San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
January 5, 2010 | Category: Nicaragua, Photos | Leave a Comment
The sun sets on the Bay of San Juan Del Sur
Most of San Juan del Sur’s restaurants and bars, catering to nearly every taste and budget, line the town’s main beach. The beach is also extremely popular with locals – impromptu soccer games are more common than tourists during the low season. Most visitors choose to take a taxi and visit the much nicer beaches which surround the town.
Every night locals and tourists flock to the beach to catch the breathtaking sunset. One of the best spots to catch the sunset is from the back door of the Eskimo ice cream shop, about half way down the beach.
Tags: Beach, Nicaragua, San Jual del Sur, Sunset
Playa Maderas – San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
December 31, 2009 | Category: Nicagagua, Photos | Leave a Comment
The sun sets on Playa Maderas, a short taxi ride from San Juan del Sur.
San Juan del Sur is one part fishing village and one part surf town – completely different from any other place we visited in Nicaragua. We had only planned on spending one day exploring the area’s beaches but our schedule stretched to two days and then to three.
San Juan del Sur’s tourist facilities are extremely limited compared to Central America’s more touristy destinations. About the only thing the area has an abundance of is restaurants, many overlooking the beach with spectacular sunset views. And if you’re after great coffee (very hard to find in Nicaragua) and one of the best bagels you will ever taste, stop by El Gato Negro.
The beaches are the true highlight of any visit to San Juan del Sur. Playa Maderas is a short and inexpensive taxi ride from town. Make sure you make arrangements for your driver to pick you up at the end of the day as there are no tourist facilities at Maderas.
The area’s other beaches, and some of the best surfing in the region, are quite a bit harder to get to – most are only accessible via 4×4 boat. You can book a day trip, including gear and transportation, at any of the surf shops in town.
Tags: Beach, Flower, Nicaragua, Playa Maderas, San Jual del Sur, Sunset, Surf
One of the many benefits of emailing photos home…
December 31, 2009 | Category: Articles | Leave a Comment
Thankfully I have managed to recover a handful of the photos I emailed home during the first part of my trip through Central America. These 39 low-resolution photos are all that remain of the thousands of photos and videos I took during my trip through Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
They aren’t as crisp as they should be and the colours are a little washed out but I guess it’s better than nothing at all.
Tags: Email, Low-resolution, Photos
When is a taxi not a taxi?
November 30, 2009 | Category: Articles, Nicaragua | Leave a Comment
When is a taxi not a taxi? It’s an important question to ask yourself when traveling anywhere in the world. It’s incredibly important question when traveling in second and third world countries.
If the driver is too eager to prove his credentials, he’s probably not a real taxi driver. If someone is guiding you to a certain car instead of a dozen other taxis waiting on the road, it’s probably not a real taxi. And never, ever share a taxi with a random stranger, no matter how nice they are, especially if they insist on one specific taxi.
When you meet nothing but incredibly kind and generous people it is very easy to fall into a false sense of security and ignore these basic rules. But your sense of security should never override your instincts. You don’t need to be rude or defensive, just ask a lot of questions and if you are uncomfortable with a situation it’s better to step back and rethink things. Under no circumstance should you get in a car that you are uncomfortable riding in.
I learned this lesson the hard way and lost everything of value that was in my backpack and camera bag, including the camera bag itself. Bruises will heal but the photos from Costa Rica and Nicaragua are gone forever (along with my laptop) so there won’t be many photos from the first part of my trip. And there were some amazing photos!
In the end everything worked out – we ended up meeting even more amazing people and left Central America with few regrets. And I finally got to use my travel insurance policy (which is a good idea no matter where you are traveling).
You can’t let one bad experience ruin your view of a country or a city or group of people. There are bad people everywhere you go – you can get robbed in Calgary or New York just as easily as in Nicaragua. Unfortunately knowing how to avoid these people only comes with experience.
Tags: Managua, Mugging, Nicaragua, Police, Robbery, Taxi
Granada, Nicaragua
November 7, 2009 | Category: Nicaragua | Leave a Comment
The incredible view of central Granada from Iglesia la Merced Church's bell tower
Granada is full of beautiful colonial architecture – especially impressive are it’s many churchs and cathedrals.
Although the exterior is showing it’s age, Iglesia la Merced offers stunning views from it’s bell tower that are more than worth the $1 admission and treacherous climb up an incredibly narrow spiral staircase. Located just a few blocks from the Central Park, you can view the beautiful Cathedral of Granada, Lake Nicaragua, Masaya Volcano and an endless sea of red tiled roofs.
Tags: Cathedral, Church, Granada, Iglesia la Merced, Lake Nicaragua, Nicaragua
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Jeff Fraser loves traveling, photography and puppies.
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