We had a very short ride past Volcano Masaya and on to Granada. We went up the volcano last time we were in Nicaragua and it is really worth it. I love the sign in the parking lot beside the active crater that says “ park facing out…just in case”.
There are lots of horse drawn carriages on the square if you want a tour of the city, but as Daniel is very allergic to horses we opt out and walk instead.
We had a “drink” and some amazing ceviche mixta on the front veranda of the hotel.
The Cathedral here really stands out because of the bright yellow color and you can see the tower from all over the city. That is Mombacho Volcano in the distance and where we go hiking tomorrow.
We went to Volcan Mombacho where you have to take a transport truck up the “steep road”. Actually it is steep, but paved and “don’t they know we went up El Impossible!” Of course it says on the Internet that the transports leave daily at 830, 10, 12, and 130, but when we arrived at 1115 for the 12 truck they say it will leave at 1 are so unless it fills up before that. This is typical in Latin America.
While waiting for the ride up we walked thru the orchid garden. Luckily at 12 one of the park wardens was going up in his pickup so we got a private ride up.
We hiked the El Crater trail to the first mirador looking over Lake Nicaragua and the city of Granada. On the way to the second viewpoint we took the right turn thru “the tunnel” to get a view inside the first of the 4 craters. At the second mirador there were lots of wild flowers. When the third crater blew out about 10 thousand years ago it created the isletas below.
The volunteer firemen or Bomberos were putting on a demonstration in the square. It was quite exciting to see them. They met up, had a pep rally, and then all jumped in their trucks and took off. About 5 min later they came screaming back with lights and sirens going. Then it was a race to see which of the three teams could get their water hoses going fastest.
We also came across a large procession walking thru the streets. The Priest was leading the procession of men carrying the Jesus Cristos and followed by a band. This is a hip and happening place especially on the main street on a Friday night. The cafes and restaurants are packed.
We ran into a large group of riders from Edelweiss tours. Their 2-week trip is mostly in Costa Rica, but they came for a few days to visit Granada. We also saw them when we were crossing the border.Heading out of Granada and south to Costa Rica we stopped for a visit back to San Juan del Sur.
Thanks Orvar for the tip on the hotel with great parking. We ran into a Honduran tour group Maya tours here too.
The seafood here is really amazing.
Big D finally bought a new pair of sunglasses for 5$. He and Garry Dymond had bodge glued his current pair of riding glasses in Mexico in October!
Why is sunset so special? They are not all the same for sure and I will never get tired of them. Sunrise is a whole other story.
Now off to the border.
Latin American bus schedules can be fun, eh? Our treasured memory is of the transport company rep cheerfully telling us at 1230hr (Puerto Barrios, Honduras) as we looked in vain for the bus at the station, “Everyone knows the 1230hr bus leaves at 1200hr!” That sentence gets trotted out regularly on our travels.