at around 6:15am with most of my blood supply intact. Since the promised cooling ocean breezes took a hiatus just before midnight, we relied on the services of a rusted relic of an electric fan to supply some air movement.

 Following a light breakfast we caught the 8:30 bus back to town, Halfway to Leon, I realized that I still had the room key in my pocket! After trying for most of the trip to figure out a way to return it, the problem was solved for me. As soon as we got off the bus we were approached by one of the market vendors who had received a call from the hotel staff. She would simply send it back when she sent them the day’s supplies of fruit and vegetables.

  A taxi ride across town, followed by a bus ride to UCA, Managua (University of Central America) and then a transfer to the Granada bus found us back on the streets of Granada in time for lunch- The entire trip, in just under 4 hours cost us a grand total of $9.00-quite a savings compared to the $40 private transport we used to get from Granada to Leon on Monday.

 While I had hoped to climb at least one more volcano on my visit to Leon, arthritis and self preservation seem to have bested my spirit of adventure- perhaps another time!

Las Penitas Beach

 Noon Wednesday 5^th

  An early checkout from the hotel followed by a lengthy hike across town brought us to the district known as Subtiava. Essentially a barrio (suburb)) of Leon, it is one of the few that remains culturally and ethnically diverse, with a heritage based on the indigenous i.e. pre-Spanish) population. Having explored the area on a previous visit (2009) our only purpose in visiting the area was to reach the bus station.

   A 40-minute (50 cent!) bus ride took us to and then south along the pacific coast to Las Peñitas Beach and a small hotel/hostel called Barca de Oro

   Located right on the Pacific Ocean this rather rustic paradise consists of a dorm room plus 7 or 8? private rooms. With rather basic services including a restaurant and bar, its primary attraction is a cooling breeze off the pacific and a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. The room we were given offers a fan, windows on both sides to allow cross ventilation, plus mosquito nets to protect us from the blood suckers!

  Birds flit around the garden as we enjoy the shade, while a pair of tame parrots (appear to) provide a running commentary on the local happenings.

  Lunch consists of sopa de pescado- literally fish soup, but containing far more- 3 or 4 crabs, a small, essentially, whole fish, several shrimp plus a good supply of vegetables.

 A camarone a la plancha features 6 very large shrimp served on a hot cast iron pan with fries, rice and a salad.

  With the sun still fairly high in the sky (3pm) a walk along the beach has burned off a few calories. Heavy surf seems to hammer the beach constantly and a cooling breeze disguises the intense heat of the day.

Currently I am relaxing in a palapa about 12 feet above the beach. A large inland lagoon has now formed where there was mostly dry sand when we arrived. Fishing boats formerly stranded now bob around in water several feet deep.

 The hotel has actually closed up shop for the afternoon- it is their turn to enjoy a staff Christmas party, their first evening off since early December.

5pm

  My brief siesta is disturbed by the competing screams and squawks of parrots and kids. Emerging from my room I find myself witnessing a piñata murder. With most of the kids too young or too unwilling to wear the traditional obligatory bindfold, the hapless victim was quickly dismembered. A few more blows and candy was flying all over the patio.

 Following the trail of the sun as it slowly descended into the ocean, I made my way west along the coast, snapping, what I hope will be, memorable images of a Nicaraguan sunset.

  8:30pm

   With a lazy supper of fish, fries and salad behind me, I am awaiting the return of the breeze while I watch the tide recede under a moonless but very starry night.

 With no TV to interrupt my thoughts, I do not anticipate a late night.

  Around me on the patio are a variety of obviously American yuppies who majored in psychology spouting an endless stream of b.s. and one-upmanship that would gag a maggot. Susanna thinks they are extras from the Twilight movies!! Between them and a couple of glasses of wine, I should have no trouble sleeping tonight.

  Tomorrow the plan is to use public transport for our trek back to Granada. I am guessing 4 to 5 hours of bussing and waiting for the next one. Buenos Noches!

Leon-day 2

Tuesday Jan 4^th,

                           It is 5pm and I have just made a retreat to my room. That seems to be the standard feeding time for most of the mosquitos who reside in the hotel lobby. Nearing the end of day 2 in Leon , the last couple of days has been a refresher course in the similarities and differences between the two cities. Leon, while appearing somewhat less affluent than Granada, is far cleaner. There is much less garbage on the streets and there seems to be less “humanity’ i.e. people “swarming” the streets- especially in the market areas. Primarily a university town, Leon has a lot more cheap eateries and very few of the overpriced restaurants that seem to populate Granada.

  It is also home to a number of very interesting 16 to 18^th century churches which add character to their individual neighbourhoods.

  We spent much of the morning exploring these various buildings as well as a small museum dedicated to the poet Rubén Dario. A final stop before lunch at Centre de Arte Ortiz-Gurdian offered a huge display of Central and South American artworks ranging from 16^th century paintings to contemporary abstracts. Located in two colonial houses on opposite sides of the street, the visit was more than well worth the one-dollar admission charge.

 A rather mundane but relatively cheap pizza was our evening meal. There were enough slices left over that I was able to share it with one of the many street people who seem to frequent the darker and quieter side streets of town.

  Tomorrow we will most likely head for the beaches, some 20km west of town to see what deluxe accommodations can be had for $25 a night. The primary concern with most places is not the rooms themselves, but rather, what type of “nature” will be sharing the space with us!

Off to Leon for a day or so

Sunday Jan 2^nd,

 An early bus ride found us in Managua by 10:30am. The exit from the bus involved running a gauntlet of extremely pushy taxi drivers offering transport at prices bordering on robbery.

 Settling on a price of  $3 ( a bargain by Canadian standards, but a rip-off compared to other Nicaraguan towns) we were driven to the Plaza de la Revolucion to visit the Palacio National- now a museum. Normally open on Sunday, it was closed- probably because of the New Years weekend. Adjacent to the museum, the ancient cathedral, partially destroyed in the 1972 earthquake was fenced off, having been deemed unsafe. With much of the roof gone and several walls collapsed it was reminiscent of several of the religious buildings in Antigua, Guatemala- also damaged in previous earthquakes. After sauntering through a couple of the parks in the area we had a brief walk along the Malecon. Listed as a pleasant walk along the lakefront, it turned out to be a view blocked by one ramshackle restaurant after another. Adding to the lack of appeal, a fairly steady wind was whipping dust into our eyes.

  Flagging down a taxi, we headed back to the centre of town, the driver dropping us off in front of a modern looking shopping mall. Air-conditioned and occupied by stores clearly geared to tourists and the more affluent locals it proved to be a comfortable break from the mid-day heat. A fast food court featured a selection of standard North American chains like McPuke and Booger King as well as several Nicaraguan equivalents.

 $3.75 was enough to purchase a meaty and quite juicy pechuga de pollo- fried chicken breast, including a drink, fries and coleslaw.

  Most of the calories consumed were walked and sweated off during a hike to Laguna de de Tiscapa, a small but quite pretty volcanic lake close to the town centre. Heading back in the direction of the mall and bus stop, we made a slight diversion to see the new cathedral, essentially a concrete box, totally devoid of the artistry of the old one.

 The bus ride back to Granada was a  representation of the life of a sardine. I am not sure what the Guinness book of records has listed for most people on a mini-bus but we had to have been close. I was more than glad to get off the bus in Granada, debating whether or not to wash or just burn my clothing once we got back to the hotel.

 Sunday’s dinner stop was Jimmy Three Fingers and I am happy to say the meal was significantly better than our visit last year.

    The new location was much better in terms of lighting and ambiance and there were no complaints about food or service.

  Stopping outside the restaurant, we struck up with 2 visitors from Kingston, one of whom had lived near our home town of Listowel for several years- small world.

   Monday after breakfast a visit to Tierra Tours found us quickly packing a few days clothing for a trip to Leon.

Happy New Year from Granada

Whether or not I actually slept last night was difficult to say. However I did drag myself out of bed around 8:30 this morning. It was close to 10:30 before we ventured out into the oppressive heat of the day. The temperature was in the low 30’s with a very unhealthy dose of humidity to weaken any bodies not already damaged by last night’s celebrations.

 The town was eerily silent and even the stray dogs seemed hung over.

  An occasional drunk decorated the odd doorway, collapsed where the New Years celebrations got the better of them.

 Lunch today was at the Bearded Monkey- a popular hostel and backpacker hangout on the opposite side of the city centre. Chicken curry and a chicken stir fry, both over rice and served with two large slices of garlic toast cost a whopping $10 including drinks.

 Deciding that walking in the heat was endangering my life, we headed back to the hotel, just in time to avoid a fairly heavy downpour.

 The rain continued on and off for much of the afternoon but seemed to take a hiatus around 4:30pm

 Bored of the hotel room and The Mummy 3 or 4??? en Espagñol, I ventured out from the hotel, taking an eastward path (away from town) towards the Lake. Arriving at the bottom end of La Calzada, I was surprised to see that my free meal might still be possible. Jimmy Three Fingers wasn’t closed after all- it had merely moved to the other end of town.

  After an hour of walking around the city centre to see what was and wasn’t open, I returned to the Parque Central to find a crush of people in front of the cathedral. A religious procession was entering through the main doors accompanied by the same “Musical Ensemble” that had tortured me on New Years Eve.

  Perhaps sobriety enhanced their musical skills, perhaps they practised- all in all, by the light of day, they sounded significantly more tuneful and professional than they had last night. Outside in the square a number of religious musical groups-guitar and vocal- appeared to be competing for the attention of the crowd.

5pm,

  Returning to the hotel, I find that the focus of the current show seems to be how various musical performers (so far-Brittany Spiers and Marie Osmond) lost weight! Again en Espagñol.

 Spent an hour or so reviewing possible tour options over the next few days-which volcano hike is least likely to induce a heart attack, which is the best way to Leon- private coach i.e. more cost, less time vs. public transport- more time, less money!!

  After that, a slow walk towards downtown for another meal at Nectar- consistently, the most reasonable dining option in town. A homemade chicken and vegetable soup followed by a chicken crepe served with a Béchamel sauce was more than enough for supper.

  The rest of the evening was spent posting restaurant reviews on trip advisor- hoping that he better ones might get me a future discount!!