This is the Pan American Highway running through Central America. It was in great condition, however the one from this road to San Juan, isn't as pretty as this one. And most roads aren't. The roads are usually full of potholes! It's horrible. The roads in Nicaragua though are better than the ones in Costa Rica. And everyone drives on either side to dodge the holes, and everyone is honking all the time!
The plan - to stay in Granada for 4 days enjoying the sights, sounds (and smells) of the local culture. Other than a brief overnight stay in San Jose, Costa Rica, this is the first city we're planning on spending time at. We've grown accustom to beach life but decided it would be a good time to head inland and see what we can see.
This is the Oasis Hostel, which we found out is the most popular hostel in Granada. Don't let the exterior fool you...it was beatiful inside!
Our room was near the back of the hostel. Here's a a view of the pool from our bedroom window.
This is the courtyard full of hammocks and comfy couches/chairs. There was an internet lounge, kitchen, and TV area. This was quite the hostel!
Kyle goes for some downtime.
After settling in and taking a quick nap, we head out to see the sights. Here are some of the scenes from the street.
This is the street market located pretty much out our front door. It was at the end fo the block from our hostel and you pretty much had to pass through here to get anywhere.
Along with some streetscapes. Now this is what I've been waiting for...the architetcure! Here the trend is Colonial...colorful buildings, large wooden carved doors, and open courtyards.
This is the pier where you can catch a ferry from Granada over to Isla de Omtempe, an island consisting of an active and non active volcanoes. Here's the view from the pier into Lake Nicaragua.
After one full afternoon in Granada, we had walked to almost every point of interest on the map (what about the cathedrals! - check out the next post "Granada Cathedrals"), including all of the cathedrals! In a place where we thought we'd stay for a few days, we saw everything in an afternoon. Plus as soon as we did venture out, we became very claustrophobic...funny right...not really, we weren't used to being around so many people. This place was very busy. We noticed that as soon as our shuttle entered the city and it just went downhill from there.
Our room was near the back of the hostel. Here's a a view of the pool from our bedroom window.This is the courtyard full of hammocks and comfy couches/chairs. There was an internet lounge, kitchen, and TV area. This was quite the hostel! Kyle goes for some downtime.
After settling in and taking a quick nap, we head out to see the sights. Here are some of the scenes from the street.
This is the street market located pretty much out our front door. It was at the end fo the block from our hostel and you pretty much had to pass through here to get anywhere.Along with some streetscapes. Now this is what I've been waiting for...the architetcure! Here the trend is Colonial...colorful buildings, large wooden carved doors, and open courtyards.
This is the pier where you can catch a ferry from Granada over to Isla de Omtempe, an island consisting of an active and non active volcanoes. Here's the view from the pier into Lake Nicaragua.
After one full afternoon in Granada, we had walked to almost every point of interest on the map (what about the cathedrals! - check out the next post "Granada Cathedrals"), including all of the cathedrals! In a place where we thought we'd stay for a few days, we saw everything in an afternoon. Plus as soon as we did venture out, we became very claustrophobic...funny right...not really, we weren't used to being around so many people. This place was very busy. We noticed that as soon as our shuttle entered the city and it just went downhill from there. Good news...we saw a posting inside the hostel for a palce called Crater's Edge at the Laguna de Apoyo. We have heard about it from two people, so we booked ourselves in. Four days in Granada turned into one night, as tomorrow we're off to the Laguna!
