G Town What What

I have no idea what that means but I am determined to give the people what they want - more blog!!! Yes I know you are just as excited to read this as I am to write it but I must stick to my mission objective which clearly stated that I would write about any and all significant, and, as it were insignificant events. JK this is all really good stuff.

Riding back from the big fiesta the next day on the 9am ferry we were all wiped out but managed to gain strength through a well cooked breakfast of French toast (don't think the French would do it this way) and instant coffee. Of course I am only used to instant coffee at this point and of all things I do still have a jar of Nescafe in my sack. Never know when you will need a good caffeine rush. So the ferry was nice this time as compared to last where we were being splashed with waves in the bottom of a dirty old boat. Felt like it was a school bus mixed with a slave ship where there happened to be people selling cokes. The first time I felt water running over my foot I thought we were gonners for sure but I came to realize this was common and holes in the boat are really no problem. But, comparably, this new ferry was the bomb. Two TV's, a snack bar, and a rooftop terrace. Those fools up there ended up getting soaked though when the rain came. So with the rain we decided to get a cab after we got back to San Jorge up to Grenada (the g town previously mentioned). This was another tough decision, since they all seem to be these days. We wanted to take the bus but this cabbie said there were no Sunday buses so we believed him since it was raining and he would take us for $18 for a 90k drive. Wouldn't get a deal like that in NYC or Atl for that matter.

Upon arriving in Grenada we didn't know where to stay so we got dropped off at a random corner near a hostel that ended up being closed. We eventually found one called La Siesta that we had heard about and it is quite nice. The French-Nicaraguan couple just opened it 2 months ago and are quite friendly and even eager to try using English for my sake. Remember anything possibly in Spanish I am either making up or interpreting to the best of my ability. We move in this place and alls well and we go hit the town looking for some almuerzo. We are told of the local town specialty and head to the central park to get some. We try to find the northwest corner but have no idea since none of us brought a compass so we just go the closest one. The dish is fried pork skin (pork rinds) on top of vinegary cassava (like Fiji) with shredded cabbage on top and served in the leaves of the cassava (yucca here). Good stuff but even better is the cacao con leche or a kind of chocolate milk thing but really good and fresh and heavenly. After lunch we laze around a bit reading, sit in the park and try the rum raisin ice cream, try to climb to the bell tower of a cathedral during mass, and basically just chill. Had a cerveza at the nicest place in town and headed to backpacker land at the Bearded Monkey for dinner. Got a bottle of the Flor and hit the sack.

Woke up and after much debate decided to stay here for the day and go kayaking on lago de Nicaragua. We only have about 2 weeks to make it to Acapulco and about 10 places we want to see, could be strapped for time to say the least. Anyway, we end up staying and go to the kayaking place to rent them and haggle another Manuel down to $60 for all 3 of us for a 3 hour guided tour. Blows the daily budget outta the water but what can you do? Just have to splash out sometimes. The tour was through this string of over 300 islands just off the coast of the lake near Grenada. We wind through narrow passages in the waterways and deal with big waves on the high seas. Was sweet as and even encountered an island (about 1000 sqft) run by monkeys. There were quite a few and apparently got there through no fault of their own but were now trapped. I have a fear of monkeys, or at least don't like the buggers, and was told that if you get too close they will jump out of the trees on you and start biting you. No good. Stay away. Had a drink at a restaurant out there which actually had a diving board that was a wooden board and the springs of a car I think. Quite ingenious I say. The paddling got tough but since I acquired the nickname 'the rock' from the cab driver on the way over I couldn't let my fatigue show. Steve is obviously 'el bufalo' and Ashley 'the spice'. I think all these names are quite appropriate. The tour ended with a Spanish fort from the 1500s which protected Grenada from alligators or something. Actually this is the only lake in the world with fresh water sharks so it might have been sharks that they needed the cannons for. These mischievous sharks made their way up a river from the Caribbean that later got cut off and they have adapted to the fresh water. Hmm neato. They live really deep and are scared of people now though because the Japanese fished them all for sushi or something so I didn't see one. Grenada is the picturesque Spanish colony from the 1500s reminiscent of New Orleans with a lot more color and people that you don't understand. Pretty sweet place to see some history and how it has survived but we are off for the highlands and hopefully some cooler weather, and less sweat, for awhile.