Granada, Nicaragua - a Pretty Colonial Town

 Two things stood out on our bus trip from Leon to Granada.  Firstly the number of farmers we saw working their land, which, to be honest looked pretty tough, scrubby land to make a living from, and secondly the large number of furniture shops lining the road, side by side for at least a kilometre, all selling exactly the same furniture.

Apoyo Lagoon Photo by Thomas Bauer

We stopped briefly at Santa Caterina for a panoramic view of  Apoyo Lagoon, a spectacular volcanic crater lake, beside the Mombacho volcano.  We also took a stroll through the large craft market nearby although the stall keepers seemed more interested in sleeping than selling!

Hard at work

Granada is pretty and colourful.  Founded by the Spanish in the early 1500s it has a colonial feel to it.  The buildings are  painted in an array of bright colours, even the huge cathedral is a vibrant yellow, which gives the town a joyful feeling. We enjoyed a wander around the town and through the lovely main square before dinner.

Antonio Prieto

The next morning we were booked on a day tour and our first stop was at an amazing facility run almost entirely by the deaf.  We met the founder,  Antonio Prieto, a truly good and inspirational man, who gave us a talk about how he arrived as a visitor from Spain and on seeing how little was offered by way of assistance to the hearing impaired set about providing that assistance himself.  He set up a workshop to teach them the useful trade of weaving hammocks and other woven objects, he also set up a school and a cafe which the hearing impaired run and where we had breakfast.  Antonio is a very special man who came to Nicaragua simply as a tourist and has stayed there making this his life's work. This was a most uplifting start to our day.

Sign language on the cafe wall to help you order.

Our second stop was at the Iglesia de La Merced to climb up the tight, narrow winding stairs of the bell tower for a view over the town.  The climb was worth it, the views were excellent.

A drive through town led us to the lake's edge where horses and cows were grazing freely.  We were going on a cruise on Lake Cocibolca. Our small boat threaded its way through pretty wooded inlets, under shady trees and around a number of islands. It is said that there are 365 islands on this enormous lake.  Some are home to the large, ornate mansions of the very wealthy and some are home to small shacks owned by poor fishermen. Along the way we spotted a variety of birds and even some monkeys living on a tiny island.

Photos by Thomas Bauer

Laguna Resort was our location for lunch and there we had the option of kayaking or swimming but the day was closing in and the rain became persistent.   Fortunately they have a bar in a small cabana overlooking the lake where we sheltered, had lunch and drank rum punch.  We had the most brilliant time, singing along to the pop songs playing in the bar, laughing and joking and generally having fun.  It was great.  A man at the bar enjoyed our antics so much he gave us a tip and wanted his photo taken with us. Sometimes a change of plan can make for the best experience ever and this was one of them.

Fun times drinking rum punch and singing along to pop songs 
 Photo by Amanda Schofield

But we couldn't stay there forever, we had more to see and do, so we headed off to view an active volcano. After a walk on the lower slopes, and fortunately not seeing any rattle snakes or boa constrictors that live there, we waited an hour for the gates of the road up to the volcano to open. It was worth the wait, what a sight!  Staring down into the swirling red of the crater was like looking into the depths of hell.  Amazing and spectacular.

The fiery depths of an active volcano  Photo by Thomas Bauer

This had been a fantastic day packed with diverse activities but it wasn't over yet.  Back at our hotel, Hotel con Corona, we were treated to what I thought was the best meal of the trip beautifully cooked and served. 

Salsa Lesson at Hotel con Corona Photo from Video by Thomas Bauer

To top the day off the hotel had organised a dance instructor to come in especially for our group to teach us salsa. A small group of us took advantage of this and before long had mastered the few simple steps.  Some of the staff joined in and told us that they had never had so much fun on the job.  It was enjoyable but hot work so after 40 minutes we called it a day and headed off to bed, tired but happy after another great day in Central America.

We Arrive in Nicaragua

How do I complete
this form?

 No sleep and a 4am departure time made us a pretty exhausted group of travellers heading to the Nicaragua border.  We dozed on the bus as much as we could during the four hour journey, only waking for a breakfast stop along the way. The border exit for El Salvador was in a small office near the boat harbour at the city of La Union. We were all confused by the documents we had to fill out which were in Spanish only but with the help of our guide, Nestor, we managed to get the job done.

Documents completed and then a walk down the jetty to the boat which would take us across the gulf of Fonesca to Nicaragua.  The crossing took one and a half hours and, as luck would have it, especially after last night's storm, the sea was like glass. Our small boat skimmed across the water at high speed while we enjoyed the views of various islands along the way. 

 It was quite a strange entry into a new country.  Our boat pulled into a deserted bay at Potosi, anchoring off shore, so we had to wade in, no trouble to we Intrepid travellers, though. 

Wading ashore on arrival in Nicaragua (Photo by Thomas Bauer)

Fortunately a porter appeared to carry our luggage.  We were in awe of his strength as he carried three suitcases at a time. Apart from the porter there was nobody around.  Eventually a customs and immigration official sauntered out of a nearby office to complete our documentation at a small table by the beach. So now we were in Nicaragua, the fourth country of our trip.

After loading up a new bus we were on our way to the city of Leon, stopping briefly for lunch at a roadside buffet.  Hotel Real, was very pleasant and on a street within easy walking distance of the city centre and square.  Once settled in Nestor took us on an orientation walk.  I love the way all the places we have been to so far have vibrant city squares where people congregate just to chat and catch up. They sure are proud of their revolutionaries in Nicaragua, large portraits of them line the attractive main square and the street leading into it. 

Pictures of Nicaragua's revolutionaries lining the street

The next morning we went on a walking tour of the city, advertised as free but requiring a $10US tip!  It was well worth it, though.  Our articulate English speaking guide told us of the revolutionary history of Nicaragua pointed out many things of interest and took us to the university where pretty much all of the country's writers, poets and historians had studied. Next it was on to the food market where for only $2US each we got to try a wide variety of traditional food and drink.  This was great and the food was nothing like the fried, greasy food we have encountered a lot along the way. As we were leaving a cafe where we had had coffee with others on the tour the skies opened to torrential rain flooding the gutters but it was a brief downpour.

Amanda Schofield made this fabulous collage of her photos
of our trip to the Leon Market 

Later that afteroon several of us went to the cathedral to climb up very narrow stairs to the roof for views over the city and great views they were too. A number of volcanoes could be seen in the distance.

On the roof of the  World Heritage listed Leon Cathedral. 
(Photo by Thomas Bauer)

On the roof of the Cathedral. Volcano in the background
Words say "God save our Church" Nicaragua has many earthquakes.

As we were walking to a restaurant for dinner Marina and I stopped to chat to a couple who were sitting in rocking chairs on their doorstep right on the street, watching people passing by. They were very friendly and keen to talk. We were invited in to have a look at their home.  It was absolutely magnificent, like a palace, furnished with beautifully carved Spanish furniture. 

Who would have thought that this would exist behind an ordinary door right on the footpath. A Catholic family, they had huge religious paintings and statues decorating the walls and ledges. The woman proudly told us she never cooks, their live-in maid does the cooking.  Such a lovely lady, well turned out, friendly and delighted to show us her beautiful home.  Meeting locals is one of my favourite things about travel and this was a highlight of our time in Leon.

San Salvador and the Pacific Coast

 Our driver dropped us off at Captain Gerardo Barrios Plaza, the main square of San Salvador,  and gave us three hours to explore the central city.  The square is bounded by an enormous new library, funded by the Chinese, (they are everywhere), the Cathedral of San Salvador and the Presidential Palace.   Our first stop was at the library where we were amused by the fact that bags are searched for pens, apparently a banned item in the library.  Very strange but they must have their reasons.  The library is impressive with a vast central atrium and many areas for community groups to gather.  There was a preschool area, a childrens reading area, meeting places for a wide range of groups, computer areas etc.  We particularly enjoyed the views of the city from the high library balconies.

Library of San Salvador

Across the square we visited the Cathedral, busy with worshippers in the late morning, and then descended into the crypt to view the tomb of Saint Oscar Romero assassinated during the El Salvador civil war.  It is a sombre place.  Near the tomb are a series of photos taken of his body in the aftermath of his murder.  They are graphic and confronting and a reminder of the futility and horrors of war. 

Tomb of St Oscar Romero, martyred for supporting the poor.

Out in the daylight and a walk through the very pretty Presidential Gardens beside the palace, followed by a quick stop at a modern air conditioned coffee shop for refreshments and we were on the road again heading to the Pacific Coast. 

The Presidential Garden and Palace

(Photo by Alina)

 It was only an hour from the city along a very impressive highway. We were going to spend the night at Surf City.  The name was the result of rebranding by a government tourism campaign in order to attract tourists. Originally it was part of the town of La Libertad. El Salvador is proud of this surf beach but, hey, I come from New Zealand, beaches are hard to impress me when our own are sublime.  Fair to say I wasn't particularly impressed by Surf City, although there were good breakers and a few surfers were enjoying them, the black sand beach was narrow and stoney and the town had that slightly scruffy look that often seems to come with surfing/back packing beaches. Nevertheless it was good to look at the Pacific Ocean 11,500 kms from where I look at it daily from my home in New Zealand.

Surf City beach ( Photo by Thomas Bauer)

We were to get up at 4am in order to reach the small ferry that would take us to Nicaragua so it was an early night for us.  The best laid plans etc.....Firstly my air conditioning was turned to freezing so I got up to adjust it then there was an incredible thunder storm which seemed to last for hours.  I'd never heard anything like it, lightening, thunder and torrential rain, sleep was impossible.  No sooner had the thunder and lightening stopped than cars stuck in the flooded streets started tooting their horns.  I gave up and got up at 3am.  Safe to say I had no sleep.  Part of the fun? of travel I guess. We loaded our bus in drizzle and at 4am  started the long drive to the border crossing and small ferry that would take us to Nicaragua.

El Salvador - We Meet a Guerrilla and Climb a Mountain

 About 30 kilometres from the town of Sutchitoto is the Ecological Park of Cinquera, close to the small town of Cinquera.  We were heading there to meet with the Chief Park Ranger and former guerrilla from the El  Salvador civil war, Rafael Hernandez, and then hike through the bush to the look out tower at the top of the mountain

Former guerrilla, Rafael Hernandez
on the left

Before we started the hike Rafael gave us a talk on the reasons for the civil war, and the methods the guerrillas used to avoid detection. It is not surprising there was a revolution and when you learn how things were for the general population it is clear it was highly justified.  Up until that time the whole of El Salvador was owned by just 14 families who used all the other citizens as slave labour.  Farmers were unable to buy land and had to work for the land owners six days a week for a salary of 11US cents  a day. 

Guide, Renee, at the remnants of a guerrilla camp
explaining how they hid from government forces

Memorial to the guerrillas
on the mountain

As a teenager Rafael supported the citizens uprising and joined a protest march ending up being severely beaten by a government guard.  This spurred him on to become a guerrilla and join the fight.  He went to Cuba to train and returned to live in guerrilla camps on the mountain we were about to hike. Unfortunately the United States sided with the El Salvador government and helped train their soldiers, also providing enormous financial and military support. The US feared the spread of communism but that was not what the people of El Salvador were after, they simply wanted justice and freedom from poverty. The news the rest of the world received about the war was always from the US's point of view. There were several massacres of innocent people who the government deemed to be hiding guerrillas, in one day over 1000 were killed. After 12 years of relentless fighting both sides were exhausted and a peace accord was signed in Mexico in 1992.  Life eventually improved for the ordinary citizens and many who had left during the war returned to buy land and start farming.                                                                                                                                                      The mountain we were  climbing had been the hideout for many of the guerrillas. It was tough going up steep paths and stairs in 34 degree heat and humidity.  Fortunately another guide, Renee, came with us to show us the remnants of the guerrillas camps, their trenchs and the very interesting way they learnt to cook over fires without smoke being detected, a skill they learnt from the Vietnamese. It was fascinating. When we stopped at various sites for his explanations it gave us time to catch our breath.

View of Lake Suchitlan from the look out tower Photo by Thomas Bauer

At the top of the mountain there is a look out tower which we climbed to get a stunning view over the forest and Lake Suchitlan. A group of three armed soldiers arrived not far behind us.  They were very cheerful and friendly and happily posed for photos with us.

It was much easier to descend the mountain and a couple from our group took the opportunity to swim at the base of the waterfall to cool off.

On our way back to Sutchitoto we stopped at the village of Cinquera where a festival was in progress.  We strolled around the square and inspected the remnants of the civil war on display, part of a downed US helicopter and two missiles which were used as the church bells when the actual bell was removed after the church was bombed. There were large murals of Monsignor Romero, now Saint Oscar Romero, who was a champion of the poor and believed their fight against the government was justified.  In a shocking act he was assassinated by government forces in a packed church while saying Mass

The church in Cinquera. Saint Monsignor Romero on the left,
 Padre Marcial Serrano on the right
Both priests assassinated by govt forces for their support of the poor.

It had been quite a morning!  We had learnt a lot, exercised a lot and sweltered in the heat. Time for a swim at the hotel before heading out to an indigo dyeing demonstration.   The indigo dyeing workshop we visited is run by a women's collective which fits in with Intrepid Tours philosophy of trips not only benefiting the traveller but also the communities they visit.  Indigo is extremely expensive and has lost out to artificial dyes over the years but this collective is continuing the ancient craft. Profits from their sales go back into helping the community. I particularly love the deep rich blue it produces and was fascinated by the whole process of dyeing which was demonstrated for us. I couldn't help myself and bought one of their indigo dyed tops.  A perfect souvenir.

Our day was completed with another wander through Suchitoto's lovely town square, drinks at a pleasantly cool bar and dinner at an outdoor restaurant overlooking the lake as the day turned to dusk. It had been a full and interesting day.  I was going to be sorry to leave Suchitoto.