When I first started thinking about Nicaragua, I stumbled upon another travel blog where the writer had been to the Corn Islands. From their pictures and description, it basically became a done deal then and there. The Corn Islands bring to life every Caribbean Island dream you have ever had, and it was one of the hardest places I've ever had to leave.
Although buses do make the trek from Managua to Bluefields (on the Caribbean side), and a boat is available to the Islands, I had heard that it's a bit of a gruelling trip, and can take from 24 to 50 hours. Yikes! Since I'm in a bit of a time crunch (and I'm not quite that much of a masochist!), I decided to fly from Managua to Great Corn Island. The flight is $120 round trip, and while this is a bit more expensive than I would have liked, the amount of time it saved was probably worth it. We took a tiny little plane from the Managua airport. Although it was a clear day, there were some bumps upon the takeoff and landing that freaked me right out, but I managed to maintain my cool, as nobody else seemed to notice. (I didn't used to be a nervous flyer! Is this an age thing? Someone explain!)
I only stayed one night on Great Corn Island. It was an amazing place, with colourful houses, brown-sugar beaches, coconut palm trees and a mangrove swamp. I spent my day on Great Corn wandering around and marvelling at the sights. I've seen plenty of beaches on those "Wish you were here!" postcards, but this was the closest I had come to seeing one with my own eyes.
Since I found that there wasn't as much to do on Great Corn (without, say, a pre-booked diving package or something), I decided to take the boat to Little Corn the next day. The transport from island to island is on a panga (small motorboat), that I had read could get quite rough. I popped a couple of Gravol before, but the ride over wasn't a problem. I had heard that the front of the boat is more up-and-down, and the back is where you're more likely to get soaked. My plan was to find a nice spot in the middle, but sadly, it was busy, and I ended up in the very back. As I can now attest, you do indeed get soaked. My stomach did not bother me, but it took three days for my shirt to properly dry out. It's a bit of a deal with the devil, really. However, I was overall happy that it had been a relatively smooth ride.
Arrving on Little Corn is literally arriving in paradise. The entire island is about 1.5 square km, and the population is about 500 people. There are no motorized vehicles allowed. It was perfect. Since the island is so small, you start to recognize everyone, giving it a friendly, communal vibe. This was also where I found the greatest concentration of backpackers since I arrived in Nicaragua. After having some very solitary days, it was nice to make some friends!
The majority of my time on Little Corn was spent blissed-out, wandering all around the island, exploring the white-sand beaches, marvelling at the colour of the water, and indulging in island life. I had only planned to stay for two days, but ended up there for four, and could have easily extended that even longer.
One of the main highlights of Little Corn was snorkelling in the Caribbean. The water was crystal clear, and I was able to see intricate reefs, brightly coloured fish, and even a few turtles, an eagle ray, and (my personal favourite) sharks! The sharks here are nurse sharks, and they were more like big, lazy dogs. They're nowhere near the size of the Great Whites I saw in South Africa. Even without the safety of the cage, they kept to themselves. I was hoping to see a hammerhead, but no such luck this time.
On the third day on Little Corn, there was a massive tropical storm, the likes of which I had never seen (except in movies). I have never before seen the wind blow a full ketchup bottle off of the neighbouring table, smashing it to the ground inches away from my foot. It was unbelievable. Most people huddled down in restaurants and cafes and spent the day reading, watching people pull their boats to the safety of land, marvelling at the velocity of the wind and rain, and secretly hoping that it would let up, as many of us had plans to leave the next day, and it makes me shudder to think of taking the panga in the near-hurricane weather.
Luckily, it was a one-day storm, and the weather was calm again for my early boat ride back to Big Corn. As a matter of fact, the boat back was even smoother and easier. My original plan was to head to Pearl Lagoon for a few days, and then back to the Pacific side. Although I had been warned that it wasn't too safe to go there alone as a female traveller, I had met two German girls on Little Corn who were planning to do the same trip, and we decided to do it together. However, after more research, it looked like it wasn't an easy place to get to and from, especilly with our respective time issues, and we decided not to go. I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to see it, but I feel that ultimately, I've made the best choice. I guess I'll just need to come back one day.
I'm now in Masaya, home of active volcano hikes, handicraft markets, and general liveliness. Afterwards it's south, to Granada. I'm at about the halfway mark of my trip, and I don't want to think about it!
Questions? Comments? Criticisms? I'd love to hear them all!
the-wanderingjew@hotmail.com
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