Hotel El Maltese Granada

Lovely little colonial city crammed full of gringos &amp; therefore more varied but expensive restaurants &amp; bars.<br><br>Went to the fort, where I ascended vertical steps through a trapdoor into one of the guard towers that has views over the city - sadly prettiest buildings distant &amp; obscured by telegraph poles &amp; lines.<br><br>Stopped by the French bakery to stock up on croissants for breakfast - yummy treat!<br><br>Staying in some rooms at the back of a ...

... to the palm trees to the colorful colonial buildings and churches, it is very pleasing on the eyes. Not to mention the vast lake it sits on and the green volcanoes that surround it!<br><br>We found our hostel pretty easily, and we like it. Not quite as nice as Lazybones, but it definitely has character. It´s in a huge airy old building that looks out over the busy mercado central. We´ll probs only be staying there for one night anyways. We then headed ...

Wednesday<br><br>After leaving Granada, John and I made our way to Ometepe Island -- a very large island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, formed by two volcanos. After settling into our hotel in one of the smaller towns on the island, John and I went for a walk in the nearby park of Chaco Verde. We hiked through a nice forest along the lake, and arrived at a beautiful isolated beach. We were distracted, however, by the sound of howler monkeys, so ...

... wore masks and danced around, some standing on others shoulders to make a giant woman dancing around the square. I liked the feel of Granada and felt like I had hit a cultural spot. <br><br>That night we hit the rum again, albeit a very cheap and nasty variety in the hostel before heading out. There we chatted to various other travellers, some we had met along the way in other parts of Central America and some new. We also swapped a few horror stories and one ...

... to do and see in each country or city they visit. I feel like we´re just tagging along for the ride. I said as much to them over breakfast but they were quick to point out that if they were sick of us they´d have no problem telling us and would be off on their way before we even realised it. Problem solved.<br><br>Today anyway we took a ferry boat out to Isla Ometepe on Lago Nicaragua. We got on it just after two o clock and it was after six by the time ...

25th July<br>Time to leave the party hostel. My liver will be forever greatful.<br>Had breakfast with David, Georgina and Harriet, three poms I managed to hook up with who were going to Ometepe.<br>After breakfast we get the bus to the lake and then the ferry to Ometepe. Ometepe is an island in Lake Nicaragua what is basically two active volcanos joined by a flat bit of land. It looked pretty spectacular when we ...

... colonial house in the center of Granada. We appreciate the airconditiooning and the luxury of the place, and that is really not overwhelming.<br>The city is very small and interesting. But I can't help being a little disappointed. I see so many children begging for something to eat or to sell something and so many old women begging for money... On the main square, lots of skinny horses are waiting to take tourists for a walk through the city. If I don't go, I don't support them and ...

Visiting Empowerment International, Kathy Adams/Deepa and Danelia working dilgently with the young children in this community was heartwarming. Please see their web site for further information www.empowermentinternational.org. We are active supporters of this fine organization.

We arrived at Moyogalpa after a boattrip of 1,15 hour. There's noth much to do in Moyogalpa, but due to it ...

Ometepe is an island on (massive, ocean like) Lake Nicaragua - somewhat mythical looking with its twin, linked, volcanic peaks rising to the clouds. Anyways, we arrived into Moyogalpa, checked in to Hospodaje Cental and grabbed some beers. The hostel was colourful, the staff and most of the bar patrons were really camp and there was a pet deer ...