So today was a bit of travelling and a bit of unwinding. I decided the 30hr bus ride through Costa Rica was too much of a faff so I booked a not inexpensive flight into Nicaragua. So today I was up at 4am and I've done Panama City - San Salvador - Managua - Granada. If Managua airport and road to Granada is anything to go by, the nations capital and country as a whole isn't terribly affluent. Not that that matters. It actually reminds me of Bulgaria as much as anywhere else I've been. Hmm. That might sound a bit odd. It's more of a feel thing that anything solid I can point to.
After a minor bidding war between the local cab firms at the airport, I managed to get a ride from Managua to Granada for $25. Which if the guide books are anything to go by wasn't a bad deal at all.
Granada is absolutely awesome. Genuinely a place where I feel comfortable and my kind of town. I've been in or around big cities for a bit now and something more manageable with a community feel is a real tonic. It's kinda like a Nicaraguan Reading but with some personality. And culture. And interesting things to do. Alright, it's nothing like Reading.
I have for once, found myself in the right part of town in decent lodgings. I just wandered into a small place in the heart of town and they had a room for a couple of nights for $40p.n. There are at least 25 bars/restaurants within 30m of my super-king bed and the plaza centrale is a mere 50m away.
Within an hour of me arriving, I'd had some splendid fish tacos washed down with the best mojito over ice that I've ever had, sat in the scorchio heat of a Nicaraguan afternoon. In fact, I've been a bit of a pig all told. The ice cream proved irresistible and then I found some things on sticks which I've found equally compelling wherever I go. And then I had some chilli beef nachos for dinner which made me groan with joy.
Not only that, Granada has a couple of real estate places and I'm a sucker for an impossible dream ....It's been a while since I bought an overseas property and Granada is drawing me in!!!
My Spanish is now up to about 20-odd words. At this rate I'll be fluent by the end of the trip. I suspect though I'll top out around 30 words, as usual with my language skills, and leave it at that.
Honestly, it was bloody good. Truth be told, I managed to squeeze in more than one for quality control purposes.
Plaza centrale.
No comments:
Post a Comment