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. 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.