First glimpses

My first view of Nicaragua

A closer view...it looked like a colorful patchwork quilt!

I just arrived in Nicaragua about five hours ago. After catching a red eye from JFK to Miami and then going from Miami to Nicaragua, I glimpsed my first views of the country that I would be spending the next eight weeks in. We covered quite a swath of land before landing, and I saw absolutely nothing but fields and trees and the occasional hut. This was particularly confusing since my ticket told me that I would be landing in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. There weren't even buildings, let alone enough people to constitute a city. It turns out we were on the outskirts of Managua, but right outside the airport was  scene of relative hustle and bustle. Our driver, Miguel, was busily fastening our huge mound of luggage to the top of a deceptively large van, in to which we all piled for the hour drive to Granada. The humidity, though it struck me immediately, is not that bad and a pall is beginning to set as I type, most likely an indicator of the brief, sporadic rains that are typical right now in Nicaragua. After arriving at our hostel (Hostel Mochila) and settling down into our modest rooms, we were allowed about two hours to wander Granada on foot. The city alternates between squalor and splendor. Our hostel is located on a narrow brick street frequented by aggressive bikers and curious locals, but altogether it is very clean. As one wanders nearer to Lake Nicaragua, the biggest freshwater lake in Central America, the streets get wider, dirtier and more torn up. Yet between the lake front and our hostel is a downtown area, replete with impressive restaurants, spas, stores and boutiques, street vendors, and even a hidden art gallery.