Written on the fly~~Redux

Another 4 am wake-up for our drive to Managua and departure for Houston. Another 4+ hour layover in the comfort of the United Club, where I sat ruminating and collecting my thoughts on our last week in Granada.  I foolishly thought I could write a quick blog post, though the WiFi connection was sketchy.  I then proceeded to publish the update, only to thankfully check before our departure and see that more than half of it had been deleted. Thus you may have received an update notice to a non-existent posting, as I quickly retracted it.

Our departure was delayed by 45 minutes, the airplane full with nary a seat for standbys, then on to Sacramento.  We arrived at 8:45 pm and were gratefully picked up by daughter Stephanie and, in a torrential rain downpour, had a frightful drive to Loomis where our lovely little home was parked.  

A quick check revealed that our house batteries were dangerously low though we had been connected to 20 amp power which is plenty for us with all power systems off, or turned to gas.  I quickly got the generator powered up while Howard weathered the storm to track down the problem; quite simply a circuit breaker blown (how and why we don't know), and quickly restored.  Another very long day!   

Parting thoughts & shots:

I did hit the 3 week wall with all the usual symptoms and laid low for a couple of days.  We have a great condo with full service kitchen and cooked a lot of our own meals. We ordered one very special dinner from Ana, one of the staff plus a caterer, who delivered delicious steak churrasco, a popular Nicaraguan meal, with all the trimmings of gallo pinto, fried plantains, and sauces, to our condo.  

You'll notice the pizza box above on the counter, and there is a funny story that goes with that.  I wasn't eating much so Howard, who speaks no Spanish, took off to order a pizza delivered for the night's World Series Game.  By now we know the SF Giants won against a very formidable Kansas City Royals team.  The pizza arrived and he dug in...Hmmm, this tastes like tuna fish!  What did you order? Marinara, I think.  Well, I checked the menu and it turns out he ordered Marinero, as in marine, (not to be confused with marinara, as in the tomato sauce) and the topping was indeed tuna fish!! 

There are nine 2 BR/2 BA units in the Hotel Xalteva complex and over the course of our month we met many of our neighbors, all a great bunch of folks from all over the world.  We so enjoyed getting to know them and exchanging stories and travel adventures.

There were a group of 6 missionaries from Sup of the Lord Ministries, led by pastors Tom and Deborah Gibson. They were a terrific group, mostly Central Americans, fun, friendly, and very inspirational.  Tom jokingly said one day when I commented on how much fun they were having that "we're not lemon-sucking Christians"! They preached all over Granada and Managua, often 2 or more times per day, as well as meeting with groups and counseling those in need.

There were two young Dutch women next door, both medical doctors, here to complete a mandatory in-service volunteering, before returning to Holland to start their internship. They were assigned to a very sub-standard facility in OBGYN at Masaya Hospital.  They told of dirty sheets with 2 women sharing a very small bed, one bathroom for the entire hospital consisting of literally a hole in the ground outside. This is in serious contrast to the internationally renowned Vivian Pellas Hospital located in Managua which offers membership packages for foreign visitors and relocated ex-pats for services costing a third of what we pay in the US.  There are also several fine clinics and hospital in Granada.

Just a few days before our departure, Bob and Kim, Canadians now living in Costa Rica, arrived on a fact-finding mission to check out the area for possible investment and/or relocation; and of course to see the gorgeous surroundings.  There is a great website written by a local couple, Amy and Darrell Bushnell, that offers a wealth of information for anyone thinking of relocating to Nicaragua:  Nicaragua Guide.

We absolutely loved the area and will probably return but would certainly arrange our itinerary to include shorter stays in more locations throughout the country.  One very noticeable difference between the areas we visited in Nicaragua and those of Mexico and other Central American countries was the clean streets and lack of garbage dumped by the side of the road.  We also felt safe in our surroundings though would certainly not push any limits by visual displays of expensive jewelry or equipment.  Theft can be a problem in certain areas.  

Back to our final week:

We lolled by the pool and worked on our tans!  I finished reading Edge of Eternity and actually really got into the ending.  Howard read and really enjoyed God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre, thanks for the recommendation, Cheryl.

We enjoyed passing parades celebrating various Saint's days, though got a bit concerned when what sounded like gun fire, though probably were fire crackers, went off throughout the previous night and continued during the day!  We later learned this was in honor of La Fiesta de Los Aquizotes, similar to Day of the Dead!  Very colorful...

We strolled around town for some parting shots:

You can barely see the top of Mombacho Volcano, usually completely covered in clouds

This simple façade contains a beautiful colonial home with courtyard.  They even have a garage!

Garbage pick-up!

School kids at the Square & Cathedral

Howard contemplates a Hot Dog

Along the Square

We had one last visit to Iglesia de la Merced to climb the steep, winding stairway to the view at the top in the bell tower....

La Iglesia de Merced

Capella de Maria Auxiliadora (blue) & Xalteva Iglesia in distance

Rear view of Iglesia de la Merced

Catedral de Granada with Lake Nicaragua in background

Our last day before departure was very emotional for me, saying our goodbyes to the very best staff ever.  Our month was very good indeed.  We probably would not retire here nor invest, but could certainly return!

We're back in our motorhome heading for Petaluma, family, friends and Thanksgiving.  It's really nice to be back!   Lynda.....

Seeing some sights, settling in, the 3rd week syndrome~~

Sightseeing:

A street scene in Masaya

With an eye on the weather, which changes hourly, we scheduled a full day of sightseeing with one of our drivers.  We decided on the Classical Tour, with some modifications. We nixed the Masaya Market as it was hot and crowded.

First was a driving tour of Los Pueblos Blancos, a group of small villages that represent the heart of Nicaragua with strong pre-Columbian roots and traditions.  Each town has its own patron saint, its own fiestas, its own artisan traditions like hammocks, pottery, ornamental plants, etc.  We stopped often for photos and to look into the shops.

Church in one of the villages

Little did we know when pulling into a questionable alley in the village of San Juan de Oriente and entering a modest home and workshop operated by Valentin Lopez, Taller y Escuela de Ceramica, what a treat we were in for.  We immediately migrated to the "gift shop" displays, only to be re-directed in Spanish to come sit down and watch.

What followed was a demonstration of the creative process of one piece of pottery from start to finish, which if I understood correctly takes about 10 days.  The very basic tools consist of bicycle spokes for carving designs, natural pigments from different regions around the country, brushes made from hair for painting, and sea rocks and cocoa beans for polishing.

 I put together a slideshow from my Picasa album to demonstrate what we observed:

Our goodies, taken from the computer

And this is what we bought!

Posing with pre-Columbian art on the steps of a display in the village of Catarina....

Resuming our tour we gradually gained altitude as we head to the Mirador de Catarina, an overlook of Laguna de Apoyo,  a crater lake formed some 23,000 years ago by a strong volcanic eruption that left a hole measuring 6 km in diameter.  It is a crystal clear turquoise though on our visit the clouds and reflections presented a whole new perspective on the lagoon. It sort of looks like boiling water, or frothy waves...

We had to get in the picture..

Now we get to the exciting part!  I have been so looking forward to visiting Masaya Volcano National Park, possibly with a touch of trepidation.  It is quite active, spewing great quantities of sulfur dioxide, and we drove right up to the rim, climbed up to top, and peered into the bowels of "La Boca del Infierno", as it is locally referred to.  All cars must back into the parking area so as to face heading out, and I noticed our driver did not turn off his engine.  There are a lot of superstitions attached to this place, so best be ready for a speedy retreat!

On the brink of "La Boca del Infierno"

The cross, La Cruz de Bobadilla, named after Father Francisco Bobadilla, was planted on the lip of the crater in the 16th century to exorcise the devil!

For the grand finale to our day, we drove way down to the lake from which we were earlier perched for a view, to have a late lunch before heading back to Granada.

Lunch by Laguna de Apoyo

Why so many pictures of me?  Cause it's how I spent my birthday!!

How appropriate...posted on my Facebook page.  Notice the  "Age Limit"!

On another day we headed down to Lake Nicaragua for a boat tour of Las Isletas.  The islets are a group of 365 small islands, volcanic in origin, and formed when Mombacho blew its top thousands of years ago.  Most are covered in vegetation and rich with wild life.  Many are inhabited and several are privately owned.  No we didn't see all 365!  And yes, Mombacho is on the must do list.....

 Settling in:

Being here in Granada for a month allows us to settle in and pace ourselves.  I must admit that the heat and humidity can be fierce and we have to time our outings appropriately.  An overcast day is great for walking into town but not good for photography.  

Another obstacle for me is acclimating to the local diet. Not that I haven't absolutely loved the food, quite the opposite. I insist on experiencing the comida tipica, the street food (carefully, and with recommendations), drinks, and different restaurants  It's just that my IBS has kicked in with a vengeance.  Seems that any change in diet, climate, location...who knows, gets my wimpy guts groaning, especially at night, when I'd like to be sleeping!  

We spend a lot of time sitting on our patio or by the pool, swimming and reading.  I am somewhat struggling through Follett's Edge of Eternity, the 3rd and final in his Century Trilogy, but I am 90% complete and can then start reading something mindless and trashy!   Also currently watching our SF Giants play in the World Series.  Vamos Los Gigantes!

The 3rd week syndrome:

This is when we usually hit the wall when away for a month and start missing the freedom of the road, coming and going as we please, familiarity, our things...meager as they are.  This trip is no exception.  We have both decided a month is just too long for us in one place, and we would have been wiser to add a couple of other destinations to the itinerary.  The coast, for instance, is several hour's drive each way.  Better to have found a place there to stay for a week.  And then there is the Caribbean side; a whole different environment.

Our surroundings are wonderfully accommodating and quite beautiful and the staff attentive to our every need, and so much fun to be around.  They absolutely insist on speaking Spanish and are constantly correcting me, especially my verb conjugations which are always in the present tense. Howard doesn't even try!   They teach me phrases common to the Nicaraguans but not used in other Latino countries. 

 So I will leave you with Como amaneciste?  The verb amanecer means to dawn or wake up, and is typically used to ask how did you sleep, or wake-up....

Como amaneciste?  Bien....I hope!

Granada...Facts and Food

Facts and/or opinions:

Granada is a city in western Nicaragua with a population of approx.130,000, the 6th most populous in Nicaragua and historically one of its most important cities, economically and politically.  Founded in 1524 by Spaniard, Hernandez de Cordoba, Granada's claim as the oldest city in Latin America is evident in its rich colonial heritage, structure, and architecture.

Granada is located on the northwestern shores of Lake Nicaragua, the 10th largest fresh water lake in the world.  The climate and vegetation are tropical, and since we are visiting on the edge of the rainy season, our days are frequently a combination of hot, humid, overcast/rainy, thunderstorms, and/or perfectly beautiful. Temps are mostly in the mid-80s cooling down to low 70s at night. We are surrounded by volcanoes; Mombacho is located within 6 km. of Granada and is extinct, and Masaya, maybe 20 km., is very active and also accessible right up to the rim!  

Nicaragua is emerging as a big cocoa producer, as well as some of the best coffee. Cafe Las Flores Coffee plantation is situated nearby on the slopes of Mombacho Volcano where soil and conditions are favorable.  We can personally attest to the deliciousness of both!

The politics, according to Geovanny, are technically a democratic republic, leaning toward socialism, with President Daniel Ortega's regime and the Sandinistas currently in power.  Remember the infamous Ollie North's clandestine efforts on behalf of the Contras in the mid 1980's Nicaraguan civil war.  

The currency is the Nicaraguan Cordoba, (named after Hernandez) and is currently valued at 26=$1.00 US.  We usually just divide by 4 if paying in dollars.

Transportation is cheap.  A cab or carriage ride is $2 for both of us.  The hotel works with one family that provides drivers for us.  One of them picks us up for a trip to the market, waits for us, then helps to unload, for $4 round-trip .  We will also use them for sightseeing trips around the area.  There are no 1st class buses like Mexico, just the chicken bus and a few tour buses that are also inexpensive.

The top 3 sports in the country are: 1) Baseball, 2) Boxing, and 3) Soccer.  That was a surprise!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We left off where the blog(ger) went berserk and headed out for a Mojito and some dinner, which turned out to be tapas on the trendy pedestrian avenue, Calle Calzada at Toritos Bar & Restaurant; recommended by an ex-pat we had met.  It was fun but just OK food-wise. Which brings up the obvious....

Food:

Like most Central American and Caribbean countries, Nicaragua and Granada have their own style for preparing the simplest of fare with great flourish and flavor.  Meals are cheap, averaging $7-10 each when eating out.  That is unless you splurge! 

A typical meal will contain Gallo pinto (literally translates to spotted rooster), a flavorful combination of rice with kidney or black beans, a wonderfully piquant, vinegary cole slaw, plantains, and often fried farmer's cheese. (Food photos courtesy of Google.)

The big surprise for us was the steak churrasco, a tenderloin or shirt steak pounded thin, flame-grilled and served with a chimichurri sauce of pureed parsley, garlic, oil and vinegar; absolutely the most fork tender piece of meat I have ever eaten. Maybe the fact that we ate at what is rated the #1 restaurant in Granada, El Zaguan, had something to do with it!  That post-birthday meal also included drinks, wine, and a delicious ceviche for starters, and yummy moist rum cake for dessert, paired with espresso from coffee grown on the slopes of local volcanoes.  This meal cost a whooping $68 with tax and tip!  

Enjoying Vigoron at Gordito's in Central Park

The best street food is Vigoron, whipped up at Gordito's Kiosk at the Central Park and makes for a great snack or lite lunch.  Boiled yucca is served with crunchy pork rinds over a bed of spicy Cole slaw and served on a banana leaf.  There are a variety of cold drinks or frescos liquados and jugos naturales de frutas (fruit juices), and teas!

Ivania prepares the Pitaya for our fruit bowl

Enjoying a glass of grama tea with morning paper...

We discovered many exotic superfoods like Pitaya, or Dragon Fruit, and Grama tea made from lemon grass.  My current favorite drink is Agua de Jamaica, an infusion made with dried red Hibiscus flowers.  Not quite as sweet as some of the other drinks and tastes a lot like cranberry juice.  These are guaranteed to cleanse the kidneys and lower blood pressure!

Breakfast by the pool!

Our morning here at the condo starts with a bowl of fresh fruit, toast, pastry or croissant, and cafe con leche deliososo. We are being spoiled beyond belief by the best staff imaginable.

We are getting into our groove and doing some of our own cooking since we have a fully stocked kitchen.  There are 3 local Supermercados, La Colonia, La Union, and Pali.  La Colonia is our favorite with many products we enjoy from the US.  

The Market scene is a bit overwhelming...

Vendors at the Municipal Market

Street vendor in our neighborhood

Then there are the street vendors and the very large, and a bit overwhelming Mercado Municipal.  Many locals shop here on a regular basis for fresh fruits and veggies, meat and, well, most anything you can imagine and probably a lot you can't!  We only skirted the perimeter as it is a mass of humanity, hot, and claustrophobic (at least for me).

I'll leave you with an image of another excellent meal we had.  Guapote is a freshwater bass caught in Lake Nicaragua. It is called Pescado Frito (fried fish) and is served whole topped with fresh tomato salsa.

I'm sure I have left out many things of interest.  If you would like more info, please comment below.

Now, it time to take you sightseeing...

Yep, teeth and all.  The lemon makes for a nice touch!

Arriving Nicaragua...The adventure begins~~

The flight:

Somewhere over the Yucatan...magical!

A full day of travel is never fun when it involves early departures, lines, baggage, connections, etc.  Our day began at 3:30 a.m. with a wake-up call from a hotel near the Sacramento Airport.  Their shuttle left at 4 a.m. for our 6:05 departure, allowing us plenty of time to get checked in.  We got to our gate only to find out that a flight attendant had called in sick and we would not be able to depart until a replacement arrived.  We left at 7:30 for our Houston connection.

The good news is that we were able to upgrade to first class on all 4 legs of our flights to and from Managua, Nicaragua on United Airlines for $180 each.  We jumped at the chance, needless to say.  Our almost 5 hour lay-over in Houston was drastically reduced by the delayed departure and we were able to relax in the comfort of the United Club courtesy of our upgrade!    The free beverages, meals, snacks and spacious seating made up for the cost, believe me!  All other flights went as scheduled and we arrived in Managua at 6:45. There was a bit of a panic when Howard's bag was the last to arrive but our driver met us at the door with a sign and we hopped in for an hour's drive to our destination, Granada.

The accommodations:

As mentioned in a previous post, we have rented a one bedroom condo unit at Condos Hotel Xalteva for the month of October.  They offer full concierge service and Melissa, the operation's manager par excellence, when realizing we would be arriving late (and tired), offered to provide us with snacks and drinks to enjoy on arrival!  

Living area, dining, full service kitchen

Bedroom, full bath, closet and patio

Outside and pool area

View from our front door sitting area...

A celebration:

Howard had a milestone 80th birthday on October 2nd!  Through numerous emails before we arrived, Melissa arranged a grand celebration which included mariachis extraordinaire, Rafael and Rafael, a father and son duo.  They sang and strummed to Latino birthday numbers, Nicaraguan favorites, and even Frank Sinatra's, I did it my way.  The delicious hors d'oeuvres were prepared by Ana, who caters special events and meals, and is part of the staff here.  There was also a typical Nicaraguan cake of vanilla with a guava fruit filling and meringue frosting, hibiscus wine and Flor de Cana rum.  We partied in grand style!

Around town:

We had decided to spend our first week acclimating to the high heat and humidity and finding our comfort level in walking distances to see local sights around the city.  We soon learned that the Parque Central is the hub, the happening place, and an easy half mile or so walk from our condo.

Our street, Ulloa Obispo

Horse and carriage tours from Central Park

 

Nicaraguan flag portrays the land (white) between the two oceans (blue)

Catedral de Granada from the Parque Central

Many food kiosks line the park

Calle Calzada with the cathedral in background

Hamacas are sold

Brilliant colors pop from vendor stands

A carriage tour:

One day at the park we received a friendly tap on the back and was reminded by a nice young man that our backpack, which contained the camera and cell phone, was open!  And that is how we met Geovanny...yes, that's how he spells it.... one of about 30 carriage tour drivers lined up by the park vying for tourists' dollars.  This is a very competitive business and requires many language skills as well as a good grasp on Nicaraguan history, politics, and architecture.  Geovanny had all of these plus a great knowledge of American baseball! He was our guy and patiently waited until we were ready, greeting us at the park everyday and pointing out the best vendors for baseball shirts and Vigoron, the local street food.  

Howard and Geovanny discuss politics and baseball

Geovanny, our carriage driver

The old train station is now a vocational school

Municipal Cemetery, the oldest in Central America

La Polvora Fortress

Maria Auxiliadora Chapel

Iglesia de la Merced...We'll come back here

We had to return:

....To Iglesia de la Merced and climb the steep, narrow, spiraling stairway to the bell tower for what, we had heard was the best view of Granada, for which there is a $1 fee. The church is only a few blocks from our condo and we pass it everyday on our walks.  The original church on this site dated back to the 16th century and was damaged twice to the point of near destruction before being rebuilt in the 1860s. I imagine we'll do this many times before we leave at the end of the month, hoping to get a clearer picture of nearby Mombacho Volcano, usually shrouded in clouds.

Looking east toward Lake Nicaragua

And west...

Negotiating the narrow ledge

And stairway

The time has come for me to continue this another day as Blogger Nicaragua has become uncooperative, and yours truly is about to throw a tizzie fit!  However, I shall put on my walking shoes for a short trip to the corner restaurante for a drink, some dinner, followed by some SF Giants baseball in Spanish on ESPN....