Greetings from Casa del Agua Granada

Hi all,
Hasi is definitely on the mend, as we have just returned to our room for the night and it is after 8.30pm!
We had to move from our accommodation we stayed in last night, as they were fully booked for tonight. It didn't bother me too much as I thought the room was hot, and the bathroom had no ventilation and was very dark, but it's always a hassle looking for accommodation I reckon.
Do you take the first you find, because it's hot and you can't be arsed, or do you keep looking.
I think we had looked at 3 others, when we got to this one. As soon as Hasi saw the upstairs room with balcony, he said yes. The others had been a bit too cell like, where as this is open and light.
Anyway we have truly found the creme de la creme of Granada, the Casa del Agua, the house of water.
It is an amazing old hacienda, with 2  swimming pools in two different courtyards.
We look down from our balcony to the pool and open kitchen.
It is hot and humid here, so is wonderful to come home and jump into the pools.
It is owned by an Irish guy, Gerry, who bought the place in 2010. He is from a small town called Gorey, in the south east of Ireland. He left Ireland in 2009, when hard economic times hit and he was made redundant.
He has done quite a bit to the original hacienda, adding rooms, pools and fences.
He is a very warm and happy guy, and it's always lovely to hear the Irish accent!
We spent the day, strolling around town. The architecture is amazing and of course the buildings so colourful.
Hasi went to the barber for a haircut and shave. His hair is shorter than ever, and his face as smooth as a baby's bottom, as they say. The barber also trimmed his eyebrows, which are usually like a mad scientists, and trimmed hair also from his ears and nose.
I sat and watched and took photos. Great old barber shop!
It's quite a big city of 100,000, and I'm sure most of the population were at the market this morning.
I checked out the second hand shop today. I think most of the people there were quite surprised to see a tourist in there. I came out empty handed, but of course loved rummaging round.
So that today's update.
Love to all,
Zak

Greetings from Granada

Hi all,
I was up, showered and packed ready for the 7am bus, however just couldn't bring myself to waking Hasi, who was sleeping so soundly.
However we were on the 8am bus to Moyagawlpa, where we caught the ferry back to the mainland.
We travelled further north round the lake to Granada, an old colonial town, with some amazing architecture.
We had also read it had 'a vibrant nightlife', but we think that may be a myth, as was the volcanoes, as we have roamed the downtown area, and are already back at our hotel at 8pm!
Im a little pissed anyway, as I had 2 beers this evening, which is the most alcohol I have drunk in quite a while.
There seems to be a massive second hand clothes shop just down the street. I'm not sure if I was dreaming, and will check it out properly tomorrow. Not that I  need more stuff in my pack, but I am very curious.
I remember from last time we were in Central America, they get loads of clothes from America, and are cheap as chips to buy. Very exciting!
The accommodation tonight is complete luxury, compared to the last few nights, so time to hit the sack, pink and black linen!
I read that it's been pretty hot over there. Keep up the fluids and whack the aircon on!
Hope alls well
Love to all,
Zak

Greetings from Altagracia, Isle de Ometepe

Hi all,
Like lots of things in life, travel doesn't always turn out quite as you imagined it would.
This is the case for us on the Isle of Ometepe.
This place was one of the highlights that Hasi had been looking forward to.
Beaches round the lake, where you can swim while watching the volcanoes, swinging in the hammock by the lakeside, cycling through the villages in the sunshine.
Except none of this has eventuated.
We left our cell this morning and caught the local bus to the next town, Altagracia.
We thought this might be a bit more interesting.
This is a rural island, where main crops seem to be bananas, papayas, tobacco. There are pigs and chickens roaming the streets of town, Cowboys on their horses and horse drawn wagons.
The people are poor.
Hasi says it's depressing here.
Unfortunately the weather is not on our side, and after an overcast morning wondering round the town, it poured raining all afternoon. We have now decided there are no volcanoes in Nicaragua,it's a myth.
So tomorrow we will leave the isle and continue on our travels.
We hope the sun is out at our next destination.
Tonight we are staying in another cement cell, just a bit bigger and cleaner than the one last night, and Hasi reminds me, it's half the price of what we paid last night.
Nicaragua is not as cheap as we had expected.
I think we are getting old and unable to cope as well as we did when we were younger! Cement cells would not have phased us, this is the way people live here, so why should we expect anything else?
Having said that I am sending the email crew a photo of the "view" we have from our verandah. It really is pretty bad. Also one of our room here.
Anyway, that's travel, you never know what's around the corner.
So again we should be in bed by 8pm by the looks of it, so we can get up,and on our way, first thing in the morning.
So that's our lot,
Love to all, Zak

Greetings from Ometepe

Hi all,
So today we left San Juan, and travelled  a bit north and west to Ometepe.
This is an island in Lake Nicaragua made up of two volcanoes with an isthmus joining the two.
The lake is the biggest in Central America, and the crossing took an hour.
We had an idea of where we wanted to stay, but when we got there it was not at all what we expected,  and we moved on.
The next little village we came to had one home stay, which wasn't great either, but as it was pouring rain, and we decided to stay for tonight and explore further tomorrow.
The room is a bit like a cement cell, and could do with a fresh coat of paint and  a bit of character.
Anyway, it's clean enough for the night, but we will be up and out early morning.
I will email you a photo of the island, taken as we were approaching.
Thats it for now
Love to all, Zak

Greetings from San Juan

Hi all,
What's really amazing about travelling, is even when you are not doing much, there is so much that you are seeing and experiencing.
Breakfast at the market, watching the local vendors organising and selling their wares.
Over to the church, where there was a funeral.
Back at the church later, there was a wedding,
Down at the beach, a massive cruise ship had anchored off shore, and a few thousand people came in to town for the day. I chatted with a couple from Vancover who were doing the 17 day cruise from Los Angeles to Brazil.
Then a guy sat beside me who was selling CDs of Nicaraguan music. While he was on the phone the wind swept through and all his CDs went flying. I ran all over the place chasing them and retrieving them for him, which he was very happy about.
I walked the beach a few times in the late afternoon and watched the most brilliant sunset, and the bride, who we had seen earlier in the day, was now on the beach for photos.
Local life all there right before my eyes. Wonderful.
Hasi thinks he,s up for some travelling tomorrow, so we will leave this cosy town, which I have loved.
Hopefully there is wifi, where we go next, so I can keep you posted on out travels.
Time to pack, so we can make an early start in the morning.
Love to all,
Zak

P.S. Check emails for photos of town.

Greetings from San Juan Del Sur

Hi all,
Well we are still hanging out in this colourful little town of San Juan.
Today we found a doctor for Hasi. He was very thorough, listening to his chest and asking heaps of questions.
He asked if I was a doctor, as I seemed to know everything he was talking about.
He says it's a viral infection of his sinuses and throat. Chest seems to be clear.
Prescribed him a few different potions,  and told Hasi to rest, drink lots of fluid, and swim in the sea, before 3pm, due to the temperature dropping after this.
Basically what I had been telling him for the past 2 weeks, but hopefully with correct medications, it might help.
Starting to drive Hasi crazy with frustration. I'm being the calm, supportive wife, as always!!
Hasi thought about moving on tomorrow but I have said no to this. We will spend at least another day here.
This afternoon I spent ages on the beach trying to take photos of birds. It really was quite ridiculous, but I was determined to be patient, and some may look OK on the big screen.
Walking and swimming, taking photos, that was my day, while Hasi basically rested in bed.
Hope things improve tomorrow.
Love to all,
Zak

Greetings from San Juan Del Sur

Hi all,
In the court yard of the hostel and listening to two guys, from France and Sweden talk about all their travels. The Swedish guy is raving about Australia, particularly Cairns and far North Queensland. Lovely to listen to them.
Today was slow and restful. I laid in a hammock and read a book by Janet Frame called A State of Siege. Pretty weird, and The ending was bizarre. I need to talk to someone who has read it!
It was a wonderful day for walking, as it was overcast and milder in temperature than it has been, n the last few days here.
I walked around the beach and over the rocks to the headland, which was great.
MoreMaria celebrations this evening with the young people of the community having a procession through town, carried a big wooden float on their shoulders of Mary. It must have been pretty heavy as, the 10 guys had to rotate with others to carry it through town, and poor Maria was rocking round quite a bit.
Luckily no imaging, DJs or big band, and minimal explosions!
We will stay here at least another day, while Hasi is recuperating.
Great beer here, Victoria Maestro, a fine tasting beer.
Also they make a rum called Floro de Cano, which is quite smooth.
Was thinking of Marty with his interview today.
That's all for now,
Love Zak