Day 9- Granada Tour

Today is our last day full day in Nicaragua, and it felt like a typical tourist style day.  We weren't in much of a rush to get out of San Juan Del Sur, the nice sleepy little surf town with pretty much everything you could want in it.  We started the day slowly, some slept in, some got up and had a light breakfast.  With time enough to for a morning swim, several went into the ocean and embraced the day.  By ten we packed the van and headed to Granada, one of the oldest cities in Honduras.  Two hours later we were in the city and ready for lunch! Part of the history that was told to us in the van rides days earlier was that Leon and Granada were the two rival cities for many years, with Montegue and Capulet style disruptions over the years.  To end this it was decided Managua should be created to relieve the tension.  Granada was founded in 1524 by Francisco Cordoba (also the name used for the Nicaraguan Currency) and there are many churches and old building here that attest to a long history.  Located on the edge of a large lake (50km+ wide by 80+km long) it has been raided by pirates, burned by US Marines.  It is a popular stop for tourists now and many features of the town seemed geared towards that.  After lunch, checking into the hotel, a quick swim and phone calls to our fathers on Father's Day (I reminded them all several times if they say I didn't!), we went on a horse and buggy ride through the town past all the historic and important sites.  There are several statues to historic people like Sandino and some ex-presidents, and buildings like churches, cathedrals, and large hotels. Then we finished the ride at a dock and took a boat ride onto the lake to see the wildlife and islands.  There are over 300 little islands in the lake, the result of Mt. Motombo eruption 20,000 years ago.  These are mostly populated with a variety of house from local people to summer type homes.  There are also a lot of birds and monkeys and other interesting wildlife.  After an hour tour of the lake we came back to the hotel and readied ourselves for dinner.  It is a relaxing end to our trip and helped us see the long an interesting history of Nicaragua.  Tomorrow we're off to the States again, happy for our adventures with hopefully a better understanding of ourselves, and our world.  Some are longing to come back, maybe we can get a group together again soon. - T McGuire