Chronicle. April 10, 2005.
Central America, this city seems unusually cursed: Flooded in 1876, leveled by
earthquake in 1885, damaged by the explosion of a military arsenal in 1902,
destroyed by civil war in 1912, torched by fire in 1931, struck by a polio epidemic in
1971 and rubbled further by the civil war of the 1970s and '80s.
Add to that the still-fresh memories of the Sandinistas and the contras, the death
squads and the secret arms shipments, and it's no wonder travelers still tend to
associate Central America's largest and most populous country with chaos and
danger.
They're wrong. Today Nicaragua is mostly stable and safe, on its way to becoming
the next Costa Rica -- an ecotourism venue of smoldering volcanoes, verdant
rainforests and quiet, palm-fringed beaches just right for a hammock siesta. Its
roads are still rough, English is not widely spoken and a few rogue land mines lie
unexploded in the countryside, but for adventurous travelers it's the perfect time to
explore a destination before it hits the big time.
Bullet holes and shrapnel marks still adorn many buildings, but Nicaragua's fighters
now use ballots instead of bullets. And when it comes to crime, the country --
despite its reputation -- is one of the safest in Latin America.
Travelers still avoid Managua, the capital city with 1.5 million people, and with good
reason. In 1972, when a mighty earthquake toppled more than 600 city blocks and
killed 10,000 people, no one even bothered to rebuild. To this day, most of the
erstwhile city center still lies in ruins as a patchwork of vacant lots and shantytowns.
Use Managua as a gateway, but get out as soon as you can into what's known as
the "land of lakes and volcanoes."
Life in Nicaragua is often measured by disasters, but there is a certain beauty in the
country's residents -- Nicas, as they are known -- a strength to rebuild, reorganize
and carry on with a smile. Nicaraguans are tough as nails, a testament to human
resilience. Three-fourths of the population survives on less than $2 per day, but
there's always a subtle optimism that better days will come mañana. Nevertheless,
Nicaragua welcomes visitors with brazos abiertos (open arms).
Fire in the sweet sea
The magical sight of Ometepe Island's two volcanoes jutting out of the murky
waters of Lake Cocibolca is enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. Also
known as Lake Nicaragua, this mar dulce (sweet sea) is home to rare freshwater
sharks, sawfish and tarpon. When the sun sets every evening, large colonies of
vampire bats take to the skies. Towering above it all, the active and lava-filled
Concepción volcano stands as a reminder of nature's power.
Should Concepción ever blow its top, there isn't much room to run. Ometepe --
which in Nahuatl means "land of two volcanoes" -- is little more than 34 miles long
and 8 miles wide, but its horrendous roads make circumnavigating the island a
half-day ordeal of bouncing, cracked axles and busted rims. Breakdowns and
problems are almost guaranteed. Roads wash out, vehicles fall into ravines, herds
of livestock block paths and in some parts, mud swallows vehicles up to their hoods.
The island isn't quite ready for mainstream tourists, but those adventurous enough
to suffer the abuse of its roads will find some of the greatest ecological gems in all
of Central America: towering volcanoes, hidden caves, thick jungles, cascading
waterfalls and an abundance of wildlife including sloth, capuchin and howler
monkeys, and more than 80 species of birds.
Rising from the brush to reach 5,282 feet, Concepción is one of the most perfectly
shaped cones in Central America. It looms dramatically over the island and exposes
its rocky and jagged face, scarred from thousands of years of lava flows and
tremors. Although it last erupted in 1957, it serves as a constant reminder of the
earth's fury, belching molten lava and sulfuric gases. As on many active volcanoes,
the mixing of hot and cold air creates an almost- permanent cloud at the peak.
Those with the strength and stamina can make the two-day journey to the top and
stare down into the bowels of hell.
Sacking Nicaragua
When traveling through the land of lakes and volcanoes, it's impossible to escape its
history of war, piracy and foreign occupation. Bullet holes adorn colonial buildings,
murals honor men with AK-47s, and the spirit of popular revolution still lingers in the
air. The conflicts have been over for more than a decade, but at times it seems as if
the dust is just settling.
Founded in 1524 by Hernández de Córdoba, Granada -- also known as La Gran
Sultana (The Grand Sultan) -- is the oldest city in Central America. As a port town
and a symbol of Spanish wealth, Granada has always caught the eye of powers and
pirates.
In 1855, the notorious gringo adventurer William Walker stormed into town with his
mercenaries and declared himself president of Nicaragua. Walker, a former
Philadelphia lawyer and San Francisco newspaper editor, intended to convert
Central America into slave territory and build an 18-mile canal from Lake Nicaragua
to the Pacific. At that time, ships were traveling between New Orleans and San
Francisco by way of the San Juan River in Nicaragua. Cutting through Nicaragua
instead of Panama shaved more than 500 miles off the journey. After being dragged
out of Nicaragua, Walker kept returning to Central America until he was executed
by firing squad in Honduras in 1860.
Granada has a turbulent past, but many believe it has the potential to become
Nicaragua's crown jewel of tourism. While it is the country's third- largest city, it
retains a colonial atmosphere with a tranquil historical center that takes travelers
back in time. Vendors roll food carts down cobblestone streets, families drag
rocking chairs out to watch the sunset and young boys shine shoes and knock
mangos out of the trees in the central plaza. In the early morning, old men whisk
horse carriages down dusty paths littered with roaming livestock and fish using
nothing more than a hook with a line tied around their wrists. And while rickety
trucks plow the streets, bikes and horses with homemade trailers are still a popular
means of transportation.
The narrow cobblestone streets weave through a patchwork of red-tile roofs that
contrast sharply with the deep blue skies. It rolls downhill to the shores of Lake
Cocibolca, just beneath the shadow of the cloud-covered Mombacho volcano. The
few gringos who wander down to this Nicaraguan jewel find it to be worlds away
from the chaos of Managua.
Just an hour and a half northwest of Managua, Léon -- a sister city of Berkeley --
was founded by Córdoba in the same year Granada was established. Buried by the
Mombotombo volcano in 1610, the rebuilt city had been the capital a few times
before 1852. While Léon escaped some of the piracy that infested Granada during
the 1800s, it saw heavy fighting during the Somoza era, as Léoneses contributed
heavily to the revolution from its earliest days. When the Sandinistas captured the
town in 1978, Somoza released his fury with massive aerial bombardments and
tortured and killed anyone suspected of sympathizing with them.
Even to this day, Léon remains a Sandinista stronghold, evident in its political
murals, voting records and occasional protests. On the outskirts of the parque
central, leftist paintings, murals and graffiti depict the history of Nicaragua along
with sarcastic portrayals of the CIA and shrines to Latin American revolutionaries
such as Che Guevara and Augosto Sandino.
Hang the hammock
The days of war and revolution are over, but natural disasters are a perpetual
threat in Nicaragua. Forty volcanoes -- six of which are active -- dot the country's
horizon and play an integral part in its human history. While they create fertile lands
and thermal power, they also cause catastrophic eruptions, mudslides and
avalanches that have destroyed entire villages. In January of 1835, Consiguina blew
its top and threw ash as far away as Mexico and Jamaica. Even extinct volcanoes
can be deadly, as demonstrated in 1998 when torrential rains filled the crater of the
Casita volcano and caused it to collapse. The resulting avalanche of mud, water and
rock buried entire communities and killed thousands.
Outside the volcano zone on the Pacific Coast, San Juan del Sur is Nicaragua's
premier beach town. But it's worlds away from a tourist beach resort. In San Juan,
pigs still root around in the park, chickens peck around the chaotic market, men
ride down the beach on horseback and locals wade into the surf to fish for their next
meal. All-inclusive resorts, fancy tour buses and poolside bars don't exist here, and
you'll never hear Jimmy Buffett music playing in the background.
San Juan del Sur never was meant to be a place to kick back with a margarita in
hand. It is a place to travel back to a simpler time, soak up Latin rhythms and hang
with the locals. Most visitors spend their time on the coast simply wandering around
-- biking down the jagged coast to small villages, hiking the dusty unknown paths
that lead somewhere in the jungle and riding in the beds of pickup trucks with
bananas and livestock. Eventually, they hack their way through the jungle to find
their own perfect beach, where there's nothing but them and the monkeys.
After the setting sun stains the skies purple, residents and visitors of the coast loll in
hammocks, sweat, drink beer, swat mosquitoes and listen to the sounds of the
Pacific Ocean. Without the rumbling of air conditioners, the zooming of passing cars
or laughing of throngs of tourists, one can hear the insects' symphony throughout
the night, occasionally interrupted by a pack of howler monkeys. Under cover of
darkness, sea turtles fight the waves to seek out nesting grounds on shore. It's
easy to see why some travelers would trade in their resort packages to hang a
hammock on the coast of Central America.
Every night in Nicaragua, I went to sleep with a smile on my face, thankful that I
never heeded the advice to stay away.
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If you go
Getting there
From San Francisco, American, Continental and Taca Airlines offer one- stop flights
to Managua. Taxis travel between most cities for $25-$50 US.
Getting around
Road travel can be extremely dangerous. Never travel between cities after dark
(many cars have no headlights, and many drivers are drunk), and pick your taxi
driver as if your life depends on it - it does. Don't hesitate to tell your driver to go
mas despacio (slower).
Tour operators are starting to sprout up, with varying degrees of quality and
service. One of the best-known, Careli Tours (011-505-278-6919,
www.carelitours.com), offers short trips and multi-day excursions throughout
Nicaragua.
Good to know
As English is rarely spoken, a certain command of basic Spanish is essential.
Contrary to popular belief, Nicaragua is not a violent country but sneak theft can be
a concern, especially in Managua.
Where to stay
Hotel Los Felipe, 1 1/2 c. al Oeste, Managua. 011-505-222-7050. Friendly staff,
simple, clean rooms, TV, air-conditioning and phone; resident exotic animals include
a couple of mischievous spider monkeys. Many travelers from neighboring countries
stay here. $15 US.
Hotel Austria, De la Catedral, 1 c. al Sur 1/2 c. al Oeste, Léon. 011- 505-0311-1206,
www.hotelaustria.com.ni. Immaculate air-conditioned rooms, steps away from
Parque Central. From $36.
Hotel Casablanca, Paseo Maritimo, San Juan del Sur. 011-505- 458-2135, Beach
views, 14 fine apartment-style rooms. From $57.
Hotel Colonial, Del Parque Central 25 metros al norte, Granada. 011-505-
552-7581, www.nicaragua-vacations.com. Just west of the park's northwest corner,
on lake shore. Large, clean rooms; patio, pool, helpful English- speaking staff. From
$50.
Where to eat
Nicaragua's main fare is gallo pinto, black beans and rice with eggs, cilantro and
other seasonings. It is usually served with chicken or beef a la parridilla (grilled).
Fish is another specialty.
T.G.I. Friday's, 5 km Carreterra Masaya, Managua. 011-505-277-3260. Managua
has a number of good restaurants, including this American chain. No Nica fare, but a
great place to watch Nicaragua's elite. $5.50-$12.50 US.
El Mediterraneo, Calle Caimito one block east of cathedral, Granada. 011-
505-552-6764. Great menu, English-speaking staff, garden patio. $10-$30.
In San Juan del Sur, everyone heads down to the beachfront restaurants to have
dinner and watch the sun set. All offer fresh fish, Nicaraguan fare and some
American dishes. Among the most popular:
Ricardo's, 011-505-458-2502, www.sanjuandelsur.org.ni/ricardosbar/main. html.
$4.50-$12.50.
Marie's. $5-$15.
For more information
Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism, 011-505-254-5191, www.intur.gob.ni.
