Esteli and Granada, Nicaragua

Esteli, Nicaragua
Esteli is really just a stop over point. We do stay at a reasonable spot – Club Campestre. There are cold showers, acceptable restrooms, a pool and a restaurant. We have a company sponsored meal here and we were a bit concerned when no one showed up at the restaurant until just minutes before the meal was to be served. Turns out they were cooking in the back on a grill about the size of a small card table. With the help of Chris and LuAnn to take drink orders and bring out meals. The one guard/maintenance man/waiter did a great job; it is just hard for them to serve 34 people at one time.

In order to put water in everyone's tank – which we were in need of – Bob and Brian used the facilities hoses which sprayed at every junction. They were soaked by the end of the filling process.

Granada, Nicaragua
The drive was uneventful for most but a few were either harassed by the police or truly did something wrong. We think it was harassment. A policeman stood at the intersection and with his arm hanging down at his side waved it back and forth – we thought signaling us to move along the line which had just been painted. Turns out he was signaling us to stop. He jumped in a cab and drove in front of a few slamming his breaks on. Then jumping out and pointing to his badge and saying policia. Amazingly enough when this happened to Chris and Brian, our tour guide, Jose, had just missed his bus and came to their rescue. Took the policeman's name and told them he was not helping the tourist bureau. He left. Chris and Brian then gave the tour guide a ride to town.

We had the normal scary drive through downtown Granada. It is crowded with people, horse and buggies, taxis and narrow streets. Oh and I forgot the low hanging wires. Other than that it is a cute old city. We arrived at what we saw as a much cleaner beach area along Lake Nicaragua than we had seen in the past two trips. Others saw it as a little desolate and trashy. Everything is relative. We park here for 4 nights without electric, water or sewers. For those with very small rigs this is a tough spot.

The afternoon we arrived we took horse and buggy tours of the city – past Guadalupe Church, San Francisco Convent, the old fort/gun powder storage building, the market, a wonderful cemetery and ended our tour at Alambra Hotel and drinks on the veranda overlooking the square.

Our second tour the following day was of Managua – the concert facility, Massaya Volcano (still active), the downtown area, city market and of course lunch. We seem to be having difficulties with lunch service this trip. Chris and LuAnn again took and delivered drink orders. We were also short 4 seats even though they knew we were coming and our number of guests. It is difficult to understand the mentality sometimes. Dinner was on our own. We had dinner at a funky, new age place called El Tercero Ojo (The Third Eye). They served curry, local dishes in a Georgetown atmosphere. A little too yuppy for Bob but definitely to LuAnn's liking.

The next day we had a leisurely start as our tour did not begin until 10 or 10:30. Seems each tour person gave us a different time. The first bus arrived at 10:30; the second bus never arrived. Since we had a short distance to travel we just ran two trips. Our boat trip around the lake lasted about 1 hour. Our boat had a lovely local woman studying to be an opera singer so you guessed it – she would burst into song. We had three songs. It was kind of like a mini-musical. She was very animated and very interested in having her beautiful full-length traditional dress arranged perfectly so if we took a picture she would look perfect. She was knowledgeable in history, geography, etc. but the singing was a bit odd. Chris, LuAnn and two guests – Kathy and Sharon – stayed downtown after lunch and wandered the area. LuAnn was on a mission for ground cacao beans (they are used for chocolate milk). So we ended up in the local market. It was dirty, crowded, hot and LuAnn at least loved it. We found the local shoe cobblers. Had to leave though. With the heat and the smell of uncooked meat hanging in the heat we maxed out and headed for the square. We were in search of t-shirts but also found sorbet, gelato, jewelry. LuAnn found a couple of necklaces – one made of seeds and the other a piece of metal with a lizard cut out of the center. She insisted the artist sign it. The young woman was very pleased. Dinner that night was at the San Francisco Hotel. Again to yuppy for Bob.

Our last day is a free day. Some people headed to town. A few went kayaking and swimming. A leisurely day along the lake. Luckily there is a slight breeze to take a way a bit of the heat. It is 87 degrees inside and outside of the rig. LuAnn is sleeping with the spray bottle at night; it stays in the refrigerator during the day. Tomorrow we head for Costa Rica.