Since I profess to be a frequent wanderer of the world ... I wander in my mind a lot too but that's a different post ... I thought I'd give you fellow travellers some quick tips on my recent trip to Nicaragua.
On our way to Granada, we stopped at Mombacho Volcano and did a canopy tour on ziplines. It took about an hour and a half, cost $23, and was more than worth it. Nothing like hanging 100 feet above the ground with only a metal cable and harness between you and the sky. :) You can even convince the tour guides to let you do the zip line upside down or belly down Superman-style. To get to the zipline course, the guides drive you up the side of the volcano through beautiful rain forest trees and coffee plants. While on the zip line and on the platforms, you can look out over Granada and the surrounding area - incredible views. The reservation also offers a 3-hour hiking tour and other activities, although we only had time for the canopy tours.
Granada itself - we basically stopped in the historical square, ate at Mona Lisa Pizza Shoppe, bought a few trinkets from the sidewalk vendors of "folk handicrafts", and then left. I wasn't too horribly impressed with what I saw - including a street show of a giant woman puppet and a midget man acting out a blow job; the boys who afterward emerged from their costumes and went around with a hat asking for money didn't get any donations from me for that performance. I think they were the same 10-year-olds I had seen earlier in the day lounging against the side of a building smoking a joint and making kissing faces at me when I walked by....
Our first and last nights in Managua, we stayed at the Best Western Las Mercedes. It is literally right across the street from Augusto C. Sandino International Airport. It's $85/night for a double. Rooms were clean; most of the staff spoke English; they had free Nicaraguan coffee in the lobby and a great breakfast buffet. The hotel isn't one building with a bunch of rooms inside; it's really a collection of small rows of rooms, connected by covered walkways that fortunately protect you from the rain, and if you wander around lost trying to find your way back to your room (like I did), you at least get to enjoy small gardens that show off Nicaraguan flora. There are also two pools on the grounds - we tried them both out and they were great.
In Rio Blanco, we stayed at Hotel Bosawas. One small room with two twins and A/C and a bathroom w/shower and running water costs about $15/night. Sheets and pillows provided were clean. It's set on the edge of town, so it's pretty quiet, and it has a great view of the town and surrounding mountains. There's a small bar on the premises, and the owners love to play bachata music loudly through the night. The center courtyard was all torn up and gutted while we were there - it looked like a Roman achaeological dig. Sorry I don't have contact information for the hotel - I'm too lazy to dig the numbers out of my travel gear packed away.....
On our way to Granada, we stopped at Mombacho Volcano and did a canopy tour on ziplines. It took about an hour and a half, cost $23, and was more than worth it. Nothing like hanging 100 feet above the ground with only a metal cable and harness between you and the sky. :) You can even convince the tour guides to let you do the zip line upside down or belly down Superman-style. To get to the zipline course, the guides drive you up the side of the volcano through beautiful rain forest trees and coffee plants. While on the zip line and on the platforms, you can look out over Granada and the surrounding area - incredible views. The reservation also offers a 3-hour hiking tour and other activities, although we only had time for the canopy tours.
Granada itself - we basically stopped in the historical square, ate at Mona Lisa Pizza Shoppe, bought a few trinkets from the sidewalk vendors of "folk handicrafts", and then left. I wasn't too horribly impressed with what I saw - including a street show of a giant woman puppet and a midget man acting out a blow job; the boys who afterward emerged from their costumes and went around with a hat asking for money didn't get any donations from me for that performance. I think they were the same 10-year-olds I had seen earlier in the day lounging against the side of a building smoking a joint and making kissing faces at me when I walked by....
On our way back to Managua, we stopped at Masaya at the marketplace, and the shopping there was fantastic. Tons of touristy handicrafts, clothing, paintings, pottery, coffee, cigars, leather shoes and bags, and tons and tons of hammocks. Definitely the place to go if you like shopping.
Things to buy while in Nicaragua -
Coffee (hint - most of the tourist places want to sell you fancy-looking bags of coffee wrapped up in burlap sacks for $8/lb; just go across the street to the local grocery store and you can pick up the same quality of coffee for $2.50/lb.
Hammocks - the quality and durability of Nicaraguan hammocks is proved by the fact that everywhere you go, you see Nics enjoying the evening breeze on their hammocks. You can pick up one for anywhere between $15-30 in the marketplaces.
Textiles - the marketplaces had beautiful blankets, bags, scarves, etc with ethnic designs, not too expensive.
Pottery - think Mayan.........
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