San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

The port lecturer on the ship advised that Nicaragua is still evolving its tourist facilities and advised us to bring our own toilet paper and hand sanitizer.  However, at least on the tour we took and the sights we saw, this information was not accurate.  So, we ended carting a knapsack full of toilet paper halfway across the country.  The relative youth of Nicaragua’s tourist industry has the advantage that the people are very welcoming and do not yet despise Canadian, American and European tourists. 

We took a full day tour that included stops at Lake Nicaragua, Mombacho Volcano and the town of Granada.  Lake Nicaragua is one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world.  It contains a variety of fish, including the bull shark, the only fresh water shark known.  Rising from the centre of the lake are two massive volcanic cones.  Local legend has it that the cones represent lovers who died in unrequited love when the girl’s father killed her lover, prompting the girl to commit suicide.  Another take on this legend suggests that the cones represent the girl’s bosom.  

Next we boarded a four-wheel-drive open bus to climb to the Apoyo crater at the summit of Mombacho volcano.  The summit was shrouded in clouds, thus we were unable to enjoy the expansive view that allows one to see four countries including Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador.  However the clouds were appropriate for the 1.5 km hike through the so-called cloud forest that surrounds the crater.  The trail is narrow with tree stumps used as steps.  Lots of ups and downs on the trail so Cia was very glad that we have been working out and also shunning the elevators on the ship and preferring the stairs.  The Cel learned of a fascinating hike at the summit that is four km long but so arduous as to require an average of four hours to complete.  It begins with 982 steps.  Perhaps some day...

The trees in the cloud forest obtain moisture directly from the humidity in the enshrouding clouds.  Over 35 species of different parasite and epiphytes can be found on a single tree.

After the hike round the crater we stopped at a coffee plantation where we bought some coffee.  Then we travelled to Granada, a colorful Spanish colonial town that has been pillaged and burned numerous times throughout its almost 500-year history.  In the town we enjoyed a delightful meal of Rainbow bass, fresh from Lake Nicaragua while we were entertained by a Mariachi band.  We also saw a group demonstrating Nicaraguan dance in the main square of Granada. 

From Granada, it was a 90-minute bus ride back to the ship during which we passed pineapple groves, sugar cane fields and papaya trees.  Also during the ride back to the ship, our guide, Max, told us of Nicaragua’s hope for its economic future.  When the country experienced a devastating earthquake in the 1990’s that destroyed over 80% of the bridges in the country.  Japan, provided aid by not only rebuilding all of the destroyed bridges, but also built brand new hospitals in every state of Nicaragua at no charge.  In return the Japanese are hoping to be granted a concession to build a canal from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific, in direct competition with the Panama Canal.  When a canal was first considered in Central America, Nicaragua was considered the ideal location; but international politics and scare tactics citing the volcanic geology of the country, prompted the Americans to build the canal in Panama.  Most interesting about the Japanese plan, is that they propose to build a dry canal across Nicaragua.  Partly to avoid damaging the ecosystem of Lake Nicaragua and also to avoid the size limits for ships (which is the case in Panama) the Japanese canal would consist of a high speed railway.  Cargo would be unloaded at one end of the line and loaded on another ship at the other end of the line.  The time required to transfer the cargo would be half the time required to transit the Panama Canal.  The only drawback, is that the shipping company would require a ship on each side of the Central American isthmus.  Should this proposal proceed, it will transform the Nicaraguan (and Panamanian) economies and it will be interesting to see what transpires. 

The town of San Juan del Sur is larger than Puerto Quepos in Costa Rica and a bar near the tender dock sells beer for $1 per bottle.  A great country to visit!

Now it’s time for Cia’s rant: As we were having lunch (which was included in the tour) in Granada, the woman across from me asked to borrow another person’s napkin.   She then took her leftover beef (the equivalent of one thin slice) and one small piece of potato and, using her fingers, plucked these bits of food into even tinier morsels which she folded into the used, soiled napkin.  Then she left the restaurant and went to give these scraps to a beggar woman she had noticed outside.  When she returned, her husband asked if there were crowds following her due to her noble gesture of generosity.  She replied that the beggar must have been running a scam because she did not want the scraps of food.  I was disgusted by this woman’s mockery of charity and had the urge to tell her off (or maybe just bypass the words and get right down to it and punch her out.)  From my perspective, what she was doing was akin to feeding scraps to an animal under the table.  If she were truly serious in her desire to help, she should have offered to buy the beggar lunch.  Am I wrong?  Her husband further reinforced my impression of their trumped up, Birkenstock-wearing, occupy-movement-cheering, self-aggrandizing, narcissistic, bleeding-heart phony sophistication by loudly blowing his nose into his cloth napkin two or three times and then depositing it onto the table while some of us were still finishing our meal—delightful.

CRUISE TIP: Here is a tip we learned from a fellow passenger.  When looking to hire a taxi or guide in one of these tropical ports, after asking whether the prospective driver or guide speaks English and receiving the stock reply of “Yes, señor,” follow up with the question, “So did it snow here yesterday?”  If you get the stock answer, “Yes, señor,” move on and look for someone else!