Nicaragua, Nicaraguita

Nicaragua's flag

After leaving Colombia three years ago, I have done anything and everything to continue the latino link in my life. From taking salsa classes, to obsessing over Spotify playlists and stalking local Latin American Facebook groups, there's no way I was letting go. And so, when I heard my sister was going to volunteer in Nicaragua over summer, I was delighted. Not only because it would widen her worldview, or get her learning Spanish (although these are great side effects), but because, finally, I had an excuse to go back to Latin America!

Knowing next-to-nothing about Nicaragua and its history, I decided to do some research. For those unfamiliar with continental American geography, Nicaragua is somewhere between Mexico and Colombia, on the little strip of land that joins South and North America. It also seems to tick almost all the boxes in terms of Central American stereotypes:

• high temperatures
• beautiful countryside
• Spanish (mostly) spoken
• revolutionary history



Where Nicaragua is. Copyright BBC.

• U.S. intervention

The last two are particularly pertinent as the most recent revolution happened only 20 years ago, meaning it is alive in the memories of almost all their citizens. The Nicaraguan revolution in 60 seconds goes like this:

A large part of the population rebelled against a dynasty - the Somoza family - who had been ruling over the country since 1934. The rebels called themselves the FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, or Sandinista National Liberation Front), after Cesar Augusto Sandino, who was assassinated after trying to lead a socialist revolution in the '20s. The rebellion lasted for 11 years after the Somozas were ousted in 1979, largely due to U.S.-backed 'Contra' fighters, who objected to the left-wing politics of the new FSLN government. In 1990, an anti-Sandinista coalition was elected, and the U.S. decided to back off, leaving the country with a huge amount of poverty to deal with - it is currently the second poorest country in Latin America, after Haïti.

Armed with this knowledge, I headed out into the blue. And this is what I found:

MOMBACHO

Mombacho volcano, seen from Lake Managua/Cocibolca

GRANADA

Our Lady of the Assumption cathedral in Granada

OMETEPE

The twin volcanoes that make up Ometepe island

MATAGALPA

Finca Aguas del Arenal, in the coffee region

WASCASONÍ

The view towards Honduras

LEÓN

View from the roof of the Revolutionary War Museum, and our rebel guide Marcelo

THE ART

Naif Nicaraguan painting - Ometepe island by Elena Arellano

THE ROUTE

Our route during the two week trip. Mostly done on chicken buses. 

Quite aside from all the political issues, Nicaragua is a very beautiful country! They call it 'the land of volcanoes and lakes', for self-evident reasons. There is a huge amount of tourism going on - the usual U.S.A. and Canadians, and a strangely large number of Dutch travellers - which pays tribute to the variety of activities on offer. It's also pretty small, so easy to get around: locals fondly call it 'Nicaraguita', or 'little Nicaragua'. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of art in even the smallest town - there were paintings everywhere, and handicrafts are a huge part of life in many regions. We even came across an entire village dedicated to selling flowers, which, needless to say, was stunning. All in all, Nicaragua is a fascinating place to visit, and very accessible to get round, if you don't mind the sweaty bus rides from place to place.

However, you can't escape from the fact that the revolution is always present. Sandino's silouhette lurks in doorways and on rooftops; pro-FSLN graffiti is scrawled on bus stops; taxi drivers have Sandinista songs on their stereos. It is striking to be in a country where the popular uprising succeeded - even against U.S. military intervention - and you can feel it in the proud way the Nicaraguans talk about their history. The FSLN, after being democratically defeated by opposition parties for several years, made a comeback in 2006, and introduced free healthcare and schooling - a huge gain for the second poorest country in Latin America. However, life is not all sunshine and mangoes. Former rebel leader Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, dominate the political sphere, having amended the two-term rule to allow Ortega to serve as president for a third term in a row, and illegally installed Murillo as vice-president alongside him. The couple's beaming faces salute you from technicolour campaign posters all over the country. There are international fears of election rigging and many Nicaraguans fear they are on the brink of another Somoza-style dictatorship. However you look at it, the complex history of Nicaragua seems set to continue.

Nicaragua is, and probably always will be, a politically complicated place. But that's not to say that it's a bad place to visit. If anything, the revolution and the fact that the rebels won creates an atmosphere that is quite unique. It's not everywhere you can go on a tour of a rebel hideout, accompanied by a bona fide revolutionary fighter. And if politics isn't your thing, the scenery alone is worth the trip. An unusual, but excellent experience.

For some fun, check out this art installation/music video by a Nicaraguan collaboration:

Click here to read more blog posts on my time in Colombia.
Reading on Nicaragua - I would hugely recommend The country under my skin by Gioconda Belli.
I also find the BBC Nicaragua country profile very clear and easy to read.