Rivas—Granada—Masaya Volcano and Market
Today we woke up in the Port of San Juan del Sur, an amazing place that shows the evidence of tectonic plate activity on the rugged stratas exposed by the coastal line. As we drove up north we arrived in the quaint town of Rivas where we had the opportunity of having a close look at the Nicaraguan’s daily life. We had a lot of fun traveling on the local taxis called “pepanos” (modified bicycles with a double seat in the front for two passengers and a driver in the back). We visited the market as well as the church of Saint Peter, a mixture of Neoclassical and Baroque architecture with a silver altar. This church was built at the end of the colonial period. Perhaps the most remarkable detail of this church is the frescoe inside its dome. It shows an apocalyptic representation of the end of time, depicting the collapse of communism, nazism, Protestantism, secularism and frank-masons… a real insight into the mentality of the Nicaraguans during the cold war. From Rivas we proceeded to Granada, longtime bastion of the Conservative Party of Nicaragua and a real neoclassic architectural gem. In 1856 the filibuster William Walker burned down this strategic city developed on the shore of Lake of Nicaragua, once his dream of conquering the five nations of Central America had failed. The beautiful blue church of San Francisco survives in one the oldest cities of Latin America, despite the destructive ambition of tyrants.
Once we finished our visit to this captivating place we went for lunch to a typical restaurant where we had “caballo bayo,” a culinary Nicaraguan banquette that offered several choices of the local food, from tortillas to plantains, avocado, pico de gallo (a delicious dressing based on tomatoes, red pepper, onions and lime juice)—one of the best meals I have ever had!
Immediately after lunch we drove to Masaya Volcano, one of the few craters in the world with a molten lava lake. At the top we were able to look around and see the effects of a lava flow which came from San Fernando Volcano nearby, which covered about 9 1/2 miles. Masaya Volcano, originally called “Popogatepe” meaning “mountain of fire” is a strato volcano. It is the result of explosive eruptions that over time have formed several craters. These in turn have changed the shape of the ancient huge cauldron, itself the result of a massive explosion which occurred about 6553 years ago. There we finished our busy amazing day. It was definitely worth it!
Today we woke up in the Port of San Juan del Sur, an amazing place that shows the evidence of tectonic plate activity on the rugged stratas exposed by the coastal line. As we drove up north we arrived in the quaint town of Rivas where we had the opportunity of having a close look at the Nicaraguan’s daily life. We had a lot of fun traveling on the local taxis called “pepanos” (modified bicycles with a double seat in the front for two passengers and a driver in the back). We visited the market as well as the church of Saint Peter, a mixture of Neoclassical and Baroque architecture with a silver altar. This church was built at the end of the colonial period. Perhaps the most remarkable detail of this church is the frescoe inside its dome. It shows an apocalyptic representation of the end of time, depicting the collapse of communism, nazism, Protestantism, secularism and frank-masons… a real insight into the mentality of the Nicaraguans during the cold war. From Rivas we proceeded to Granada, longtime bastion of the Conservative Party of Nicaragua and a real neoclassic architectural gem. In 1856 the filibuster William Walker burned down this strategic city developed on the shore of Lake of Nicaragua, once his dream of conquering the five nations of Central America had failed. The beautiful blue church of San Francisco survives in one the oldest cities of Latin America, despite the destructive ambition of tyrants.
Once we finished our visit to this captivating place we went for lunch to a typical restaurant where we had “caballo bayo,” a culinary Nicaraguan banquette that offered several choices of the local food, from tortillas to plantains, avocado, pico de gallo (a delicious dressing based on tomatoes, red pepper, onions and lime juice)—one of the best meals I have ever had!
Immediately after lunch we drove to Masaya Volcano, one of the few craters in the world with a molten lava lake. At the top we were able to look around and see the effects of a lava flow which came from San Fernando Volcano nearby, which covered about 9 1/2 miles. Masaya Volcano, originally called “Popogatepe” meaning “mountain of fire” is a strato volcano. It is the result of explosive eruptions that over time have formed several craters. These in turn have changed the shape of the ancient huge cauldron, itself the result of a massive explosion which occurred about 6553 years ago. There we finished our busy amazing day. It was definitely worth it!
