Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(US$10), Granada (US$35) or the Tola beaches. Pedicabs are usually less expensive (and
more fun) for shorter trips; the usual cost is US$0.60 anywhere in town.
TOP OF CHAPTER
San Jorge
POP 8600
Just 15 minutes from the bustle of Rivas are the beaches of San Jorge, lined with inex-
pensive seafood restaurants and rollicking bars, not to mention the country's best views of
Isla de Ometepe. It gets packed during Semana Santa (Holy Week; Thursday, Friday,
Saturday before Easter Sunday) and on sunny summer weekends with revelers from all
over the region.
International tourists, however, tend to just roll through en route to the island, stopping
at the ferry terminal just long enough to wonder if those delicious breezes might be worth
enjoying a moment more.
Sights & Activities
The breezy, volcano-gray beach,
Playa San Jorge
, stretches 20m into the water during high
season, when it boasts a busy boardwalk feel. During rainy season (June to November),
lake levels rise and reduce the beach to a slender strand, and many of the restaurants keep
limited hours.
Cruz de España
Ask your taxi driver to point out this monument, suspended from a gleaming half-arch
above the traffic, which marks the spot where conquistador Gil González Dávila and Ca-
cique Nicarao first met on October 12, 1523. Brightly colored statues of both men flank
the monument.
MONUMENT
Nuestra Señor de Rescate
The most striking church in town, repainted a brilliant purple with a mix that uses
huevos
de amor
(fertilized chicken eggs) donated by parishioners. It's a national historic land-
mark, and the destination of an annual caravan of some 150
carretas
(wooden oxcarts)
from Masaya each year. They arrive April 23, the anniversary of San Jorge's miraculous
appearance on the coast of Lago de Nicaragua. The ensuing
fiestas patronales
include
CHURCH
