La Casona de los Estrada Granada

... Did I mention I have become the very essence of that which I despise? Yes, it is true, I am now a cyclist.... I don't even know myself anymore hahah. I figure it's excusable because biking the 7km to Diriamba (where the school and one of the hospitals are located) is all along the Pan American Hwy. As Renee put it so eloquently, it's Mario Cart Death Edition. I get to compete for a 2ft sidewalk with scooters, horse-carts ...

... at the weekends so it was pretty busy. We found ourselves a little spot though.

We stayed that night right on the lake. Gustavo had a place for us, it was like a jail cell. Concrete walls, bunk beds to sleep four, no glass on the windows and a corrugated roof. Crazy, crazy place. Obviously we were all eaten alive but it was some experience watching the stars over the lake while Omri and Matt built a fire. Brian even got to use his flashlight.

Granada, Nicaragua doireann_brian

... were roped to the horsemen corraling them, but that wasn't much good when someone lost their grip on the rope. One bull was chasing the section of the crowd in which I was running, and we thought we were safe when we scooted down a side-street, only to look back and see him charging around the corner after us! Fortunately we were able to put a few cars between him and us and the horsemen roped him up pretty sharpish, but he certainly kept our pulses racing!

Granada, Nicaragua roryd

... vrijuit kunt praten......het is anders dan een klas. Er is absoluut een klik met Romal en er is veel humor.We halen in de pauze, rond een uur of tien, een broodje bij de panaderia om thuis op te eten. Daarna hervatten we de les tot 12 uur...vijf dagen per week. Het is verbazingwekkend wat je in die vier uur per dag leert...het gaat echt hard.

Bij terugkomst vanmiddag hebben we zelfs een leuk gesprek gehad met Lucia en ...

... and had on surgical masks. They collected our health document, checked it over and then let us get off since we hadnt had any symptoms.

The Nicaraguan side of the border was very crowded. There was the line of people waiting to turn in documents to immigration. Then there were people just waiting around to get back on their buses. Then there was people waiting to have their luggage searched. And then people who were selling things and ...

... colonial house in the center of Granada. We appreciate the airconditiooning and the luxury of the place, and that is really not overwhelming.
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 ...

... taxi to the other side of town to wait for the bus leaving for the coast. It left at 9pm so we spent a whole FIVE hours in a shoddy, and nausiatingly smelly, bus station in what looked like could be a very dodgy part of town after nightfall. A good start. The bus journey took 6 hoursish and left us in another bus staion at 3am to wait until sunrise, around 6ish, for a speed boat up the river to the estury for ANOTHER boat across to the supposedly idyllic Corn ...

... every tall edifice available - the fort, the church tower and a bit of raised ground. Updated my blog with pix as far a Coasta Rica (my sloth can now be aaaahed over!) yesterday afternoon and emerged from the cyber cafe with another migraine. Realised at 5am this morning while listening to the rooster and the bells that it was time to visit a dentist and get my teeth cleaned ...

When Volcan Mombacho erupted 20,000 years ago, the top of the mountain blew off into Lake Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua) and the debris formed an archipelago of 365 islands. Today these islands are home to native fishermen and, increasingly, wealthy Nicaraguans and foreigners wanting to live the good life on their own private island. The area is also rich in bird life and I wanted to take a bird tour but ...

(I am Here) 8:30 am - going for a walk. Dressing down and trying to look too poor to rob.Feels cool, but must be 70 degrees. My kind of weather. MBI has a patio and pool, big kitchen, Internet, tv with lots of DVDS. Ciao. I walked to a big mall - Metro Center. Its about 5 mins away, and as big as a mall you would see in North America. I ...