Everything under one roof
Not literally, but in many ways my time in Granada was my time in Central America in microcosm. Ok, so there were no Mayan temples and no beach time, at least not on the coast, but pretty much everything else was there. Attractive and brightly-coloured city for churches, chocolate and culture. Day trips to hike a volcano, boat round some islands and relax by a lake. Decent food options, obligatory gelato and ludicrously cheap rum. Add some monkeys on top to cover the wildlife angle and you’ve got a more than solid and pretty representative few days.
The hostel proved to be a largely excellent choice: lots of common space, comfortable and a block from Central Park. Plus free gallo pinto and eggs for breakfast every morning. The one downside was the morning when construction work started next door at 4am but that was hardly the hostel’s fault. And then it was time to explore a bit. I went to the magnificently yellow cathedral and also up the bell tower and being here on a Friday night, I wanted to see people who are young and alive so went and soaked up the lively atmosphere on the main strip. Street performers, musicians and £1 a bottle beer ticked all the right boxes.
While Granada is very well-placed for a variety of day trips, it turned out to be surprisingly difficult to actually organise any as few of the ones on offer seemed to run with any regularity. I’m not sure if it was the fact that prices were high or not great value for money was putting people off but this wasn’t a problem I’d faced anywhere else. After watching Scotland thoroughly outplay England in the Six Nations (yeah, another Irish pub - they have their uses), I took a boat trip round some of the many islands just off shore in Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. It was pretty decent, exploring the channels and seeing houses owned by the Nicaraguan elite, if overpriced and not helped by the overcast sky and buffeting wind.
Far more impressive was the night (well, early evening, but the crucial point here is that it was dark) excursion to Masaya volcano. It’s an active one and you can see down into it, looking like the mouth of hell. All red glow and steam rising, it was a different sort of a volcano trip and a very memorable one at that.
The next day I voyaged to nearby Lake Apoyo, having paid for entry to Hostel Paradiso, right on the lakefront, and it was indeed pretty idyllic. A strip of beach on the shore, kayaks, paddle boards and rubber rings in the pleasantly warm water, and a large floating platform for sunbathing or jumping off, depending on your inclination. Throw in food, drink and plenty of places to sit in the sun with a good book and that’s a recipe for a relaxing day in a beautiful and sedate setting.
I couldn’t get a trip to Mombacho volcano and the $50 I was quoted for a solo trip was pretty steep: fine, I’ll do it myself. Which turned out to be a smart move because it was cheap and easy to get to on the bus and I had a much better trip because I walked up rather than being driven. In fairness the walk was also pretty steep and a hard couple of hours uphill but at least it was mostly on paved roads. From the top there were views over the city, the lake and Masaya could be seen gently smoking away in the distance, and it was nice and clear rather than obscured by clouds. There wasn’t a completely killer viewpoint though, most of the ones round the crater trail either were partially blocked or faced inwards, which wasn’t half as exciting as the fire and the fury of the other night. Given this was a pretty short walk, I’d have been disappointed if that had been all I’d got. I would also have missed out on several monkeys and numerous butterflies on the way up and down so I was happy with my decision.
As for the city itself, it was pleasant to walk and I took in some churches, a convent and adjoining museum, which was a look into local culture in a rather less mental way than the Myths and Traditions Museum in León, and the chocolate museum. Burritos, falafel, a superb stir fry, baklava, probably the second best gelato place of the trip (Nicaragua claims spots two, three and four) and some local craft beer meant I had a variety of decent food options. The only negative is that some places didn’t put tax on the prices, which is unhelpful at best and dishonest at worst, and the fact it was inconsistent meant I never quite knew if I’d got a good deal or was paying over the odds. I have no complaints about being able to pick up a litre of Flor de Caña for £4.50 though! With that tucked away in my bag, bit six was complete and I set off for Costa Rica. Lauren should be arriving tomorrow, which I’m super excited about, and am praying to all of the gods that her flight isn’t cancelled due to the insane snow.
The hostel proved to be a largely excellent choice: lots of common space, comfortable and a block from Central Park. Plus free gallo pinto and eggs for breakfast every morning. The one downside was the morning when construction work started next door at 4am but that was hardly the hostel’s fault. And then it was time to explore a bit. I went to the magnificently yellow cathedral and also up the bell tower and being here on a Friday night, I wanted to see people who are young and alive so went and soaked up the lively atmosphere on the main strip. Street performers, musicians and £1 a bottle beer ticked all the right boxes.
While Granada is very well-placed for a variety of day trips, it turned out to be surprisingly difficult to actually organise any as few of the ones on offer seemed to run with any regularity. I’m not sure if it was the fact that prices were high or not great value for money was putting people off but this wasn’t a problem I’d faced anywhere else. After watching Scotland thoroughly outplay England in the Six Nations (yeah, another Irish pub - they have their uses), I took a boat trip round some of the many islands just off shore in Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. It was pretty decent, exploring the channels and seeing houses owned by the Nicaraguan elite, if overpriced and not helped by the overcast sky and buffeting wind.
Far more impressive was the night (well, early evening, but the crucial point here is that it was dark) excursion to Masaya volcano. It’s an active one and you can see down into it, looking like the mouth of hell. All red glow and steam rising, it was a different sort of a volcano trip and a very memorable one at that.
The next day I voyaged to nearby Lake Apoyo, having paid for entry to Hostel Paradiso, right on the lakefront, and it was indeed pretty idyllic. A strip of beach on the shore, kayaks, paddle boards and rubber rings in the pleasantly warm water, and a large floating platform for sunbathing or jumping off, depending on your inclination. Throw in food, drink and plenty of places to sit in the sun with a good book and that’s a recipe for a relaxing day in a beautiful and sedate setting.
I couldn’t get a trip to Mombacho volcano and the $50 I was quoted for a solo trip was pretty steep: fine, I’ll do it myself. Which turned out to be a smart move because it was cheap and easy to get to on the bus and I had a much better trip because I walked up rather than being driven. In fairness the walk was also pretty steep and a hard couple of hours uphill but at least it was mostly on paved roads. From the top there were views over the city, the lake and Masaya could be seen gently smoking away in the distance, and it was nice and clear rather than obscured by clouds. There wasn’t a completely killer viewpoint though, most of the ones round the crater trail either were partially blocked or faced inwards, which wasn’t half as exciting as the fire and the fury of the other night. Given this was a pretty short walk, I’d have been disappointed if that had been all I’d got. I would also have missed out on several monkeys and numerous butterflies on the way up and down so I was happy with my decision.
As for the city itself, it was pleasant to walk and I took in some churches, a convent and adjoining museum, which was a look into local culture in a rather less mental way than the Myths and Traditions Museum in León, and the chocolate museum. Burritos, falafel, a superb stir fry, baklava, probably the second best gelato place of the trip (Nicaragua claims spots two, three and four) and some local craft beer meant I had a variety of decent food options. The only negative is that some places didn’t put tax on the prices, which is unhelpful at best and dishonest at worst, and the fact it was inconsistent meant I never quite knew if I’d got a good deal or was paying over the odds. I have no complaints about being able to pick up a litre of Flor de Caña for £4.50 though! With that tucked away in my bag, bit six was complete and I set off for Costa Rica. Lauren should be arriving tomorrow, which I’m super excited about, and am praying to all of the gods that her flight isn’t cancelled due to the insane snow.
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