Our trip to Nicaragua didn't start well as we were delayed at the border and then the bus broke down once we were through the checkpoint meaning we didn't get into the centre of Granada until almost midnight. We took a taxi straight to our hostel and managed to get the only available double room left. It was quickly apparent why it was vacant as it was just a small box room on a mezzanine floor and contained quite possibly the worst bed I've ever slept on! Add to this the fact that it was around 25 degrees at night, we were tired and there was no fan either and you'll get an idea of the kind of mood we were in! We were starting to question how long we'd stay in Central America and this little episode did nothing to help our feelings.

After a rotten night's sleep we headed out the next day to explore Granada. The city was beautiful with lots of old buildings and churches and had a lovely vibe as we wandered through the narrow streets. We found a picturesque market square which had several shops, cafes and stalls dotted around so we killed a couple of hours people watching, buying souvenirs and generally mooching around. We also took a walk up to the top of the church bell tower which had some cracking views across the city. Maybe things weren't as bad after all! We spent the rest of the day exploring more of the city and took an early evening trip around the islands on Lake Nicaragua, the world's twentieth largest lake. The water stretched as far as the eye could see and with a slight mist it looked like we were sailing along the edge of the world. Many of the islands were tiny and privately owned with amazing houses built on them. Yet another place to add to the list of future retirement locations! It was a nice end to the day chugging around the still waters of the lake and we got chatting to some of the other people on the trip and decided to head out for dinner together that evening. Sarah was tired and stayed at the hostel but I ventured out and ended up having a good night with an ex-Israeli soldier and a couple of lively Canadian lads. It was only one night but sitting outside at midnight in shorts and a t-shirt on a tree lined street drinking beer with new friends just reinforced all the good things about travelling and all the niggles from the previous couple of days disappeared.

After another poor night's sleep on our pokey bed, we switched hostels for our last night in Granada but it turned out to be a very short night as we found out the bus to Honduras left Managua (50km away from Granada!) at 5am the next day. Much to Sarah's distress, this meant a 3am start for a taxi ride to Managua so we spent the day seeing the rest of lovely Granada and going to bed at 8.30pm ready for our early start. Our host at the hostel had booked us a taxi to take us to Managua and thankfully he was spot on time and got us to the bus station in good time. The bus journey was again delayed at the border but we has decent seats and a few good movies to pass the time which made the experience much more bearable.

Next stop was San Pedro Sul in Honduras………..