Nicaragua

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.

We were recently nominated by Nicole and Cameron, the Traveling Canucks, a project which was started by Tripbase, with the goal being ‘to unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again’. Read on for the seven we chose!

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.

Check out the basket, made out of….Rooster? Yes, we found Rooster Baskets in Masaya, Nicaragua.

The buzz around spring break destinations has begun with internet top ten lists spouting out the usual spring break ‘hotspots’. Some people might prefer the predictable debauchery in places like Cancun, Acapulco or Panama City, but for those looking for warm weather, sunny beaches, cheap beer and, for the young ones out there, a lower drinking age, we have some alternative spring break destinations tips, after spending the past nine months traveling through Mexico and Central America…