Visit Peal Lagoon and Pearl Cayes from Bluefields

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Visit Peal Lagoon and Pearl Cayes from Bluefields

February 16th, 2009 | Nicaragua - Adventure, Nicaragua - Culture, Nicaragua - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

If you plan to stay a relative amount of time in Bluefields, you might consider planning a trip up the coast to visit Pearl Lagoon and Pearl Cayes, which is about an hour north of Bluefields.

The trip from Bluefields to Pearl Lagoon (Laguna de Perlas) is a journey in itself! First you travel across the bay, and then follow the river up to the next lagoon. The trip affords you the opportunity to see local communities of the Miskito people that live right on the waters’ edge. You will also see natives using the waterway as a means of transportation to conduct their daily business. At certain places on the river the width of the it can get pretty narrow, encompassing you in the Read more

Traveling from Managua to Bluefields

February 7th, 2009 | Nicaragua - Travel Tips | 3 Comments »

Once you have arrived in Managua you have two main options for traveling from the city to Bluefields.

Option 1 – Flying

You can purchase tickets to fly to Bluefields from Managua directly at the Managua airport. La Costeña Airlines is the most popular for domestic flights within Nicaragua, and they also offer flights to nearby countries. You can view schedules and fares by visiting the La Costeña Airlines web-site. Flights cost about USD $130, with three fights leaving in the morning (two early and one mid-morning) and one flight leaving in the early afternoon. Currently the online booking section of the La Costeña Airlines web-site is under construction, so in order to make inquiries regarding reservations Read more

Mini-Spanish Lesson for Gringos

January 23rd, 2009 | Nicaragua - Culture, Nicaragua - Travel Tips | No Comments »

One word that you won’t find in your handy dandy501 Spanish Verb book or Madgrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish, but that is extremely important for you to know in Nicaragua (and Honduras) is chele.

Chele the term used in this region to refer to light skinned Caucasians, more commonly than the broadly used gringo. It is also used to refer to lighter skinned Nicaraguans. Chele much like gringo can be offensive, but most often it is not. It is actually used with affection or mockingly by Nicaraguans to refer to other light skinned Nicaraguans. In other instances there is no particular emotion behind it, it is just the term for a light skinned foreigner or person.

It Read more

Learn Spanish Over the Internet

January 12th, 2009 | Nicaragua - Business, Nicaragua - Travel Tips | No Comments »

The Granada Spanish Lingua Institute has teamed up with 1on1spanish.net is trying something new to help you Spanish. They are now offering private Spanish classes over the internet.

You can learn Spanish at your own pace with a native teacher. It really is a fantastic way to progress and learn Spanish on your own time.

One of the hardest things for us Gringos in learning Spanish is committing to a class schedule. Another is embarrassment. All that goes away when you are doing it on your own terms, one on one.

1on1Spanish.net makes studying at home with a private Spanish teacher easy by using Skype internet teleconferencing.

Just by signing up you get one free Read more

Hiking in Selva Negra

January 5th, 2009 | Nicaragua - Adventure, Nicaragua - Family Friendly, Nicaragua - Gringo Favorite, Nicaragua - Travel Tips | 2 Comments »

Selva Negra is the perfect place to do some hiking as me and my friends found without really trying. We were enjoying a nice pleasant afternoon hiking in the woods, with a fairly large group. We had decided to wander around a bit, enjoying the rain forest and the beautiful flora and fauna.

The Indiana Jones/Romantic Passage was a nice trail that everyone enjoyed. We were told that it has its two names for its two different sides; it is an adventurous trail, hence the Indiana Jones name, and when it rains, it gets quite slippery, causing you to have to lean on someone for help. (We were there when it was dry, so I guess we enjoyed the adventurous Read more

Managua – The Place to Live… or Maybe Not

December 28th, 2008 | Nicaragua - Relocation, Nicaragua - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

I was recently discussing Managua with a good friend of mine who, as an American who grew up in Guatemala, and has lived the last several years in Nicaragua, has a pretty balanced outlook on the city. She says, “It’s a great place to visit, but I would NEVER live there.”

“Why?” I ask, expecting her to spout some bit about how she prefers to be in the mountains, or how the beauty she sees in Guatemala will never compete with what Nicaragua, Managua in particular, has to offer.

Her answer: “It is just too hot!”

That got me thinking. For someone who has lived in tropical climates since she was only 4 years old to say that a city Read more

Guide to Make Money and Travel Full-Time

October 26th, 2008 | Nicaragua - Travel Tips, The Best of Nicaragua | 3 Comments »

Chris Guillebeau is the mastermind behind “The Art of Non-Conformity,” an online blog that touches on unconventional strategies for life, work, and travel. He is also a friend of this traveling gringo. Chris is an amazing character who has spent time the last ten years self-employed, four of them in West Africa as a volunteer aid worker.

Chris’ most recent project is a series of Unconventional Guides and other informational products. These will be available for purchase and expound upon the topics he regularly tackles on his blog: Life, Work and Travel.

The Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself is an authoritative look at being self-employed. It explains how you can make money Read more

Trusted Taxi Driver in Managua

September 26th, 2008 | Nicaragua - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Recently a friend of mine suggested I put up a trusted taxi driver that she always uses when in Managua. His name is Michael, “Miguelito” Peters, and he is an accounting student. She raves about him: prompt and professional service, good rate, good assistance, and an all around good kid. (He even has a card to PriceMart and will let you use it for your shopping needs!)

He speaks fluent English and charges only 5 dollars an hour for hourly service. His rates to other locations are reasonable as well. Tell him you heard about him from the Nicaragua Gringo who was sent referred by his friends in Corn Island. (They promised to make him famous through the Read more

Handling Money in Nicaragua

September 23rd, 2008 | Nicaragua - Travel Tips | No Comments »

In the touristy areas of Nicaragua, you can almost always pay in dollars. That being said, you will probably get ripped off by an unfair exchange rate, or you may find yourself stuck in a place that only takes córdobas, the Nicaraguan unit of money. It is always best to change your money upon arrival into the country, at a reputable money change house or a bank. (Remember to bring ID)

Don’t change money at the airport. They usually do not give the best rate, and the lines are long. Taxis from the airport to your hotel always take dollars, and from there you can check at the front desk where the best place to change money is. Read more

Shipping Personal Items to Nicaragua

September 11th, 2008 | Nicaragua - Business, Nicaragua - Relocation, Nicaragua - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

Puerto Limon Agency receives a lot of praise from foreigners living in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama for being a reliable service customs broker and shipping company. The agency has been handling large shipments from North America and Europe for over 40 years, and has a long record of quality service.

The staff at Puerto Limon speaks English and Spanish and is very helpful. They pick up your belongings from your home no matter where it is, and deliver right to your doorway. You don’t have to worry about dealing with local customs and regulations; Puerto Limon takes care of all of that. Although they are based in Costa Rica, they also deliver to Panama and Nicaragua. Read more