by Robin Hooper

Since its inception, the photographic image has changed the way society views itself. That frozen moment in time, captured through a camera lens has led to radical shifts in societal attitudes and beliefs. One such moment captures an image of a group of children running down a road, soldiers in the background, at center frame a nine-year-old Vietnamese girl, naked, her mouth agape, screaming in agony as napalm eats down through her skin. The photo by AP photographer Nick Ut went on to win a Pulitzer Prize, and like much of the filmic work documenting the Vietnam War, contributed to a groundswell of US opposition to the conflict.

by Pat Werner 

One of the favorite parlor games of gringos new to Granada is to haul out their favorite book on Nicaragua, one that gives some sort of deep insight into Nicaragua and the character of its people. Since 1990 there has been a spate of books, some a heady brew of fact and fiction, and others that are quite good at introducing Nicaragua to the newcomer. I have read most of them and have served as a source of information for more than one of them, sometimes attributed, sometimes not. But for me, none of them holds a candle to the mother of them all, Ephraim Squier’s magnificent, Nicaragua: People, Scenery, Monuments, Resources, Condition, and Proposed Canal.

by Al Burton

There is a lot of concern in the air regarding a proposed Law for Coasts. The current proposal before the National Assembly is based on the Agrarian Law of 1917, an arcane piece of legislation that stipulates that the State is owner of the land for two kilometers from the high-tide line and for 800 meters from lake shores and the banks of navigable rivers.

That law applied to lands not already titled to private parties by the time it was enacted, thereby establishing a sort of Federal or Crown land zone, as exists in many other countries. Not much attention was ever paid to it. An attempt to revive that law under a new legal framework has caused consternation among tourism developers and shrimp farm operators along the coast, while cattle ranchers in the interior wonder how it will affect their ability to water their livestock.

by Kathryn Belcher 

Laguna de Apoyo, the “Crown Jewel of Nicaragua”, was once an unknown destination but is now one of the most popular hot spots in Nicaragua. Travelers who have never viewed the blue waters of the crater lake can’t possibly understand what they have missed. It’s because there is no other place like Laguna de Apoyo anywhere else in the world.

by Al Burton 

I often get asked by newcomers to Nicaragua, “What’s it like driving here?” The adjective that sums it up best is “entertaining.” Which is why, I suppose, gamesters around the world are eagerly awaiting this new virtual reality product, soon-to-be-online.

There’s rarely a dull moment. You have to be on your toes at all times in an exercise of hand-eye-machine coordination.

No matter how beautiful the scenery, you must keep your eyes peeled, glancing around 360 degrees, expecting the unexpected, never assuming that things are as they appear.

The vehicle in front of you with its turn signal flashing left may not turn at all, or it may go right. It might even turn left.

by Ronald Betancourt, M.Sc. 

Zapatera Island in Lake Nicargaua, with an area of 52 square kilometers, is the second largest island in the lake after Ometepe. It is believed that it once was an active volcano given the evidence of volcanic formations from its base to the heights of 625 meters. It has tropical rainforest vegetation and several rocky streams. Some of the land is ideal for cattle ranching.

This eroded ancient volcano formed on the volcanic fracture of Nicaragua’s Pacific, possibly even before Lake Nicaragua was formed. It is roughly rectangular in shape, with the longest diagonal 11 kilometers in length. Rocky peninsulas jut out from its shores. The shoreline is very broken with rock outcroppings and numerous coves. Some anthropologists believe that the island was a sanctuary or ceremonial site for the original inhabitants of the land, mainly of Chorotega origin.

Tourism continues growing as a major foreign exchange earner for the country. Last year, 773,000 tourists arrived, bringing in more than $230 million. Percentage projections for further growth this year are modest. It is expected that more than 800,000 visitors will come to Nicaragua’s shores, resulting in earnings of over $260 million.

The Nicaraguan Chamber of Small and Medium Tourism Industry (CANTUR) recently presented a plan for development in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN). It includes proposals for beachgoers, eco and adventure tourists, and ethnic-rural-community tourism, taking advantage of that region’s wide variety of offerings that include jungle rivers, mountainous rainforest, pristine coastlines, pine forests, Caribbean islets, and first peoples’ villages.

The Chamber estimates that investments totaling $335 million would be needed. So far, however, they know not from where such funding would come. Initially, it is suggested that international development agencies that have committed themselves to aiding small and medium business as part of their global plans to reduce poverty might be forthcoming. This, proponents say, could be done with a kind of trust fund that would eliminate the middle-manning of traditional financing bodies, like banks, that charge exorbitant interest rates on loans for development.

Meanwhile, the north-central region is the target of just over $5 million in seed funding from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to grow the project for a Coffee Tourism Route in five departments of the country. There are some extremely beautiful areas apt for tourism in this zone, which sadly has so far not seen any of the benefits of the boom occurring since the turn of the century.