Adiós for now Nicaragua--a place, it seems, where the revolutionary fervor exhibited in this monument now exists only as a symbol, cynically manipulated by former idealists to maintain their current power, and yet also a stunningly beautiful place I have fallen for, and whose people and history fascinate me (and a place which I hope to return to soon, and often):

Last day in Nicaragua: Drive from Esteli to Managua, via San Rafael del Norte & Jinotega

Pulperia Rosita, San Rafael del Norte, Nicaragua

Cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua

Somoto, Nicaragua: Former Sandinista fighter tells us how he infiltrated the Contras, posed as one of them & had to feign happiness when they told him they had killed a man who happened to be his nephew

Northern Nicaragua: A 3 hour hike leads us through Somoto Canyon, a place undiscovered by outsiders until 2006:

A drive through northern NIcaragua where we see: a horse, a turkey, a Pentecostal church, and a quick glimpse at what happens when the front axle falls off your big rig:

León, NIcaragua: Museo de la Revolución

León, Nicaragua: Drive-by Church Shootings

León, Nicaragua

Alessio Casimirri serves lunch at the Cueva del Buzo restaurant in Managua as his 87 year old mother shows us pictures of herself with various popes

What you see when you walk up to an active volcano and look inside:

Leaving Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua

Granada y Las Isletas, Nicaragua

Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua

Flying to Nicaragua, via Miami

My brother's arm

Mike Davis examines igneous rocks in my front yard while two flamingos discuss the death of their friend