Something I have enjoyed about Nicaragua is its proximity to other
beautiful and interesting cities to visit, in addition to the fact that
Nicaraguan’s themselves tend to travel around the country quite a bit. I
had been itching for another mini road trip, so 3 other friends and
myself headed off to the historic town of Granada for a relaxing
afternoon. It just so happened that on the day we went, they were
celebrating la Virgen de la Asunción with a horse parade; the streets
were packed full with people, cars, horses and vendors. We opted to
avoid the crowds and went to Lake Nicaragua instead.
We hung out in a beachside lounge for a short while before agreeing to
go on an hour and a half boat tour of the lake and “isletas” or small
islands. The tour was absolutely gorgeous, with green hills and
volcanoes in the backdrop of the calm lake water and tiny islands
dispersed throughout. One of the isletas had a few monkeys bouncing
around which was a lot of fun for my friend who loves animals. We
stopped at another isleta for drinks and I ordered fresh coconut juice,
believe-it-or-not right out of a coconut (cost 50 C or about $2.20, a
little over priced for Nicaragua due to the location of the restaurant).
At this bar/restaurant there were several exotic birds hanging out, and
one of them seemed like it could speak, but all it would do was give
crazy looks and then start laughing at us. It was pretty amusing.
I highly recommend taking the boat tour especially if you get a boat
to only your party. It only set me back 50 Córdoba (about $2.20).
I am eager to return to Granada for a tour of the historical
buildings, cathedrals and architecture that are so famous amongst
tourism images. Before arriving in Managua, I was more familiar with the
yellow Cathedral of Granada, iconic to the area, than any other image
representing Nicaragua. That is of course besides the volcanoes. There
will definitely be a part 2 to this story. Stay tuned!
-Kine Camara
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