I feel that all I talk about in this blog are fun things, so I figure why break the trend now. The other volunteers and I recently ventured from the safety of Honduras into the even safer environment of Nicaragua (after the US and Canada, boasting the lowest crime rate in the western hemisphere (or at least that’s what we w
ere told (Hippie Hotel Owner, 2008))). After the 10 hours of traveling by bus that it took to get there, the trip was amazing.
First we arrived in León, a truly beautiful city boasting an impressive collection of churches, museums, and local markets (I probably read that somewhere in a guide book). The local Cathedral is the largest in all of Central America, and at the time of our visit they were in the process of restoring t
he impressive pictures of the Stations of the Cross. It was a truly remarkable sight. We visited several other churches in the areas, and even some ruins! (Alright, the ruins actually weren’t sweet at all… just an old church that had fallen into disrepair… don’t trust everything you read on a map). We didn’t spend too much time in León (maybe because all the museums were closed for the day when we got there, maybe because some nice beaches were only another hour away).
So next we moved on to Las Peñitas. I’ve been to a few beaches in my life, and I can honestly say that this one was up there with the best of them. While not a place for the traveler looking for a place with “paved roads” or “active night life” or “other people,” it suited our needs just fine (also, we were there mid-week and arrived just before the busy holiday rush would come in, so that may have had something to do with it). Rega
rdless, the beach was amazing, and for $6 you could stay on the beach (literally on the beach). We stayed at the Playa Roca, and the guys who ran the place were awesomely entertaining. They even had a dog who would sing alo
ng to the music (she seemed most partial to Santana, though she would chime into most any song). We got a little history of the place, and apparently the town had been much bigger and much closer to the water about 20 years ago (and then a Tsunami came…), but it’s present state was exactly the sort of relaxing beach experience that I like. Reluctantly, after a couple of days we had to move on to our final destination.
The last town we visited was Granada, honestly the nicest and most well-kept place I’ve come across in Central America (the rich gringos who buy homes and shops down here probably have something to do with that). The
colors of the city were so vivid. Most buildings were painted in very vibrant and active colors, and there was an energy in the town’s center which was present both during the day and night. For those of you not familiar with Nicaraguan geography, check it out. You might be surprised to see the presence of gigantic lake in the southern part of the country (I was). If you had a little money (i.e. not us) there were some amazing tours nearby that would bring you to the top of a nearby volcano, to variou
s islands in the aforementioned giant lake, or to a nearby lagoon set in the crater formed by an imploded volcano (I heard it compared (by other gringos) to a sight similar to the Grand Canyon). Anyways, limited by time and funds we were unable to take advantage of these landmarks but instead explored the city (and gazed at the volcano and islands from afar).
I guess it wasn’t entirely accurate to say Granada was the last town we visited. We had a bus ride back to Honduras at 3:30am from Managua (capital of Nicaragua), and thus had to travel there while the buses still ran and while the sun was still in the sky. Not as exciting, as all we did was rest in the hotel room, watch TV, and walk to a nearby mall (to eat, play in the arcade, and watch Step Brothers (in English with Spanish subtitles)). Yea… kind of a downer at the end of the trip (besides Step Brothers, hilarious), but what are you going to do.
ere told (Hippie Hotel Owner, 2008))). After the 10 hours of traveling by bus that it took to get there, the trip was amazing.
First we arrived in León, a truly beautiful city boasting an impressive collection of churches, museums, and local markets (I probably read that somewhere in a guide book). The local Cathedral is the largest in all of Central America, and at the time of our visit they were in the process of restoring t
he impressive pictures of the Stations of the Cross. It was a truly remarkable sight. We visited several other churches in the areas, and even some ruins! (Alright, the ruins actually weren’t sweet at all… just an old church that had fallen into disrepair… don’t trust everything you read on a map). We didn’t spend too much time in León (maybe because all the museums were closed for the day when we got there, maybe because some nice beaches were only another hour away).So next we moved on to Las Peñitas. I’ve been to a few beaches in my life, and I can honestly say that this one was up there with the best of them. While not a place for the traveler looking for a place with “paved roads” or “active night life” or “other people,” it suited our needs just fine (also, we were there mid-week and arrived just before the busy holiday rush would come in, so that may have had something to do with it). Rega
rdless, the beach was amazing, and for $6 you could stay on the beach (literally on the beach). We stayed at the Playa Roca, and the guys who ran the place were awesomely entertaining. They even had a dog who would sing alo
ng to the music (she seemed most partial to Santana, though she would chime into most any song). We got a little history of the place, and apparently the town had been much bigger and much closer to the water about 20 years ago (and then a Tsunami came…), but it’s present state was exactly the sort of relaxing beach experience that I like. Reluctantly, after a couple of days we had to move on to our final destination.The last town we visited was Granada, honestly the nicest and most well-kept place I’ve come across in Central America (the rich gringos who buy homes and shops down here probably have something to do with that). The
colors of the city were so vivid. Most buildings were painted in very vibrant and active colors, and there was an energy in the town’s center which was present both during the day and night. For those of you not familiar with Nicaraguan geography, check it out. You might be surprised to see the presence of gigantic lake in the southern part of the country (I was). If you had a little money (i.e. not us) there were some amazing tours nearby that would bring you to the top of a nearby volcano, to variou
s islands in the aforementioned giant lake, or to a nearby lagoon set in the crater formed by an imploded volcano (I heard it compared (by other gringos) to a sight similar to the Grand Canyon). Anyways, limited by time and funds we were unable to take advantage of these landmarks but instead explored the city (and gazed at the volcano and islands from afar).I guess it wasn’t entirely accurate to say Granada was the last town we visited. We had a bus ride back to Honduras at 3:30am from Managua (capital of Nicaragua), and thus had to travel there while the buses still ran and while the sun was still in the sky. Not as exciting, as all we did was rest in the hotel room, watch TV, and walk to a nearby mall (to eat, play in the arcade, and watch Step Brothers (in English with Spanish subtitles)). Yea… kind of a downer at the end of the trip (besides Step Brothers, hilarious), but what are you going to do.
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