Granada and the Masaya Region

Last week as we were driving the dirt road to La Vista, we noticed that the hillsides had become spotted with golden trees.  A very special occasion indeed, the Cortez had bloomed, marking the start of the rainy season.  For two days, the landscape was abundantly bound with bright yellow flowers that would drop to the ground and become food for hungry iguanas.  I got a chance to snap a couple of photos but before we knew it, the gold was gone.  Cortez only flower once a year and now their delicate petals are shed, leaving only their barren branches again.  Until next year pretty trees ....

As car names randomly come about, so did Lady Gray's.  She's running better than ever after discovering that  she'd been firing on only two cylinders for over a week.  We couldn't figure out why all of sudden, she had lost much of her power.  That is, until Ian popped the hood and realized that two of the cords that connect to the spark plugs had rattled loose.  It was an easy fix and she's as good as new.  So, we decided to take her on the road again.  On Thursday, we headed to Granada, the colonial gem of Nicaragua.  Twice, we effortlessly passed by the national police and only once did we have to pull over because of a strange noise coming from the front right tire.  (another easy fix)  We arrived at lunchtime and dined at a mediocre establishment recommended by the Lonely Planet called Tercer Ojos that as Ian so eloquently put it, "was a jack of everything, but a master of nothing."  It should be a dead giveaway when someone offers Thai, Mediterranean, sushi, and pasta on the same menu.  Do one thing and do it well.  The sweet and sour chicken was okay but small, and the beef salad was just silly.  They dressed it with about two hundred whole peppercorns.  Who does that?  Anyways, after lunch we checked into a nice non-profit hospedaje called Hotel Con Corazon where our fuzzy little mutts were also welcome.  They have a lovely pool and we spent some time relaxing and drinking beers while trying to keep Puna out of their fern flowerbeds.  The remainder of the afternoon, we poked around the city which, reminded me so much of Salta, Argentina.  The square center was lined with restaurant patios and the middle was filled with artisan markets.  At sunset, Ian, myself and the dogs were escorted around the city in a horse-drawn carriage by a fine gentlemen named Mauricio.  We skirted the perimeter of Lago de Nicaragua and had a beer on the Puerto Asese.  We indulged in two dinners and a couple of cocktails after sunset, then headed back to the room, to find that our ceiling had incurred a fairly substantial leak from the room above it.  A quick switch resulted in an upgrade.  The new room's bed had four pillows instead of two.  Score.  In the morning, we cashed in on our free hotel breakfast which was by far, the finest desayuno we have had in Nicaragua yet.  Proper coffee, fresh squeezed juice, warm wheat bread from scratch, homemade chunky peanut butter, fresh jam, whipped butter, granola and milk, a fresh fruit plate, gallo pinto and huevos revueltos.  Seriously.  I wanted to put the rest of the peanut butter in my bag.  Four stars for Hotel Con Corazon.  After breakfast, we decided that we'd had enough of city life for this trip and were itching to see a little bit of nature and check out some of the locally-made furniture in the Masaya state, just north of Granada.  On the way out, we stopped at La Colonial, which has a fancy grocery store and appliance shop.  I finally found azucar glass (powdered sugar) and scored a fairly expensive bottle of oyster sauce for fried rice and other Asian delights.  We also got a peeler and a couple more ice cube trays which we're very excited about too.  

 

The Masaya region teems with lush, green plant life.  Butt up against two huge volcanoes, every little town has a unique facet.  Catarina offers incredible views of Lago de Apoyo and Lago de Nicaragua with Volcan Marumbacha off to the right.  This town is also known for its viveros which is the equivalent to a nursery.  Every flower, tree and herb under the sun is available for purchase at very minimal prices.  It's amazing how much life the vivid color of flowers provides against the mudded sides of homes.  This little town is simply stunning.  We bought our first plants here and got a chance to put them in the ground of our casita today.  After Catarina, we drove to Masatepe where Ian heard you can get good deals on locally made furniture.  He heard right.  You can get a beautiful wooden living room set for $250.  We'll be back when the casita is complete.  After Masatepe we decided to go back in the direction of home.  We needed to pick up some groceries in Rivas which we vowed never to do on a Friday afternoon ever again.  The grocery store was a mad house.  Quite the buzz kill after a pleasant afternoon in the country.

  

So, we're back home now.  Puna rolled in fresh cow crap this morning and we surfed Panga Drops after some coffee.  It's about time for Happy Hour, so I'm signing off.  Life as usual, here in Gigante.