November 22, 2009
Esteli to Rivas, Nicaragua

What you see in the pictures are the view from teh resort out at the island volcanoes
Coffee being dried
The Pan American highway
Rice fields
Sugar Cane Fields

Today’s drive was actually very easy. The mountains that we encountered yesterday soon were gone and we were in large flat valleys with a two lane road with a good surface. The constant curves and turns in the mountains were gone and the straight a ways were a pleasant reprieve.
In El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua you also do not have the constant topes or speed bumps or tumules as they are called in each and every hamlet. So you can kind of relax a little more when driving.
The only unpleasant episode was being stopped and having to pay a bribe to the local police for allegedly speeding. If there is one thing I really hate it is corrupt law enforcement which is everywhere here it seems. There was no other way I could see to get my drivers license back so I paid it. When I get to Costa Rica I will have laminated color copies on my license made and just let them keep it.
We drove down the valleys past the city of Granada (the oldest one in Nicaragua and the area seems quite prosperous. Large farms with tobacco (cigar making factories everywhere), sugar cane, rice, bananas, and huge papayas which I had never seen of the trees before. They even had crop dusters at the airports which shows you just how large the farms and ranches are. Even on Sunday large sugar cane trucks passed us.
We have taken a rout off of CA 1 and gone onto CA4 which is called the ruta de volcanos and colonias which is to say the route of the volcanoes and colonial cities or towns. It is quite peaceful driving thru a road with trees arching over the road and all of the grass and trees. You must drive slower as it is not as well maintained as the Pan American Hwy. But certainly, a pretty drive and very colorful. Even people selling furniture and birds beside the hwy.
Today we settled early just south of Rivas which was an important stop for the California gold rush miners heading across the Central American isthmus on their way to the gold fields. This is on the Largo de Nicaragua or Lake Nicaragua which is the largest lake in Central America. We are staying at the La Mar Lake Resort and have electrical hookup which they arranged for us and use of the pool and other facilities. It really is a great view from the restaurant and pool looking out over the lake and the Isla de Ometepi with its volcanoes Madera and Concepcion. The volcanoes have clouds over them from the steam that they are spewing into the air. Tonight we knows we may be able to see some volcanic fire which you do not see during the day. We are planning to go to the restaurant and if it happens it happens.
It is windy here and I did notice wind machines on one of the hillsides. Other than that a dip in the pool was a really refreshing sojourn from the day’s journey.
Well that is all for today but downloading the pictures and taking sweet Beverley to dinner