In yesterday’s post of our 2.2 mile walking tour of the highlights of Granada, we visited Parque Central, Cathedral de Granada, and the Guadalupe Church. Today, we’ll visit the San Francisco Convent, the ChocoMuseo, and the Iglesia de La Merced.
The brightly painted carriages and architecture contrast against the crumbling concrete…
Our next stop was the San Francisco Convent. The brilliant blue sky was the perfect backdrop for the creamy color of the Convent…
My group and I were picked up by private shuttle in San Juan del sur early on the morning of Saturday, February 27, for the 1 1/2 hour transfer to Granada. We dropped off our luggage at the beautiful “La Gran Francia Hotel”, located right in the heart of Granada, and I led my group on a walking tour. The first thing we saw were these colorful horse and buggies lined up around the Parque Central (Central Park).
The Parque Central is a lovely place to sit on one of the benches under a shade tree and people watch! This statue translates to, “Mother of all, devotion and love”.
There were also outdoor dining areas…
When you arrive in the town of San Juan del sur, Nicaragua, if you look to the right you’ll notice a large white statue of Jesus (aka Christ of the Mercy) perched high in the hills. It’s one of the 10 largest in the world and well worth hiking to!
Here’s a view looking down at the bay from the statue…
We began our hike from the center of town, making our way down the beach side road.
Past a beautifully detailed piece of street art…
Although I’ve had a variety of unpleasant experiences horseback riding, including: having a horse lay down with me on top of him (I had to jump off), a horse bolt unexpectedly with me hanging on for dear life, falling off of a horse in Spain when he tried to eat grass on the side of a rather large hill, have a horse try to buck me off and rub me against trees; well you get the picture–I continue to enjoy riding! So, I planned a ride for myself and two of my tour attendees through Rancho Chilamate. They picked us up in San Juan del Sur and drove us to their beautiful ranch about 20-30 minutes away. They have boots and hats to make sure you look and feel like an authentic Cowgirl!
They have cute young women as their tour leaders! Here’s Claudia from Spain leading us through the lovely countryside…
San Juan del Sur is famous for its surfing and I had a great time taking photographs of the surfers at Maderas Beach, a short 30 minute shuttle drive from San Juan del Sur!
After standing there for almost an hour snapping away, a surfer approached me and asked if he could have any photos of himself that I had taken. I gave him my card and explained I would put them on Facebook and tag him, so I acquired a new Facebook friend! My first from Israel.
Jing had brought her umbrella for sun protection and I took a quick photo…
I chose a gorgeous Airbnb for our three night stay in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. We were picked up at 4:00am for our 1 hour transfer from Antigua, Guatemala to the airport, where we boarded our 90 minute flight to the Managua Airport in Nicaragua. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our transport company for a 2 1/2 hour drive to San Juan del Sur.
This view was well worth the travel…
The Airbnb was one of three separate huts with a porch overlooking the bay of San Juan del sur. It was very windy while we were visiting and they have been going through a drought, so there were very few mosquitoes, which was nice since we didn’t have air conditioning and left the door open during the night. It was so windy on the second day that when we returned everything was covered with bits of the thatch roof.
There was a common area with the infinity pool and hammocks. Here’s Jing, one of my tour participants relaxing…
Hiking to Cerro de la Cruz (the Cross) in Antigua, Guatemala has been dangerous in years past due to robberies, but I had read that the local Police have been much more vigilant in recent years and crime has dropped in the area. The hike only takes about an hour round-trip and the view is worth it!
Zoom in with your camera to the town below and you can almost look into someone’s living room!
We started bright and early trudging up the steps…
Once back down, our next stop was the beautiful Hotel Museo Casa Santa Domingo! This place was amazing! The gardens were filled with colorful Macaws or Parrots (not sure which)…
A gorgeous dining area…
I’m not much of a shopper for a variety of reasons: 1) would rather spend my money on travel; 2) don’t really make enough money to spend on more of the things I already have, i.e. purses, jewelry, clothing; and 3) I begin to feel tired and ill in shopping centers – probably from the chemicals. My style of window shopping is to walk around a new City/Village (new to me), peek in establishments or at beautiful architecture and take photos. The quaint City of Antigua has lots of opportunity for window shopping…
Well…there are windows in this photo!
This is Tanque La Union where the Mayan women gather to do their laundry and socialize.
Located 90 minutes drive time from Antigua, Guatemala, Pacaya Volcano is a great day trip for those seeking adventure! Our driver picked us up at 6:00am so we’d get an early start for the three hour hike. I had watched a video of someone hiking it and roasting a marshmallow over the flowing red lava, so my anticipation level was high! When we arrived, our guide explained that after Pacaya erupted in 2010, there hasn’t been a river of red lava (darn!), but it turned out to be a great hike with beautiful weather and scenery!
You can see the steam behind me in this photo…
The two hour mostly uphill hike began on a short paved path…
We took a few minutes break on this overlook…
The view of another volcano was breathtaking!
As we approached the top, the landscape appeared almost alien…
Another group taking a rest…
Reaching the site where the other group was proved to be a cross between slip n slide and surfing…
When I’m traveling through beautiful Cities like Antigua, Guatemala, I feel more creative…able to spot the perfect photographic opportunity! Like this antique car appearing on the street at just the right moment. The driver even honked his funny horn to give us a thrill.
Or when your friend is standing in front of a building and it seems right.
The moment in the kitchen of the Airbnb you’re staying at and the empty bottles outside the window are distorted in that creative way…
And the restaurant you decide to dine at with Tripadvisor’s help is owned by a painter and writer!
The streets of Antigua, Guatemala are paved with beautiful cobblestones and most of the buildings are one-story high. After checking into our Airbnb, my group and I left to wander the magical City!
Everywhere we went, there was something colorful and beautiful to view!
The Village of Santiago at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala is the most culturally authentic of the villages I visited during my three day stay at the lake. Peering down at these women doing their laundry in the lake, makes you grateful for washing machines!
This elderly lady demonstrated how she wrapped her headpiece into a hat!
Viola! One of the ladies I brought on the trip (Jing…from China) posed for a strikingly vibrant photo with her!
Each village along the shore of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala has its own special essence. The village of San Juan has lots of shops with homemade items and a variety of restaurants to choose from. This lovely young girl with her cute baby allowed me to take their photo…
Once you’ve reached San Juan via boat, there are plenty of Tuk Tuks to shuttle you around the village inexpensively. For 10 Guatemalan Quetzals (about $1.30) you can take one to the village of San Pedro.
The Village of Santa Cruz at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala is quiet and has much less tourism than the other villages nestled along the shore of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. There are a few restaurants near the boat dock and if you walk up a rather steep hill into town, you’ll get a feel for the villagers’ daily life.
Many Guatemalans prefer not to have their photo taken, so I either ask or sneak one in. This pretty girl agreed to have her photo taken.
The view once you’ve almost reached the top is fabulous!
As soon as we walked into the main square, we were excited to see a game of soccer being played by the local children!
These two cuties wanted me to take their photo again and again, in a variety of “funny” poses.
The small group of three people I am taking through Central America and I arrived to Lake Atitlan on Thursday, February 18th in the early evening. The Airbnb I had reserved for us was stunning! The gardens were overflowing with lush colorful blooms and the interior was filled with interesting decor!
The view from the wrap-around porch was phenomenal! You can see one of the volcanoes in the horizon…
Upon our initial arrival to a village at Lake Atitlan on a shuttle from the airport in Guatemala City, we were required to take a 15 minute boat ride to the village we were staying at. Throughout the stay, to visit a village we took a boat. They looked like this…
Sherry Lachelle Travels 