#Zip El Porvenir

[hondurasairportnews]

Invitan a caminata familiar “Camino con Destino”

[journeydb]

March 4 2018 Managua and Granada Nicaragua

The Best Western Las Mercedes is a really nice hotel and the breakfast this morning was delicious.

After meeting some members of our group we headed by private bus to Granada to connect with my dear friend, Jenna, who is the U.S. Director of Operations for El Porvenir, and her daughter, Paloma, whom I haven’t seen for four years, since they moved to Mexico, and then Michigan, to be near their family there.

After the reunion and introductions, we all headed to Lake Nicaragua for a boat tour of the islands on the lake. The  most impressive sight from everywhere on the lake was the big volcano, Vulcan Mombacho, which dominates the skyline.

According to Wikipedia,

“Lake Nicaragua (Spanish: Lago de Nicaragua, Lago Cocibolca, Mar Dulce, Gran Lago, Gran Lago Dulce, or Lago de Granada) is a freshwater lake in Nicaragua. Of tectonic origin and with an area of 8,264 km2 (3,191 sq mi), it is the largest lake in Central America, the 19th largest lake in the world (by area) and the tenth largest in the Americas, slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca. With an elevation of 32.7 meters (107 ft) above sea level, the lake reaches a depth of 26 meters (85 ft). It is intermittently joined by the Tipitapa River to Lake Managua.

The lake drains to the Caribbean Sea via the San Juan River, historically making the lakeside city of Granada an Atlantic port, although Granada (as well as the entire lake) is closer to the Pacific Ocean geographically. The Pacific is near enough to be seen from the mountains of Ometepe (an island in the lake).

The lake has a history of Caribbean pirates who assaulted Granada on three occasions.  Before construction of the Panama Canal, a stagecoach line owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt's Accessory Transit Company connected the lake with the Pacific across the low hills of the narrow Isthmus of Rivas. Plans were made to take advantage of this route to build an inter-oceanic canal, the Nicaragua Canal, but the Panama Canal was built instead. In order to quell competition with the Panama Canal, the U.S. secured all rights to a canal along this route in the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty of 1916. However, since this treaty was mutually rescinded by the United States and Nicaragua in 1970, the idea of another canal in Nicaragua still periodically resurfaced, such as the Ecocanal proposal. In 2014, the government of Nicaragua offered a 50-year concession to the Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co. (HKND) to build a canal across Nicaragua at a cost of US$40 billion, with construction beginning in December 2014 and completing in 2019.  Protests against the ecological and social effects of the canal as well as questions about financing have led to doubts about the project.”

Enjoying  the ride in the photo below are, from left in front, Kathi, Jenna, and Paloma, with a Jenna’s dear friend, Lori, and other  passengers not  part  of  our group behind them. Most of our group was in another boat and we were able to watch them zip by from time to time.

I was SO happy to be with my little friend, Paloma, after being separated for several years by great distances, but I kept her in my heart and thoughts always, and, of course, Facebook helped me to watch her growing and changing.

The lake and its islands are very beautiful, with many lovely homes built on some of the islands.

Our favorite island was Monkey Island and we got so close that some monkeys  jumped into our boat!

After the boat ride we went into Granada, which is a lovely old city, for a quick lunch at the lovely hotel where Jenna and Paloma had stayed with other group members the week before, and a tour of the local history museum.

According to Wikipedia:

Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 123,697 (2012), it is Nicaragua's sixth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically. It has a rich colonial heritage, seen in its architecture and structure.

Granada had a thriving Indigenous population. In 1524, the city was renamed Granada, by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, ostensibly the first European city in mainland America. Unlike other cities that claim the same distinction, the city of Granada was not only the settlement of the conquest, but also a city registered in official records of the Crown of Aragon, and the Kingdom of Castile in Spain.

Granada is also known as La Gran Sultana, in reflection of its Moorish and Andalusian appearance, unlike its sister city and historical rival León, which displays Castilian trends.”

It’s so wonderful to be on vacation with my sister! This is the first time, and  hopefully not the last, that we have taken time together, just the two of us, without other family members, for fun and to do  something important together.

The museum’s murals about Granada’s history were very beautiful and also enlightening.

This plaque says “The site where the city of Granada is found is the product of a powerful  volcanic eruption a thousand  years  ago of the majestic Volcan Mombacho situated  on the coast of the spectacular Lake Cocibolca.  The eruption formed 365 little islands and at the same time enriched and fertilized our land.”

Making items out of wicker was obviously one of the industries and the dioramas which displayed some of these items were very interesting.

Other dioramas depicted clothing, celebrations, and agricultural products.

The highlight of the afternoon was zip-lining in the rainforest and we had a BLAST doing it!