Wedge-shaped
Nicaragua may be the largest country in Central America, but it
is also one of the least visited. Even
after more than a decade of peace, Nicaragua is synonymous in
the minds of many with civil war; this reputation, when coupled
with
the dilapidated infrastructure of a country that has fought its
way not only through a bloody conflict but also an American economic
blockade, scares many off. Still, many travellers who spend any
time
there find - much to their surprise - that Nicaragua is their
favourite country in the isthmus. Perhaps because it doesn't yet
fully cater
for the tourist experience, Nicaragua is an incorrigibly vibrant
and individualistic country, with plenty to offer travellers
prepared to brave Nicaragua's superficial obstacles of economic
chaos, cracked
pavements and crammed public transport.
Cuba aside, Nicaragua is unique in Latin America in having pulled
off a bona fide revolution of the people. The revolution of 1978-79
and the civil war that followed in the 1980s, while ravaging
the country, has also given it one of the most dramatic of recent
histories.
At times it seems that every Nicaraguan has both horrifying and
uplifting personal stories to tell. And even though Nicaragua's long-suffering
people would rather forget many aspects of the war, the country's
political past continues to inform every minute of its present.
During the 1980s Nicaragua was the destination of choice in Central
America for young, socialist-minded internacionalistas - foreign
volunteer workers who came to the country to aid the Revolution
by working in the education and health sectors. From 1996 onwards,
the
Alemán government discontinued many of the programmes
that brought the internacionalistas to Nicaragua and tourism
slumped,
which was bad news for the country's hotel owners and tour operators.
Recent years, however, have seen tourist numbers increase as
part of the general upturn in interest in Central America |
