Granada Nicaragua

Hola, and greetings from Nicaragua!
Why Nicaragua, you ask? Why not?
The downside to poor Nicaragua is that it is so poor. It's probably the second poorest country in Latin America after Bolivia. However, like Bolivia, the people here seem to be incredibly friendly and also a bit self-conscious of their being the poor man of Central America. Like Bolivia, you see beggars in the streets. However, unlike Bolivia, Nicaragua gladly welcomes any and all tourists. And of course they welcome even more enthusiastically the dollars and euros the tourists bring with them.
I'm in Granada, which is indisputably the major tourist attraction of Nicaragua. It's more than a little off-putting to see signs everywhere in English; e.g., "Kathy's Waffle House," etc. I also discovered that the ATM machine will not spit out cordobas to me, but dollars instead (!?). The people prefer dollars because every week inflation sends the exchange rate a few centavos higher.
I'm slowly, as in SLOWLY, getting used to the weather. Every day offers a high of between 95 and 98 degrees with humidity to match. At night it "cools down" to 93 or so. I suspect only the first class hotels offer air conditioning. In the house I'm staying in, there is a fan in my bedroom, which is wonderful. There is only cold water in the shower, but you wouldn't want to touch a hot water knob. Cold showers 3 times a day are not only necessary but wonderful. Likewise, drinking a gallon or more of water during the day is a must.
Granada is a truly beautiful city. Around the city center, the great majority of the buildings are colonial style, painted wonderfully bright colors. In the central plaza, there are horse-drawn carriages lined up waiting to give tourists a ride. I have some great photos but regrettably I can't seem to get them uploaded onto Photobucket. I'll keep trying.
Today, Sunday morning, there was a whoopee-doo soccer match between two teams of competing 10 year olds. Rather than just everyone showing up at the soccer field to watch the game, the Nicaraguans do it right. About half an hour before the game, the marching band of some 20 or so started the parade. What they lacked in quality, they definitely made up for in volume. Fully 50% of the "musicians" were drummers. They walked from the central plaza to the soccer field. Behind them came several hundred people: the players in their uniforms, the coaches and supporting staff, and all the proud family members and hangers-on. Picking up the rear were the half-embarrassed teen age siblings of the players, taking advantage of the opportunity to flirt with each other.
The Nicas seem to be equally fans of soccer and baseball. It's kind of mind-boggling how those kids can be out there in the hot blazing sun playing ball games. But...a great sales opportunity for all the women on the sidelines selling fresh-squeezed fruit juices in plastic bags with a straw sticking out.
Next time: more about Granada.