After 2 weeks in Granada, we move to spend 2 weeks in Leon, 2h30 drive away. Leon is a colonial city even more lively than Granada, it is here that thousands of students come to study. As usual, practical advice can be found at the end of the article. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Granada – Leon in shuttle We could have made the trip by public transportation (134 cordobas = 33 cordobas to Managua, then 71 cordobas by expreso (it is an air-conditioned bus that does not stop on the way to pick up clients, it leaves when it is full) to Leon,…

Granada is the most touristic city in Nicaragua, thanks to its beauty (incredible colonial city) and its ideal location (near several volcanoes, Lake Nicaragua). This is where we chose to spend 2 weeks between work and learning Spanish. Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Granada is really the type of city you visit in a single day and regret not staying overnight. So I’m thrilled to stay there for 2 weeks. Central square The microbus from Managua drops us off right in front of this beautiful central square. Like all colonial cities in Nicaragua, the central square consists of a beautiful church (or cathedral)…

A small article to tell you about our first days in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. We left Panama City where we spent 2.5 days. At the check-in, we were not asked for an exit ticket, but the yellow fever vaccine booklet(fiebre amarilla). Fortunately we have it (done in 2016 before the departure of the round-the-world tour). When we arrive in Managua, someone checks us with a machine to see if we have a fever or not. The yellow fever(fiebre amarilla) vaccination booklet is requested when we leave the plane (this is because we come from one of the countries affected by this disease). We pass in front of immigration,…

This weekend, to our great delight, Lauriane, an expert on Central America and theorganization of trips for the mentally and physically handicapped – came to visit us in Leon. As a reminder, we got to know each other through a Facebook travel group (when I was looking for information about Nicaragua) and the trend went well right away. She proposes us to accompany her to Los Brasiles (where she spent three months in a turtle conservation association) and to Las Peñitas, the famous beach at only 1 hour from Leon. As usual, practical advice is at the end of the article. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1:…

With San Juan del Sur, Granada and Leon, the island of Ometepe is an essential stop in Nicaragua. The idea of spending 3 days on an island – located in the middle of a huge lake – with two volcanoes (one of which is active) is particularly appealing. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary How to get to Ometepe from Granada I will write a full article but to summarize, there are two methods: The 1st method called “lazy” consists of paying a tourist shuttle to the ferry in San Jorge (15$/person) and from the port, take the first ferry that goes to Ometepe (50…

Today we have an appointment with David, a French speaking Nicaraguan guide highly recommended by Lauriane to visit the surroundings of Granada & Masaya. We enjoyed every minute we spent with him. I tell you about our little adventure in details. Part 1: Travel Diary Part2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Paradiso Hotel near the Apoyo Lagoon David comes to pick us up in 4×4 around 8:45 am to bring us to the Apoyo lagoon. It is the only lagoon in the surroundings where the water is pure and one can bathe without fear. The others (from Masaya and Managua) are very polluted. We stop at Paradiso Hostel (link…

Since my Spanish learning week in Sucre, Bolivia 2 years ago, I have not taken any Spanish classes. Only courses via the applications I told you about here As a result, progress depends only on me. With my nomadic digital activities (to earn a living), Spanish is… how can I put it, my n-th priority. I realized that I had lost a lot of vocabulary and that my oral comprehension was catastrophic, in spite of our stay, after the first world tour, in Seville and Colombia. I inquired about Spanish courses in Colombia and the prices discouraged me (12$/hour – private course). But in Granada (Nicaragua) where we are currently,…