Travel to Granada, Nicaragua

When friends were informed that my holiday itinerary included a visit to Nicaragua, the outpouring of concern and disbelief was immediate. "Have you gone mad?! You'll never come back alive!!!", some vehemently bellowed, while the more, shall we say, polite were content to raise their eyebrows and wonder aloud, "Isn't there some sort of civil war going on down there in Nicaragua?". Alas, despite the fact that a decade of peace has passed since the end of this bloody conflict, the war still resonates in most peoples' minds and scares them off from visiting the largest country in Central America. This is quite unfortunate, as Nicaragua has of late been becoming more and more popular with intrepid travellers, most notably with the backpacker set whose sense for sniffing out the "next big thing" in travel destinations is unparalleled. In fact, Nicaragua is widely touted to be the "next Costa Rica", if travel magazines are to be believed.

Along with the northern city of Leon, the Nicaragua Tourism Board has devoted its marketing efforts to promoting colonial town of Granada as one of the must-see destinations, and it is easy to understand why. This ancient town on the shores of mighty Lake Nicaragua (aka Lago Cocibolca) is full of history and Spanish colonial charm and is one of the oldest European settlements in the western hemisphere. Today, Granada is considered to be the capital of tourism in Nicaragua, and a burgeoning network of bars, restaurants and hostels have sprung up to cater to the increasing number of tourists. In addition, a large-scale refurbishment and re-painting of the Cathedral and other colonial buildings in pleasing pastel shades has made it the most visually arresting town in all of the country, somewhat reminiscent of Antigua in Guatemala.