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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Nicaragua: Thoughts on Leaving

A litter-choked river in Granada: in Nicaragua, you have to take the rough with the smooth
A litter-choked river in Granada: in Nicaragua, you have to take the rough with the smooth

As we've travelled south through Central America, we've asked people coming the other way what they've thought of the countries they've visited, and there's a surprising consistency to their opinions. Costa Rica gets summed up as being expensive and touristy, but great for wildlife and outdoor sports; El Salvador is always described as incredibly friendly, but fairly light on big attractions; and when people talk about Guatemala they tend to talk about the other travellers they met there, and oh yes, did you go to Tikal and wasn't it simply amazing? But it's Nicaragua that gets the pithiest response. Everyone, and I mean everyone, uses exactly the same phrase for Nicaragua; they shrug and say 'well, it's cheap.' It's not exactly the most ringing endorsement you've ever heard.