I enjoyed it here every single day. I made great friends, enjoyed my chance to be the ruler at the bar, learned a lot from teaching children, had the opportunity to help people who need it the most, and walked around one of the most beautiful towns in all Central America.
Granada
The local flavor in Granada makes it be one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my travels. The town is hot but there is a nice breeze; old houses and parks are colorful; the market is very lively every day, particularly on Sunday morning before mass; the "chicken" buses are as local and random as it can get; people remind me that the San Juan River is Nicaraguan whenever they get a chance; the Baho and Vigoron with Jamaica juice for dinner and before going to dance Salsa are tasty; and the hidden bars in the back of someone's patio are a must.
I got busy since day one. I was a bartender at the hostel where I stayed at, the Bearded Monkey, and volunteered as an ESL tutor in two schools, Casa Xalteva and Quinta los Chavalos (BNH). During my free time I walked or biked around Granada, met lots of people from all over the world and hung out with the locals. The town has been developing to attract tourism in the last few years, and the plans seem to be working. This place is full of foriegners, yet, it is still very local and doesn't feel so touristy. There are travelers from all over world here, but when in doubt the assumption is that a traveler = a gringo.
I enjoyed visiting the Municipal Market near the bus station and see an ocean of people strolling down the streets. There is no space to walk on the side walks since they have been taken up by vendors offering fruits, quesillo, watch-repair tables, shoes, illegal copies of the latest movies and music albums, and much more. So, one has to walk on the street, next to the chicken buses that go slow to avoid bikers and horses pulling carts with people or baskets filled with fruits and other goods.
The market inside is large and loud. There isn´t a main entrance, so to get in one goes through food stands to find the hidden doors to the market. Here, one can find Pinol de Iguana (Iguana meat in corn soup), and Moronga (black rice wrapped in pork skin), two traditional Nicaraguan foods that I think are very tasty. There is the butcher area, which is not very good looking, and requires a stong stomach while passing by. Then there is the shoes section, which is probably the least active area in the market because it is very dark and quite. Other areas include the regular flower, fruit, vegetables, food, drink and all-you-need stands.
Calle el Yo-Yo is a small alley that goes from what seems to be the front of the market to the bus station going to towns north of Granada. This street is less than 100 meters long, and the people who live here seem to be very poor. I stopped by to buy some candy from a family standing in front of their home. They had the Sandinista and Nicaraguan flags decorating the front wall outside, and said to be very happy with Daniel Ortega and are convinced he is the best option for the poor to a better live. They also took the opportunity to remind me that the San Juan River is Nicaraguan and not Costa Rican, which has a been a repetitive situation since I came.
The FSLN (the Sandinista Front for National Liberation) is the current ruling party, and the autodenomidated defender of the Revolution. Everywhere I went in Nicaragua, there were flags and posters for the coming elections, all in favor of the FSLN. There are other five parties with candidates too, but it is not common to see anything about them. Depending on who you ask, people will give different answers on what they think about the political environment. In this regards, I organized a discussion group in conjunction with the Bearded Monkey Hostal and Building New Hope to talk about the Nicaraguan revolution and the current political issues. Our special guest was Elvis Hernandez, a veteran of the Sandinista and Contra wars, who shared his knowledge in a very neutral manner and put historical facts in context. I will post the interview in a few days.
Granada is becoming a very important point for tourism, and although changes are evident, there is still much poverty here. It is common for children to approach tables at restaurants and ask patrons to give them food or money. People are advised not to give anything, no matter what the story is in order to stop encouraring children from begging as they sometimes are not that poor. Downtown Granada feels very safe, even late at night. It also has some not so safe areas, but those are further away from the center.
The Central Park is a very nice and active place. I liked going there to have a cup of coffee, see people passing by, sellers of food and sunglasses coming to the tables, listen to street music, and the horsecarriges. During the day the park is a great place for families, a cup of coffee or a Jamaica juice and Vigoron, another Nicaraguan dish made of boild yuca, pickled cabbage and tomato, and pork meat served in a banana leave. However, and although not very common, young teenagers sometimes hang out in groups sniffing on shoe glue. At night it gets very quite and dark, and it is common to see prostutites soliciting. One has to cross this park to go to Calle La Calzada, a.k.a. the Tourists Street where there are lots of bars, restaurants, and live music on weekends.
There are many things to do in Granada. The tour to the islands is one of them. I went with Mauricio, one of the local guides. There are over 365 islands near Granada, one island per day exept every four years. We stopped by a tiny island with Spider and White Face monkeys. They are were brought in there for tourist to see, and live in the island freely, although there is not much space to move around as they are accostumed to.
Land of Lakes and Volcanoes
Another good trip is a hike at the top of the Mombacho Volcano. The islands in the lake were formed by volcanic material from an eruption 15,000 years ago. That is why Mombacho is also called the mother of the islands. At the top is very nice and there are amazing views of Granada, Lake Nicaragua and the islands, Lake Apoyo, Masaya Volcano, part of the Zapatera and Ometepe Islands, and a bit of the Pacific Ocean and Lake Managua. Getting up there can take 3 hours on a very steep paved road, or take an army truck for $12 round trip, plus the guided tour which can be between $15 and $20 per group depending on the route.
Lagune Apoyo is not too far from Granada, but is not easy to get there, either. Many people choose to take the 2 hour hike on a paved road, but taxis are only $3 or less, so why not. Around the lagune there are plenty of cabins and places that offer kayaks. One can also find snorkeling equipment, but the water is too dark and deep to see anything. The water is warm and the waves are constant, mostly because of the air that gets trapped inside of what seems to be a bowl of mountains, resulting in strong winds. This is a good place to just come and relax, have lunch and a nice cold beer. Or, when there is just nothing else to do, carve an assassine bad ass pineapple!
I trully enjoyed my staying in Granada
My work with the children at Casa Xalteva and Quinta Los Chavalos was an amazing learning experience. We all learned a lot from one another, and it was hard for me to say good bye on the last day. All the children were great, and Jose in particular was a special kid because he reminded me of myself when I was his age. He is thirteen, on 7th grade, and extremely hipperactive. At first, he would talk to another one of his classmates or just do some drawings on his notebook instead of paying attention in class. A few days later, he started to participate more in the lesson activities, and towards the end, he was always eager to give the answer, which was 90% of the time right, and happy to correct his pronounciation. On the last day, he told me he would like to learn more English and work at a hotel someday.
My volunteer experience at the garbash dumps in Granada and Managua was real eye opener for me and many others, locals and foreigners who came to help. It was hard to see how some people live, surrounded by garbash, breathing toxic fumes, some of them walking bearfoot, and drinking very little water when the temperatures were as high as 36 celcious. It was hard to see the children being extremely dirty, some of them very skinny, and yet, able to smile and play like any other child. I want to do some more work and be exposed to more of these experiences. One can only understand the hardships that some people go through by being there with them and asking them directly. When I return to the labor force, I hope to be able to continue getting involved in similar projects. One big lesson I learned is that giving donations is good to satisfy an immediate need, but showing that you care is what really makes the biggest differences. Thanks for the opportunity Amy!
Working as a bartender at the Bearded Monkey was one of my very best experiences in my "professional" career. I had never done it, and from the first day I felt I owned the bar. Yeah, I was the liquor-keeper! From behind the bar, I heard lots of interesting and crazy stories, and learned a lot about other places I could later visit. I also made really good friends and traveled with them to several places around Nicaragua. I also took care of Matilda, the very famous fat cat that is always on one of the hammocks. Being a bartender (or barkeeper as the Germans would say) felt right and confortable, and if anything, I think this is a good career option for some time while I decide what I want to do when I grow up....
In short, I loved living in Granada for four weeks.
Photo albums this week
I will include captions later in my trip for this album, and also add some more photos. In this trip I also visited Masaya, Ometepe Island, and Leon, for which I will be posting my comments a little later. I am now getting ready to travel to Guatemala!!
Also, some of you have told me to have some problems posting comments in my blog. Seems to be you would need to sign up to be a member, but I think there is a way of skipping that step. I am gonna take a look and let you know later.
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