I had one week in Nicaragua, not nearly enough time (actually, more like 5 days since transportation took up most of the first and last day). I managed to get by with Pimsleur SPanish I under my belt. Everyone was very kind to put up with my slow halting Spanish (I did accidentally ask someone to screw a taxi for me, and that got a few laughs). Next time I hope to know a lot more so I can have some really good conversations. It was difficult understanding the accent, however, as some Nicas leave the "s" out of words (e.g., "fresca" is "fre'ca").
I started out in San Juan del Sur, a pretty little beach town but it's overrun with gringos and new condo developments. RANT: By the time I left, I was sick of all the old gringo perverts hitting on me and the young Nica girls. I MUCH prefer the Nica men's catcalls and stares--their attention was harmless and from a distance. The old gringos were in my face and I actually had to have help getting rid of one particular jerk. RANT OVER.
Despite the obnoxious old gringo perverts, I stayed in SJDS for several days because I wanted extra time at Playa Madera and I had met some backpackers and locals that I enjoyed a lot. The evening sunsets in SJDS truly are spectacular. I stayed at a little B&B that wasn't Nica owned but it was nice & quiet & I liked the owners (Secret Cove Inn). The restaurants in town are not that great, but I definitely recommend the fritangas being sold on the sidewalks by the local women at dinnertime. There was a wonderful live Nica band at Coquitos one night and I had a great time dancing and enjoying Nica Libres. I took surfing lessons with Arena Caliente at Playa Madera and I highly recommend them, they are great people and got me to stand up a few times! Playa Madera is beautiful. Sadly, I never made it to Bajia Majagual. Next time.
I had wanted to go to Ometepe, but couldn't get the logistics worked out to make the ferry in time, so I moved on to Granada. It's a pretty town, but I guess I'm not much of a city person and I felt I had seen what I wanted in a day. I stayed at Hotel Cocibolca which I highly recommend. It is family owned and well run. I looked at The Bearded Monkey, but it was stuffy and dingy. Several backpackers I ran into said they were bit by bedbugs & had welts for weeks. However, there is a brand new hostel right next door to it that was clean (and not yet infested). I think it was called Ka-la-la or something similar.
Granada had AMAZING food. I especially loved Comida Tipica and ate there a few times. Don Luca's pizza is really good stuff too. I went to Kathy's waffle house once for breakfast and the food was good, but it turned out they had a guy out front wielding a billy club to beat away street kids. I had called a boy over to share my breakfast with him (he was about 7-8) and the guy came running up with his club in the air, and the poor kid went running. I left immediately and gave my food to the kid. I didn't go there to eat again after that.
I also spent a day out at Laguna Apoyo which was amazing. I kayaked out to the middle of the lagoon and scared myself thinking it was the kind of place Godzilla would lurk. It was beautiful and eerie. I then hiked up the side of the lagoon to the Mirador Catarina (about a 2 hour hike), a little local tourist spot where you can enjoy the views, have some food, and buy local crafts.
All in all, I loved NIcaragua. The people are friendly, the land is beautiful, and the weather was great (80s by the ocean, 90s inland). I hope to go back again and see the northern sections of the country.
PS I was very disappointed that there wasn't a single chicken on any of the chicken buses.
