This place is a little slice of heaven. In many ways, it reminds of us what the Algarve must have been like in the 1970's. San Juan del Sur is a surfers' paradise (consequently, we are probably the oldest people in the town), with the smallish town built around a bay. The only thing between our hotel and the ocean is our favorite bar. No DWI's for us! Last night we had a lobster dinner...so good and so cheap!
Tomorrow we expect to cross the border into Costa Rica, and then head south towards Liberia and the Nicoya Penninsula. We expect to spend the weekend there, and then head for San Jose (the capital of Costa Rica) because TwoBaby has to have specific papers, verified by the Panamaian Embassy, in order to cross into Panama legally. Everyone advises us to forget about the papers, and bribe our way across the border. Our decision still hasn't been finalized. We'll see how we feel next week. In Costa Rica, we hope to visit Pete and Mary Jo's place (although they aren't there, and Pete just reported that the river is not passable in our van). Lots of adventures ahead of us!
Before we came to San Juan del Sur, we spent a day in Granada. What a fabulous place! It is picturesque, it is clean, has lots of history and is very easy to get around. We took an hour-long buggy ride around the town, with our driver doubling as a tour guide. And didn't you want to know that there are 12 Catholic churches in Granada? We would be happy to return to Granada, particularly if the baseball championships were going on!
Granada is on Lake Nicaragua, which is HUGE! This lake is part of the passageway for the proposed canal project to link the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We had heard rumors that the Japanese were funding this project, but those could be just rumors.
Speaking of funding....as one drives around, particularly on the miserable back roads, you see lots of billboards which credit various countries for funding to fix the roads. Countries so far are Japan, Denmark, Holland and the EU itself. And this is funny...on the potholed back roads, you will come across kids with shovels. They are filling in the potholes, and as you drive near them, the kids are pointing to the pothole they just filled. Of course, some money is expected.
Contrary to several guidebooks, the beer through Central America has been great. Tommy likes wine with dinner, and that has been mainly from Chile, and a few times, from Argentina. The food hasn't been that terrific except for special dinners like last night. But here in Nicaragua there are these little treats called rostillas, which are corn bread rings. Some of them are plain and some have cinnamon, and they all are delicious!
We have been surprised by the great differences among the countries, and how the changes are immediate rather than gradual. There is no place like Guatemala, with the colorful weavings and crafts. The people in Nicaragua have been the friendliest so far. The scenery changes dramatically every thirty miles or so.
So, tomorrow...onto to Costa Rica!
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