Nicaragua Day 9

Canyon Ridge Christian Church believes in hard work and then some down time to relax, unwind and say, "Thanks."
Today we went zip lining, toured Grenada, trotted around town in horse drawn carriages (actually, the horses trotted) and went sightseeing on a boat on Lake Nicaragua.
For the first time in a decade, I saw a city in a third world country that I believe I could live. Grenada is a gorgeous city on the shore of the lake. Quaint shops line the narrow streets. Little Thai trikes motor up and down the lanes. Jump in one and take a short cab ride for twenty five cents.
We visited a cigar factory where not only did we witness the old man rolling cigars, but we got to roll them too. A parrot squawked in the courtyard, and Grandma watched television in the dining room- that is, the sales floor.
We ate lunch at a restaurant high above the crater lake just outside of town. The pork, soft and succulent, tasted great with a dab of sharp cheese on each bite. Bob decided to munch on a jalapeño pepper and we watched his hair ignite.
Granada is famous for it's horse drawn carriages, and Ramon (our tour guide and zip line guy for the day)narrated. Interesting, the connection between Nicaragua and America. William Walker from Nashville, Tennessee, decided to build an isthmus through Nicaragua to beat the Panama deal. Cornelius Vanderbilt joined forces with him, as he was a shipping magnate. They also tried to get Nicaragua, and all of South America, to be slave countries. Their Achilles heel was civil war. Finally Walker in exasperation, set the city on fire. I know that's how the Little Woman and I settle our spats. Just set the couch on fire. Eventually he was shot by a firing squad. Which, when I think about it, if I were to set the couch on fire, my wife would probably shoot me. So let that be a lesson to you. No couch or city fires, no sir!
The boat tour at Lake Nicaragua shocked me. We motored between dozens of islands, each owned by someone with a villa on it. Magnificent. Then Ramon informed us that there is one island for sale with a house, power, water, septic, and A/C, for $250k. I'm telling the Little woman to sell everything including the children and pack her bags! The only problem is if you need a jar of peanut butter, you must boat to the mainland and find a Thai trike, I guess. But the beauty of the islands, the jungle foliage and the villas was truly stunning.
We (they) ate dinner at a nice restaurant in town that featured the best meat around. I abstained, as Montezuma's Revenge, or Haitian Happiness, or Nicaraguan Surprise attacked me and it was sit this one out, boy. However the report was two thumbs up.
We bused to Managua and got lost finding the hotel. Remember the streets have no names? Well our driver should have turned on 'That street' instead of 'That other street', and we wandered around a bit. By the time we stopped after 10 p.m., a few folks were on the edge of crabby.
If I ran for office in Nicaragua, I'd run on the Street Name Party. I could probably end their poverty by eliminating them meandering around lost for half their productive lives searching for anything.
Sorry about the blank spots; WIFI issues as we flew home, so I'll do the roundup, including the Rant, the Rave, Mutterings and Musings, hopefully tomorrow. Watch for the Best Quote in Nicaragua, too. It'll be fun. Stay tuned.