Deakachimba (Nica Spanish for: Cool)

As the 2nd poorest country (economically) in the Western hemisphere (after Haiti) Nicaragua often suffers a bad reputation for poverty, crime and violence. While there are several striking differences between Nicaragua and its neighboring countries I would argue that poverty, crime and violence are not among them (in fact a university tourism student I met claimed that it was the safest country in Central America – a claim I will not contest). If anything Nicaragua seems safer than its northern neighbors. In Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala it is hard to find much life in the streets past sunset (always a telling sign) due to crime, curfews or police discouragement. In Nicaragua, however, people are out & about and mingle in the streets well into the early morning (reminiscent of Mexico) and the threat of crime seems a lower concern. Of course I would be lying if I described Central America (as a whole) as safe. I simply mean to imply that relatively Nicaragua is similar if not safer than its neighbors.

Unfortunately begging is a lot more common in Nicaragua but I am not sure whether that is due to more extreme poverty but rather due to a more open and outgoing culture. The Nicas are not shy about approaching you whether to strike a friendly conversation or to ask for a dollar (sounds a bit like Cuba). It is precisely this open and friendliness that gives Nicaragua its charm and has made my first week here a lot of fun. (Unfortunately) this charm has not gone unnoticed and Nicaragua appears a lot more touristy than I had expected (certainly more so than El Salvador or mainland Honduras).

The more I travel, the more I find that it is the encounters and conversation with people that make an experience special. Activities (such as another colonial church, pretty scenery, dusty bus station or mountain top) certainly have their charm but the thing that remains more memorable and shapes my perception of a place is increasingly determined by its people and my encounters with them.