Tourist First: Nicaragua: A Garden of Eden

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Nicaragua: A Garden of Eden

AT RIGHT, the Corredor de los Pintores leads to Maria Guevara Silva's inn.

In Ernesto Cardenal's landmark book "The Gospel in Solentiname," a teenager named Mariita contributed this to a discussion of the Beatitudes: "But a rich person who shares love has to share his goods, too. That's how he shows that he shares love. Because if he says he has love and doesn't share his goods, how are we going to believe him?"

That was then, in the late 1960 and early '70s. Today Mariita (Maria Guevara Silva) owns and operates an inn in the Solentiname Islands in Lake Nicaragua. Thanks to Father Cardenal's pioneering liberation theology and his unusual arts program, these islands remain a paradise for painters and a place apart in our materialistic world. You can visit them in my New York Times article (CLICK HERE): In Lush Nicaragua, Legacy of a Priest. Click HERE to go directly to the New York Times slideshow of my Solentiname photographs.

2 comments:

AnonymousJuly 14, 2012 at 12:26 PM
Excellent article. I've been to Costa Rica a bunch of times and went up once to San Juan Sur, but now I think I'll make Nicaragua my next trip. But I'm thinking Ometeppe, not the priets' islands.
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UnknownDecember 26, 2013 at 1:11 AM
Thank you for your great travelogue! Travelling abroad can definitely be unnerving. Travelling is just like transform your initial perceptions of life and adventure.
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Argentine Patagonia

They are called what they look like: Mexican hats. They occur naturally in the highlands above the town of El Calafate. The water in the distance is glacier-fed Lago Argentino. An hour's drive east of El Calafate, near the headwaters of the lake, visitors can hike on the Perito Moreno glacier and take a boat ride among icebergs that have fallen off the several glaciers in the Parque Nacional des Glaciares. El Calafate is basically a summer (Nov. to Feb.) tourist town, and there are a number of hotels at all price points. We stayed at Esplendor El Calafate, a very stylish hotel with a full restaurant and bar. The South American picker-upper drink mate is available at breakfast. The hotel is an uphill walk from the commercial area, but that's not much of a drawback. Click on the photo to visit the Esplendor online.

Dominica

Probably the greenest island in the Caribbean, in terms of color and ecological awareness, is Dominica, just north of Martinique. It was named by Columbus, who sailed past it on a Sunday. The island nation is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, but it is rich in friendly people and natural attractions, including a boiling lake, hot and cold waterfalls, a parrot jungle and hill after hill of dense green jungle. There is also a cable-car ride through the jungle canopy (http://www.natureisland.com/AerialTram.html). I wrote about Dominica years ago, and much of that article is still relevant: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/26/travel/winter-in-the-sun-an-island-where-less-is-more.html?scp=2&sq= Unfortunately, one of the hotels I mentioned, Petit Coulibri, has since closed. Fortunately, there's still a wonderful eco-resort called Papillote Wilderness Retreat http://www.papillote.dm/), four acres of lush gardens, hot-spring-heated soaking pools and modest cottage rooms.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs, Calif., is a great destination for nature lovers -- Mount San Jacinto State Park is a wonderful gondola ride (shown above -- click on it to visit its website) away, and Joshua Tree National Park is a short drive away. It's also a great destination for naturists; there are several major clothing optional resorts in the area -- and for fans of Mid-Century Modern architecture. For a dose of mid-century style, stay at the Orbit In (http://www.orbitin.com/), which does ask that you keep your clothes on.

Pompeii

If you're driving from Naples to the Amalfi Coast, and it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't want to visit the Amalfi Coast, you should plan to spend a night in the modern city of Pompei, adjacent to the ancient city of Pompeii. Above are the murals depicting an unknown ritual in what's called the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. If you can, devote most of a full day to exploring the site. Afterward, you'll want a good hotel. Click on the image for info about Hotel Amleto, a small and friendly hotel in the heart of the new town and an easy walk from the ruins.

St. Vincent

This is one of the "rooms" at Petit Byahaut, an isolated (access by boat only) eco-resort on St. Vincent, the largest island in the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Bequia, mentioned above in this column, is one of the Grenadines. The photo above is of the living deck and doesn't show a relatively enclosed area that had a real bed. Did you notice I said "had"? That's because the place has closed. To read about the property in its heyday, click on the image for a New York Times article I wrote. The article has a link to a slide show with more images of the resort.