Rest In Peace Salvador Cardenal, Nicaraguan poet, songwriter, musician

March 10th, 2010 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Nicaragua has lost one of its most iconic poets, Salvador Cardenal, one-half of the famed Duo Guardabarranco. Salvador died this week from a blood vessel disease called cryoglobulinemia. He was a foundation in the Nicaraguan folk music scene, known throughout Latin America, and will be missed by many.

Enjoy the many videos, tributes, and interviews on his site: http://salvadorcardenal.com/

Photo-essay on gold mining in Nicaragua

March 3rd, 2010 | By Joshua | No Comments »

It doesn’t happen very often, so I get a cheap thrill whenever Nicaragua gets BoingBoinged:

HOWTO mine gold in Nicaragua

“A photo-essay by James Rodriguez documenting the history and consequences of mining activities, both artisanal and industrial, in the so-called mining triangle in northeastern Nicaragua.” Rodriguez is an independent documentary photographer based in Guatemala. His intimate images from the Mining Triangle in Nicaragua’s deepest mountain interior are fascinating to me, as this is one region of the country I still have not visited.

From the Nicaragua T-shirt files…

February 28th, 2010 | By Joshua | 1 Comment »

I took this photo in northern Nicaragua in 1998. “DON’T BLAME ME I VOTED REPUBLICAN,” walking past the regional FSLN office in La Trinidad, Estelí.

Name the location of this backpacker mural and I’ll give you a high five

February 27th, 2010 | By Joshua | 1 Comment »

Though I’m pretty sure they painted over him years ago, I have a hunch that his legacy lives on. If you have a memory of this flat-headed, rosy-cheeked gringo and his utterly unique and funky home, please share it here and prove me right. Bonus points for sensory details. (more…)

New surfing directory for southwest Nicaragua

February 19th, 2010 | By Joshua | No Comments »

I just discovered www.sanjuansurf.com, a new website with a truly stunning assortment of images, and looks like quite a bit of practical information as well (equipment, accommodations, rentals, real estate, etc.). Creator Sean Dennis says it is “basically a directly of info on the area for locals and tourists, and has daily photos of the surf and life around town, as well as all the events and night life.” I especially like this round-up of volunteering opportunities in San Juan del Sur. Nice job, guys, felicidades!

Wonderful video of study-abroad cultural exchange on La Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua: A chat with the filmmaker, Heather Croix

February 7th, 2010 | By Joshua | 3 Comments »

The description of the video is simple—”Carthage College professors lead a group of students on a trip to Nicaragua to learn about physical geography and health care”— but its message is far-reaching and it captures aspects of travel and volunteering abroad — the anticipation, the fear, the lessons, the humility — that I’ve rarely seen presented so well.

The 9-minute film, “Explore Nicaragua,” was directed and edited by Heather Croix and produced and directed by Paul Chilsen. Heather is a recent college graduate, currently working as a swimming coach and substitute teacher in Wisconsin. Her trip to Nicaragua to document a Cathage College study-abroad program was her first time traveling outside the United States. Watching the video, you can tell it was as a profound experience for the filmmakers as for the subjects. I asked her about the experience: (more…)

Awesome, low-tech success story from Nicaragua — Condega firefighters deliver water filters to people of Ducuale Grande

January 19th, 2010 | By Joshua | 1 Comment »

I thought I’d share this excellent video and news from friends in Nicaragua. Here’s the release from Rodney McDonald, Latin American director for Emergency Response Services for Latin America (ERSLA):

Water filters distributed to Nicaraguan families through local firefighters and US Organization

Ducuale Grande Nicaragua, Jan 18, 2009—More than 200 water filters purchased by individuals, U.S. church groups, and volunteer organizations were distributed to Nicaraguan families over the month of December as part of a project begun by a team of firefighters in Bend, Oregon. (more…)

Novelist Silvio Sirias Coming to Tranquilo Traveler this Thursday — Stop by to win an autographed copy of Meet Me Under the Ceiba!

January 12th, 2010 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Author Silvio Sirias is including the Tranquilo Traveler in his blog tour this Thursday, January 14, 2010. I’ll post a review of Sirias’s latest novel Meet Me Under the Ceiba, a book which offers wonderful storytelling, plus a remarkably vivid portrait of small-town Nicaraguan life (which is good news for those of us on a constant Nica nostalgia kick). There is a reason LatinoStories.com just named him one of 2010’s Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch (and Read). Stop by on Thursday, leave a comment, and you’ll automatically be entered to win an autographed copy of Ceiba.

¡Suerte!

TIME article on baseball diplomacy in Nicaragua

December 28th, 2009 | By Joshua | No Comments »

I just saw Invictus, so sports-politics combo is on my mind. Here’s a recent piece by Granada-based journalist Tim Rogers on a related subject:

Can U.S. Baseball Diplomacy Get the Save in Nicaragua?

“I think the State Department is coming to realize, belatedly, that [baseball] can be a very effective tool in public diplomacy,” Callahan told TIME. In the case of the U.S. and Nicaragua, he said, “of all the things that unite us, I think the great sport of baseball is the most important.”

Where are they now files: DailyKos checks in on famous gringo prisoner of the 1980s

December 28th, 2009 | By Joshua | No Comments »

From the sketchy Reagan-Contra files, here is a fascinating flashback to the capture of Eugene Hasenfus in Nicaragua. “Shot down Oct. 5, 1986, while kicking crated cargo to anti-government terrorists from a CIA plane over the back-country of Nicaragua, his capture by Sandinista militiamen led to the exposure of what would become known as the Iran-contra affair.”

Be sure to read through the bottom where you get an update of this Nicaragua player: “Hasenfus … faded into his old life in small-town Wisconsin…. accused of indecent exposure … killed a bear without a license,” etc. LINK->