San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

What sets this large fishing village apart from many other tourism meccas is its simplicity.  With it's volcanoes, jungles and pristine beaches it elevates relaxation to an art form.  San Juan del Sur is also the gateway to Nicaragua, a profoundly interesting country whose history reads like a thousand historical mysteries.  For centuries, San Juan was a sleepy paradise.  Like much of Central America, it became the center of a tug of war for its natural resources.  One of America's richest men,, Cornelius Vanderbilt built roads and a crucial railroad linking both coasts.  It was the transportation center, allowing Easterners to cross to the Pacific side and head north to California's epic Gold Rush. Vanderbilt's route took just 20 hours and cut the trip from a six-month voyage to one.

We took the tender in and proceeded to walk along the coast road.  There were several tuk-tuk type vehicles (small 2 seated carriage propelled by a man pedaling a bicycle from behind) taking tourists on a brief tour.  In the far East the tuk-tuk's are no longer powered by a bicycle but by a motorbike.

We walked a few miles and along the way we saw several of the same thatched roof, open air, beachfront type restaurants and chose one to have lunch.  We sat upstairs and the view was awesome. the weather has definitely changed and it's now averaging 90 degrees.

Gary had the band at the dock play "Happy Birthday" to me as tomorrow is my birthday (March 31). It sort of came out a little different, but they did a great job.

We saw monkeys and parrots and girls in colorful native costumes.  We walked along a suspension bridge that was swaying in the wind and bouncing up & down from the pedestrian traffic.  I was very happy to get off.  Aside from the heat, we really enjoyed our time there.  It's a beautiful place and the people were lovely.