We arrived in Managua by air this morning. No traffic and experienced a beautiful, spanking clean terminal. The road from Managua was a fairly good paved highway with two lanes until we entered into the city of Granada. At most the distance in miles was fifty and the journey took us through a few semi-congested villages and hamlets. We were held up slightly by motos traveling around 30 miles per hour, by larger trucks and by buses taking on new fares and discharging folks who were ready to exit. The speed limits were anywhere from 15 miles per hour up to a dizzy speed of 48 miles per hour.
I neglected to tell you that the Hertz rental had scratches all over its poor body. There were carpets missing from the inside and some lights were no longer in their proper placement. Oh well, all the exceptions were marked and there were so many in so many different places on the vehicle, there would be no way of knowing if there were any new bumps and scratches.
I related to you my poor orientation and bad turn in the small town of Granada. Not to worry because with my questioning and great responses from friendly passersby, we found our way, bumping across some speed reducers in front of the Cathedral.
We arrived with dispatch at Hotel Colonial and, after finding that our room was not quite ready for habitation, stashed our bags and set out to the nearest ATM where we exchanged some US dollars for Códobas at 20 to 1. Then we decided to walk through the crowded street market which extended for nearly ten blocks. We managed to maneuver through two and one-half blocks before we turned back and opted for a different route which included the Cathedral on the main square. The hotel has no parking whatsoever so visitors must find parking on the streets. The street just in front of our hotel is a one-way and there happened to be a space just a few yards north of the hotel. We were assured that the car would be safe but, one never knows for sure. I purchased the obligatory insurance required in Nicaragua and put the car on my American Express Gold Senior card which provides for generous insurance in the event of loss or damage. So, I will have faith in the words of the front desk people. After, all they have entirely no vested interest in my well-being. Why should they care?
Upon entering the beautiful and elegant in its understatement church, we saw two young men standing on a scaffold which was swaying to and fro all the while being steadied by three guy ropes which were tied to the sacrament table legs. They were applying light pastels which were gorgeous. Interestingly, one of the lads was clad in nothing more than his jeans and flip flops. Yet, when he descended the ladders of the scaffold, he immediately clothed himself in a wife-beater undershirt. A bit of decorum in the House of the Lord, please.
It was both hot (not warm) and very humid here so, as I told you, we entered the sanctuary and found a pew two-thirds of the way to the back of the church. But, not before John spied a fan which was hid behind one of the supporting pillars. It was not plugged in but the cord was hanging in a very tempting way just next to an outlet. John made the connection and we enjoyed a very nice and steady breeze headed directly in our positions. Nice. This church was almost completely devoid of the usual statuary we find in most churches of Rome in Latin America. It was refreshing to observe the understatement inside of this Cathedral.
We spent the allotted amount of time for the chamber maid to complete her rounds and returned to our hotel. When we passed by the front desk, we were told that our room was ready to occupy. When we entered the room, we found all of our bags already waiting for us.
There are two gorgeous swimming pools in the patios of our hotel and beautiful flora all about. The bougainvillea are outstandingly gorgeous and thick. There are coconut palms as well as banana bushes surrounding the public areas. Fresh flowers are in our lobby. No plastic here, thank-you!
Other guests that we have observed in our hotel are English-speaking folks, some with school-age children. Is this some type of break for the sweet little darlings? Who would ever know?
The town proper has more than its share of hippies. Do we still use that term? Surely there is a new or novel word that would describe those fine people far more appropriately. I have been out of the stream for so long that I get lost often in the last generation and its terminology. Sorry folks, but I honestly do not know what you call the youngsters who cease bathing, shaving and walk around as though they are afraid of water for cleansing. They do appear happy though and that is a very important asset.
During John's nap time, I walked about two miles down to the large lake on whose shores Granada finds itself. Just south of the Cathedral are about five blocks of shops, restaurants, hostels and private residences, all open to the street. One can easily see into each of these establishments, whether they be a business or a home. This is a vast difference from Antigua, Guatemala where high walls hide life and activity from everyone, without exception.
We have seen tons of caned chairs here. And, as I mentioned, most of the homes and businesses are open to the elements and visitors and those seeking services and goods enter without the benefit of fans or of air conditioning.
But, walking down this very street, I found it difficult to determine whether or not any or all of these dwellings and businesses were in fact open to everybody or if the doors were opened just to permit the winds to sail through and engender evaporation of perspiration, nature's wonderful gift.
As I continued down the street towards the waterfront, I passed another church of interesting design. It is called the Guadalupe church and, as far as I could see, was not available for perusal or casing. I hope to go out tomorrow morning and find both churches open to the public.
The city is full of cars, trucks, horse-drawn carriages, pick-up trucks with loudspeakers blaring messages in an attempts to garner interested listeners.
The central park was full of wares displayed by artisans. Also in the park were small children reading prose and poetry. All of this was drowned out by two mobile phone companies who were vying with each other for customers. Everybody in the common area was belted with no fewer than half a dozen loud speakers giving a booming cadence that cannot be missed for a kilometer.
This evening we went out to central park and noticed that there was a throng listening to the International gathering of poets in Granada. I do not give good estimates but it seemed as though if all of those folks were confined to a gymnasium, there might have been five or six hundred souls sitting on white plastic chairs or standing behind them.
There are notices that a ten percent reduction is available to any poet in the city. Of course I do not hold a card so that would count me out.
Tomorrow I plan to visit one or both churches near the central part of the city and, at nine in the morning after we have broken bread in the hotel, we are going on a six-hour sojourn with a guide. I hope to have some more images to share with you after our trip tomorrow.
Until then, have a joyful night! Good-night from Granada, Nicaragua Centroamérica!
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