What's Happenin' in Nicaragua!
Welcome to Nica Land, an inside view of what's going on in Nicaragua... the property, the people, and the reality of living the dream.

 

Fleeing the Campo August 28, 2008

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Nica Land. For those who are just joining us, my name is Kassidy, and my good friend Chanelle and I are committed to showing you the land that Dale's been telling you about, and what's happening down here in Nicaragua.

I am very blessed to be able to live on the beach next to the two best surf breaks in Nicaragua, which makes it hard to leave sometimes. In the quaint fishing village of Gigante, I have a world of convenience at my fingertips with fresh fish and lobster every afternoon, and a fruit and veggie truck that delivers to my doorstep. As I watch the kids surf from my kitchen window I feel as though I could literally go months without leaving this place and be completely content just walking around my little paradise. However, we all need to switch it up sometimes. After living the Campesino life for a while, out here in the sticks, a trip to the Colonial cities of Nicaragua was well overdue.

In Nicaragua, there are endless ways to travel affordably. It's crazy how you can take a wallet breaking fifty-dollar cab ride only from the L.A. beaches to Hollywood, but you can travel the entire coastline of Nicaragua for nearly six-dollars. You can cruise in an air conditioned shuttle, lounge in a large tour bus, squash into an expresso, cram into a chicken bus, or hitch a ride in the back of a truck, true Nica style. For me and my traveling buds, it was onward, whatever way we got there.

Granada definitely didn’t disappoint after spending most of my “city” time in Southern Nicaragua’s bustling metropolis of Rivas. Now Rivas has incredible third world charm, but Granada has elegant stately hotels, elite and lavish private islands, and sidewalk cafes filled with imported wines, fresh vegetables, lettuces and spices, and food from all over the world. We stumbled into the Garden Cafe, feeling a bit dirty in that pristine town, and were struck by the gorgeous site of crumble coffee cake, warm chocolate chip cookies, and coconut fudge brownies. Damian, the very friendly owner of the cafe, welcomed us right in where we enjoyed Turkey Pesto and Mediterranean veggie sandwiches. We would return to the Garden Cafe four more times on this short trip, every time taking some savory treat to go. Local comedor, Johnny Three Fingers, was a good place to start our night with a bottle of Flor de Caña Rum and a Gorgonzola crusted Filet Mignon. From there we hit up El Club and Cafe Nuit for some live music and to shake our thangs, proving Granada to be the most elegant, stylish, and romantic city I’ve seen in Nicaragua.

A two dollar expresso ride to Managua and a thirty -five dollar taxi through peanut fields led us right to the heart of Leon. The mango and gold cathedrals flushed in the warm afternoon sun, and thirty year old bullet holes in some struggling buildings forced us to feel the history of this town. Quite liberal and artistic, the town is painted with political murals and Nicaraguan pride. El Hotel los Balcones harbored our things as we sipped ice cold Toña’s hovering over the main street of Leon from our balcony. It’s a city filled with youthful nightlife, vibrant characters from all different countries, never-ending latin music, and everyone meshed together on one humid dance floor. In the spirit of Nicaragua and it’s intense past, we paid a visit to the Museo de la Revolución, where we met Francisco, a veteran revolutionary fighter. He took us through the highs and lows of the revolution, the fighters and the leaders, and the survivors and the fallen. He let us in to what was happening behind the photos we see on the post cards, and his words brought to life how vivid and consuming it actually was. For our final lesson, Francisco took us to the feeble roof top of that old government building so we could get the ultimate view of Leon.

Three taxi rides, and a fruit truck hitching later, I finally made it home to my quiet little village where a loose horse grazed in my yard, and the kids caught a sunset surf. I think I’ll be just fine right here, in the campo... atleast for a little while.

Come visit us down here and see what all the talk is about!






Vibrant little Nica boys at the Expresso station in Granada


A Cathedral in Leon after the rain