Tropical Beach Trip Advisor Recommends San Juan del Sur Nicaragua!

San Juan del Sur Nicaragua - Tropical beach trip advisor, Wolf Sebring is recommending the small coastal town of as one of those little know diamonds in the rough.

I wandered through here in 2002. There was an indication of something stirring. There was plenty of stories being told in Ricdardo's bar. Especially as Flora became more active.

Flor a local lady with a history of sweetness. A little intrigue. A history of Nicaragua 1981-90 almost finished her. Actually I truly believe that she was born during this time. Or shall we say she came into her own. Since her history dates back to the 1890s.

You see it was during this time of Sandinista uncertainty her seeds began to mature. Because of the war the patriarch of the family decided that Flora should be nurtured and allowed to mature into the wonderful lady she is.

The foresite of her patriarch has been confirmed in recent years. And her reputation of the mature lady she is... Continues to grow and develop with every pageant she enters. Progressively bringing home honor after honor.

Flor de Caña is setting herself prominently on the world stage of absolutely great Rums. The 7 year old - Grand Reserva, 12 year old Centenario and the stately 18 year old Centenario Gold are setting permanent seats on this stage.

I bring this up only as a antidote cause it was at Ricardo's that I learned of this great little secret. As prior I could honestly say rum was definitely not on my list of drinks. Now Fora de Cana is my beverage of choice. Especially sitting here and watching the sunsets. A great little restaurant bar right on the beach in San Juan, the Bambu Beach Club.

Back in 2002 San Juan did not have much of anything. There was little in the choice of restaurants. Less in the choice of nightlife or adventure activities. She was truly a sleepy little fishing town.

Nicaragua is this hemisphere's second most poor country next to Haiti. 50+% of her population live below the poverty line.

Those living in San Juan del Sur Nicaragua have been hit with a double edge sword. They have seen and received benefits that many of this nation's other poor will never see. Such as help with the education and medical attention. But unfortunately their cost of living is also higher than other parts of the country.

A policeman or a teacher will receive a monthly wage of approximately $100US per month. Try raising a family of 4 on that. Staples of rice and beans have more than doubled in the past year. About $1 for a pound. Beef is about $2.50 for the cheap cuts. And this does not touch the costs of clothing and medicine. The basics have not been covered.

Now with the down turn of the North American economy things have slowed a bit. Allowing folks to grab their breath before continuing the push forward.

Surprise yourself. If you are a lap-packer looking for a comfortable change. To have some of the luxuries of the first world country with the flavor and actual tastings of a third world country's reality.

Since then she has been growing up fast. Back then when you stood on one of the hills to the east of town over looking the bay you may have counted 4 street lights if you were lucky. Now you will be into the thousands of lights.

Not to mention the yoga classes, scuba diving, horse back riding, the quads for exploring the many beaches, the water aerobics,one on one Spanish lessons, jungle canopy tours, hiking the volcanoes.

And we cannot forget the great cultural traditions here as well. Semana Santa - the holy week of Easter. Sees tens of thousands local Nicaraguans and foreign visitors flocking to the beach town in the south west corner of Nicaragua. A few short kilometers from the Costa Rican border.

The same occurs during the Christmas and New Year's holidays as well.

But along with the benefits of being Nicaragua's fastest growing community comes those problems that accompany such growth.

When I was here in 2002 there was not a police presence in the town. The closest police station was in Rivas 26 km away.

When I was here in 2004 there was no fire department. Part of the celebrations leading up to Christmas and New Years is firing of bomba's. Large fire crackers shot into the sky to explode. One evening one of these fire crackers landed in a thatched roof. A bucket brigade had to be formed to fight the fire.

Yes they were quick. The fire was put out without personal injury and not too much damage.

A stark contrast to watching the private helicopters taxi into town for the weekend to a million dollar villa. Not to mention the ox carts still in use delivering wood and milk in the mornings. Or the vendors going up and down the streets yelling pina, tomate, naranja, sandia...

Now she has her own Police department and her own Fire department.

It was not uncommon to stroll down the beach and see horses grazing on the grass. Now she has wide boulevards bordering her beaches.

Accommodations will fit everyone's budget from $8 per night into $2500+ per week range. Where you will have your own private villa, staff and vehicles.

Is San Juan wired into the first world? Yes she does have high speed internet connection. In 2002 she did not. In 2003 there were a couple of businesses with dial up connection. Today she us busseling with internet cafes. Not to mention the numerous bars and restaurants with wi-fi connections.

She most definitely does cater to the lap-packers of today.

Many of her roads were of dirt. Now they are of paving stones.

But I still occasionally see the ox carts. For how long I am not certain. I am just so grateful for being one of the lucky few to have seen and experienced this.

I have been asked many times is it safe in San Juan del Sur Nicaragua ? Nicaragua 1981-90 - is Nicaragua History Repeating? Are they not still at war?

Now at night you have to be careful where you walk. As with most growth towns, there are some not so desirable areas. A little common sense will assist a lot in keeping you of harms way. That is do not flash your jewelry. Do not go out by yourself in the rougher areas. Especially if you have over indulged the libations.

No they are no longer at war. Although Daniel Ortega is the President again. He has another 3+ years to run. What Mr. Oretga will do over the next 3 years is not certain. Only time will tell. I can tell you more and more of the locals do not like what he has done and is doing.

You can gather many opinions. Hear many stories. Some with validity and some not. But is that not the case in any town. Here is a link to a popular blog in Nicaragua. NicaLiving.com. Visit her and see what many of her subscribers feel but Nicaragua.

Here is some opinions of those that lived through the war. They lost family. What do they have to say? Find out what Pedro and Jolita Madregal thoughts are.

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, has under gone several changes and I have not touched on half of them. I also have not touched on the impact these changes have made to the long time residents of this community.

Yes times of have changed. On this tropical beach Ricardo's Bar is no longer. The Scuba Shack is there now. The Iguna Bar has had a major renovation and the Bambu Beach Club has replaced O Sol O Mio restaurant. Not to mention the numerous upgrades the locals have completed at El Timon, the Eskimo shop, and other great restaurants as El Colibra and El Pozo.

Piedras y Olas the upscale has matured with it's 2 restaurants, 3 pools, several villas, apartments and hotel rooms. Not to mention its veterinarian clinic and its numerous social programs it sponsors through the Jean Brurger Foundation.

A local newspaper has been added the Del Sur. You can find at www.san-jaun-del-sur.com.

Almost Live from San Juan is born. Conceived. Was incubating for several months. Made her debut as San Juan's entry into Almost Live From Central America bi-weekly internet TV telecast June 27, 2008. A child of Nica PM Productions.

Yes and even the chains have started to show up in Subway and Walmart via the purchase of the Pali chain of grocery stores. Although not near the size you see in North America. Which I hope does not occur for several years to come.

Maybe it is time to explore another one of Central America's beautiful countries.

You will be surprised at what you can discover. The photo above just another pretty flower? To some yes. Take a copy to florist nut. See if they can determine what type of flower this is. Then where in the world you find it.

This is an orchid. Found only one place on earth. So far only on one volcano here in Nicaragua. Volcan Mambacho. About an hours drive north of San Juan. The only reason I know this is one day just a couple of months back we were following a University class of horticulturalists. Yes I was eaves dropping. The professor was explaining this orchid was just discovered a few months prior. They are in the process of documenting their findings and having them verified by the apporpriate international horticultural authorities. Just a couple of years prior they documented and had verified the largest fern ever documented on the planet as well.

You never know what you will find in this diamond they call Nicaragua.

One of the best towns to use as a home base is San Juan del Sur Nicaragua. The little fishing village on Nicaragua's southwest coast. A title which I think will all too soon change.

With luck you will be able to still experience the quaint atmosphere of this town. Where you still can walk down the middle of the street. You can still meet up with the ox drawn carts. Where just about anyone will know your name!