Granada

 

For once, I was relieved it was a travel day today because it meant I could sit down and not move my legs! After saying goodbye to our lovely Homestay family, we drove to the port and caught the ferry back to the mainland without any waiting around this time, and then it was a couple of hours max on another bus to our hotel in Granada. I thought we were travelling to Granada on public "chicken" buses, but it wasn't the case (more relief).
We arrived around lunchtime and freshened up, before taking an orientation walk around the oldest city in Central America with Rafa our tour leader. 

 

 

After wandering around the Central Plaza area, we settled on a place for lunch selling local food. We ordered Nacatamal - a mixture of pork (I think) still on the bone, with Yuca, plantain and some green beans, maybe onion too all inside a doughy wrap. Well, what the heck, it was only 2 USD and the remains were picked up by the street kids, who linger. I felt sad about that, but glad I could provide them with a meal. It was so hot and humid, I barely touched mine.

 

We spent the evening having an impromptu boozy pool party back at the hotel. Actually, this is where I got to know more of our group. A round of 12 beers = 19 dollars = result! Add some bright green melon liquer shots = messy!

We were spending the next two nights here - Hotel Los Chilamates. Great pool area with a waterfall they light up at night. Mango trees dropping their fruits around you. Yum! Good sized rooms and hot showers. TVs and air con. The pool bar was the only restaurant because we were just a 15 minute walk from the Plaza, but it served up some nice bar food. The breakfast was excellent at 5 dollars and 25 cents. Yes, I had to randomly pay the 25 cents once the chap had made the conversion from Cordoba. It was no problem; I had a bag of American change - just weird. Free WiFi around the pool area and another WiFi spot at Reception.