>> Welcome to Joseph Rosendo's "Travelscope," where you join us as we accept the world's invitation to visit.

>> Today on "Travelscope," I head to Central America to explore the colonial glory, discover the natural grandeur, and celebrate the cultural richness of Nicaragua.

>> Joseph Rosendo's "Travelscope" is made possible by... San Antonio, Texas, where you'll find art, culture, romance authentic Tex-Mex, 50-plus golf courses and hundreds of attractions.

San Antonio, deep in the heart.

And No-Jet-Lag jet lag prevention.

>> The largest country in Central America, Nicaragua's strategic location bridging the Caribbean and the Pacific and its natural beauty of towering volcanoes, untouched rain forests and tropical jungles has captured the interest of conquerors, profiteers and adventurers since its colonization by the Spanish in 1524.

My adventure begins on the shores of Lake Nicaragua in the city of Granada, an historic colonial town where people enjoy a relaxed way of life.

My first stop is the 1892 Mercado Municipal in El Centro Historico, the historic center, where the people shop and it's easy to get lost in its maze of stalls.

I don't know which way to turn.

You think Nicaraguans like rice?

And it seems to me they like rice more than they do beans, because this is 10 barrels of rice to one barrel of beans.

Don't be fooled.

They like beans and rice together.

This is off of corn.

Corn, and this is the chicha drink, which is a very famous drink here in Nicaragua.

>> [speaking Spanish] >> Sí, sí.

Perfecto.

Gracias, señora.

This market goes on for blocks and blocks and blocks, and there's hundreds and hundreds of people who come here to get the stuff they need for living here in Nicaragua.

[speaking Spanish] The heart of the city is El Parque Central, which is flanked by the cathedral of Granada and Granada's most historic landmarks, restaurants and hotels.

At the Hotel Plaza Colon, a parkside veranda offers a rinkside view of locals and visitors passing the time, which in Nicaragua always includes a fair amount of eating and drinking.

There are many typical dishes to have in Nicaragua, and one of the most unique and special dishes is vigorón, and the best place is at one of the kiosks in the central park of Granada.

We're at Kiosko Modesta, and this is Señora Modesta Lacayo, and she's been here since 1950.

Now, we're gonna go try the vigorón and a couple of special drinks they also make here.

Let's watch them make the vigorón.

Well, the ingredients are quite simple.

Starts off with yuca, which is a root vegetable, and the vigorón is built in a tower, and so there's a banana leaf, and she puts the yuca right on top of that, and the next step is the most important step.

It's the pork--chicharrón, which is pork skin.

OK, and then the final step, and that is cabbage, shredded cabbage, a cabbage salad.

Goes right on top, and esta terminado.

It's finished.

The vigorón is served with 2 special drinks here in Nicaragua.

Ah, gracias, señora.

This one is a cacao drink, and this one is a lemongrass tea.

Ah.

Mmm.

Muy rico, señora.

Muchas gracias.

Salud.

>> [indistinct] >> Ever since its founding by the Spanish conquerors in 1524, the city of Granada has suffered destruction many times.

In its early years, it was repeatedly sacked by English, French and Dutch pirates.

In the 19th century, it was burnt to the ground by the American pirate William Walker.

It has suffered through civil and revolutionary wars.

After each disaster, the people have been determined to rebuild the city to its former glory, and that's why today it still retains most of its colonial charm, and it is one of Nicaragua's most popular cities to visit.

Taking a horse and carriage ride through the city of Granada is certainly a tourist activity, but it's also a local custom.

For hundreds and hundreds of years, the citizens of the capital city of Managua have come to Granada to step back in time.

They come to the central park, enjoy the peace of the park and a vigorón, that very Nicaraguan dish.

So, yes, it is a tourist attraction, but it's also a Nicaraguan tradition.

Just a few blocks away from the central plaza, I discover a Nicaraguan tradition that's been in place for more than 50 years--fine hand-rolled cigars made with Cuban seed tobacco.

I'm with Silvio Reyes, and we're in Doña Elba Cigars here in Granada, and this really makes me feel comfortable.

My grandfather was a cigar maker from Pinar del Río in Cuba.

The smell and the aroma and the spirit is very, very familiar.

Tell me what he's doing here.

>> OK. Every cigar has got 5 different kind of tobacco.

The binder... >> Uh-huh.

>> The base, the viso from the middle of the plant where the flavor of the tobacco is... >> Right.

>> And after the viso, they call ligero in many Spanish country, but I call crown, you know, the one on top of the plant.

He put it together, he roll in the binder.

We have to tell him what he gonna put in every blend.

>> So it's like a good glass of wine.

You're basically telling, this is Doña Elba's blend, like Chateau Margaux or something, right?

OK, so, next?

What do they do next?

>> OK, what he do, he fill it up the mold.

When he got the mold full, he put it on the press.

After 20 minute, come to the lady, and she put the outside.

She put the wrapper and she turn--they call a handkerchief, you know, when she go around the head.

You have to be a lady touch to look like this, you know.

It's a beautiful cigar.

And like I say... >> Women have to put the final touch.

You know what they say in Cuba--that the best Cuban cigars are rolled on the thighs of the women in the cigar factory.

You know, they say that a good glass of wine complements a meal.

It goes well with the meal.

I know there's something that complements the Nicaraguan cigar.

>> Well, a good cigar is go with the rum Flor de Caña.

>> I'm ready.

Let's go.

>> OK, let's go.

>> In the absence of Cuban rum, I guess a glass of Nicaraguan rum will just have to do.

Mmm.

Perfecto.

>> Delicioso.

>> Delicioso.

>> Delicioso.

>> Salud.

>> Salud.

>> My grandfather is happy now.

[laughs] Wherever your Granada day takes you, end it along Parque Central on Calle La Calzada, the pedestrian street where locals and visitors enjoy al fresco dining and cultural entertainments which range from formal folkloric dances to street performances by the traditional Nico characters La Gigantona y el Pepe Cabezón, kid-powered puppets which symbolize the Spanish and indigenous cultures.

Life around the park continues well into the night.

Located in Nicaragua's Meseta Central, Central Plateau, the nearby town of Masaya and the group of villages known as Los Pueblos Blancos highlight the artistic side of Nicaraguan life.

Since the days of the Spanish conquest, the area has produced many of the country's artisan crafts.

Masaya's Mercado Artesanías is a one-stop shop for Nicaraguan handicrafts, tourist trinkets and local foods.

One of the fun things of coming to markets anywhere is of course to try things that you don't have at home.

This one is not only an artisan market, but also they have some fruit, so this was really a great find, 'cause Nicaragua's known for its wide variety of fruits.

[speaks Spanish] >> It's a sapote.

>> Oh, you speak English?

>> I speak English.

>> Ah, OK. What is a sapote?

>> Sapote is a very popular fruit this time of the year.

What do you think?

>> Mmm.

That's delicious.

>> It's my favorite fruit.

>> That's delicious.

Well, muchas gracias.

I'm gonna have one of these batidos.

Hola, señora.

>> Hola.

>> [speaks Spanish] >> Doña Coco.

>> Ah, sí.

Batidos Doña Coco.

¿Qué es un batido?

>> [speaks Spanish] >> [speaks Spanish] >> [speaks Spanish] >> OK. Ah.

Gracias, señora.

Gracias.

Oh.

[slurps] Mmm.

Delicioso.

Gracias.

Masaya has been known as a place of hammock-making since the mid-16th century.

That's when the Spanish decreed that the people of the city would create hammocks and shoes for them as tribute.

They're created in the small tiendas, shops that are in people's homes or former homes in neighborhoods.

I'm with Rafael Rivera, and we're here at Hamacas Cailagua.

[both speaking Spanish] Gracias.

Muchas gracias.

>> [speaks Spanish] >> While hammocks are made in Masaya, most of the artisan crafts you see in its markets are created by artists that live in the smaller Pueblos Blancos communities such as San Juan de Oriente, which is noted for its pottery.

I visit the workshop and school of master potter Valentin Lopez.

Valentin, what makes San Juan Oriente different from the other villages, from the other Pueblos Blancos?

>> [speaking Spanish] >> Mm-hmm.

>> [continuing in Spanish] >> Mm-hmm.

>> [continuing in Spanish] >> Mm-hmm.

>> [continuing in Spanish] >> Ah.

>> [continuing in Spanish] >> Sí.

Es verdad.

>> [continuing in Spanish] >> Ah.

Que bueno.

Mucho gusto... y gracias.

Each of the Pueblos Blancos is famous for something.

Catarina is noted for its nurseries, but more popular than its blooms is its famous Mirador.

Each evening, people gather to enjoy sunset over the Laguna de Apoyo and views of the Mombacho Volcano.

I wait until moonrise before I head back to Granada.

On my way, I do what the locals do and stop for an evening meal of Nicaraguan specialties at Masaya's Tiangue la Plazita.

This is something that spontaneously cropped up where people would bring home-cooked meals to sell, and here you'll get very typical foods.

It's as authentic as you can get.

Let's see what they have.

Come on.

Arroz?

>> Rice and meats.

>> Rice and meats.

Rice and meats.

Oh, you speak English.

>> Yes.

>> Rice and meats, chicken.

We have the ripe platanos.

So you come here to have your dinner every night?

>> No every night.

I live in Managua.

>> Oh, you live in Managua.

>> I come once in a while.

>> Once in a while.

It's nice.

Inexpensive.

Very typical.

Gracias.

>> Bye-bye.

>> Bye.

>> See you later.

>> They have more food here.

Come on, look at this.

...which is red beans and rice.

This is yuca.

Some root vegetable.

In my family, we put garlic sauce all over it, and it really adds a little spice to it.

Come on.

>> [speaks Spanish] >> Hola, señoras.

¿Cómo estás?

>> [speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] >> Que bueno.

Rico.

That's rico.

Rico means just "delicious."

Obviously the reason to come here is not just the food, which is very typical, very good and very inexpensive, it's the exchange with the vendors, the people that are coming here to eat and to really experience the warmth and the great friendly spirit of the Nicaraguans.

I recommend it to you.

At more than 3,000 square miles, Lake Nicaragua is the largest in Central America and since the days of the Spanish has been used along with the Río San Juan as a route to the Atlantic.

Along this watery trail have passed the indigenous Rama Indians, English pirates, California prospectors including Mark Twain, and the warring Sandinistas and contras.

Today the river is a peaceful gateway to thousands of miles of virgin rain forests and many natural and cultural adventures.

I began my river adventure at the confluence of the lake and river in San Carlos, where I hop a ride downriver with Frenchman Philippe Tisseaux, who owns a lodge and takes visitors on fishing and wildlife-viewing excursions.

Now, we've been talking as we've come down the river here, and you were talking about authentic Nicaragua.

What does that mean?

>> Authentic Nicaragua that means the people are still theirself.

Amazing for a country that's been suffering so much from the war, whatever.

But they are--you're welcome.

People coming here will be surprised, surprised by the quality of Nicaraguan people, by safety in Nicaragua.

It is rated the second safest country in the Americas and also because of these bad days, the growth did not come too fast.

>> Uh-huh.

>> And I think it's very good thing, because Nicaraguan people will have time to learn a little bit more about tourism and will be part in tourism.

>> Merci.

>> [speaks French] >> There's much to please the eye during the first leg of my journey to the sea.

Since it's unwise to travel the ever-changing river after dark, I overnight in the town of El Castillo, named in honor of its 17th-century Spanish fort.

El Castillo is a river town of 1200 people.

Besides its dramatic location on the river and its beautiful fort, the main reason to stop here is to get a different perspective on Nicaraguan life than you'll get in Managua or Granada.

The people who live here have survived many manmade and natural trials and tribulations and still enjoy their families and their peaceful way of life.

With tourism, things are changing along the river.

What's nice about Nicaragua is that the important things don't change and the things that do change change slowly.

North of El Castillo, the River San Juan becomes the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and the difference between the two is clear.

On the Nicaraguan side is the 1563-square-mile Reserva Biológica Indio Maíz and on the Costa Rican side are farms, cattle ranches and a new hundred-mile highway.

Nicaragua has sovereignty of the river, which has saved it from overdevelopment.

Costa Rica has the treaty right to transport objects, but Nicaragua holds that Costa Rican tourists aren't objects unless Costa Rica intends to sell them, and since slavery ended in 1860 when American William Walker, Nicaragua's president, met a firing squad, the Río San Juan still runs free.

Near the river's mouth at the Caribbean is my destination, the new eco-friendly Rio Indio Lodge.

What was the main mission behind building the lodge here?

>> One of the main missions is to create a pristine area where our guests can come to for them to experience the rain forest and the wildlife at firsthand.

Another very important mission to us is to create wealth and jobs for the community, to show them the importance of ecotourism and how they can better their lives at the same time having them work with conservation, protecting wildlife, protecting the pristine areas.

>> We've seen that all over the world.

If people know they can benefit from the natural environment, then they'll be part of the conservation of it.

Well, this is so great that it's here.

I'm happy it's here, and it's surprising.

It's like in the middle of nowhere.

>> It was 2 1/2 years of construction, and it's all--was done by hand labor.

We didn't use any machinery.

The idea is-- like I said--is to keep it pristine for the guests.

>> The Rio Indio Lodge supports the local Rama community.

Rosendo has been with the lodge since the beginning and takes visitors on wildlife viewing, fishing and cultural excursions.

Rosendo, have you lived here all your life?

>> Oh, yes.

I live here all my life.

There's nowhere better than this.

>> There--It's hard to believe that there is anywhere better.

Rosendo, what is this?

>> Well, Mr. Joe, this is an old steamship.

>> Ah.

This is one of Cornelius Vanderbilt's old steamships.

Wow.

That steamship has probably been there almost 200 years.

>> Almost 200 year, yeah.

>> Ever since the time of the Spanish, there's been the dream of a passageway from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and it almost became a reality here in Nicaragua in 1849.

That was when gold was discovered in California.

Shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt began bringing prospectors very close to here to San Juan in Nicaragua, the mouth of the San Juan River.

From here they would go by steamboat up the river to Lake Nicaragua, and from Lake Nicaragua over land to San Juan del Sur.

There they'd catch another steamboat and head up to San Francisco.

Just across the lagoon there is the dredge that he was using to make his canal.

Now, this was the one kilometer he was able to dredge before the company went bust and canal moved to Panama.

While the Norteamericanos stayed in Nicaragua only long enough to see their dreams for wealth go bust, the indigenous Rama people have withstood the test of time.

Rosendo takes me into the reserve to meet a few of the 900 surviving today.

Just stopped for a moment here on the Río Indio to absorb some of the beauty.

There are over 400 species of birds just within the reserve.

The Oro Pendula is an interesting bird.

It has the nest that hangs from the trees.

Just all sorts of life here.

The biodiversity is amazing.

It's just a real joy to know that this kind of natural environment continues to exist anywhere.

They don't look like they're here.

>> They have 2 houses.

You're in the dry season.

They move up farther in the river.

>> Can we still go at least into their house?

>> Of course, Mr. Joseph.

>> Well, it's a very simple dwelling but very utilitarian, very useful.

They have the open sides so that the air can come off the river and cool it in the sweltering heat that's here.

Now, how do they use this room?

>> This is the kitchen where they cook their food.

You can see this is firewood cut in the jungle.

Oh, this is a white-lipped peccary, also called a boar.

>> Oh, a boar.

Look at the teeth on those.

Those are very-- pretty dangerous.

>> They would go out and hunt a boar with this.

This stuff.

You want to try it?

>> Sure.

Look at that.

So these are handmade, obviously.

>> Of course.

>> And very simple bow but certainly strong enough to hunt a boar.

>> Yeah.

>> This is nature and people working well together.

>> Nature and people working well together, yes, sir.

>> While the Rama have survived for generations in their forest home, some families have moved to villages like San Juan de Nicaragua in search of opportunities.

What would make them come and live here in San Juan de Nicaragua and not stay in the forest?

>> One of the thing is because they want their children going to school.

That's the reason why they live down in the village.

>> How many children do you have?

>> 7.

>> 7?

>> Mm.

>> How many boys, how many girls?

>> 4 boy and 3 girl.

>> Would you like them to go to the city?

>> Only if they no want.

>> It's up to them?

It's up to them.

She's saying it's up them, huh?

>> Yeah.

The problem is even they want to go to the city, they have not much opportunity to do it.

>> Why is that?

>> Because they need money and they don't have the opportunity to do it.

>> The Rio Indio Lodge is noted for ocean sport fishing, but on my last day, I go into the Indio Maíz, where there are lakes where the beauty is never-ending and the silence is deep.

"Monkeys here and there, birds warbling, gorgeous plumaged birds on the wing, Paradise itself, the imperial realm of beauty-- nothing to wish for to make it perfect."

Mark Twain.

What should be interesting to people who fish in many places in the United States-- we're the only people on the lake.

Thank you for joining me on my Nicaragua adventure.

My trip through Nicaragua was filled with surprises.

I discovered colonial mansions, smoldering volcanoes, bottomless lakes and untouched wilderness.

I was reminded the war was over 2 decades ago.

Today Nicaragua is considered the safest place in Central America.

I found Nicaraguans warm and welcoming in a way I've rarely encountered.

Quick to smile and ready to help, they're also fiercely proud and built to last.

They've lived through dictators, revolutions, civil wars and natural disasters and still maintain their easy grace and good-natured spirit.

They are proof that no matter what condition or circumstance, crisis or challenge, you can struggle through your trials and tribulations with your humanity intact.

Till next time, this is Joseph Rosendo reminding you of the words of Mark Twain.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness."

Happy traveling.

>> Joseph Rosendo's "Travelscope" is made possible by... San Antonio, Texas, where you'll find art, culture, romance authentic Tex-Mex, 50-plus golf courses and hundreds of attractions.

San Antonio, deep in the heart.

And No-Jet-Lag jet lag prevention.

For a DVD of today's show or any of Joseph's "Travelscope" adventures, call 888-876-3399 or order online at travelscope.net.

You can also email us at TV@Travelscope.net or write us at the address on your screen.

>> Now that we've explored Nicaragua together, learn more at travelscope.net, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my e-magazine, blog, podcast and on Facebook.

Stay in touch.

888-876-3399 or TV@Travelscope.net.

Oh, gracias, señora.

>> [speaks Spanish] >> Oh, what kind of fish is this?

>> Oh, it's a little green jack.

>> A little--little jack?

[speaking Spanish]