- Our arrival in San Juan del Sur was surely interesting, as it is a tender
port. This meant lining up and being ferried to shore aboard small boats
called 'tenders' - and it was a bit rough! Linda went on a separate tour
to David, David and Kez. Linda's tour was to the Masaya Market, Volcano
and Grenada, with lunch at 'El Filete'. The others chose the tour which
included a short hike around the volcano area, Grenada, Parilla lunch and cloud
forest.
The port area was surrounded by high wire and had a security gate. We left on buses with tour guides. The port is a gateway to the towns, I sat on
a bus for 1.5hrs to reach the Masaya market.
I walked around and was offered several ‘escorts’ who would translate
for me, but I soon ditched them. (I’ve
read that they can be a little assertive.)
I had fun and was complimented on my Spanish, I bought sandals, a belt
and some la bolsitas (little bags)…..
We visited the volcano next. Very
hot and with steam rising. Policia
everywhere! We were told that if there
was an eruption, to look at the guide and follow him doing everything that he
did! Next was lunch at the restaurant,
‘El Filete’. Complete with mariachi band! I was befriended by an American/English
couple – Patricia and Al, and we enjoyed lunch together. I tried the Nicaraguan beer – ‘Tona’ – very
nice! Our police ‘escort’ stopped the
traffic to let the bus leave the restaurant, then followed us to Granada. We walked around the square being hassled by
children and adults showing us things to buy.
We looked inside a museum and some local children performed a
traditional dance for us. Then it was
back to the pier where there were some stalls.
Patricia, Al and I found some more Tona and also were offered a nip of
the local white rum whilst we waited for Kez and the Davids to return. I enjoyed my day!
Nicaragua is very poor in some areas.
Concrete floors, but clean houses.
Not uncommon to see horses, cattle or pigs tied up at the front of the
house to feed on the grass!
David, Kerren and I (David) were amazed at the cloud forest at the top of
Mambucho volcano. Bromeliads, epiphytes
and all manner of plants that love the wet were there. There was a high altitude coffee plantation
below. We had a spectacular view of
Grenada near where the fumaroles were venting.
We then ventured back to Grenada and visited the main square and then lunch
at a Parrilla restaurant. Very South
American style cooking over the charcoal.
The beef and chicken were delicious.
The complimentary Victoria beer was great too.
Back to the ship an hour and a half bus trip then back on board.
No comments:
Post a Comment