RonnieAdventure #0205 - Nicaragua - 2016

As the ship approached the crescent-shaped harbor at San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, the first thing noticeable is the large Christ of the Mercy statue that overlooks the area. The statue is 24 metres tall and located on a hill that is 134 metres above sea level. This is the tallest statue in Nicaragua.

Photographer Unknown

Since the harbor was too shallow for cruise ships to enter, our ship dropped anchor about a mile from land and we were taken ashore by the ship's tenders. 

(Note Statue on Hill)

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and is often referred to as "the country of lakes and volcanoes." We had planned to take a bus trip that included a stop at one of the volcanoes; but all of the volcano tours were cancelled due to recent seismic activity in the area. We therefore settled for a half-day trip to the the picturesque town of Rivas, which is near Lake Nicaragua. 

Rivas has been continuously inhabited by indigenous tribes since about 606 A.D. and then the Spanish settled the area in 1522. Beautiful colonial architecture is still prevalent throughout the city. While in Rivas, our tour stopped at the Rivas Catholic church, which is one of the oldest buildings in Rivas.

Lake Nicaragua is 99 miles long and 45 miles wide, making it the tenth largest fresh-water lake in the world. And, it is the only fresh-water lake in the world that contains sharks.

When the Spanish first discovered the lake, because of its size, they just assumed it was part of the ocean. 

There is an archipelago in the lake that contains over 360 islands, many of which still have volcanic activity.  Our tour brochure indicated that we would be able to see the twin volcanoes of Maderas and Concepcion from the lake's shore; but it was cloudy and no volcanoes were visible. This must be typical, because our 
tour guide produced a picture of what the volcanoes look like on a clear day!

While driving along the edge of the Lake we noted a large number of wind energy facilities and our guide explained that Nicaragua receives a substantial portion of their energy needs from renewable sources.  Also located in this area is where they filmed the TV reality show Survivor in 2010, 2011, and 2014.

Our guide also explained that within the next few years Nicaragua plans to build a canal (similar to the Panama Canal) that will cross Nicaragua Lake. (Several people on the ship said that this is just a dream and will never happen, especially since the Panama Canal will open its new expanded locks in 2017.) However, it is interesting to note that during the 1849 California gold rush, some miners did sail to the Caribbean side of Nicaragua, navigate up the Rio San Juan, cross the lake, and then catch a ship in San Juan del Sur that was traveling north to the gold fields.

The highlight of the trip was a stop at the Amayo Hacienda, a family owned private estate. We were served drinks and treated to a buffet of fresh fruit while being entertained by some young people performing Nicaraguan folklore dances.

Arriving back in San Juan del Sur we still had several hours before the ship departed, so I walked around town and was surprised that the business establishments adjacent to the beach were almost all bars that opened to the water. At the end of the street, nearest the port, were a variety of tourist souvenir shops. Before going back to the ship's tender, I walked a few blocks inland just to see what the non-tourist part of San Juan del Sur looked like. In general, the city was similar to other South American cities that are built around a Catholic Church in the center of town (Parque Central San Juan del Sur).