By Dan, Jamie and Brad
Neon Night Welcome back to the Branmie (Brad, Dan, and Jamie) Wherever the Wind takeover! The three of us were sufficiently brutalized by the Chicago winter that we decided to meet up with Jaitlin as they started to make their way through Central and South America. We were also joined by Kerry, Caitlin’s friend from the Peace Corps, and Evan, Jed’s friend from college. The five of us joined them in Nicaragua, reviews of which ranged from “It’s the new Costa Rica!” to “Why are you going THERE?!”
 A welcome Kerry de Caña Branmie, Kerry and Evan were greeted by Jaitlin with their first sips of what came to be known as Kerry de Caña, a delicious drink consisting of Flor de Caña (a Nicaraguan rum) and a squeeze of lime. After settling into our most “Wherever the Wind” -like accommodations of the trip (one room with four sets of bunk beds and a cold shower), we ventured out for dinner in Managua (and the first of about 300 servings of ceviche that we would collectively consume over the course of the trip). In search of some local nightlife, we headed to Chamán, a gigantic indoor/outdoor nightclub modeled like a huge pyramid. Translation issues initially led our cabs to a much more local “club” (more like an abandoned parking lot-turned-motorcycle rave) on the way there. We were frightened but intrigued as we directed the driver to the correct club… but later in the night, the alcohol having lowered our fear and increased our intrigue, we decided to tempt fate and check it out. Though we wouldn’t advise anyone to venture there, we did briefly dance to salsa music, enjoy some fried cheese, and manage to leave after getting many strange looks with our stomachs and lives intact. Continuing our adventures, we also experienced the late night food trucks outside of the clubs, with varying levels of success (or food poisoning). |  The Pyramid Shaped Club  Lots of bikes at the biker party  Some post-club street food. yum. |
The next morning, we boarded a bus and headed southwest to San Juan del Sur, a beach town on the country’s Pacific coast. We rented a beautiful, mind-bogglingly cheap condo up on a hill, about a 15-minute hike from the beach. Most of our three-and-half days there were spent in a joyous cycle of swimming in the ocean, lying on the beach, eating and drinking along the coast, and taking a billion sunset photos. We hopped into the back of someone’s van one day for a day trip to Playa Madera, a beach about a 30-minute drive away known for its surfing that featured some of the biggest, most incredible waves we’d ever seen. We also rented a private boat tour one night, on which we consumed much Toña (the local beer of choice) and witnessed the best sunsets of all.
San Juan del Sur was much more beach town than tourist city, but we did enjoy hiking up to Cristo de la Misericordia, a giant Jesus statue overlooking the city in Río-like fashion, ziplining and watching Brad and Evan try fly-boarding, the latest futuristic adventure craze.
San Juan del Sur was much more beach town than tourist city, but we did enjoy hiking up to Cristo de la Misericordia, a giant Jesus statue overlooking the city in Río-like fashion, ziplining and watching Brad and Evan try fly-boarding, the latest futuristic adventure craze.
 After soaking up the sun, Toñas, and ceviche, we piled into another van and headed back toward Lake Nicaragua to the colonial city of Granada. We spent that evening touring the Mombacho Cigar Factory and learning all about the cigar-making process, which was fascinating to some of us and painful on the nostrils to others. Our tour guide, Danny, is a transplant from Gibraltar. If you would like to seriously question your life choices, take a look at his Instagram account: https://instagram.com/danny_mombacho/ |  Making cigars at Mombacho |
 In front of the active (and smoking) Masaya Volcano The next day, our lovely host “Nothing is Impossible” Julio arranged a full day’s tour for us that started out at the Masaya Volcano. We hiked several routes to enjoy various indescribable views of this active volcano, stopping every few seconds to take a photo of each new view. We also hiked a cave created by the flow of lava from one of the eruptions. Correction: some of us hiked this cave, while others of us ran in fear the moment we spotted bats -- and there were LOTS of them. |  Brad jumping for joy at the volcano  Getting spooky in the cave |
After serious contemplation of sending our passports on a one-way trip to the bottom of Masaya, we ventured into town for some bargain shopping at Mercado de Masaya, a local market, before embarking on a boat tour of Lago de Nicaragua. If you have tens of thousands of dollars to spare, consider purchasing one of the available little islands on this giant lake. We boated past many that had already been bought and built on by some local millionaires (such as the owner of the aforementioned Toña) with ridiculous amenities.
We were also boarded at one point by Lola and her child, monkeys well-known by the locals who inhabit one of the islands. Some of us welcomed their visit, while others cowered in fear that they might find it more appealing to try to eat us instead of the bananas our captain was shoveling out to them.
We were also boarded at one point by Lola and her child, monkeys well-known by the locals who inhabit one of the islands. Some of us welcomed their visit, while others cowered in fear that they might find it more appealing to try to eat us instead of the bananas our captain was shoveling out to them.
All in all, Nicaragua was a fantastic experience. The country is clearly developing, and its larger cities may look very different in another decade. We enjoyed a great mix of experiences, from the relaxation of the beach to the incredible views of an active volcano, and everything in between. Though we miss Jed and Caitlin dearly and can’t wait until they return to the States, we’re thrilled to have gotten to crash their tour around the world for many unforgettable moments.
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