Other people enjoying Granada

It isn't only me that has enjoyed the time I spent in Granada. This happy family also went to Granada. They flew into Managua and then took a taxi to Granada. We actually went by tourist bus from Costa Rica. Enjoy the video. I found this Granada video on YouTube. Nicaragua is now becoming more popular as a tourist destination and there are several reasons - it offers a lot to tourists and the way of inexpensive restaurants and hotels in Granada, Nicaragua and the cost of traveling there is cheaper than other places in Central America and the Caribbean. It's also the safest country in Central America for tourists, so it's worth considering as your escape destination this winter.

Shopping at the Market in Masaya

Our tour bus and guide let us of at the market at Masaya in Nicaragua, which is housed in a very old Colonial building. It's a large market with lots and lots of market stalls for tourist shopping.



You can find just about anything here at this market and some of the prices are really great.



There are so many different things you can buy such as clothes – t shirts, blouses and dresses. I bought a lovely light yellow cotton blouse with some white embroidery on it for a a friend– sort of like a Chinese blouse. I also bought few t-shirts with Nicaraguan designs on it for the friends because I know back home nobody has a t shirt from Nicaragua.



I also bought some Nicaraguan cigars. They actually make cigars in Nicaragua. I bought plenty back – some for the boss at work and some of my colleagues.



I even bought a little piece of pottery made by Nicaraguans, covered with native designs.



I met up with a guy who took our group around the market at Masaya. He gave us a great speech which I recorded on video. He helped us bargain for lower prices, something my wife wasn't very willing to do because she is acutely aware of how poor people are. We gave him a tip at the end of his tour around the market.



When we had to leave the Masaya market and get back on the tour bus, there was a young guy about 13 or 14 years old. He was selling something that nobody needs, grasshoppers made of a dried grass. I bought one. I don't need one, but this guy needs money and is doing the best he can to survive in Nicaragua.



Our tour guide was in a hurry to get us back on the bus. It's just a job to him so he wanted to hurry us around back on the bus to move on to our next destination. But there was so much to see and everything in Nicaragua was so new for us!

The Colourful City of Granada, Nicaragua

Granada, sometimes the capital of Nicaragua is a beautiful old colonial town at the edge of Lake Nicaragua. Full of beautifully renovated old buildings, with muted Caribbean colors of blues, yellows, oranges and various shades of pink, it is a remarkable place to visit.

We went to the centre of the town, where we found find the town square, early in the evening, full of the local people, selling pottery, beads, jewelry, food, cigars, etc., and the music playing. Surrounding the town square were these old colonial buildings, restored and painted in bright colors. There is a church, the municipal government building and a very nice hotel called the Hotel Alambra. It's one of the best hotels in Granada. I took a walk inside and took some photos and the rate for the hotel is very reasonable, about $60 US per night. It’s got a lovely café in the front, gorgeous inside and a small pool. It would be very nice, just to sit at their café in the front, listen to the music and people watch in the early evenings.

This city is so alive.

We had taken a horse drawn carriage around the city and photographed and made some videos as we rode around. It’s a really beautiful little city. There are at least four old colonial churches there and it’s all set up for tourists, but we didn’t see many anywhere.

There is a street there where they don’t allow cars and it is borders by restaurants, cafes, little bistros and bars. What a wonderful place.

We stopped for a while by the Lake where there’s a pier out into the water. A statue of one of the early discovers. Lake Nicaragua is so big and it’s got white capped waves; you would think you were at the beach. The streets are clean. Again, all set up for tourists, but there is hardly anyone there.

Visiting Nicaragua on this little trip has only fueled desires to see more of the country where nobody goes. Time for a little tourism to Nicaragua.