The Road Less Traveled in Nicaragua

Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, I would never have dreamed of traveling to Nicaragua.  Violent wars, extreme dictators, and a finger pointing president Reagan were the only news clips I can recall seeing about this small Central American country.   A 125 year history of oppressive leaders and military dictatorships set in motion a revolution in the late 70’s that eventually became a cold war sparring match between Russia and the US.  Anyone remember Ollie North and the Iran Contra Affair?  The political history of the country is fascinating, especially given that the tides only turned 25 years ago during a historic 1993 cease fire orchestrated by president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.  

Since the early 90’s the country has been working prove to foreigners that it is worthy of attention.  While tourism is slowly strengthening, education and poverty remain the biggest problem for the country.  We were definitely humbled by what we saw of the housing and transportation throughout rural and urban areas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sean and I have a relative sense of the disparity, however the boys’ awareness and understanding is just beginning.  

Nicaragua is most definitely an up and coming travel hotspot.  Its natural beauty offers a rich playground for active minded adventurers, with world class waves for surfing, lush volcanos for climbing, and historic cities for exploring.   

  

We dove into the surfing world with a few days of surf lessons in Tola, home of the 2015 World Surf Championships.  Dear friends, forget those crowded and routine exercise classes…here is your new 2018 fitness regimen.

Our group of international instructors took care of us in the water like mother duckings, pushing us and saving us at the same time.   With each successful ride, they cheered loudly as if we were their own kid riding a bike for the first time.  We had some exhilirating victories…

 

…and some epic wipeouts…

I think Sean might have developed a man crush.  I’m pleading the fifth.  If we could be one tenth as cool as any one of them, our boys would never shy away from our public affection again.  We are officially all hooked.

   

Sufficiently exhausted from the waves, we headed on to Granada, the second oldest city established in mainland Latin America.   

Do you know those sci fi movies where an evil doer meets his fate by falling into a big black hole, instantly incinerating his soul as he plunges into magma?  Well, the real life set is the Masaya volcano in Nicaragua.

Just outside of Granada is one of the most accessible active volcanoes in the world.   The Masaya volcano consists of several craters, one of which is visibly active every minute of the day.

Coming face to face with the inside of the earth is an oddly spiritual experience.  A massive hole the diameter of 12 tractor trailers spits out steam and gas clouds all day long.  As the wind shifts and clears the vapors, the orange glow of magma appears like an apparition, something you aren’t supposed to see.   I tried to talk like Dr. Evil to the kids whenever I said the word magma but my humor was not appreciated.

A steep drive up and hike around to the dormant Mombacho volcano the next day revealed a fascinating ecosystem that was straight out of a Disney theme park.   We were fascinated by walking trees, two toed sloths, and volcanic ventilation holes that would rival any LG dryer.

 

Most foreigners we encountered in Nicaragua were not simply tourists, but travelers, a distinction that naturally surfaces when venturing into less developed countries .   The country is beautiful, safe, and cheap, the trifecta for a burgeoning backpacking culture.   If backpackers are somewhere, usually it’s for good reason.  As 40-something somewhat responsible adults, Sean and observed the backpackers with admittedly a little bit of envy for their freedom, but more so with a newfound appreciation for where we are in our lives. 

For those who care to re-live the dream, we’d recommend an afternoon at Paradiso in Laguna de Apoyo, a small hotel/day pass/fun place tucked away on the shores of the deepest and clearest crater lake in Nicaragua.   Deliciously fresh food, ridiculously cheap drinks, and a potpourri of international characters will make for an entertaining afternoon.

A ripe backpacking culture demands healthy organic food, so we took advantage of fresh, local food everywhere.   Deliciously sweet fruit was available throughout, between the roadside huts along rural roads and smoothie kiosks which dot the city streets.  

On Christmas Eve, I found my happy place in the Nicaraguan yumminess of Pio Quinto (Pio V), which is the traditional dessert served at Christmas.    Similar to a tiramisu, Pio V is an indulgent combination of layers: a lightly textured cornmeal cake as a base which is then densely soaked in a rum based “sopa borracha” (literally translated as drunken soup), and topped off with a light custard.  Add in some raisins to soak up more of the sopa borracha and you just might be able to justify this for breakfast.

 This recipe is the traditional one made with pinol, a toasted white cornmeal, however here’s another Pio Quinto recipe using traditional cake flour.   Honorable mention will go out to anyone who gives this recipe a go during the next snow day.

As a non-highlight we had our first customs “shakedown” when entering Nicaragua.  Santa had asked us to transport a set of 2 way walkie talkies for the kids to open on Christmas morning, a seemingly benign possession in our minds.  Our amigos in customs thought differently.  Apparently one needs a license from the federal telecom agency to operate such devices.   Conveniently, the agency office was closed the day we arrived,  prohibiting us from obtaining our permit.  As such, our goods remained “guarded” with our amigos.   Upon our departure, when we could rightfully obtain our possessions, the office was also conveniently closed.

Well, Feliz Navidad to whomever is enjoying talking to a friend around the block in Nicaragua tonight.   Our Christmas spirit wasn’t dimmed, simplicity yielding immense joy.

    

Blessings to all for a happy, healthy, and hopeful 2018.     Feliz Año Nuevo!