Thanksgiving feast with Corn Island

When you think Thanksgiving you probably think along the lines of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. But, as you know, Thanksgiving is an American holiday and since I was abroad I missed that traditional holiday.

To make up for this, my friends and I decided to celebrate in a new way. We hopped on a (really small) airplane in Managua and flew to Corn Island after making a stop on Nica’s Caribbean coast in Bluefields.

The Corn Islands (both Big and Little) are islands just a short boat or plane ride off the coast of Nicaragua in the beautiful Caribbean sea. Not too many people know about them yet, so it’s a great way to have that relaxing Caribbean vacation without all of the congestion of tourism that has flooded much of the rest of the Caribbean.

Some of our activities included a boat tour around the island, tubing, a trip to Little Corn, and renting a golf cart to take a tour of the island on our own. On Big Corn, the only cars on the road are really taxis for tourists like us, and on Little Corn there aren’t even cars since everyone just walks everywhere. So, our golf cart ride was a big treat, even when it got stuck in the mud and flooring it meant that it might move.

The tour book described Corn Island as, “the perfect vacation spot where you can sway in a hammock, read books, walk white sand beaches, enjoy spectacular sunsets and snorkel in clear turquoise waters" I’d have to say, they weren’t lying.

The best part of each day was definitely the sunsets. So if you want to lay out on a hammock under a little hut looking out at a pink and purple sunset while sipping a pina coloda to end each day, maybe next year for spring break, Corn Island is the getaway you’ve been looking for!

- Jenn Zocco '10