Nicaragua

Since my border crossing was so easy I still had a full day in front of me to enjoy Nicaragua. I had planned on stopping at Cerro Negro Volcano and checking out the activities there. Apparently you can snowboard down the black ash on the side of the volcano. The sun was shining and the roads in Nicaragua are great so I decided to just ride without stopping for sightseeing. My maps were stolen back in Guatemala, the gas stations don’t sell maps and I don’t use a GPS so I just decided to ride down roads that seemed interesting.

One of the best things about driving in Central America is that people don’t get upset when you use the motorcycle to your advantage in traffic. Lane splitting, passing on the right, using the sidewalk are all considered normal, people actually look at you funny when you DON’T take advantage of your motorcycles capabilities and just sit there in traffic. After a fun day of riding I reached Managua, it was still early so I explored the city. Managua is a small city and relativity easy to navigate around (even without a map), its clean and the people are friendly. Finding a hotel was a bit more of a challenge than I thought, there was a Holiday Inn, Hilton and Best Western but they were all out of my price range. I eventually found a place that was better priced but still outside my budget. The staff was friendly and helpful, they had secured parking (which is important to me) and finally I had a map of Nicarauga.

In the morning and after a few suggestions for locals I made my way to the colonial town of Granada. Once I arrived in Granada it felt like I stepped back in time, old colonial style building lined the streets, horse and carts were still being used and some of the streets were cobblestone. I stopped at a tour company near the town center to get help finding a hotel with secure parking.  Hotel La Posada Del Sol had everything I needed, affordability, clean rooms, wifi, a giant pool and parking. The secure parking was located right in the hotel lobby; they put a ramp down for me and I drove my bike through the hotel to the far end of the lobby. This seemed normal and they were excited to have a big motorcycle where the armchair normally went. I think I will like it here.

Links

Cerro Negro Volcano http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Negro  

Hotel La Posada Del Sol www.laposadadelsol.com.ni ask for Lucia.