Nicole Rogers, in her article, "Tourism Grows Despite Worldwide Slump" in the NicaTimes, reports, "In the first five months of 2009, tourism in Nicaragua grew by 11 percent, even as most of the world experienced a downward trend." I always wondered if this would happen—i.e. Europe and Asia becoming too far and expensive for North American travelers, who discover that Nicaragua provides as much adventure in their own backyard. In a related article by Kathleen Wiersch of the San Jose Examiner, entitled "Nicaragua: choice eco-destination in a recession?", the author discuses Nicaragua's attractions compared to more traditional spots in Central America after her trip to Granada.
Andrew Zimmern goes to Nicaragua. Check out the official Travel Channel page which features photos, highlights, and video clips that won't appear on the show tomorrow night. [LINK]->
Wall Street Journal writer Paula Szuchman has gotten away from it all in Nicaragua, and writes about how comfortable travel and tourism in Nicaragua have become. With sections on what to do, where to eat, and where to stay, we'd be otherwise worried she's muscling in on our turf, but she seems to frequent the five star scene exclusively - not a bad lifestyle, if you can get it!
The New York Times' Great Homes and Destinations focuses on interesting and attractive real estate in a regular column. Previous articles have discussed the Hamptons, Cape Cod, other American destinations, and exotic foreign destinations. So it was only a matter of time before their editors set their eyes on Granada, Nicaragua. And they seem to be impressed!
From Empowerment International, which helps high-risk children in the outlying barrios of Granada, Nicaragua: "Please join us in celebrating Mothers' Day this year by honoring those women in the barrio who are actively and increasingly supportive of their children's education.... As a tribute, we've put together a slide show showing some of these women (see above). And if you're looking for a way to honor your own mother or grandmother, how about making a small donation in her name? After doing so, please do leave a dedication to her in the comments." [LINK]->
Five years ago, while exploring the city of León, I stumbled into the office of a nascent Dutch-run tour company called Va Pues Tours where I found Jan, Joost, and a few friends waxing up some bizarre, stainless-steel-plated snowboards. "For the volcano," they said, "Cerro Negro. Do you want to come?" Did I want to be a guinea pig for the first volcano-surfer prototypes in Nicaragua?
"Yes," I said.
We climbed, we strapped in, we slid through dried lava — both inside and outside the sulfur-steaming crater. It was good, hot fun, but I never got anywhere near the speeds these rock-surfers are getting today, according to this article in the Daily Mail: "Volcano boarding: Adrenaline junkies think new extreme sport is the coolest thing going." People are sliding or riding at speeds of up to 50 mph, it says. They must have found a very steep spot.
Once a reader of Moon Nicaragua wrote to us to complain about environmental impacts of volcano-boarding, but he never gave any details—so I'm curious if anyone has any ideas or observations about this.
A tip of the hat to Tyler Bliss and Third Born Entertainment for making a surf movie about Nicaragua that features Nicas and doesn't separate the surf from the people, history, and country. In Centro Nicaragua some of the country's most talented riders offer a unique surf-centric overview of Nicaragua--past, present, and future. In between stunning sets of surf footage, the film addresses the civil war of the 1980s (without taking sides), and its narrators take on the double-edged sword of foreign tourism and the changes it brings. It's quite fresh to see this argument from a Nicaraguan perspective. I only wish they had used Nicaraguan musicians to complement the Nica-ness of the rest of the film.
Mark your calendars, everyone -- on June 2, 2009, Nicaragua will be featured on the Travel Channel in an hour-long program celebrating culture and comida. The new episode of “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern: Nicaragua” will kick off the show's 3rd season and will be shown in 70 countries around the world!
“STOMACH OF STEEL” read the headline on the front page of La Prensa, featuring renowned culinary traveler, chef, and host of "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern." Everyone in Nicaragua knows him as “el pelón who eats worms” (pelón means “bald guy”). Zimmern has traveled to the culinary boundaries of dozens of countries with his show, which airs on channel 59 in Nicaragua, but this is his first time in Central America. Moon Nicaragua coauthor, Joshua Berman, served as guide and "location specialist" for Zimmern and the Travel Channel film crew, helping come up with a trip plan and menu that included raw bull balls, cheese worms, and pig tongue. Zimmern also sampled bus food, market food, fritanga food, Creole food, and learned how to "cup" fair trade coffee.
The La Prensa article, entitled “Chanfaina o Moronga?” (which means “Pig guts stew or blood sausage?”) by Geiner Bonilla is very well written and reported, undescoring Zimmern’s main point: that eating local food with its people is the best way to get to know a country and that “disgusting” is a relative term. Of course the show is about much more than just “bizarre” dishes of Nicaragua; it is about the food, people, and natural beauty that make this country unique in the region and the world. This includes high-quality coffee, baseball games, and Nicaraguans’ ability to continually rebuild and reinvent their country.
Zimmern features Nicaragua on his own blog, where he highlights Empowerment International, an NGO we visited in Granada:
Until recently, there were no resources at all for travelers with disabilities in Nicaragua. That has finally changed. Craig Grimes is a traveler, writer, blogger, and community builder, based in northern Nicaragua. He writes a column for the Nica Times, "NicAbility", and his blog, Accessible Nicaragua is "An accessible & inclusive travel blog for people with disabilities." Craig also offers tours for disabled groups or individuals: "The routes take in many aspects of Central American history, art, culture and nature. The holidays are also socially aware in encouraging our clients to meet the people of Nicaragua, especially disabled people."
Craig and I have been in touch for awhile and we just listed his tour company in Moon Nicaragua; I look forward to finally meeting him this week in Matagalpa.
This feature article in the new issue of Sierra is by Gregory Dicum, coauthor of The Coffee Book: Anatomy of an Industry From Crop to the Last Drop (The New Press, 2006).
Dicum discusses the humble homestay accommodations for adventurous tourists in Nicaragua's mountainous Matagalpa region, where coffee grows well in the coolness of the cloud forests. The experience offers tourists a chance to experience life in a Central American coffee-growing family—at least for a day or two.
Nicaragua's attorney general has dropped a complaint against President Daniel Ortega and other former Sandinista...
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Nicaragua News 
Nicole Rogers, in her article, 
The New York Times' Great Homes and Destinations focuses on interesting and attractive real estate in a regular column. Previous articles have discussed the Hamptons, Cape Cod, other American destinations, and exotic foreign destinations. So it was only a matter of time before their editors set their eyes on Granada, Nicaragua. And they seem to be impressed!
A tip of the hat to Tyler Bliss and Third Born Entertainment for making a surf movie about Nicaragua that features Nicas and doesn't separate the surf from the people, history, and country. In 
Zimmern has traveled to the culinary boundaries of dozens of countries with his show, which airs on channel 59 in Nicaragua, but this is his first time in Central America. Moon Nicaragua coauthor, Joshua Berman, served as guide and "location specialist" for Zimmern and the Travel Channel film crew, helping come up with a trip plan and menu that included raw bull balls, cheese worms, and pig tongue. Zimmern also sampled bus food, market food, fritanga food, Creole food, and learned how to "cup" fair trade coffee.
