It’s been said that Nicaragua has been frozen in time since the civil war ended. Though it is stable and safe, the perceived danger of political instability and war has scared off most travelers for the last 20 years. However, Nicaragua has recently been rising in popularity as a vacation destination for surfers and American tourists. It has an affordable authentic yesteryear appeal that the now touristy Costa Rica once offered. Most travelers come to Granada, San Del Sur, and the Pacific Coast beaches to enjoy the surf, sun, and developing resort style accommodations. Most of them will never see the other half of Nicaragua.
More than half of its land is reachable only by a 12 hour panga (slow boat) ride through its water ways like Rio Bocay. These water ways are the most effective mode of transportation through the dense jungle with marshy floors packed with native vegetation, monkeys, Macaws, and bugs as big as your palm. Artist Fernando Velez recently embarked on a trip to the lesser seen side of Nicaragua.
Fernando’s photographic journey began in Nicaragua’s capitol city, Managua and lead him through the slow boat rides and backroads that dot the nearly population less jungle. His curiosity lead him (and luckily for us, his camera) to infamous Grey Town and over dirt roads past El Cua to Aya Pal, Nicaragua’s Wild West.
A selection of images from the series is currently being featured in the Community Conference Room at Green Office Furnishings. Please join us for ArtHop Thursday June 18th 2015 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM to be among the first to see Velez’s newest body of work and meet the Nicaragua that most people will never see.
