Granada
9/3/09 – 9/10/09 
Drums are to Granada as the tuba is to Mazatlan. As in, omnipresent. Granada is a fiesta town, both day and night, celebratory in culture and style. The streets vary from wide tree-lined avenues filled with sidewalk cafés to narrow uneven passageways filled with makeshift fruit stands and open overflowing drainage. At first the vast differences between these street scenes seem like a shocking contrast between rich and poor, have and have-nots. In fact, when I first arrived, I categorized Granada as a cross between Antigua and a sewer. That being said, after a week here, this colonial town began to grow on us. As we explored further, we found streets, shops, places and people that defied the seemingly distinct “gringo” and “local” divides and represented a gentle intermixing of the two.
We chose a week-long stay at the Casa Sacuanjoche. This guesthouse is in the home of Megan and Alvaro, a bi-national couple, who could not have been more friendly and helpful. Casa Sacuanjoche has three upstairs rooms surrounding a small common patio area, complete with sink, coffee maker and refrigerator. We also had access to their laundry facilities, kitchen and telephone with free calls worldwide. Casa Sacuanjoche is superbly located on a clean street within easy walking distance to the central park, main streets, local market and several bus stops. The central park is a good place to start for a walking tour of the various churches and historic buildings in the area.
Along with the charming colonial architecture, Granada is home to many lovely restaurants, bars and cafés, most within easy walking distance of the central park. Along the main pedestrian tourist street, Calle La Calzada, we enjoyed drinks at Nectar, the Zoom Bar and O’Sheas Irish bar. For a peaceful stylish atmosphere away from the main drag, try the scrumptious food at the beautiful Jardin d’Orion or El Tercer Ojo. The best restaurant in town is by far the outstanding Nica-style steakhouse called El Zaguan where we had the best steaks south of the border. Every bite was pure heaven! In the morning hours, a hearty breakfast with free, constantly refilled coffee(!), can be found Kathy’s Waffle House, across from San Francisco Convent. And last but not least, a lovely respite from the daytime heat is the Garden Café, which serves breakfast and lunch with a focus on light fresh ingredients.
Take note that while sitting outside is good for people-watching and absorbing Nicaraguan culture, it also invites a constant barrage of vendors, performers and beggars. Poverty and hunger are constant realities for many people in Nicaragua and cannot be hidden in the fancied up street cafés of Granada. The glassed over eyes of the more insistent passers-by can be a bit disturbing as well as witnessing the little concealed glue-huffing on the street corners. However, while people do ask for money, more often than not they ask for food or drinks. It is tough to eat a burger in a street café and ignore the hungry eyes and verbal pleas of local onlookers. Children asked for as little as an orange and maraschino cherry garnish or a half-finished bottle of coke, which of course we willingly gave. However, it produced a strange mixture of pleasure and guilt to invite a man asking for food to sit down with us and finish the rest of our meal. While we are happy to spend our tourist dollars here in hopes of supporting Nicaraguans, we cannot help but wonder how much of this money is actually being funneled back into the economy, infrastructure or local people’s pockets.
That being said, there are many humanitarian organizations in town who are striving to make a difference. We happened by O’Sheas Irish Bar on Wednesday where they were hosting a trivia game with all proceeds going to La Esperanza Granada. Our impromptu teammate was Mark Turner, the vice president of this benevolent organization focusing on children’s education. They are always looking for volunteers, so if you have some Spanish skills, or know someone who would be interested, please contact Mark or someone at La Esperanza for a great charitable experience.
Granada is certainly an up and coming tourist center in Central America, especially with the Nicaraguan government recently putting money and time into promoting foreign tourism. We found Granada to be a convenient base for exploring the surrounding area and also a good place to plan other trips around Nicaragua. Easy day trips to nearby volcanoes, lagoons, markets and towns are available by local bus, taxi, car or numerous tour operators. Although Granada is on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, the lakeside near town is not much of an attraction. The water is a dingy brown color, presumably due to the open fetid drainage ditch leading directly to the lake. However, we hear the water is clean around the isletas near Granada and hope our upcoming cross-lake island trip will clear up (both literally and figuratively) our perceptions of the lake. Overall, Granada is well worth a visit, especially for a peek into Nicaraguan culture, food, architecture and people while retaining many of the creature comforts most Westerners are accustomed to. We had a great time in Granada and are interested to see how this town develops and changes as tourism advances in Nicaragua.
You guys are really starting to kill me with these Gorgeous yellow buildings ! Nice shots Keep up the good work !!!
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