Greetings from Granada Nicaragua
6/1/06
Hello Everyone!
Well this is the first travel update of 2006.I am still in Nicaragua, having left San Juan del Sur,I went to Ometepe and now I am in Granada.
Ometepe is an Island in lago(lake) Cocibalca. This lake is sometimes called lAKE Nicaragua but I dont know why. Here in Nicaragua the Nicas always call it Lago Cocibalca. But when I was not here many people referred to it otherwise. A Nica by the way is the name for anyone from Nicaragua. A tico or tica is someone from Costa Rica a Che is someone from Argentina (Che Guevara). So it goes...
I have been wanting to come to see Lago Cocibalca for many years and so now I have accomplished another of one of my travel goals. This is the largest lake in Central America. Its about 175 km long and about 60 km wide. In the center is a large island called Ometepe. Ometepe is or was two islands formed by two volcanos and now joined by a narrow isthmus. It is the largest fresh water island anywhere in the world.
It is kind of on the gringo trail but kind of not.It is not very well developed for tourism. There are no large towns, no large buildings or hotels, and few paved roads. but because of its uniqueness many backpackers venture over to the island. Most dont stay too long as it is really a quiet sleepy agricultural and fishing based island very tranquil but not very exciting.
The lake is also quite extraordinary from a naturalists point of view.There are many marine species found nowhere else in the world except in this lake. I however was bummed and must honestly declare that I didnt see the pink freshwater dolphins or the bull sharks.
After my third day on the island I became ill and was quite sick and in much pain for the next 5 days, eventually having to seek medical attention and advice. I had severe chest pains and the pains radiated into my arms and jaw, this made me think I may have been suffering from some kind of heart attack or heart disease, but the doctor who examined me said He thought it was not my heart, and now I am better. Too bad I spent all of New Years Eve way too sick to party or drink or do much of anything except moan and sweat in bed. 100mgs of codein and 10 of diazepam helped me to sleep. Despite the noise of thousands of firecrackers and the sounds of happy revelers coming through the thin walls of my hotel room.I personally know at least three other travelers a Dutch guy a swedish girl and a German guy who all caught Dengue fever on the island while I was there and needed to be hospitalized. My symptoms did not match Dengue.
Finally I was feeling better and took a boat back to the mainland and am now in Granada. It is a really nice small city which is on the shore of the afore mentioned lake.
It was a key Sandanista stronghold during the terrible civil war years. And even afterwards to this day the town always votes for FSLN candidates. There is little to remind one today of the fighting and bloodshed of the 80s, A fact for which I am grateful. Except that women make up about 60% of the population here. So many of the young men in the 70s and 80s were either killed in the fighting or murdered by the death squads.
There is little noticeable bitterness among the Nicas over the war years although almost no one ever initiates any conversations about the horrors of the Somoza years. And I am glad to say no one holds any bad feelings today towards the USA for its legal and/or its criminal involvement. After the fall of Somoza, despite Ronald Reagans funneling 500million dollars worth of legal American military aid into the country to prop up one of the worlds most brutal fuedal regimes. And afterward,When the Reagan administration violated Americas own laws to illegally supply the contras in what eventually became known as the Iran Contra Scandal. Nothing could bring back Somoza and he was eventually murdered in Paragua in 1989.
This small impoverished nation of some 7 million souls is now peaceful and operating democratically, in spite of all it has been through. It is a real triumph of the human spirti I suppose. What is most wonderful is the people have been able to forgive and forget. They dont seem to blame themselves (ie the oligarchy) or the outside schemers (ie the USA and the Soviets). And so from every mountainside let freedom Ring!!
So I have made a few cool friends here, an Italian a Dutchman and an American Yoga teacher. Tomorrow we take a little bus ride over to Masaya and watch a beisbol game. This is the only country inLatin America where beisbol (baseball) is more popular than futbol (soccer). In a couple of days I will leave this lovely town and continue to explore first the North of Nicaragua and then over to the Caribean coast.
I hope this letter finds all of you happy and healthy.
Prospero Ano Nuevo,
Robert...
"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." -- Alexis de Tocqueville
Hello Everyone!
Well this is the first travel update of 2006.I am still in Nicaragua, having left San Juan del Sur,I went to Ometepe and now I am in Granada.
Ometepe is an Island in lago(lake) Cocibalca. This lake is sometimes called lAKE Nicaragua but I dont know why. Here in Nicaragua the Nicas always call it Lago Cocibalca. But when I was not here many people referred to it otherwise. A Nica by the way is the name for anyone from Nicaragua. A tico or tica is someone from Costa Rica a Che is someone from Argentina (Che Guevara). So it goes...
I have been wanting to come to see Lago Cocibalca for many years and so now I have accomplished another of one of my travel goals. This is the largest lake in Central America. Its about 175 km long and about 60 km wide. In the center is a large island called Ometepe. Ometepe is or was two islands formed by two volcanos and now joined by a narrow isthmus. It is the largest fresh water island anywhere in the world.
It is kind of on the gringo trail but kind of not.It is not very well developed for tourism. There are no large towns, no large buildings or hotels, and few paved roads. but because of its uniqueness many backpackers venture over to the island. Most dont stay too long as it is really a quiet sleepy agricultural and fishing based island very tranquil but not very exciting.
The lake is also quite extraordinary from a naturalists point of view.There are many marine species found nowhere else in the world except in this lake. I however was bummed and must honestly declare that I didnt see the pink freshwater dolphins or the bull sharks.
After my third day on the island I became ill and was quite sick and in much pain for the next 5 days, eventually having to seek medical attention and advice. I had severe chest pains and the pains radiated into my arms and jaw, this made me think I may have been suffering from some kind of heart attack or heart disease, but the doctor who examined me said He thought it was not my heart, and now I am better. Too bad I spent all of New Years Eve way too sick to party or drink or do much of anything except moan and sweat in bed. 100mgs of codein and 10 of diazepam helped me to sleep. Despite the noise of thousands of firecrackers and the sounds of happy revelers coming through the thin walls of my hotel room.I personally know at least three other travelers a Dutch guy a swedish girl and a German guy who all caught Dengue fever on the island while I was there and needed to be hospitalized. My symptoms did not match Dengue.
Finally I was feeling better and took a boat back to the mainland and am now in Granada. It is a really nice small city which is on the shore of the afore mentioned lake.
It was a key Sandanista stronghold during the terrible civil war years. And even afterwards to this day the town always votes for FSLN candidates. There is little to remind one today of the fighting and bloodshed of the 80s, A fact for which I am grateful. Except that women make up about 60% of the population here. So many of the young men in the 70s and 80s were either killed in the fighting or murdered by the death squads.
There is little noticeable bitterness among the Nicas over the war years although almost no one ever initiates any conversations about the horrors of the Somoza years. And I am glad to say no one holds any bad feelings today towards the USA for its legal and/or its criminal involvement. After the fall of Somoza, despite Ronald Reagans funneling 500million dollars worth of legal American military aid into the country to prop up one of the worlds most brutal fuedal regimes. And afterward,When the Reagan administration violated Americas own laws to illegally supply the contras in what eventually became known as the Iran Contra Scandal. Nothing could bring back Somoza and he was eventually murdered in Paragua in 1989.
This small impoverished nation of some 7 million souls is now peaceful and operating democratically, in spite of all it has been through. It is a real triumph of the human spirti I suppose. What is most wonderful is the people have been able to forgive and forget. They dont seem to blame themselves (ie the oligarchy) or the outside schemers (ie the USA and the Soviets). And so from every mountainside let freedom Ring!!
So I have made a few cool friends here, an Italian a Dutchman and an American Yoga teacher. Tomorrow we take a little bus ride over to Masaya and watch a beisbol game. This is the only country inLatin America where beisbol (baseball) is more popular than futbol (soccer). In a couple of days I will leave this lovely town and continue to explore first the North of Nicaragua and then over to the Caribean coast.
I hope this letter finds all of you happy and healthy.
Prospero Ano Nuevo,
Robert...
"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." -- Alexis de Tocqueville
posted by Rambling Robert | 5:15 PM
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