Blogs from Capital Region, Nicaragua, Central America Caribbean - page 6

I got lost in Nicaragua today because things don't always go as planned. I had information that I could camp at a place called Centro Ecoturistico La Máquina. There was alleged to be a pretty waterfall here with good swimming in a pool below the falls. This sounded like a fine way to beat the heat so I wanted to check it out. I arrived early in the afternoon to find the place mostly deserted. The manager on duty told me that he didn't know if I could camp and that he would have to discuss the matter with the owner. I went swimming in the meanwhile after I paid the nominal entry fee and enjoyed a dip in coolish water. The falls and swimming hole were nice but I've seen better and the water wasn't ... read more

This morning we have some errands to run. We have to withdraw a substantial amount of money because there aren't ATM's on Little Corn Island where we will be spending over a week & will need a lot of money. So, we found the ATM we need & for whatever reason it let us withdraw a huge sum of money in one transaction. Usually we can only get $185 at a time. But today we got $300 at a time! People must spend money here. Next stop the book exchange to get some new books for our Little Corn time. We turned in a couple books we've read & got a couple new ones. The typical exchange rate is: give two books, get a new book. Last stop, food. We went to a different comedor, out ... read more

With the school finished, today was our first "day off". But it was still busy. We visited a school in Managua to deliver some school supplies, then took a walk with a police guard through the barrio. The urban poverty is a lot more disturbing than the rural poverty we had just come from. We visited the business of Ronaldo's family and heard more about his amazing story. This afternoon we were tourists. We went on a cruise throught the little islands of Lake Managua and spent some time in the central square of Granada, which has the best colonial architecture in Nicaragua. Here are some pictures from our last day on site.... read more

It's another beautiful, hot, sunny morning. Supposed to be around 90 degrees today. It basically feels like that temperature as soon as the sun is on you at all. This morning we had breakfast & coffee at Oasis overlooking the ocean. I did some typing, Geoff did some reading & then we went swimming. The current is pretty strong this morning so I only went knee deep, a little nervous from yesterday apparently. Another round of packing up followed the swim. We watched our bus drive by a second too soon for us. So we just hung out & enjoyed the shade for another hour waiting for the next bus. We said our goodbyes to the Minnesotans & headed out. The bus was packed with school kids on their way to start their schoolday at 12:30. ... read more

My friend, Michaela, had some friends who were traveling to Nicaragua. She thought it sounded pretty great and invited me and a family friend of her's, Judy, to be her partners in crime! We flew to Managua, spent a night at a very noisy Best Western by the airport and then got on a super early flight the next day to the Corn Islands. We took a bumpy boat ride from Corn Island to Little Corn Island where there were no cars, no streets, and the most pure peace and quiet and beauty I've ever experienced! There was literally nothing to do but relax! We walked around the entire island, explored, ate amazing food, and went snorkeling. Oh, and our hotel was a little hut on stilts right on the beach. No joke! After a few ... read more