Nicaragua

Cuba Crew wanted more action so we locked in another int'l trip: Nicaragua.  Cuba set a high bar, but somehow Nicaragua may have exceeded it.  Granada had enough old Colonial architecture to make it worth exploring on bikes, with a few fun bars & restaurants too.  The roadtrip continued to San Juan Del Sur where we stayed north of the town at an awesome backpacker hotel overlooking the ocean.  Lots of good times and no drama - that is a beautiful thing.

48 hours after we returned home, Nicaragua erupted with protests, started mainly by students, frustrated by a recent change in tax policy that was a last straw for many.  We couldn't have known in the time we were there, as everything seemed to be safe and moving upwards, but beneath the surface Nicaraguans were really frustrated with President Daniel Ortega and then boom, over 60 dead and 400 injured.

I've had nothing but excellent experiences in LATAM, but an important reminder that things can flip on a dime and always important to be prepared.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Nicaraguan_protests