Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Mirador; dishes US$5-8)
Make your way up to the
mirador,
where the best restaurants - in-
cluding Los Faroles - are scattered around the parking lot, some with excellent views. If
you want to party
meseta
style, there are a couple of discos up here, too.
Getting There & Away
There are microbuses for destinations throughout the
meseta,
while buses run regularly
between the
mirador
and destinations including the following:
Granada
(US$0.50, 30 minutes, 6am to 6pm, at least hourly)
Managua
(US$0.60, 50 minutes, 6am to 6pm, half-hourly) Arrives/departs Mercado
Roberto Huembes.
Masaya
(US$0.50, 30 minutes, 6am to 6pm, half-hourly)
TOP OF CHAPTER
San Juan de Oriente
POP 2600
Also known as San Juan de los Platos, this attractive colonial town has been in the pottery
business since before the Spanish conquest. While production of inexpensive and func-
tional pottery for local consumption is still important, most of the shops lining the hilly
cobblestone roads are selling decorative pieces (vases, wind chimes, wall hangings, that
sort of thing), which probably wouldn't fare too well in your backpack.
The town's most famous workshop,
Cooperativa Quetzalcóatl
, is found at the entrance to
town, but there are dozens of places where you can find your masterpiece, and probably
watch the artisans at work.
Buses leave hourly from Granada (US$0.50, one hour) from the parque central, or you
can make your way out onto the highway and flag down any passing bus making the
Granada-Rivas run.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Diriá & Diriomo
POP 12,300
These twin towns are located right across the road from one another (a US$0.50
moto
ride) and both are well worth visiting.
