GRANADA (NICARAGUA)
10 February - 12 February 2017
10 February - 12 February 2017
We
were happy to leave Ometepe. Nothing against the island itself, it could have
been extremely pleasant but for the tools at El Jardin de la Vida.
Disembarking
from the ferry at San Jorge we were immediately ushered onto the Chicken Bus express to Granada. The fervour of the ushering I’m sure caught
all the gringos off-guard, and again, in accordance with our own prior
experience, we should have known that the local engagement to get us on a ‘soon
to be departing’ vehicle was a small scam. Not an overwhelming scam, just a
minor one. Still, moderately annoying to us when we discovered how it worked.
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Somewhere
outside of Granada, approximately 5-6kms from the actual centre of town,
appeared that same style of fervour, in this incarnation it was the need for an
‘immediate evacuation’. From the front of the bus we heard ‘Granada, Granada,
vamos, vamos’. It was a call made specifically for the sake of all the Gringos
once again, but what can you do, you can only believe in what you hear. OK,
time to move we thought. So on a relatively empty highway there we were, bags
off loaded amongst a throng of awaiting tuk-tuk drivers….huh, where did they come from? Why were they waiting for us? It didn’t take long for us to discover that
we were not in fact in Granada and these tuk-tuk drivers were waiting for
us…the collective ‘us’ being the Gringo travellers that didn’t know any better
and that now needed to pay for a tuk-tuk into the city centre. Ahh, another
day, another scam in Central America. Welcome to the art of being worked.
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Arriving
in Granada however immediately elevated the city to ‘surprise packet’ status.
It’s actually a real treat when you come across places of unexpected beauty or
attraction. With its Moorish and Andalusian style architecture, colourful
facades, and Spanish colonial feel, this city immediately had an appeal of
charm, interest and fun. It wasn’t long after dropping our bags at our lodging
that we went off to discover a city that was sprightly and energetic. Bars full
of vivacious and perky punters, interest restaurants and a couple of cigar dens
offered automatic engagement.
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
In
terms of an offering that was the Granada that we witnessed. A small but
interesting town that has gone through a type of renaissance on the back of
interest from travellers. As the visitors have moved in more money has been
spent on the restoration of some quite impressive old colonial buildings, many
of which have been painted in pastel colours, making for a vibrant and
colourful destination. Outside of Granada there are things to do like hikes,
‘volcano discovery’, outdoor style adventures. Of these we actually chose to
see an active volcano, which is what brought us to the Masaya caldera.
The
complex volcano is composed of nested set of calderas and craters, the largest
of which is the Las Sierras shield volcano and caldera, with one of the
sub-vents being the Masaya volcano.
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
Granada - Nicaragua
On the way to the Masaya volcano - Nicaragua
Masaya volcano - Nicaragua
Masaya volcano - Nicaragua
An
interesting sight without being outstanding, it was interesting looking into
the bowels of the earth and wondering what the hell truly goes on down there.
Is this really a fair and true representation of all things ‘core’ to earth?
Are we eternally going to be in ‘chill’ mode. A quick investigation tells you
then by the time that our inner core ‘fully chills’ that our magnetic field
will actually be lost and we’ll become susceptible to such things as the
harmful particles that the sun throws at us. Food for thought huh?
In
any case, back to Granada, a town that’s made for those who enjoy a casual
stroll, a drink in the sun and absorbing what it has to offer. Definitely a
stop worth a few days if you’re on the Central American trail.
