Coata Rica and Nicaragua

Today we are at sea after two port days.  The first was Punta Arenas in Costa Rica.  Our plans changed at the last minute – long story.  Although we rarely take a ship tour, we signed up for one to take a gondola over the tree tops in a rain forest near Jaco, Costa Rica.  We have been to Costa Rica several times – twice with land tours of 2 weeks each, taking us to both the Caribbean and Pacific Coasts.  We have walked in rain and cloud forests but never over and through the treetops.  It was a great experience.  So much of the life of the forest takes place above the ground.  Each gondola (open air) seated 8 plus a naturalist guide.  One of the highlights for us was spotting a Toucan in the trees!  The tour also included a walk in the forest with displays of trees, flowers, and a serpentarium.  At least they were in terrariums because I never met a snake I liked!

The biggest thrill of the day was during the drive on the private road to the site of the gondola.  Our bus guide spotted a Scarlet Macaw peering out of a hole in a tree.  At first he thought it was a fledgling getting ready to fly – THEN – a full sized bird came out of the very small hole.  At this point, we could see the baby being fed by “maman!” Our bus guide was excellent.  He was a retired National Park Service Naturalist with excellent English speaking skills.   Costa Rica is continuing to develop infrastructure for tourists – the roads are good and the people friendly and accommodating.  The country has no army, the highest literacy rate in Latin America, universal health care, and an excellent environmental record.  No wonder they have such a large American expatriate community.

Our next day in Nicaragua could not have been a bigger contrast.  The country has been racked with revolutions, civil wars, brutal dictators, and negative interference from the United States.  The country is one of the poorest in Latin America and is only now beginning to develop tourist infrastructure.  Cruise ships have only recently started stopping.  Our primary destination was Leon – established in 1524 – about an hour from the port of Corinto where we docked. 

We had a private guide - Julio Cesar Pineda Arauz was the proud owner of Julio Tours based in Leon, Nicaragua.  His story is what made the tour special.  When he was 14, he and three friends were arrested by the Somoza military when returning from a baseball game after the martial law curfew.  (The Somoza family ruled Nicaragua for generations as repressive dictators.)  Julio was not a guerilla/rebel when arrested but his treatment in prison radicalized him. (This sounds familiar!)  He was released thanks to his grandmother’s perseverance. 

After his prison experience, he joined the rebels in the mountains – the Sandinistas.  When the Sandinistas came to power, Julio was in the Army and went to the Soviet Union and Cuba for training.  When the Sandinistas lost power in the late 1980s, Julio looked for work in civilian life but could not find anything in Nicaragua. He went to various Central American countries to look for work.  His experience as a guide for a blind American visiting Guatemala convinced him that Americans were not the foreign devils portrayed in the propaganda of his youth.  He returned to Nicaragua and continued working in the tourist industry as a bellman and valet at the nicest hotel in Leon.  Guests in the hotel convinced him he should study English more to be able to guide tourists.  He now owns Julio Tours, employs several people, owns a van, rents others when needed, and appears to be doing quite well.  Yesterday he had three full vans of tourists from the ship. 

On the way to Leon, we stopped at a school where the students – primary grades – sang for us.  It was chaos but a great fun.  The school is primary education in the morning and secondary in the afternoon.  We bought school supplies in Leon and dropped them off on the return to the ship. Leon has 1 public and 4 private universities – it was the seat of leftist activity during the various revolutions. The town is low-rise with colorful buildings – shops and homes mixed together.  We walked through the market – a favorite activity for us.  There was everything – fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, etc. 

We stopped at a stand where the owner was skinning an iguana – Julio said iguana tastes exactly like….iguana!  The woman suddenly pulled two packages from below the counter – several green and brown iguanas tied together but there was a difference!  They were still alive – one of the large bright green ones kept blinking his eye as he watched her skin the first iguana.   Someone in our party – who shall remain nameless – did not realize they were alive but when this reality became apparent, I believe the direct quote was – “eeeuuuu…..!” 

YUM!

We also visited the Cathedral – a World Heritage site – built in the 16^th century.  When the doors closed at noon, we walked around the main square when hundreds of uniformed students spilled out of a local school.  Watching them mingle in the square reminded me that kids are kids all over the world.    Our lunch was in a wonderful old hotel built around a central garden.  El Convento Hotel had been a convent.  On our drive back to the ship we stopped near a volcano to see the bubbling mud pots. 

This was one of our most memorable day trips from a ship.  It was mostly due to a great guide, friendly people, and learning firsthand how one person made it through the turbulent years of Nicaraguan history.