Robbery on Ometepe

the poster said they were forced to go slowly because of the terrain.

He was on a bicycle, going up a long hill.

deborah, getting any rain down there? plenty up here in jalapa!

#11- he was a bike, not a motorcycle, going up a hill...

Thanks Gypsy for the input, I hope you and your group can make a positive out of a negative.

yes, he was on a bike.

Getting some rain on Ometepe Island, but not nearly as much as we'd like. The lake is still extremely low, but my grass is starting to get green...finally.

Crime like this is the biggest problem in Nicaragua for tourists. The police are never going to help you. They never do. They don't get paid enough to actually do their job. It's a major problem here.

It might be worth exploring a partnership with the police that increases interest in protecting visitors and rewards their efforts in reducing property crimes. I don't mean "gas money," but more like a supportive auxiliary that helps with their sick children or finds bicycles and first aid equipment/training that makes their jobs easier. Maybe work with the mayor to put on an annual ceremony/fiesta with awards for good deeds and crimes solved, etc... It must be an incredibly thankless job. I will help. More ideas?

Cat Downing

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. I know the stretch of road you're talking about, but also recall that on the way back from Altigracia, I detoured off to Chaco Verde and the climb there, with the heat and humidity almost laid me out! I could've been robbed by a five year old with a pointy stick as I was in no condition to put up any kind of resistance.

I've been in Nica for about 5 weeks so far and keep hearing stories of masked locals robbing tourists armed with machete's but not on Ometepe (apart from this one). Obviously, San Juan Del Sur is the worst by a long, long way. It's getting a little out of hand. I met so many people who'd been robbed there within the last month and actually cleaned up the grazed knee of a girl who was attacked by 2 guys on a bike just around the corner of the hostel (pachamama) where we were staying only 4 nights ago. There were 3 other people there and they did it just out of sight of our security guard, who's not nicknamed "Shotgun Eddie" for nothing.

Dolly, you live in Nicaragua, as I do. I don't think we can stick our heads in the sand and say, "Oh, well. It's a fact of life living here." We really have to do something to deter crime or we're going to end up like Costa Rica. Right now, Nicaragua IS the safest country in Central America. I like to think that we CAN pull our resources together and help the police. They are overwhelmed and overworked. It is a thankless job. Granada started a Friends of the Police group to help with community relations. I think SJDS started one, too. I'm not saying that we can stop all petty theft from happening in Nicaragua, but because we are guests and residents in this beautiful country, we have more resources available to us and it doesn't take a lot to show our appreciation and let them know that we support their efforts.