Granada

Couldn't help but sing the song Granada in my head whilst wondering around the streets (even though the song is about Spain, not Nicaragua). Lets be honest, Nicaragua is cheap, the countryside is lush and gorgeous, though if Bernard and I hadn't become such seasoned travellers, I can safely say that at times I would be quite unnerved by this country. There is still an edge here – the kids beg in the streets because they want to buy western food, not because they are hungry. And they are strong, if you say no, they just stand there and ask again. If you are forceful they will mock you and sometimes even swear “F**k you” to your face. You get looked at with distrust and some degree of jealousy. But, on the other hand, a smile and friendly “Buenos Dias” from us would evoke lovely big open smiles from so many locals. Where there is tourist infrastructure it is clearly influenced by the States – understandably when you see many American retirees living here. We spent a full three days in Granada – probably more than we needed given it rained a lot of the time were were there.

Our one sunny day we went to Masaya, a lovely market town about half an hour outside of Granada. We took a local (chicken) bus which took forever as it slowly ambled through the streets looking for passengers. But we did get to watch Hellboy in Spanish so it was quite a novel experience. We bought lovely hammocks and wondered around the streets soaking up everything. The one memory that will stay with me of Granada is the “family of rocking chairs”. There are no sofas/lounges in people's homes – rather every member of the family has their own rocking chair. So in every house you'd pass you'd see about five or six rocking chairs clustered around the coffee table. At night time you'd see families rocking away whilst watching a novella (soap opera) or chatting over the day's gossip.