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Nicaragua

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We wrapped up our Mexico/Central American travels last month with our third and final stop in Nicaragua. Nicaragua has been under the rule of authoritarian leader Daniel Ortega for nearly twenty years and there have been numerous human rights abuses under his regime. When we had mentioned to folks in Guatemala that we were going to Nicaragua, several people were surprised and wondered why we would want to go to a country ruled by a dictator. I'm not sure this is fair to say, but from the moment that we arrived in the country, it did seem as though the people were not as happy, as free or as proud as the people in Guatemala. But this could also be because some friends had shared this observation and the Guatemalans seemed so upbeat. It was still interesting to experience a different way of life, but it wasn't quite as fulfilling for me as one of the main reasons that I travel is to connect with people, and overall the Nicaraguans didn't seem as open to conversation with fore...
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Xela, Lake Atitlan and Antigua, Guatemala

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We've wrapped up our trip to Guatemala and I must say that Guatemalans are some of the friendliest people I've ever met. I'd put them right up there with the Vietnamese. The people in Xela were particularly friendly as they get fewer tourists than gringo trail hotspots Antigua and Lake Atitlan. Folks were almost always smiling in the streets, happy to provide directions, answer a question or just say 'Buenos Dias'.   We finished our Spanish program over the new year in Xela, which wrapped up four weeks of studying Spanish for me and three weeks for Ginny. My Spanish has never been better as I can converse comfortably in the language now, despite still making plenty of errors. The immersion programs really are effective as I only spoke Spanish throughout the day except for when I was alone with Ginny. If you're looking to learn Spanish and can take the time to do an immersion program, I highly recommend it as the best way to quickly learn the language.   After be...
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