We stayed at a guest house instead of a hotel, hoping that it would be a more conducive environment for the boys. The guest house was very nice and mostly empty, which was great. There was a small pool and breakfast made fresh every morning.
The first day we went to the lake, and were hoping to go for a swim, but the beach was very dirty and disgusting, so we opted for the numerous kids parks nearby. On our way back from the beach we spent some time on the scenic route due to a navigational error (or as Pooh would say, a long explore). Then we took a walk down the main street, with all it’s restaurants and brightly colored shops, and ate supper at an intriguing Italian place, which once again, we had all to ourselves. The waiter, like most Nicaraguans, enjoyed our boys and was thoughtful enough to introduce a wooden horse and chair for them to play on so mommy could eat her meal.
After supper we returned to our rooms and went to bed, only to be awakened around 10 pm by the security guard (which is never a good thing). He announced that some kids had broken out a window in our Jeep, which was parked on the street after our host insisted it was perfectly safe to park there. The guard had scared the kids off, fortunately, so the only damage done was the back window. We then parked our Jeep in the garage around the corner for the remaining of the trip.
Here is shown the window that they broke.
The next day we went on a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city, complete with complete historical details given by the driver. He was a jolly fellow and after the circuit was willing to take us anywhere we wanted (I think the drizzling rain helped this along).
The day ended with us getting take-out from a Mexican restaurant, only to be stranded in complete darkness on our way back to the guesthouse. Being somewhat used to black-outs here in Nicaragua, we had brought a flashlight, but had left it back in our room. So we stumbled our way back to the guesthouse and ate our dinner by candlelight, next to the pool.
The next morning we had lunch at a waffle house, where they make the best pecan waffles ever!
Across the street is the very old Franciscan convent, build in the early 1500's.
Overall, it was a tiring trip, as most vacations with kids tend to be, but being a history lover, I really enjoyed seeing all the old churches/convents/prisons and getting a tour of the city. Next time, I plan to bring a babysitter!
Below is a picture of the cathedral Guadalupe. You would never believe how beautiful the inside of the church is...the driver of the carriage told us the Nicaraguans refuse to renovate the outside, however. Who knows why?
Below is the old hospital....rumors are someone plans to turn it into a 5 star hotel.
The sign above is located on the wall of the church, seen below. It says, the Xalteva church was reconstructed after the 1890 earthquake, and finished reconstruction in 1895.
And below is the best place to stay, according to our carriage driver, complete with chocolate shop. The Hotel Dario.
No comments:
Post a Comment