We stayed our last night in Mexico at an AirBnB in Cancun with a lovely lady named Consuelo who was very welcoming to us. Her apartment was beautiful, located in a Condo development. We went out to dinner to one of her favourite restaurants where I had one of the most delicious salads ever.
Here is Consuelo...
And her beautiful apartment...
We flew from Cancun, Mexico down to Panama City which is the hub for Central America and then flew back up to Managua, Nicaragua. We flew with COPA Airlines which is a part of the Star Alliance and had a good experience. We are always impressed when an airline actually feeds you a meal for free!
When we arrived in Managua which is the capital city of Nicaragua with a population of approximately 2 million we were met by a driver who brought us about an hour to the smaller city of Granada.
We had an interesting experience going through Customs as I hadn't realized we had to pay 10USD each for a tourist tax as in most countries this is included in your airline ticket. We had no American money, they wouldn't take a credit card so we managed to scrounge up enough Mexican pesos and Canadian change from our backpacks to equal the amount needed.
By this time we were the last people in customs and when we got through to claim our luggage I knew right away that mine had been tampered with because my luggage strap was missing. We never lock our luggage as we figure it is a signal that there is actually something in there worth stealing, so were surprised when we checked in our carry on in Cancun that they secured the bags with tie tabs...well the tie tabs were gone as well. However, a quick check revealed that my spare glasses were missing from the front pocket, but then when I was leaving Arrivals a young man called out to me..."Lady, Lady is this yours and here were my glasses." Weird!!
We are staying for a week in Granada as we are well into Slow Travel, getting too old to be on the move every few days!
We are staying at Casa Silas, a BnB, owned by Rob and Claudia. it is located near Centro and is a peaceful oasis in the city.
Granada is the sixth largest city in Nicaragua with a population of approximately 120,000. It has always been one of the countries most important city and has a rich colonial heritage which can be seen in its architecture.
Here is a building owned by the Pellas family who are known as the Rockerfellers of Nicaragua....
Some other buildings around the city...
Many of the houses had beautiful flowers
And the grander houses have inside courtyards that look quite beautiful as well.
Our first day we took a horse and buggy ride around town to get a feel for the place and hopefully be able to find our way around...
As we drove around we saw many people driving their horses and carts through the streets, they were using them for work.
Some of the oxen were taking a break under the trees....
There were many people selling things on the street...
Cotton candy outside the church...
Many women with baskets of food on their heads...
and how about some balloons for your fiesta?
There are also many beautiful parks around the city where everyone comes to relax and enjoy the shade of the trees...
There is also a park with faces of some of the most famous poets where an International Festival of Poets is held every year. In fact Nicaragua is often called " The Land of the Poets."
And of course every park has its share of lovers....
Granada is on a large lake so it has a nice lakefront malecon...
And a statue of Cordoba, the founder of Granada who named it after the same town in Spain. The currency of Nicaragua is also named after him...the cordoba. Right now we get approximately 25 cordobas for one dollar.
This is a pretty and lively city with lots of tourists who are either backpackers or white haired travellers. There is one street, Calle Caldeza which is behind the main cathedral and is pedestrian only lined with bars and cafes.
Here it is the first night we were here. There were many street performers that night including large puppets that we have seen in other parts of Mexico.
And flame throwers as well...
There were also lots of vendors working the street who latched on to Don and followed him everywhere...
And of course he got him!
Finally we stopped by the local Cemetery which was worth a visit. It is well kept with large monuments owned by the wealthy families. They even have their own caretakers...
Tombs with the volcano in the background.
Our guide also showed us the wall of graves for the heros of the Revolution...
The red and black marks indicate these soldiers were fighting for the Sandinistas. Nicaragua has been through a recent Civil War which has left the country scarred in many ways.
Our first impressions of Nicaragua are definitely favourable ones. The people are lovely and so is the town of Granada.
Tombs with Mocambo Volcano in the
