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Nicaragua - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
More and more travelers are discovering the delights of Nicaragua—a land of lakes and volcanoes. The image has persisted of a country racked by revolution and war, but the reality awaiting travelers couldn’t be more different. The largest country in Central America, Nicaragua is also one of the most diverse and least explored, with a chain of puffing volcanoes along the Pacific coast, two huge freshwater lakes, important rainforest reserves on the tropical Mosquito Coast, and tiny, picture-postcard Caribbean islands where English Creole is the lingua franca. Travelers' budgets will stretch further here than in other Latin American destinations, and around every corner, there are cobblestone streets, high-altitude coffee plantations, world-class bird-watching, perfect surf, and Flor de Caña, the smoothest rum that ever came out of an oak barrel. Culture Smart! Nicaragua offers readers an insider’s view of the country and its people. It explores Nicaragua’s national traditions, turbulent history, tasty local dishes, fun fiestas, and unique cultural expressions. It arms readers with key phrases in Nica-speak, or Nicañol, so you can break the ice, and provides insights into what the people of Nicaragua are like at home, at play, and in business.
168 pages, Paperback
Published January 2, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 27, 2019
Book Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
I’ve never been to Nicaragua and for the purpose of this review, I haven’t checked on the internet and I don’t know anyone who lives there to verify as to whether the information is correct as I think that would hinder my review. I am solely basing my review about Nicaragua on the information inside this Culture Smart! book.
From author Russell Maddicks who is a BBC trained journalist and has spent twenty years researching and exploring Latin America comes a book all about Nicaragua. I was asked if I would like to review two books on countries from around the world and I chose this one as I actually know nothing, except its location, about the place and wanted to learn as I crave knowledge.
Just like the book on Norway that I have reviewed, this book is split into nine chapters covering different areas, including:-
– Land and People
– Values and Attitudes
– Customs and Traditions
– Making Friends
– The Nicaraguans at Home
– Time Out
– Travel, Health, and Safety
– Business Briefing
– Communicating
We travel on our armchair journey we learn all about the how Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere and with a population of approximately 6.08 million people living over 50,36 sq miles, it is also the largest country in Central America. The country is basically split into two areas by hills and forests. On the right, Atlantic Ocean side, you have Spanish-Speaking Mestizos and on the left, Pacific Ocean side, you have the Creole-Speaking Afro-Caribbeans and the indigenous Miskito People.
Throughout history, Nicaragua has been ravaged by war but the last few years have seen a calm across the country and it is now deemed as one of the safest countries in Americas, as well as a place where the locals are very welcoming and friendly.
The landscape is filled with volcanoes, beaches, and lakes as well as hill and forests which are part of the countries numerous national parks.
The book takes you on a journey through the history of the island and its many wars and political unrest, to today’s Nicaragua, a much nicer place to live and visit. Unlike Norway where people go home on the dot when their shift ends. Nicaragua’s live by the ‘Rise with the sun, sleep when it sets rule’ and work to their own pace, not surprising given the climate and the heat they have to work in.
I’ve learned that the Nicas (what the Nicaraguans are called) are a nation that likes to socialise. They like their alcohol, especially rum and cocktails and that unlike other Latin American countries, their preferred sport is baseball, not soccer (football). They have humid weather most of the year, even when the tropical rain arrives.
Throughout this pocket-sized book, you will get to learn so much and marvel at the glorious photographs that are on most of the pages. This is a book that you can take on your travels and flick through as and when you need to. It is exceptionally interesting and I didn’t want to put it down once I had started. The only thing missing was a look at the place through the eyes of someone who lives there. Hopefully, one day I will get to visit the place for myself.
I’ve never been to Nicaragua and for the purpose of this review, I haven’t checked on the internet and I don’t know anyone who lives there to verify as to whether the information is correct as I think that would hinder my review. I am solely basing my review about Nicaragua on the information inside this Culture Smart! book.
From author Russell Maddicks who is a BBC trained journalist and has spent twenty years researching and exploring Latin America comes a book all about Nicaragua. I was asked if I would like to review two books on countries from around the world and I chose this one as I actually know nothing, except its location, about the place and wanted to learn as I crave knowledge.
Just like the book on Norway that I have reviewed, this book is split into nine chapters covering different areas, including:-
– Land and People
– Values and Attitudes
– Customs and Traditions
– Making Friends
– The Nicaraguans at Home
– Time Out
– Travel, Health, and Safety
– Business Briefing
– Communicating
We travel on our armchair journey we learn all about the how Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere and with a population of approximately 6.08 million people living over 50,36 sq miles, it is also the largest country in Central America. The country is basically split into two areas by hills and forests. On the right, Atlantic Ocean side, you have Spanish-Speaking Mestizos and on the left, Pacific Ocean side, you have the Creole-Speaking Afro-Caribbeans and the indigenous Miskito People.
Throughout history, Nicaragua has been ravaged by war but the last few years have seen a calm across the country and it is now deemed as one of the safest countries in Americas, as well as a place where the locals are very welcoming and friendly.
The landscape is filled with volcanoes, beaches, and lakes as well as hill and forests which are part of the countries numerous national parks.
The book takes you on a journey through the history of the island and its many wars and political unrest, to today’s Nicaragua, a much nicer place to live and visit. Unlike Norway where people go home on the dot when their shift ends. Nicaragua’s live by the ‘Rise with the sun, sleep when it sets rule’ and work to their own pace, not surprising given the climate and the heat they have to work in.
I’ve learned that the Nicas (what the Nicaraguans are called) are a nation that likes to socialise. They like their alcohol, especially rum and cocktails and that unlike other Latin American countries, their preferred sport is baseball, not soccer (football). They have humid weather most of the year, even when the tropical rain arrives.
Throughout this pocket-sized book, you will get to learn so much and marvel at the glorious photographs that are on most of the pages. This is a book that you can take on your travels and flick through as and when you need to. It is exceptionally interesting and I didn’t want to put it down once I had started. The only thing missing was a look at the place through the eyes of someone who lives there. Hopefully, one day I will get to visit the place for myself.
August 6, 2021
Really cool read and has lots of fun tidbits about Nicaraguan culture, behaviors, and more. Even down to the weird habit of them pointing with their mouths, hah! I've been to this country many times and spend lots of time with Nicaraguans so I can confirm this book is very accurate and respectful.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews