One of our hopes for our trip together was to spend some time alone with God, plus have time for me to mentor Kari. God was very gracious to us in both senses! Our first morning we found two rockers next to the small, quiet pool in the courtyard, and enjoyed God’s presence.
After our quiet time, we ventured out on the streets to look for a good bread store for our breakfast. If there exist good bread stores in Nicaragua, we never found one! We stepped into one, looked at each other, and stepped right out again! Instead we found some pre-packaged dry toast, dulce de leche, and yogurt and enjoyed our breakfast on the main city plaza, right outside our hotel door.
Since it was Saturday we decided to find a bus to a nearby city of Masaya, where they boast of a great artisan’s market. The express bus driver knew two speeds: FAST and STOP!! We had an interesting cultural experience en route. Suddenly, while barreling down the highway, the bus driver’s assistant in the back shouted, “PECADO!” In Spanish, that means SIN! The driver looked over his shoulder once, and kept going. The boy now became more insistent, “PECADO! PECADO! PECADO!” Now, the bus driver was truly concerned, glaring over his shoulder and considering slowing down.
One more shout of “PECADO!” and the driver slammed on the brakes. As the dust settled, the passenger behind us was thrown off the bus! His dripping packages gave away his sin. He had two sacks of frozen fish which were creating pools of fishy water on the floor. We realized that the Nicaraguans drop their “s” sounds, so the boy had been actually shouting “PESCADO!” the Spanish word for fish!
The artisan’s market was a fun stop for us. We mostly window-shopped. Our biggest purchase was four identical clay bead bracelets – one for Kari and me, and the other two for Norma and Krista. Later I read an inscription on one of the beads. It said “Cuba!” So much for Nicaraguan souvenirs! I’ll attach a photo of one of the lovely murals in the artisan’s market.
We opted for a local bus back to Granada. The eight block walk to the bus stop was an eye-opener. We have heard that 75% of Nicaraguans live below the poverty level. I think that percentage perhaps is slightly underestimated. We saw starving dogs and starving horses, but also starving people. From then on, we always bought extra food to share with the needy all around us.
The local buses also have two speeds. SLOW and STOP. Once again, my cane came to the rescue. Otherwise the two of us would have been standing, packed like sardines with the rest of the hot, sweaty bunch.
The sun was lowering in the sky by the time we made our way back to the main square. On a whim, we decided to hire a horse and buggy to take us for a sunset tour of Granada. Our favorite stop was at an arsenal built by the Spaniards soon after establishing the city. It was most recently used during the civil war in the 80’s to house prisoners. We climbed up into the guard tower and caught our first glimpse of Lake Nicaragua and the volcano that overlooks the city. What a view!
We ate a real meal that evening at a restaurant recommended by the carriage driver. I ate guapote – the most typical fish from Lake Nicaragua.
Day two… a lovely day!
After our quiet time, we ventured out on the streets to look for a good bread store for our breakfast. If there exist good bread stores in Nicaragua, we never found one! We stepped into one, looked at each other, and stepped right out again! Instead we found some pre-packaged dry toast, dulce de leche, and yogurt and enjoyed our breakfast on the main city plaza, right outside our hotel door.
Since it was Saturday we decided to find a bus to a nearby city of Masaya, where they boast of a great artisan’s market. The express bus driver knew two speeds: FAST and STOP!! We had an interesting cultural experience en route. Suddenly, while barreling down the highway, the bus driver’s assistant in the back shouted, “PECADO!” In Spanish, that means SIN! The driver looked over his shoulder once, and kept going. The boy now became more insistent, “PECADO! PECADO! PECADO!” Now, the bus driver was truly concerned, glaring over his shoulder and considering slowing down.
One more shout of “PECADO!” and the driver slammed on the brakes. As the dust settled, the passenger behind us was thrown off the bus! His dripping packages gave away his sin. He had two sacks of frozen fish which were creating pools of fishy water on the floor. We realized that the Nicaraguans drop their “s” sounds, so the boy had been actually shouting “PESCADO!” the Spanish word for fish!
The artisan’s market was a fun stop for us. We mostly window-shopped. Our biggest purchase was four identical clay bead bracelets – one for Kari and me, and the other two for Norma and Krista. Later I read an inscription on one of the beads. It said “Cuba!” So much for Nicaraguan souvenirs! I’ll attach a photo of one of the lovely murals in the artisan’s market.
We opted for a local bus back to Granada. The eight block walk to the bus stop was an eye-opener. We have heard that 75% of Nicaraguans live below the poverty level. I think that percentage perhaps is slightly underestimated. We saw starving dogs and starving horses, but also starving people. From then on, we always bought extra food to share with the needy all around us.
The local buses also have two speeds. SLOW and STOP. Once again, my cane came to the rescue. Otherwise the two of us would have been standing, packed like sardines with the rest of the hot, sweaty bunch.
The sun was lowering in the sky by the time we made our way back to the main square. On a whim, we decided to hire a horse and buggy to take us for a sunset tour of Granada. Our favorite stop was at an arsenal built by the Spaniards soon after establishing the city. It was most recently used during the civil war in the 80’s to house prisoners. We climbed up into the guard tower and caught our first glimpse of Lake Nicaragua and the volcano that overlooks the city. What a view!
We ate a real meal that evening at a restaurant recommended by the carriage driver. I ate guapote – the most typical fish from Lake Nicaragua.
Day two… a lovely day!
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