Granada | Fat Girl Does The World

Steve and I had been tossing around the idea of a trip to Nicaragua for over a year now!!! We were talking about it while we were still on our Southeast Asia trip!!! Well ticket prices have been down lately, so we bit the bullet and we will be spending 10 glorious days in Nicaragua. Soaking up the sun and spending our days surfing, practicing yoga and watching the sunset with Flor de Caña in hand…. sounds pretty heavenly to me. We will also be scouting locations for a possible yoga/surf retreat.

It’s been 5 years since I was last in Nicaragua…. I can’t believe it’s been so long and I cannot wait to share it with Steve. When you tell people that you’re going to Nicaragua you’ll get one of two responses: DON’T GO!!! It’s dangerous!!! or OMG!!! I’m so jealous!!! Well, for all the naysayers Nicaragua is probably the safest country in Central America…even safer than Costa Rica. It’s still splendidly cheap!!! It’s absolutely gorgeous and Nicaraguans have hearts of gold (well probably not all of them).

I like to tell people about a little story from my last trip to Nicaragua. My friend Evan, from Two Farts In The Wind, and I were bussing it from Granada to Rivas and on to Isla de Ometepe. Well, at the time, this little jaunt involved a bus switch-a-roo on the side of the highway. We rushed off of our first bus and ran up to our second bus and hopped in the backdoor, only to realize that we had left our backpacks on the roof of the previous bus. Shit!! Shit!!! Shit!!! But to our lovely surprise, we looked out the backdoor of the bus and there were two Nicaraguan guys running down the highway with our bags over their heads. Bringing them to us!!! AMAZING!!! Nicaragua had my heart from that point on.

When Evan and I went to Nicaragua we had only two weeks. We divided our time between Granada (where we took day trips to Laguna de Apoyo (we walked), Volcan Masaya, and the Masaya Handicraft Market), Isla de Ometepe (where we climbed a jungle clad volcano, swam in a spring, and found some howler monkeys), and Little Corn Island (where we snorkeled, went scuba diving, and pooped our brains out). So this trip to Nicaragua Steve and I are heading down south, near the Costa Rican border, to the town of San Juan del Sur. From San Juan we will have access to some of Nicaragua’s most wild coastline, perfect surf breaks and serene yoga spots.

To hold you over, here are a few pics from my 2009 Nicaragua Trip.

Evan, from Two Farts In The Wind, and I at Volcan Masaya.

An epic stinky crater…check out how steep the sides are!!!

Evan and I at the Volcan Masaya upper viewpoint

The handicraft market in Masaya

Hitchhiking in Nica….here’s proof that you can survice

Granada

Isla de Ometepe and it’s volcanoes

Howler monkeys on Ometepe

Hanging out in the cloud forest with our guide on the way to the top of Volcan Maderas

Evan, Anton and I made it to the top…soaked and completely covered in mud

Evan and Anton sink in the mud at Volcan Maderas lake

Evan and Anton sinking in the mud at Volcan Maderas lake

The boys went for a “swim” in the Volcano lake, while I watched a local baseball game.

Volcan Maderas made me throw out my shoes…

Post volcano hike dip at Ojos de Agua on Ometepe.

Local fisherman and his daughter on Little Corn Island

Paradise….

The jungle path from Sunset to Sunrise.

Our Rasta digs on Little Corn…not too shabby…okay…kinda shabby.

Since most of the business run on generators power is only available for a few hours each day…oh well, time to drink more Tona.

One of many small beautiful beaches on Little Corn Island

This is what my hair looked like after two weeks of sweat and salt water with no shampoo.

Evan and I made new friends and met fellow travel blogger Ian who posts a fun travel blog on travelpod

I cannot wait for more Central American Shenanigans!!!!

The view from our “private” beach at Laguna de Apoyo.

Yep, you sure can and we did. The Moon Guidebook for Nicaragua has basic directions for walking and has more information for visiting the lake’s restaurants and hotels.

Being the young an adventurous type we walked… from Granada…a very long, hot walk. First, we had to walk through Granada’s cemetery, past the tombs of the rich and beyond the unadorned graves of the poor.

Our walk through Granada’s cemetery begins.

Beautifully sculptured tombs in Granada’s cemetery

tomb statue facing the mountains of Nicaragua

Statue of a saint facing the mountains surrounding Granada, Nicaragua.

Where the less prominent families of Granada are buried.

Then we followed the dirt road on the northeast side of the cemetery (I think it was the back right corner) all the way until the end and then hiked down a cattle path to a teeny, tiny beach that we had all to ourselves…well, until a farmer showed up to water his cows.

The road to Laguna de Apoyo.

My travel companion had jumped into the crystal clear lake with all of his cash and passport in his shorts, and had laid it out over a log to dry when the cows showed up; instead of stealing my friend’s cash the rock wielding farmer began chucking rocks at his cows. Love the Nicaraguan people.

Deep blue Laguna de Apoyo. The bottom of the crater is the lowest spot in Nicaragua. The lake has tons of endemic species and offers scuba diving.

Moo….these cows interrupted our sunbathing and swimming, but kept us giggling all afternoon.

Walking to the lake definitely provided a more interesting and cultural experience, but if you would prefer something more predictable hop one of the local buses out to one of the restaurant, beach combos on the other side where you can lay on a dock and sip Toñas all afternoon.

Farmer taking his horses to water at Laguna de Apoyo near Granada, Nicaragua.

Typical home on the walk to Laguna de Apoyo.

I personally was thrilled with the randomness of our little adventure; we met a farmer…and his cows, we hitch hiked half the way to the lake crammed into the back of a Jeep with about 5 other people, had a perfect little beach to ourselves, watched a farmer run his horses, explored the cemetery where some of Nicaragua’s presidents are supposedly buried and had a chance to see the real Nicaragua as we walked past rural homes.

If you’re walking stuff your day pack with plenty of water and snacks, ask for directions (people might think you’re crazy; we got some pretty weird looks) and allow an entire day.

Fat Girl Does The World

Tag Archives: Granada

Can You Walk to Laguna de Apoyo?