Nicaragua

If you go to the Corn Islands off Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, make sure you know the difference between the two. It can make or break your holiday experience.

There is no feeling like arriving in the Caribbean – that humid air, the white sand, that easygoing feeling…but is a trip to the Corn Islands of Nicaragua worth a visit?

When you travel long term, your budget becomes your Bible. This is why we wanted to share a break down on how much it cost for us to travel through Central America – including all the splurges and island vacations.

Our Polaroid of the Week this week: The long way up – the climb up Cerro Negro volcano outside of Leon, Nicaragua before we lava-boarded down.

Leon quickly became our favorite place in Nicaragua. Don’t take this to mean that Leon is some sort of paradise. On the contrary, the city is far from perfect. Read on for why rolling with the punches made us want to suck up as much of the culture the city had to offer.

Nicaragua’s Ometepe Island is the largest fresh-water island in the world, formed by two volcanoes which jut out of Lake Nicaragua. Major changes are happening here as a result of tourism, but beyond the newly paved road, the traditional village life on Ometepe remains…for now.

Nicaragua rocks, literally. Yes, we did love Nicaragua that much, but actually we are talking about the fact that each evening, Nicaraguans around the country, gather together with friends and family, either in their front room or even outside, and rock the evening away in their rocking chairs.

Nicaraguan presidential elections take place in 2011, and the people here are passionate politicos. Check out this house painted in full support for Daniel Ortega and the FSLN Sandinista party.

Estelí is located in Nicaragua’s Northern Highlands and the country’s 3^rd largest city. The town was heavily involved in conflict during the Sandinista revolution of the 70s and 80s and still is one of the towns with the most support for the Sandinista FSLN party. Estelí may not feature the same colonial architecture that Granada or Leon are famous for, but the city is famous for its intelligent urban art.  

Every once in a while, a country really takes us by surprise, like our deep love affair with Mexico. We had an inkling we would love Nicaragua, and after spending six weeks here, it was easy as pie to come up with a long list of favorites. Read on for thirty three things we love about Nicaragua, in no particular order.