Story and photos by
Edward Marion

The Playa Madera near San Juan

We traveled to Granada, Leon, Rivas and San Juan Del Sur. San Juan is a quaint town on the coast. There are plenty of small hotels, pensions, and hostels in San Juan. At sunset, people walk to the beach for a beverage and dinner.

We took a day trip to a surf beach near San Juan, The Playa Madera. We went surfing, ate fish at a beach restaurant, and enjoyed the peacefulness of being on a non-populated beach. At Madera beach we spotted several monkeys, parakeets, iguanas, and a few vultures perching on the treetops. Since it was the wet season, the landscape was green and looked like the jungles you see on "National Geographic."

Since sleeping on the beach is legal in Nicaragua, camping on the beach is always an option. You can set up a tent or find a campsite. We camped once at a facility that was operated by a husband and wife. It cost $1.00 to put up a tent (or hammock). Breakfast was $1.50 and a beer was a $1.00.

Most people in Nicaragua arrive at the beach by bus. When the busses arrive, people flock to the beach to set up campsites. They stay on the beach all day and drink rum at night. The next morning they cook on the beach, play until late afternoon, and then head back to the busses.

We observed one group of people arriving with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. They swam, fished, climbed coconut trees for something to drink, built a fire at night, and eventually went to asleep without ever changing clothes.

(Next week: A night in the jungle)