Monday, May 6, 2013

I LEFT MY HEART IN LITTLE CORN

I claim the seat with the coconut next to it!  The little one is saved for Brenda :)
I've been waiting for May so I could finally post about my F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. trip to Corn Islands, Nicaragua.  Look, I don't mean to brag, but....ok, I'm bragging...it's fabulous and I feel fabulous for going there!  If you are as obsessed with beaches as I am, you have to get yourself there RIGHT NOW!  I'm going to go through my trip a bit so you can see what's to do there and how much it might cost you.  (If you want to skip all this and go straight to the photos, click here.)  I went with my friend Miia (Finnish) who currently lives in Belen around Rivas.  She's going back to Finland in July to get married and said before leaving Nicaragua she just HAD so see Corn Islands; and guess who she invited to join her?!  Moi!

We left about 6am from Managua on La Costena airline.  Their costs never change; roundtrip to Corn Islands is always $160 + tax and you travel on a small 40 passenger plane.  They make a brief stop in Bluefields to drop off and pick up and then travel another half hour to Big Corn Island.  Funny story....the majority of our 40 passengers got off in Bluefields leaving about 8 of on the last leg of the flight.  Of us 8, 5 of us had no luggage when we landed.  Sooooo Nica!  Anyways, absolutely everyone from the airline employees to the port authority to our hotel said they constantly lose luggage and not to worry, it always comes on the afternoon plane 4pm.  And it did!

So anyway, after we landed on Big Corn, we took a $1 taxi ride to the port where we booked a 140cordoba ($5.71) panga ride to Little Corn Island.  The panga is a small, open-air boat which takes about a 15 minute ride to the smaller island twice a day.

Little Corn was amazing.  There's about 1500 permanent residents on the island which are a mix of foreigners who've started hotels, local blacks, and Miskitos.  I absolutely loved seeing black people again!  And then having them open their mouth to hear that amazing singsong Creole English!  The island allows no motorized transport so it's really calming and small.  We checked into Carlito's Place ($30/night) to see our little cabin on stilts.  We had 2 beds with mosquito nets and fans and a private, basic bathroom.  We were literally 20 steps from the ocean!

All the websites are correct in the fact that almost every day the electricity goes off and you REALLY have to watch your freshwater consumption but really, when you're frolicking in the surf, does all that matter?!  You also DEFINITELY need to bring a flashlight because there are no lights at night other than stars.

The water is turquoise and crystal clear.  And who knew there was a living reef RIGHT off the coast?  We paid $15 apiece and got 2 hours of snorkeling at 4 dive sights.  I wish I had had an underwater camera because it was amazing!  I saw literally every type of coral I'd ever heard of PLUS nurse sharks PLUS angels rays.  They really do look like angels when they swim.  Click here for more information on snorkeling/diving options on the island and to see some great underwater videos.

We also hiked around the island one afternoon.  It turned into quite an adventure when we figured out the beach doesn't go all the way around.  That would've been ok if maybe we had decided to wear shoes on our hike and not do it at 3pm.  Let's just say being on the uninhabited side of the island crossing a mountain in bare feet while the sun sets and I have no flashlight was NOT my idea of vacation.

Did I mention we ate a ton of seafood?  Shrimp or lobster or fish EVERY DAY!  And the prices were really reasonable for them....maybe $5-15 a plate.  We also had coconut something with every dish...either fresh at breakfast, coconut bread for snacks, or shrimp cooked in the milk.  Soooo good.

Four days was definitely not enough time there.  I really couldn't get enough of that beautiful surf and water.  And I was really happy with our lodgings.  Although the Little Corn Beach & Bungalows are more popular and a little more refined, you're still essentially in a stilt house with just the basics just paying $50 more a night to do it.  All I can say is that if you can get there, do it!  Soon!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the best part.  There's no JWs on Little Corn right now.  No KH no nothing!  We were able to do a lot of informal witnessing because when we mentioned we were Witnesses they asked, "What's that?".  So if you're looking to serve as a need greater in a virtual paradise, here's your chance.

4 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Whenever we get the opportunity to witness, we are preaching the good news it makes Jehovah's heart happy. Keep up the good work so you can finish THE race! ;-) Congratulations too on completing the A-Z Challenge!Just stopping by to say hello. Visiting from the 2013 Post A-Z Road Trip!
    Thoughts Of Beauty In The Stillness Of Dawn...

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  2. Hi Shawn
    I'm so glad that you enjoyed your trip to Little Corn and decided to share it with us. We haven't been there yet but have moved a little closer (we are now serving in Pearl Lagoon). A trip to the Corn Islands is something we hope to do so that we can get some snorkeling in. Hope to meet you at the SAD in June, although I feel I already know you (at least a little) from reading your blog.
    Debbie (& Pat) Polden

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    1. Oh no! I won't be at the SAD bc I'll be in the States for a month. Maybe we'll be at the same DC so we can meet :)

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  3. Lil Chair for Lil Fin!! :) I feel loved!!!

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