Posts Tagged Granada
Posted on July 29, 2010 by angela
We stopped back by Granada for the day so we could grab some lunch and show Doug around. When we stayed here last time, the hostel said we could safely park on the street in front of the door. that time, we opted to pay $5 a day to park at the fire station. This trip we parked in front of the hostel and started wandering the town.
We had lunch, climbed the church tower and meandered our way to the lake. It was hot and closing in on late afternoon so we decided to get going.
What we didn’t realize was that while we were goofing off and taking pictures around town, someone was busy trying to rob us.
I often have an uneasy feeling about the van when we park it full of all our stuff… and I did this afternoon too. As we were walking back towards the bus, I hurried Bode along because I was anxious to see it. When we turned down the street where it was parked, I remember scanning the roof and seeing the camping chairs there and thinking it was okay.
But, when we got to the van we immediately saw that someone had used a screwdriver to break open the side windows and reached in to try to open the door. They mangled the window frame on both sides and broke off the hinges on the lower window and the screen frame. They obviously reached in and tried to open the door from the inside. Fortunately for us, they didn’t get very far (you can’t unlock the door from the inside.)
Anyway, total bummer. It was bound to happen sooner or later, as everyone we meet here has some sort of story about getting robbed. I guess we’ve been lucky to go 11 months without any problems. Meanwhile, 3 of my friends back in the U.S. have had their car broken into recently.
For hours afterward, we had the normal “what if?”discussions and we thought about how bad it could have been. We don’t have many valuables, but nearly everything we own is inside the van (and now Doug’s stuff too.)
The good news is that they didn’t get inside the bus. They must have gotten spooked and run off before getting much farther – the bus is not very hard to break into. Later, we discovered that they took the canopy from the roof.
Posted on July 27, 2010 by angela
Granada was fine – another colorful colonial town. A town square, a few nice churches, backpackers’ coffee shops, etc. Now that we’ve seen so many of these, we’re a little pickier than we should be and prefer options in Mexico and Guatemala.
It didn’t help that the hostel we were in tried to charge us an extra $10 a day when we checked out. After some back and forth, they returned $20 US back to me. The hotels here quote you in US dollars, add a few extra things to your running tab and then bill you in cordobas with a pretty bad exchange rate. Watch the math.
Every day there is a downpour which leaves the town muddier, but doesn’t provide any relief from the mugginess. Every day, in every Nicaraguan town we’ve been in, the electricity goes off for part of the day or night. The water goes off too. It usually isn’t a problem (though nights can be rough without the fan). Last night we were at a pizza joint where the lights went on and off 3 times before they went off for good following a chorus of ‘ohhhh’ from the patrons. A few minutes later the generator comes on, with it the lights and music and the new chorus of ‘ahhh’. 15 minutes after that, the entire restaurant was packed as it was the only light on the street.
Posted on July 26, 2010 by jason
We made it to Granada and it was a dreary day. Bode had been eager to learn chess, so it was time to play. It took me a while to remember all the rules (and what to call the Rook) but eventually I was able to explain it. He picked it up immediately. I was really impressed. Actually, I am really impressed. Look out Kaspárov.
Then the rains came and the electricity went out. We decided to walk around town and look for something to do. The slot-machine houses all have generators, so people are inside gambling without interruption. Everywhere else in town was dark. But, you don’t need electricity for a haircut.
Onward to the 007 Barberia. Old school Nica.
I was first. For 100 Cordobas (less than $5 US) you can get an honest cut and shave – a close one. I’ve never had my hair cut so fast – it was like Edward Scissorhands. Hair was literally flying. The shave took a good long time, though. It was actually enjoyable. I’ll do this again.
Bode was actually eager to go next. He did great – and even got some straight razor action himself… AND aftershave! We should have done this a long time ago… we feel better already.
