NICARAGUA
Nicaragua conjures up lots of images to different people. A struggling country that has gone through years of civil war and unrest (anyone remember the Contras?) and several natural disasters, especially Hurricane Mitch a few years ago, Nicarauga is today a generally peaceful and beautiful country. While it only has a tiny (yet growing) tourist trade, there is an established "gringo trail" and I lived mostly in what could be called grand central station for gringos; Granada.
More Nicaragua Photos- Choose a page
San Juan Del Sur and Playa Majagual
Bienvenidos a Nicaragua
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Parque Central with a view of one of several centuries old cathedrals that dot Granada and many other Nicaraguan cities. |
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A view of the volcano Mombacho from the center of the city of Granada. These were taken from the Convent of San Francisco; the clouds obscure the view of the jagged top of the volcano's cone. |
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The elaborate and rich cemetary of Granada. As colorful and richly decorated as the houses of Granada today. |
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Laguna de Apoyo; now I can say I went swimming in a volcano. The Laguna is a large-ish lake in the crater of an extinct volcano near Masaya. The deepest measured point of 200 meters is the lowest point in Central America. |
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If you are interested in learning more about Nicaragua, the Moon Handbooks travel guide is a good place to start with a small history and culture section. There are a number of books on Nicaragua, but most of them are about the revolution and many are out of print. Try Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua by Stephen Kinzer; Risking a Somersault in the Air by Margeret Randall; or In Focus Nicaragua: A guide to the people, politics and culture by Hazel Plunkett for an overview. I have not read these books, I am just passing along others' recommendations. A Google search on the net will give you tons of modern travel information and photography on Nicaragua, just make sure to consider the source.