Corn Island

View from Anastasia-on-the-Sea, an overwater bar in the Sally Peaches area of Corn Island

Little Corn Island

Lobster traps line a village path in the off season. The Corn Islands' main industries are tourism, fishing, and fishing for "langosta blanca," bags of cocaine that wash ashore on these Caribbean islands. Drug traffickers plying the waters between Colombia and the U.S. throw their stashes overboard in the event that they are chased by authorities.

Travelers generally have Little Corn Island's beaches to themselves, including this swath of the North Shore.

Little Corn Island

If I ever complain about having too much work, remind me that it's not always so bad. . . .

Photo by Marissa Davies

Accommodation is usually simple and colorful on Little Corn Island, including this $6 per night beachfront hut. Little did Marissa and I know we had a rodent roommate waiting for us inside. . . .

Isla Elvis Chavarria, Solentiname

Solentiname is home to fishermen and subsistence farmers, many of whom return home to spend their evenings painting in the archipelago's well-respected Primitivist tradition.

El Rama

The town of El Rama is a transportation crossroads that caters to Nicaraguan travelers looking for a quick bite to eat before continuing on their journeys by boat or bus.

Rio San Juan

There are more than 300 bird species residing in the rainforests along the Rio San Juan, including this pair overlooking the river.

El Castillo

El Castillo de la Inmaculada Concepcion, an old Spanish fortress and the town's namesake, watches over the Rio San Juan.

Boca de Sabalos

A young rufous-tailed hummingbird stays out of reach of preying iguanas along the Rio San Juan.

San Carlos

A swimmer takes advantage of the last rays of the day to take a dip in the port of San Carlos, a hardscrabble town at the mouth of the Rio San Juan.

Juigalpa

Juigalpa's colorful cemetery.

Ceramic piggybanks made by local artisans for sale in Juigalpa.

Juigalpa

A farmer sells bananas from the back of his truck near Juigalpa's chaotic market.

Esteli

Nicaragua: where old American school buses come to die. Bus owners take great pride in their buses and paint them accordingly, including this "God bless you" bus.

Leon

A Semana Santa procession winds through the city before returning to the church where it originated.

Women watch a Semana Santa procession. The floats are carried by groups of parishioners for hours in the tropical heat.

Leon

Street art created from brightly-colored sawdust is a Semana Santa tradition in Leon.

Leon

The faithful dressed for Holy Week in the traditionally indigenous Barrio Subtiava.

Leon

Leon is known for its elaborate Semana Santa (Holy Week) processions, which occur throughout the week, culminating on Easter Sunday when more than a dozen processions take place.

Leon

Even the Internet cafes are holy. . . . .

Leon's cathedral, the largest in Central America and a UNESCO-designated heritage site, also houses the grave of Ruben Dario, Nicaragua's most famous poet.

Leon

A tiny colonial home in Leon, a university town located two hours north of Managua.

Cerro Negro

Volcano boarding on Cerro Negro, anticipated to erupt in the next few months, isn't for the faint of heart, but the views alone make it worthwhile.

Granada

La Catedral, which was torched in the 19th century by American filibuster William Walker in his quest to take over Nicaragua, has been refurbished to its former glory.

Granada's Parque Central is a magnet for young and old alike. This child spends her afternoons in the park with her mother, who sells raspados, shaved ice with sweet syrup.

Las Isletas

A former student of mine took me kayaking in Las Isletas, a group of 365 islands located near Granada. Photo by Fredder Antonio Ortega

Granada

Granada, founded in 1524 and the oldest colonial town in the Americas, is restoring its original Spanish buildings, including these on Plazuela de los Leones.

San Jose del Sur, Isla Ometepe

Children on Isla Ometepe, including these from the village of San Jose del Sur, are usually shy but friendly. This was the first photo that these children had ever seen of themselves.

Moyogalpa, Isla Ometepe

The waters of Lago de Nicaragua can be rough, but Isla Ometepe is only accessible by boat. Concepcion Volcano towers over the island.

Jinotega

Jinotega, a village in the northern highlands, is a center of commerce for ranchers from throughout the region. The market was closing for the evening as the clouds rolled in.

Nicaragua

It has been three years almost to the day since my first visit to Nicaragua. Last time I came to live and teach at a home for former street children. This time, I am here for two months and two weeks to research my first guidebook, Adventure Guide to Nicaragua, which will be available in Spring 2007.