To the Mouth of Hell

After departing Comayagua and crossing into Nicaragua, we drove on to Granada. Granada is a colonial town in the same vein as Antigua in Guatemala. After settling in our hotel, we were taken on a walking tour of the town past a number of churches to the main square. One church, La Merced, had a particularly interesting look as it sustained damage from a fire that swept through the city during the civil war in the 1850s.

That night we went for dinner in Calle La Calzada which runs from Parque Central and features a lot of restaurants and bars with outdoor seating. From here we were treated to some street performers from fire twirlers to an impressive group of youth breakdancers that captured the attention of the whole street. We also visited The Garden Cafe a few blocks away which serve some fantastic local craft beer, possibly the best beer I had in all of Central America.

Streets of Granada

The next day, we went on a day trip to explore the surrounds of Granada. Our first port of call was Masaya Volcano National Park. After visiting the visitor centre and learning a little about the history, geology and fauna of the park, we made our way to the mouth of the volcano. The volcano crater was engulfed in steam, actually sulfur dioxide which meant you couldn't see into the crater giving the place an ominous atmosphere. Adding to that feel, Masaya Volcano has been dubbed the "Mouth of Hell" due to the past belief that it was indeed an entry to the underworld. It was this fear that led early Christian conquerors to raise a cross on the hill overlooking the crater and to this day a cross still stands.

The Mouth of Hell, Masaya Volcano

After wandering the park for a little longer, we drove down and headed into the town of Masaya to visit the artisan market and have lunch. From there, we made our way to the shores of Laguna de Apoyo. Here we spent the afternoon swimming, kayaking and drinking out on a floating pontoon to our hearts content. Such a relaxing and fun way to pass time.

Paddleboarding on Lake Apoyo

Eventually, we were dragged from the water to meet up with the rest of the group to make our way to Lake Nicaragua for a boat ride to visit Monkey Island and its residents. After seeing so many monkeys that day and in previous weeks, the novelty of this activity was somewhat dampened, but still can't complain about a boat ride out on Lake Nicaragua.