Day 2: Lunch Meat and other Existential Questions

Phew.  No symptoms of decay for me.
Navigating the suitably amusing 
immigration form

So, I’d like to say that I was awoken at just before five this morning by the coming of the dawn, the gradual lifting of the inky darkness, my body in perfect balance with this rhythm of nature that was as old as time.  I’d like to be able to say that.  In reality, I just needed to pee.  And - once you are awake - there is no unhearing of the skittering noises on the roof overhead (“is that coming from outside or inside?”) so that's why I’m already up, awake and blogging just for you, dear reader, at 5.30am, marveling that the silhouette of the coconut palm outside my room looks like Sideshow Bob.

Oh there - look!  I can see a black and white cat.  Its on a tin roof.   Now, if only the sun were out….

Any, I digress.  Yesterday was our first full day in Nicaragua.  Firstly, a bit more about the place we’re staying in.  The town itself is called Granada, about an hour’s drive from the airport on the shores of Lake Nicaragua.  Its probably the heart and hub of the emergent tourist industry here in Nicaragua, on the brink of becoming the next Costa Rica or Ecuador.  The town is actually pretty small but is absolutely stuffed full of old colonial era buildings, with no fewer than five enormous Catholic churches, with the impressive main cathedral dominating the town square. 

The old disused railway station.  Sadly, no more trains
anywhere in the whole country

The history of Nicaragua is somewhat troubled, up until very recently – hence the nature of it being still an off the beaten track travel destination.  I won’t attempt to summarize the history of an entire nation in a couple of paragraphs, so if you are interested in learning more, here’s the wiki link.  Basically, though, its probably not a bad thing that I have a British, not American, accent this week, though I’m sure the influx of tourist dollars helps smooth over memories of the recent past… (to that point, the local currency is the Cordoba but everything is helpfully priced up in US dollars).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Nicaragua

OK.  Less skittering now and more coo-ing.  Must be doves living in the roof.  Or one big-ass gecko.

So, yesterday, the plan was to explore the town a bit to get our bearings, while taking it nice and easy to recover from the journey (particularly me, given I’ve just spent the last two weeks in Europe – 7hrs ahead!).  I met Lisa for breakfast around 8am downstairs in the big open courtyard living space that forms the heart of Los Patios, our hotel.  It's a beautiful place and, with only 5 rooms in the whole hotel, very civilized indeed.  I have the balcony suite room upstairs, with a brilliant view across to the Manaya volcana (currently swathed in cloud) and it is HUGE!!  Apparently, this used to be the owners room while they were still living here – hence the 6 full size built in wardrobes and a bathroom alone that is almost the size of my old apartment in New York!  And – for only $105 a night – it's a brilliant bargain!!  So – if my blog inspires you to come visit Nicaragua, I can whole heartedly recommend this place – and make sure you request room 5!!

http://www.lospatiosgranada.com

 

Breakfast was offered in two styles – continental American or Nica, local style.  Of course we had to try the local style, so it was a big bowl of fresh fruit salad, followed by rice and beans, plantains (a bit like bananas), some fried squeaky cheese (yes, just like Cyp hellim!) and an egg, cooked to your choosing.  Swigged down by a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice and some delicious locally-grown coffee, it was a very decent breakfast. 

After brekkie, it was time to wander into town and start to explore.  Our hotel is about a 10min walk to the main square, where the cathedral is and we were impressed by a couple things – one, how clean the streets were – no litter anywhere, with the pavements swept clear and two, how beautifully painted and vibrantly colored the houses and shops were.  Apparently (according to our guide later on), the color of the house signifies the family that lives there – sounds believable, though you gotta feel for the guy who mixes paint at the Nicaraguan equivalent of Home Depot.  No pressure there, then….

Our carriage awaits!!

As it was a Sunday, the streets weren’t all that busy, but it was still a bit early, just shy of 10am, so perhaps people were still waking up (or already at one of the massive churches).  The main cathedral itself was amazing (the pictures really don't do it justice) and, in front of the cathedral, is a lush green square, serving as hawker central for all your local touristy tchotchkes and local crafts.  As we sat on a shaded park bench for a few minutes, consulting the map to get our bearings, we were first approached by a lady selling brightly-painted whistles carved out of wood to look like toucans, then a guy selling hammocks, followed by another guy selling intricately carved pottery vases.  I guess it would be the lazy man’s way to shop – stay in one place and, over time, they’d just all come to you!

The spookily beautiful abandoned hospital

We then decided to take a horse-carriage ride around town, to help get our bearings as well as it being, well, a good fun touristy thing to do.  We chose our ride based on the condition of the horses, rather than the fluency of the guide, so as a result I’m afraid I cant really tell you that much about Granada, the town, or its architecture other than a) its old and b) there are no trains at all left in the entire country.  It was a fun hour trotting around and we did get to see quite a lot of stuff, even with not really knowing what that “stuff” was.  Lots of churches, I guess, plus an abandoned hospital.  Dunno why.  That's about all I got.

Big tall spiky blue and white church

After our tour, we decided it was time to head over to the Tierra Tours shop to figure out what we were going to do with our week in terms of touristy tours, and to fill our dance cards with lots of volcano-ey type activities.  The first shop offering the Tours we went into, nobody spoke English, so we weren’t going to get very far – fortunately, we were then helpfully escorted to the main branch just a block away, where the guy spoke perfect English and helped us sort out our various options.  I talked Lisa off the ledge of booking the hard core 7hr hike round one of the volcanoes, settling instead for the intermediate option of 3-4hr hike.  So… here’s a preview of what we’ll be getting up to:

Today: Cooking class then a nighttime tour/hike of a volcano (might see lava!!)

Tomorrow: All day visit to the local island of Ometepe (more volcanos!)

Weds: Cruise round an island lagoon

Thurs: Hike round volcanoes!

There’s a bit of a common theme here.  Now, I believe most of the volcanoes we’ll be seeing are either extinct or dormant but the one we’ll be seeing tonight is still active, so there is the option (especially at night) of seeing some lava flow.  Of course, it’ll all be pretty tame and I’m not expecting to be have to run for my life, dodging big gobbets of fiery magma raining down on me, but wouldn't that be fun?  J

After booking all that, it was time for lunch, so we were directed to a little place round the corner that was good for local food.  At $22 total for lunch (including 2 margharitas for $4!), the food was delicious as well as being a bargain!  After lunch, we headed to the Hotel Con Corazon to book our cooking class for today, before making our way back to the hotel for a quick rest before our massages at 3pm.  Again - $35 for an hour’s massage – I’m certainly enjoying the prices here! 

It’s funny the stuff that goes through your mind as you’re having a massage.  Maybe it’s just me.  Maybe everyone else is in a blissed out state of mental calm and tranquility.  That would be nice.  Here’s an abbreviated summary of what went through mine.

1 1. OK, now Sarah just…. relax.
2.    Focus on your breathing…
3.    Hang on… my head’s not quite right in this donut ring thing….OK..that’s better.
4.    Right…now…. Relax.
5.    Hmm.. I wonder what the smell is of that oil she’s using...
6.    OK… it doesn't matter… just let your mind calm down and breeeeeaaatthe.
7.    It does smell familiar though.
8.    That’s enough Sarah – stop thinking and just RELAX!
9.    

     11.   Oh BUGGER!!  I forgot to shave my legs!!  Great.  I wonder if my therapist is judging me.

12.   Whatever.

13.   What IS that smell?

14.  No…I’m sure she’s not.  I’m sure she’s seen FAR worse than me. I hope. 

15.   Forget it.  Just RELAX.

16.   

17.   

18.  At least I put on my new M&S pants for the occasion, so no shame there then.  Perhaps that counts for a few points.

19.   I wonder how long I’ve got left.

20.  STOP THINKING, DAMMIT!

21.    

22.    

23.  Where did 10 go?

24.   

25.  I got it!! That oil she’s using!!  Its slightly floral but with a distinct coconutty aroma and perhaps the sweetness of plantains.  I smell like…. lunch! 

26.  Oh…what?  You’re done?  Yes … that was lovely, thank you – very, um, relaxing.

After that, there was nothing left to be done for the day except sit by the pool, read trashy magazines and teach Lisa how to play Spite and Malice while eating some deliciously fresh, house-made guacamole.  And then getting my ass handed to me as Lisa promptly beat me at the first two games of S&M – dammit!  I clawed back some family honor by winning the third one – but no mercy from now on, Malandro!!  Time to bring it!!

And thus concludes Day 1. 

Inside aforementioned spiky church

Church ceiling

OK - you get the drift, yes?

The stunning main cathedral

Lush green park with some statues, perfect for lounging artfully

Equine traffic jam!

Look Mumsie!!  We're in a horse and carriage!!

The loo of our lunchtime restaurant - pretty, huh?

2 Margharitas for $4?  Bargain!!

Lunch!!  Cheesey-beany-tacoey yumminess.  

Note to self: its pointless getting a blow dry the day
before you go on vacation when you then have a massage
and then end with 10mins massaging oil into your head.
 #jackson5 #bighair #yikes