A Taste of the Carribean

For my last full weak in Nicaragua, I decided to try something new (keeping in spirit with my theme for the summer). Destination: Little Corn Island. The Corn Islands are off the East Coast of Nicaragua, and despite being Nicaraguan territory they have very little in common with the rest of the country. The only way to get to the little island is by boat, and no moter vehicles are allowed once you´re there. Sounds perfect!

I had two options of getting there. Either I could shell out the money to fly to the big island (and then boat to the little island), or I could have spent two days hopping from bus to bus to boat to boat. I chose plane. After spending so much time taking busses around western Nicaragua, it was cool to get to see it all from above. I only stayed awake for half the flight though (which of course is my usual habit). Lucky for me, eastern Nicaragua is all forest without much to look at. The boat from the big island to the little island was definitely worth the six dollars. We lucked out and missed the rain, and the turmoil of the waves gave us quite the exciting ride!

Upon reaching the island, I hopped off the boat and hiked straight to the east side (which looks out into the carribean sea without anything else in sight). I found the spot recommended by a friend and claimed my own piece of paradise for the week. At the "hotel" I was staying at, I had my own private hut on the beach - bathroom and mosquito net included - and all of the ocean I could ask for.

Looking back on it, I´m not sure how it all went by so fast. I had more than enough time for all of the required experiences: snorkeling in crystal blue water, running on the white sandy beach in the mornings, watching the waves from a hammock, reading to the sound of pattering rain, eating fresh fish almost every night - the list goes on. If I had spent any more time there, I may never have been able to leave. The way of life is too laid back to worry about anything but whether or not I´m hungry enough to actually get up and do something about it. It´s a shame I have this whole graduate school thing looming in my future, otherwise I very likely would have become a permanent beach bum and started guiding snorkeling and spear fishing trips for a living.