San Juan del Sur & Rivas, Nicaragua
Welcome to Nicaragua! A placid sunrise marked the beginning of the best cultural experience for this week. As our families aboard the Sea Voyager disembarked into the beautiful city of San Juan del Sur, we were greeted by melodious tunes from a marimba and the warmth of the local Nicaraguan people. Once on land, we headed to our main destination: Rivas. This city is the first in importance on the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, located right next to the famous Pan-American Highway.
Upon arrival to Rivas, our first stop was the local anthropological and history museum. We learned about pre-Columbian art, folklore and traditions, as well as colonial architecture. Just following the museum outing we proceeded to enjoy what was, to my belief, the best moment of the morning. Our eyes were captivated by the brilliant smiles of children that performed traditional Nicaraguan dances, showing us their emotions, pride and love for their country in a very memorable performance. After exchanging smiles and splendid moments, we headed out to explore Rivas in the famous pepanos. This tricycle taxi is this town’s most important emission-free means of transportation. We visited the central market and explored the town’s streets of adobe and colonial style houses. We ended up in the Plaza Evaristo Carazo, where we boarded our buses to go to Hacienda Amayo.
This serene hacienda lies on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, offering spectacular views of volcanoes Maderas and Concepcion, located on Ometepe Island. In Hacienda Amayo we enjoyed a delightful lunch, marimba music, an oxcart ride, a piñata party, and even a baseball and soccer game with the local little league team. As our time at the hacienda neared an end, we were surprised by a visit from the Mayor of Rivas, Rene Martinez. Mr. Martinez came with a mission: first to welcome us, then to make Mr. Sven-Olof Lindblad an honorary citizen of Rivas for his six years of expeditions in Nicaragua.
Welcome to Nicaragua! A placid sunrise marked the beginning of the best cultural experience for this week. As our families aboard the Sea Voyager disembarked into the beautiful city of San Juan del Sur, we were greeted by melodious tunes from a marimba and the warmth of the local Nicaraguan people. Once on land, we headed to our main destination: Rivas. This city is the first in importance on the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, located right next to the famous Pan-American Highway.
Upon arrival to Rivas, our first stop was the local anthropological and history museum. We learned about pre-Columbian art, folklore and traditions, as well as colonial architecture. Just following the museum outing we proceeded to enjoy what was, to my belief, the best moment of the morning. Our eyes were captivated by the brilliant smiles of children that performed traditional Nicaraguan dances, showing us their emotions, pride and love for their country in a very memorable performance. After exchanging smiles and splendid moments, we headed out to explore Rivas in the famous pepanos. This tricycle taxi is this town’s most important emission-free means of transportation. We visited the central market and explored the town’s streets of adobe and colonial style houses. We ended up in the Plaza Evaristo Carazo, where we boarded our buses to go to Hacienda Amayo.
This serene hacienda lies on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, offering spectacular views of volcanoes Maderas and Concepcion, located on Ometepe Island. In Hacienda Amayo we enjoyed a delightful lunch, marimba music, an oxcart ride, a piñata party, and even a baseball and soccer game with the local little league team. As our time at the hacienda neared an end, we were surprised by a visit from the Mayor of Rivas, Rene Martinez. Mr. Martinez came with a mission: first to welcome us, then to make Mr. Sven-Olof Lindblad an honorary citizen of Rivas for his six years of expeditions in Nicaragua.
