At Buena Onda near Popoyo, the Sunset Rock was dubbed after an unbroken string of three weeks straight of sundowner cocktail hours. The majesty doesn't translate into pixels, but...

You're getting the hang of Nicaraguan cuisine when you start favoring certain restaurants based on how crispy they cook the rice in their Gallo Pinto. Whole fried pargo, langostino for lunch, crispy pork ribs ... here's the evidence, or what was left of it.

Heading north from the Punta Teonoste $4-a-beer resort, look for a ranch house that has a "Gavilan" sign made out of rebar on its fence. A bit farther on, look beachward for a narrow drive with a barbed wire gate that's likely open. Park and mosey down to one of the prettiest beaches in Nicaragua.

Dirt roads, ox carts, half a dozen surf breaks within walking distance, gated communities full of gringo palaces, pigs and chickens and dogs roaming at will, friendly local surfers, pangas on the beach, offshore winds 300 days a year. Go figure...

Granada, a colonial town on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, claims the distinction of being sacked by English pirates repeatedly. Now American pirates sack the city's supply of Victoria, Tona and Flor de Cana rum.

Fun in the San Juan del Sur surf