Jan 12, 2020 - Leon

We arrived in Leon on Friday, Jan 10th. The first afternoon we walked to the main square stopping off at Carnivore for lunch...basically huge tacos. From here we went on to the Central Plaza. It is a huge square in front of the cathedral with lots of vendors selling touristy kitsch, a sidewalk restaurant Seseta. It has white buildings surrounding it..some are like corner stores, a Revolution Museum, bars that sell hot dogs as well as beer. We took a street from one corner walked 2 blocks and over one to a private art museum with a...

Jan 10, 2020 - Pics of Granada

We have travelled by car (with Winston) via Managua to Leon. Managua is a very large city complete with all the fast food outlets and Walmart. It is on Lake Managua. The volcanoes we could see from Granada we drive towards as we head to Leon. We also pass a large 'sand' mountain. It is a sand mine. Leon is also a large city with a prominent large white cathedral complex. In the old city....younger than Granada....streets are narrow. Sidewalks are narrow. Our hotel is in an old colonial house again with multiple atria. Opposite our room is...

Jan 8, 2020 - Granada

After a 3 block walk down narrow streets with narrower sidewalks we arrived at Tito's restaurant. Businesses were closed along the streets. No onewas about. Loud musica emanated from the door. We walked in by the bar....and a few people...to a small dining room with a few occupied tables. Lighting was low. Gord chose a beef burrito and I chose a pollo typica dinner off the simple menu. I had grilled chicken, gallo pinto...rice and beans ....and a small salad of lettuce, tomato and a slice of cucumber. The salad was dressed with lemon juice...

Jan 6, 2020 - Granada, Nicaragua

We have left behind the sparkling black sand beaches of northern Costa Rica and taken a bus to Granada, Nicaragua. What an experience! We were up before 6a to leave for Liberia to drop the car at Sixt. The agent showed up at 7.20a. We arrived at 7a. It was a short 20 minute drive to the international bus station. Lots of people milled around. No one spoke Ingles. So we managed to get directions when Informacion showed up at 8.15a. Our 9a bus arrived just after 10a and was on the road again to Managua with a stop at Granada. We stopped at...

Jan 26, 2019 - Jan 26 Corinto, Nicaragua

Saturday, January 26 Today was our visit to Nicaragua. They are trying to build up the tourism industry, and there was quite a welcoming committee on the dock—musicians, dancers and children to greet us. We headed for our tour and saw that there was a big 40 passenger bus, and a smaller second bus. We went for the smaller bus and had a much more comfortable ride. Our guide, Julio, was very informative and personable. It is clear Nicaragua is not as well off as Costa Rica, but they are trying. We did encounter a few kids begging (holding up...

Dec 14, 2018 - San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

Nicaragua 85 sunny and partly cloudy and humid Never in my life would I have thought I’d ever say I’ve been to Nicaragua. Today that was our port. I had higher hopes for a better Nicaragua but all we saw was a lot of poverty. From what our tour director had explained to us on our tour, it still seems that the government is corrupt and has a stronghold on its people. I see no way for the people to be advanced and the guide seems very bitter that there is little possibility in advancement in education. To own a home or car you can, but you...

Oct 3, 2018 - San Juan del Sur Nicaragua

Our next stop was San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Nicaragua is the largest Central American nation and has claim to stunning landscapes, vast cultural treasures and an intriguing history. We took a quick tour to visit the town of Rivas, which dates back to 606AD and is located near Lake Nicaragua, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world and home to the only freshwater shark in existence. Since the lagoon is too shallow for our ship we had to use “tenders” (small boats) to and from the docks. We were greeted by a huge downpour that,...

Apr 18, 2018 - Nicaragua

We spent two weeks in Nicaragua.After Leon we went to Granada which was a nice colonial city.We went to see a volcano and saw the lava bubbling.I swam in another volcano crater and had fun. We then went to a coastal town called San Juan del Sur for a few days.We then crossed the border into Costa Rica.

Mar 8, 2018 - Dry waterfall!

Thursday We got up really late this morning – needed the rest – about 9:30. Gathered stuff together and headed off to O’Shop for our day’s tour. We had a nice breakfast first in an upscale place with all organic stuff. Kitty had avocado toast with eggs and I had an egg, hash brown, and cheese sandwich, Quite good. Got to the tour place and there was a festival in preparation with LOUD music. Almost impossible to hear in the shop. We decided on the waterfall tour – and were told it was dry but there would be wildlife! We yelled back and...

Mar 7, 2018 - Turtles all the way down

Wednesday Up at a reasonable time and off to Central Park for breakfast. Stop in a small place at the edge of the square and have an omelet and some fruit. Also Negro tea. The we head off to but Kitty a pair of sun glasses as hers had vanished somewhere. Back to the room then off to the chocolate museum! We found it and paid the admission and discovered it wasn’t the chocolate museum after all! It was the archeological museum. Actually, it was quite well done with good informative plaques and many examples of historic – pre-Colombian...

Mar 6, 2018 - The Gates of Hell

Tuesday Up around 7:00 after a good night and out to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Omelet and toast with tea. Then back to the room and do a bit of laundry and cleaning up, then the clerk says our tour is ready – and it’s Kevin again – same guide from yesterday. Different driver though. We travel to Masaya and enter the volcano park. We stop at a field of a lava flow from 1772 – you could see where the lava had flowed out of the crater and followed a path across the hillside. We collected a couple pieces of the lava and looked around...

Mar 5, 2018 - To Granada and all around

Wake up fairly early and down for breakfast – pineapple, oranges, and toast and tea. Back and pack up all our stuff and off to the lobby. Chat with the owner (as well as we could in Spanish and English) and she told of a tsunami that flooded the hotel 20 years ago – but the adobe walls – two feet thick – kept things secure. Our transport showed up right at 9:00 and we piled in. Another 10 or so folks from all around were on the van as well. We drove for about three hours through Managua (where a Myan kid washed our windshield) and into...