Talk:Nicaragua Voyage Tips and guide

See also: Talk:Nicaragua/Archive

Something to watch, though it will not have an effect soon.

Nicaragua gives Chinese firm contract to build alternative to Panama Canal

"Project will reinforce China's growing influence on global trade and weaken US dominance over a key shipping route" Hmmmm ... Pashley (talk) 19:47, 11 June 2013 (UTC)Reply

Can this article be considered usable already or does that depend more on the content of the regions / cities / other destinations this article links to?

Wikivoyage:Country guide status says that a usable country article:

Has links to the country's major cities and other destinations (usable status or better), a valid regional structure, and a Get in section describing all of the typical ways to get there. Information about the country's currency, language, cuisine, and culture is included. At least the most prominent attraction is identified with directions.

So it's not there yet, as many of the linked destinations are still at outline status... Texugo (talk) 12:57, 29 July 2014 (UTC)Reply

Also note that the See section should not be just another list of the same cities and other destinations already listed in those sections above. Texugo (talk) 13:06, 29 July 2014 (UTC)Reply

Providing big charts with distances for everything is not something we usually do, so I'm putting this here below. Texugo (talk) 13:02, 29 July 2014 (UTC)Reply

(in kilometers)

I don't know where the map is from, but I can tell from experience that it is misleading when it comes to the roads... the road from Managua to Rama (west of Bluefields, not on the map) is in an excellent state and the only noteworthy "interoceanic" (the journey onwards to Bluefields would be by boat, Rama is one of the most important Carribbean ports of Nicaragua) rode that side of the country. looking at the map one would be even more inclined to fly to Bluefields than one is already... and miss the best part ;-)141.30.210.129 21:35, 17 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

User:Saqib is usually the go-to guy for maps here. You may want to post to User talk:Saqib and explain what changes you'd like him to make. I know he's quite busy lately, though, so be patient. Ikan Kekek (talk) 04:18, 18 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

I've added road to Rama. --Saqib (talk) 04:52, 18 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

I unfortunately don't see it in the article141.30.210.129 12:25, 19 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

I think that Saqib means that he has added (in yellow) a road from Juigalpa to Bluefields via Rama. It may be that this road is mystical since, in my day it was necessary to travel down the Escondido river by boat from Rama to Bluefields via Mahogany. You may not be able to view the new map because your browser (or ISP) is serving you an older, cached version. Try forcing a refresh of the page in your browser. (In Firefox, you do this by hitting three keys simultaneously: [Shift] + [Ctrl] + [R]...)

If you're interested, Saqib, this page has further background information.

PS: Thanks for all the terrific edits you're making 141.30.210.129 - it would be great if you registered an account! --W. Frank^email_talk 12:44, 19 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

maybe I wasn't clear: the road still stops at Rama, but the map only shows one road to Nueva Guina (and for some misterious reason a road that connects Nicaragua and Costa Rica east of the lake) there is however supposedly a road (more along the lines of a straight section of no trees in the jungle than any real tarred road I suppose) from Rama to Pearl Lagoon now 141.30.210.129 13:29, 19 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

well I stand corrected in the fact that yes, there is indeed a road (btw. no need removing the road crossing the border they built a bridge which will be actually open for traffic quite soon) (it has already been inaugurated) but not in the preview image. you'd have to click on it;-) why I don't know. But if it is at all possible making the road stop at El Rama would imho better reflect reality.141.30.210.129 13:32, 19 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

Well I still am kind of new here so I don't know the official policy exactly, but the question of whether to adhere to the American or rather the British variant of spelling has arisen and I think it would be best to find some form of consensus. The country as a whole never was an official colony of either the United Kingdom nor the United States, however the East was a protectorate of the British for more then three hundred years and some people there still speak Caribbean Creole English (although I don't think it would be advisable to write articles for the English wikivoyage in Creole English, as some argue it is an entirely different language from standard English) however there are hardly any native English speakers in the west or center of the country, which is culturally dominant and more densely populated. Besides that American influence has been strong (there was an US intervention in the 20s and 30s) and is culturally strong still (you can get Telemundo and HBO and Friends with subtitles) so I think there are good arguments for using American English as well as British English, but then again I don't want to ga against any established policy. But the issue has arisen and I think it should be adressed and consensus should be found. all the best wishes141.30.210.129 19:39, 19 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

As of today I've understood most of Latin America has far stronger connections to the US than to the UK (dollars are widely used, people have immigrated to the US and keep contact to family and friends, they're geographically closer etc.). ϒpsilon (talk) 20:03, 19 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

So do we have consensus to use standard American spelling and grammar for all articles concerning Nicaragua or will there be an exception for Caribbean destinations?141.30.210.129 13:27, 26 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

I don't know where a respect section belongs, but one thing you hear very frequently in Nicaragua is that cheles (westerners, whites) smell bad and Nicaraguans who are usually very sharp-dressed and clean (especially considering their economic situation) consider this either extremely funny or extremely rude depending on the proximity of the olfactory offense. there are some other things I could think of (how you flag down a cab, Nicaraguans pointing somewhere with their lips....) but imho this is the most egregious.141.30.210.129 13:45, 26 September 2014 (UTC)Reply

Swept in from the pub

We still have some seven digit phone numbers in our articles on Nicaragua (some even lack the country code which is +505 and simply added to the phone number). Since at least 2011 seven digit numbers are out of use and replaced by eight digit numbers starting with 8 (mobile) or 2 (landline). However in recent years there have also been some eight digit mobile numbers starting in numbers other than 8. I know that many businesses (even those active in tourism) are notoriously bad with having up to date websites, but if you come across a seven digit phone number in a listing for a business in Nicaragua, please check with their website what the new number is. Best wishes Hobbitschuster (talk) 12:52, 17 May 2015 (UTC)Reply

Swept in from the pub

So it seems for the first time since I have been a regular editor on Wikivoyage there are actually editors with more or less steady contributions who are currently or have been to Nicaragua besides my humble self. Unfortunately, much of Nicaragua is still inadequately covered and online research is hard as many hotels and restaurants (almost all except backpacker hostels and the most expensive price category) don't have websites and if they do they are often sorely lacking, especially in the English department. However, the prose of our existing articles as well as several other aspects can do with a polishing. Our first milestone - a featured Nicaragua article will come live soon and I hope we will be able to get to a point where Nicaragua can be promoted to "guide" status and no major destinations redlink or are bare outlines. User:Justvagabonding and User:Vmenkov, you seem to have first hand knowledge of many places in Nicaragua, what do you say? Also help from an English native speaker with the tone style and prose would be much appreciated as I know my sentences can get long and confusing at times... Hobbitschuster (talk) 18:29, 6 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

Myself, I am a bit surprised how few active editor Wikivoyage seems to have. On Wikpedia, whichever article you edit, you soon will encounter someone else who works on it, and usually it's different people working on different articles. On Wikivoyage, whatever part of the world I am editing an article on, it seems that I will see either User:Hobbitschuster or User:Ikan_Kekek contributing; sometimes I have the feeling that the two of you are are nearly the only people running this site :-) (I know that in reality there are a lot more contributors, but I guess they are working on articles about places on which I know nothing.) Talking about Nicaragua, I've been to a few places there, and am trying to improve a few articles with some useful tidbits of information, but I don't claim any kind of wide-reaching knowledge on the country to contribute in a major way. -- Vmenkov (talk) 00:04, 7 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

I just do a lot of recent changes patrols and copy editing. I have never been further south than Miami in the Americas, though I've visited somewhat extensively in tropical and equatorial countries of Asia. Ikan Kekek (talk) 00:07, 7 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

I think most contributors have their specialized geographic areas of the world, which frequently overlap. Latin America and Africa seem to get the least attention, which is something that should change. --Andrewssi2 (talk) 01:46, 8 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

Judging from the (lack of ) activity on my watch list during the Super Bowl (by the way, what a game) our writer base does seem to skew towards those that are either asleep or in front of some screen during this game. As for the Latin American issue... I fear a lot of it has to do with the current state of es-WV which is really not that good considering the amount of Spanish speakers in the world. We do sometimes translate (part of) articles from other language versions, but unfortunately es-WV is rarely a good place to go for source material. I don't know why that is, but there should be an effort to change this. Hobbitschuster (talk) 17:08, 8 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

Hi guys, sorry for getting to this a little late. I think you are right User:Hobbitschuster, we don't have enough contributors to make a full expedition. I am pleased to contribute as much as I can, however at this stage I have only been to a couple of places in Nicaragua and it doesn't seem like many other WV's have either. I will be back in Nica soon however (currently in Costa buying a moto) so when im back I will be sure to keep updating. --Justvagabonding (talk) 23:04, 8 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

Swept in from the pub

First of all, I don't really know all that much about how Commons works so if I did something wrong (e.g. added files to the wrong category) please do alert me. Anyway most of the files I have uploaded in this most recent round are of places in Nicaragua and given that a destination in said country will soon be featured and at least one of the images used there was deleted from commons, you might wish to have a look. All the best. Hobbitschuster (talk) 14:48, 13 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

One can't put photos with timestamps into a travel guide. They are so ugly... --Alexander (talk) 16:36, 13 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

Are you proposing that we change our image policy to disallow them? Peter Chastain (talk) 19:09, 13 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

I do not propose anything. I am just saying that it is a shame when an active contributor uploads photos with timestamps. It is so easy to switch them off, once and forever. --Alexander (talk) 19:27, 13 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

If the timestamps are correct, HS took the Nicaraguan photos long before he started contributing here. ϒpsilon (talk) 19:42, 13 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

Yes, and that's fine, but I would still refrain from uploading such photos unless they are absolutely unique. --Alexander (talk) 21:31, 13 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

The more the merrier, I say. It's unfortunate they're timestamped, but if we have a dearth of photos in some area, they're better than nothing. Powers ^(talk) 22:12, 13 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

List the photos that are worth adding to articles, I will attempt to paint out the timestamps or if that does not work simply crop the images. --Traveler100 (talk) 22:15, 13 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

AFAIK, it isn't verboten to use timestamps on photos? Obviously aesthetically it would be preferable without them, but ultimately it is just one factor among many to evaluate. --Andrewssi2 (talk) 23:10, 13 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

The photos were indeed taken before I had any knowledge of WV. I would probably not take them with timestamps today, but given that some of their subjects have no photos in commons whatsoever, I figured we could edit them in a way that the timestamp is not visible if need be. And before you ask, I have no idea how you do that. Hobbitschuster (talk) 19:21, 14 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

I believe that you paste {{Watermark|timestamp}} towards the top of the File: description page, and wait for someone to remove the timestamps for you. WhatamIdoing (talk) 00:23, 17 February 2016 (UTC)Reply

Swept in from the pub

Hi

I recently started a talk page thread on the Nicaragua page concerning which cities should be listed. Your input - any input - would be very welcome; currently I would have to go ahead unilaterally which is not exactly desirable. Hobbitschuster (talk) 17:59, 22 September 2016 (UTC)Reply

They seem to be just a random assortment of the first nine cities anybody thought of, neither listing the most important or interesting cities nor fairly representing all major regions. So I'll try to make another list, how about:

• Managua (goes without saying, despite its 1980s L.A. levels of traffic nightmare and lack of a center)
• Granada (goes without saying)
• León (like Granada)
• Masaya (a suburb of Managua in some regards, it still has its own charms with the artisan market and easy access to the pueblos blancos)
• Bluefields (a city on the Caribbean is necessary and this is the clear candidate as well as a major travel hub)
• San Carlos (not necessarily on its own strength but for its function as the gateway to the Rio San Juan region)
• Estelí (major northern city, coffee culture, good starting point for e.g. cañón de Somoto)
• San Juan del Sur (surfer town, party mecca, anchoring point for cruises)

If you think one of those towns or cities should be replaced by another, please let me know Hobbitschuster (talk) 02:13, 17 September 2016 (UTC)Reply

I felt exactly the same. The existing list does seem arbitrary and yours makes a lot more sense to me (I was surprised not to see San Juan del Sur). That said I'm not sure how significant Jinotega is and how it fares against San Carlos but I say go for it. Jdlrobson (talk) 21:59, 25 September 2016 (UTC)Reply

I don't think I've ever been to Jinotega and I have spent quite some time in San Carlos, but we already have a major city in the Northern Highlands (Estelí) whereas we do not have any city from the Rio San Juan region unless we have San Carlos there. The next step would be to come up with god blurbs for those places. Hobbitschuster (talk) 22:04, 25 September 2016 (UTC)Reply

Then I think you should just go ahead and edit! It seems with a bit of rewording you have good blurbs for all of them.

Suggested:

• Managua - Capital leveled by a 1972 earthquake and decried as bland, slowly coming into its own again
• Granada - colonial beauty, favorite with expats
• León - age old rival of Granada, famous for leftist politics and its cathedral
• Masaya - charming suburb of Managua with artisan market and easy access to the pueblos blancos
• Bluefields - city on the carribean coast and major travel hub
• San Carlos - gateway to the Rio San Juan region
• Estelí - sip coffee and use as a base for various excurions including cañón de Somoto
• San Juan del Sur - surfer town, party mecca and an anchoring point for cruises around the Pacific

Jdlrobson (talk) 15:49, 26 September 2016 (UTC)Reply

I just found that I only listed eight cities. Any suggestion on a ninth? Also; if you want to shine up the blurbs, be my guest. Hobbitschuster (talk) 18:04, 26 September 2016 (UTC)Reply

Swept in from the pub

The semi regular fare hike is upon us again. La Prensa (the main opposition newspaper) has a handy graphic as well showing which buses cost how much under the new prices. We should update articles accordingly if possible. Hobbitschuster (talk) 15:33, 11 April 2017 (UTC)Reply

I think it is rather relevant for travelers (especially those with limited Spanish or who learned it mostly from books) to know that Nicaraguans - even in big cities - frequently misspell words, choosing v/b s/z/c and silent h seemingly at random so that "aver" can mean "haber" or "a ver". Similarly the boundaries between words are not always well known and the "swallowed s" is not always written. This is usually not a problem for people familiar with (Nicaraguan) Spanish pronunciation, but if you are looking for the sign "hay nacatamales" mentioned in the eat section, you may well find it an "ay nacatamale" sign instead. Hobbitschuster (talk) 13:56, 12 August 2017 (UTC)Reply

Swept in from the pub

An IP editor added some information on the recent protests to the "stay safe" section and I added a warningbox to the top. Please edit for tone, clarity, flow, fairness and so on and so forth. I hope we can soon remove the warningbox... Hobbitschuster (talk) 19:14, 26 April 2018 (UTC)Reply

User:Ikan Kekek has done some light copy-editing, anybody else wanna weigh in? Hobbitschuster (talk) 19:01, 28 April 2018 (UTC)Reply

Just for the record, it currently matters little, but should w:Boaco Department be part of Rio San Juan Region or Northern Highlands (Nicaragua)? I think either is fine, but we currently do not list any city or other POI inside said department and I fear it will be some time before we will... Hobbitschuster (talk) 20:29, 24 July 2018 (UTC)Reply

The list of visa-free countries should be revised and updated. Venezuela now requires a visa and it can take 2-3 months to process. The list of countries that do not require a visa does not match the map. A list of countries that get a visa upon arrival should be added. Note should be made for those countries that whose citizens would get a visa upon arrival if they already have a US/EU/Schengen visa.

The US embassy is mostly closed as of November 2018, with people being directed for most consular work to Costa Rica. Is this something that should be mentioned in the article? Eni2dad (talk) 13:14, 10 November 2018 (UTC) Enidad2Reply

Please plunge forward. The US embassy thing is probably more of an issue for Nicaraguans than US visitors (the former have a much harder time getting to Costa Rica than the latter), but it might still bear mentioning. Hobbitschuster (talk) 00:50, 11 November 2018 (UTC)Reply

Our warning box text sounds like things are still fairly dire, but another travel site has After falling from the brink of a tourism boom, Nicaragua is ready to welcome the world back. Does anyone have current info? Pashley (talk) 09:58, 11 January 2019 (UTC)Reply

I think the UK Foreign Office has current information. They update their website regularly and have a network of embassies, high commissions and consulates providing them information. I updated this warning last week (see the "Information last updated" line in the box) based on information from them. I have never heard of Matadornetwork.com. How often is their website updated? What are their sources? Why would we trust them more than the UK FO? Ground Zero (talk) 11:55, 11 January 2019 (UTC)Reply

The Nicaraguan government is playing a disingenuous double game. On the one hand, they try to assure the world that whatever "crisis" there may have been is over and tourism is "back". On the other hand, they keep throwing people into jail on "terrorism" charges at a rate that would make some Middle Eastern countries blush. Of course the underlying issue has not been resolved either way. While calm might hold while you are there, it has to be emphasized in the strongest terms, that everything you say in Spanish can land you in hot water and the government is paranoid about (foreign) journalists or anything approaching journalists in this modern day and age. Plus if and when the protests start again (and the government starts shooting at them again) the bullets still won't care whom they are "meant for". Hobbitschuster (talk) 21:41, 11 January 2019 (UTC)Reply

From The Guardian today:

"Nicaragua is closer to “total economic chaos” and a new civil war than ever before, a supreme court judge has warned.... Rafael Solís accused Ortega of transforming the Central American country into “a state of terror”.... The judge – a longtime associate of the 73-year-old Sandinista – claimed peaceful protests had been repressed “with bloodshed and fire” and heavily armed paramilitaries unleashed to sow fear."

Ground Zero (talk) 22:44, 11 January 2019 (UTC)Reply

Below is a proposed infobox to let readers know which formatting conventions to use in Wikivoyage articles. Do you agree with these proposals? If you have direct knowledge of what is most commonly used in the country, please let us know. Ground Zero (talk) 18:16, 9 December 2019 (UTC)Reply

Moved to the top of this page. Ground Zero (talk) 04:39, 28 December 2019 (UTC)Reply