SeaDana: Granada, Nicaragua

We had dinner at our new friend Mario's house on the outskirts of Granada, which was great! Mario lives in a very humble area, none of the houses were made of cinderblock or concrete - all wood, zinc, etc. No running water, it was from buckets and drums. Mario's fiance and her family were embarrassed and kept hiding from us - it was so sad! We were only about 15 minutes away from Granada, up the mountain of Mombacho (old volcano), but apparently we were the first foreigners to ever come to their neighborhood! That's why everyone was acting so funny. But of course, I talk a lot, and tried to get people to come out and eventually they did. So, by the end I was friendly with everyone and they were having me taking pictures of their family! Mario wasn't embarrassed and ate dinner with us (his fiance finally joined us halfway through) so we had a good time the whole time. The fish was really really good - fresh tilapia from the lake - Marisela's father is a fisherman. Of course it was served whole, but I did a good job and picked it clean! Aimee was even surprised I picked it so clean and said she was impressed! They gave us so much food!! Also, they mainly eat with their hands. At first they gave us utensils, and Mario had them too, but then he said, "It's a lot easier if you just use your hands" so we did! His fiance, Marisela, was too shy to eat with her hands though (Mario said she was embarassed). I think Aimee had a good time, she said it was the best food we'd had so far, and I agree. She was a little shy and uncomfortable that they were uncomfortable (except for Mario who was just happy to have us there). She ate all her food too. This was her first time in real poverty, and I'm going to talk with her tomorrow about her impressions. Even though it was such a poor area, we felt safe the whole time. After dinner, Mario took us to his mother's house a few houses down the block to meet his family (he lives with his fiance's family) and they were just as sweet! Not as shy though. The little kids do a similar greeting as in Takaungu Village, where they come up to you with their hands together and you put one hand over theirs. So cute!

From Nicaragua Sisters Trip August 2008

OK, I guess I should try to get back to bed... we're going to Masaya tomorrow and meeting up with Francisco. Then we're coming back here to Granada on Saturday for the big festival here. We're planning to leave for the Corn Islands Monday night (overnight bus from Managua to El Rama), take the river panga to the coast at Bluefields Tues AM, stay in Bluefields for a night, then take the weekly ferry to Corn Islands from Bluefields Wednesday AM. (it'll be quite an adventurous journey, but save money!) We're going to buy one-way plane tickets back from the Corn Islands for next Sunday or Monday, which should give us about 4-5 days at the islands.

Pictures from Kayaking in Lake Nicargua with Mario: