Day 2: Chicago O'Hare Airport
It was about 6 hours of flying time to Managua from Chicago (3 to Miami and another 3 to Managua). So I had to find something new to do in the airport. Shockingly, I found this pretty entertaining: a "computer wall" where you could check the news, sports and weather (92 degrees farenheit, 33 degrees Celsius in Nicaragua).
Day 3: Managua
This rather haunting but gorgeous church was literally just a shell. Its frame is made of metal and, therefore, withstood the earthquake of 1972, but it has yet to be restored.
I never did figure out what this was called, but I found it in the pastry section of a grocery store. It tasted like a combination of sugary-bread and cake. Quite good!
Day 4-8: Granada
I, of course, had to try the rum and other local adult beverages:
Macua- "national drink" of Nicaragua (according to lonely planet) made of rum, guava and lemon juices. Yum!
Tona- Nicaraguan lager. Good with something salty like tostones. (see below)
Fried plantains placed beneath a very salty block of cheese. The cheese tasted a bit too much like salt water for me, but nonetheless, I was quite happy with this vegetarian option (which are few and far between).
Laguna de apoyo was created when a volcano imploded then filled with subterranean water and rain over 20,000 years, resulting in one of the freshest lakes in Nicaragua.
Being introduced to the staple food of Nicaragua: Gallo Pinto (black beans and rice). I loved it!
I have never been kayaking so this 3 1/2 hour tour of las isletas (small islands) just off the coast of Granada in Lake Nicaragua was a perfect first trip.
We saw only a few of the 360 small-to-tiny islands, one of which is called La isla de los monos: Monkey Island! 8 spider and/or white-faced monkeys live here apparently thanks to an eccentric island owner who once had them as pets.
Trying a type of local fish, corvina, and yuca- cassava root that tastes surprisingly like mashed potatoes. Like almost all the food we tried, it was fantastic!
Yes, we did go to a circus, complete with contortionist, clowns, jugglers and a Michael Jackson impersonator (not traditionally incorporated in circuses from my youth, but a surprisingly good fit).
We also witnessed a procession for San Bosco, lounged in hammocks at cafes, gawked at an intense red and pink sunset from a church bell tower, made the acquaintance of a cat named chicken and stayed in the loveliest guesthouse I have ever been to. But this is all for another day and another posting.
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