Nicaragua Update - The Corn Islands

by Curtis Smith

Nine days into my Nicaragua trip, and I’m about to spend my last of all 9 nights on the Corn Islands. I didn’t really have a set plan in the days before arriving in Nicaragua, but the day before I arrived, Aaron – another Free & Easy rep – and his girlfriend Jen had just arrived on Big Corn Island, and as he had put it – it was epic. I am drawn to that word….and the exoticness of ‘Islands in the Caribbean’, while hanging out with friends sounded like a perfect start to my Central America trip. I have been doing some significant island hopping the past 6 weeks from Thai, to Philiippine, to Hawaiian, and now Nicaraguan Islands, – ooh la la – but this trip to the Corn Islands was only a short plane ride away from the main city Managua…..That decision to come here and those travels feels like a whole world away after getting to know these incredibly special islands. Big Corn Island was a cool experience with beautiful beaches, aqua blue seas, and a simple, easy, island vibe. Little Corn Island on the other hand is an entirely different planet. No roads, just walking pathways, and a simple living that still has empty kilometer long beaches.

Needless to say Aaron, Jen and I settled into Little Corn nicely, and even though we are anxious to research and explore many more destinations within Nicaragua, we all knew we had come too far not soak up such a wonderful spot…We found 2 wooden cabins directly on the beach, so that stepping off the balcony we are into white sand and seeing the turquoise Caribbean. If someone would have asked me one year ago what images I thought of for Nicaragua, this site would not have come to mind….In fact, I knew so little about Nicaragua that I didn’t have any idea of island paradise, or even it being a desirable destination. Now, I’ve got a list of about 10 other places in the country that I would love to check out.

This is the Caribbean side of Nica though, and it is along the Pacific Coast where we have planned the rest of the 20-day Nicaragua trip. The Corn Islands are a unique blend of cultures – Spanish, Creole and English - but the Pacific side is more what you’d expect from ‘Latin America’. So tomorrow I will really be delving more fully into Spanish Nicaragua proper. I’ve actually been using some of my hammock time for a crash course in Spanish this past week. I studied Spanish from 2000 – 2002, but since 2003 I haven’t been to a Spanish speaking country or really thought about Spanish at all. It has been all Thai….but amazingly Spanish is coming back! There have been more than a few times that I’ve tried to speak Thai to a Spaniard, but everyone seems really cool.

I’m definitely stoked to be uncovering a whole new part of the world. I learn so much everyday from travelers who were just in Panama, or Costa Rica, or Honduras, and so on. Quite a bit different from the Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines route of S.E. Asia! It sounds like Nicaragua has had a pretty rough history though with dictatorships, and rebellions, and corrupt governments…but the revolution is now 30 years old, and the people seem to be happy and I feel welcome from everyone I encounter.

I gotta say though, composing a 20 day Nicaragua trip just got rolling in a hurry now that we realize how awesome these islands are. This will definitely be a significant part of a Nica trip. Tropical islands are something I get spoiled with in S.E. Asia and I wasn’t really expecting that from my Nica trip, but I am stoked that some of my favourite qualities of S.E. Asia are now being uncovered in the Americas!….The Pacific Coast of Nicaragua sounds pretty exotic on its own though. Steaming volcanoes are scattered up the coastline, and plenty of surfbreaks. It is funny to consider how these random happenings - like taking Aaron’s advice to come here - help to steer the course of where the Free & Easy trips end up going…..But I suppose that is the life of a traveler - to find their course by taking one step at a time. A new country is a bit of a puzzle, but each day you learn and experience more….then you begin to see more clearly how certain things join and what are the right fits and the wrong fits. Nicaragua comes highly recommended, and the more I hear from other travelers about somewhere cool they have just been or how they had a great experience with Nicaraguans, I feel certain that I am right where I should be.

I don’t normally indulge in such cross-continental worldly travel once I start my season in Asia, but this year my course has been steered by a few exciting circumstances. First, Pat Corran, an Elementary School best friend is getting married in Costa Rica and it was suggested I should attend. Then, my girlfriend Ashleen has a 3-month internship at a Bird Conservatory on the Big Island in Hawaii…then finally, Free & Easy decides to do trips in Nicaragua. Since I had already decided it was a must to make it to Hawaii for 2 weeks with Ashleen, it was only too tempting to take that next step and continue south and east into Central America.

Now, here I am, all of a sudden in a new culture with new circumstances….but funny enough still feeling something ultimately the ‘same, same, but different’ as Thailand, Philippines, Hawaii and now Nicaragua. I prefer foreign Nicaragua to the English speaking Hawaii, but amongst those S.E. Asian countries - Thailand, Indo and the Philippines - there is a similar way of life and mentality here that is just a comfortable, contented flow to life. The tropics are an amazing combination of abundant natural flora and fauna, comfortable climate, sunshine, and ample resources coming directly from nature. You really slow down being engulfed in it…..Especially at this moment when I can hear nature’s rhythms of waves crashing and wind blowing…..I feel humbled.