Nicaragua

Pardon the two week hiatus, I assure you now there will be a few posts because after a travel-filled Spring Break there is much to write about.

Our first Spring Break destination was Nicaragua. It was about a six hour bus ride to the border and another two hours into Granada where we were staying. Despite its duration the trip was very pleasant and filled with gorgeous scenery as we passed through Costa Rican province of Guanacaste marveling at volcanoes and mountains all the way into Nicaragua.

In Granada we stayed in colonial style hotel bordering the main plaza. Granada was the first colonial city constructed in continental Central America, and it's rich history manifests itself mainly through the still standing colonial structures and strict construction and design requirements maintained by the municipal government. Streets are lined with brightly colored building sporting traditional wooden or stylish metal signs. Our first night there we took a tour via horse and buggy around the city stopping by the three different cathedrals as well as Lake Nicaragua. After building up our appetites we enjoyed some typical fair at restaurant owned by an Aquinas alumni who helped organize our trip.

The second day we toured Las islas de Granada in Lake Nicaragua via boat where we caught glimpses of a variety of birds and enjoyed the view of volcano Mombacho. After lunch in Granada we headed to Managua for a quick tour and an introduction to the turbulent recent history involving dictators and corrupt officials that plague the country to this day. Managua is filled with current president Daniel Ortega's propaganda. You can't travel a few hundred meters without finding a political billboard sporting his face. Atop the city lies the old citadel of the Samoza dynasty and their ruins of their bunker that was destroyed in the civil war that ended in 1972. Though our tour of the capital was brief it gave us an idea of how Nicaragua came to be and showed us the cult of personality surround their corrupt government regimes.

In the evening we made our way to volcano Masaya where we enjoyed the sunset while breathing copious amounts of dangerous volcanic gasses. The spewing sulfur actually forced away from the large crater to a safer location. Our group then hiked down to some lava tubes located on the side of the mountain (I unfortunately sat this part out due to a sprained ankle). By the time everyone returned it was dark and quiet, so we made our way up to the crater once again with the hopes of seeing some of the bright orange lava flowing in its center, disappointingly the gas cloud was still to thick but we did get to here the mountains deep rumble in the silence.

Our final day was spent visiting local markets. We first made our way to the market in Granada which sold a variety of goods ranging from meat and produce to pharmaceutical goods and clothing. The market really revealed the lacking standards for sanitation and the lack of funds to improve and regulate them. While I'm sure the produce would be perfectly fine to purchase, buying the unrefrigerated meat would definitely be a bad idea. Despite the seemingly lacking standards of cleanliness the market was packed with shoppers certainly because citizens have little choice when shopping for goods at prices they can afford. Afterward we hopped on our bus and headed to the tourist market in Masaya where we spent and hour or so bartering for gifts and souvenirs before heading to lunch and Laguna de Apoyo, an old volcanic crater that has since filled with water forming a small lake. There we spent time swimming after lunch before making out way back to the hectic and confusing border with Costa Rica.

Our trip to Nicaragua, although short, demonstrated to us the hardships the country faces as well as all that it has to offer. The streets are filled with people selling souvenirs and snacks trying to make a living, and every so often you will come across a child asking you for money or food. With a budding a tourist industry the jobs may not still be there for a lot of Nicaraguans, and before their economy can really blossom the people our going to have to escape the corruption under which they are currently caught. Nicaragua is a truly beautiful nation full of things to offer its citizens and tourists and it is only a matter of time before the people realize how to use those resources to their full advantage.