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Karina currently lives in Nicaragua, where she intermingles with the local animals and wildlife, and occasionally likes to dangle her fishing rod into the Pacific waters. Before her days in the Land of Lakes and Volcanoes, she studied Latin American Literature at the University of British Columbia, as well as studying tourism and international business in Mexico. When not fishing, Karina also enjoys learning Russian, surfing, and raising her cat and two chickens.

Hometown
Toronto, Canada
Location now
Nicaragua
Work published
GoNOMAD.com
Travel philosophy
Home is where I lay my head.
Craziest place
A little town in the mountains of Puebla, Mexico, where old ladies sell mushrooms through their living rooms, and the tourist information center has maps of where to find them.
Bizarre experience
Traveling with some people I had known half a day, and being expected to share my one sandwich with the five of them.
Advice
The less you carry, the farther you go.
Dream destination
Above-water bungalows somewhere in the South Pacific, or Moscow, Russia.
Traveled before
I have traveled throughout Mexico and the Caribbean, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Central America.
Going next
Honduras

Karina Zobolotny's Guide Book Entries

Info

Safety
Jan 12, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
Chinandega is a fairly safe city, but as with other places in the country, common sense should prevail. Avoid carrying ......
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Getting around
Jan 12, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
The downtown area of Chinandega is fairly small, and probably the best way to get around is on foot. For ......
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Getting to and Away
Jan 12, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
The bus schedule from the Santa Ana Market is as follows: To Jiquilillo and Padre Ramos: every 40 minutes, from ......
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Destinations

Pochomil and Masachapa
Jan 28, 2009 - Pochomil and Masachapa, Nicaragua
Managua’s closest beaches, Masachapa and Pochomil, are easily accessible by car or bus. Their long stretches of sand are lined ......
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Playa Jiquilillo
Jan 14, 2009 - Playa Jiquilillo, Nicaragua
Jiquilillo, a fishing village located on a wide stretch of beach, is a town that has seen its share of ......
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Playa Aserradores
Jan 14, 2009 - Playa Aserradores, Nicaragua
Aserradores is a small fishing town that features a popular surfing beach. There is a point break just north of ......
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Hotels

Jiquilillo Hotel Summary
Mar 13, 2009 - Playa Jiquilillo, Nicaragua
Rustic accommodations are your only options in Jiquilillo. Frequent electricity and water shortages occur, so be prepared with your own ......
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Los Cardones
Jan 30, 2009 - Pochomil and Masachapa, Nicaragua
An eco/surf lodge in front of the beach, Los Cardones provides a tranquil setting in a beautifully natural atmosphere. The ......
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Hotel Vista al Mar
Jan 30, 2009 - Pochomil and Masachapa, Nicaragua
Hotel Vista al Mar is located on the beach in Masachapa and is a small hotel with simple rooms and ......
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Gran Pacifica
Jan 30, 2009 - Pochomil and Masachapa, Nicaragua
An hour drive from Managua and on a beautiful expanse of beachfront land, Gran Pacifica is one of Nicaragua’s growing ......
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Hotel Summer
Jan 28, 2009 - Pochomil and Masachapa, Nicaragua
Hotel Summer, one of the biggest and most popular hotels in Masachapa, has comfortable rooms suitable for families with children. ......
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Marina Puesta del Sol Resort
Jan 15, 2009 - Playa Aserradores, Nicaragua
As stop on the Pacific for yachtsmen and fishing enthusiasts, Marina Puesta del Sol is a resort offering boat dockage. ......
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Las Chancletas
Jan 15, 2009 - Playa Aserradores, Nicaragua
Las Chancletas, on a hill overlooking the beach in Aserradores, is a hotel for surfers who like to be close ......
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Rancho Esperanza
Jan 15, 2009 - Playa Jiquilillo, Nicaragua
Rancho Santana is a tourism/community project whose profits go to helping locals in the Jiquilillo village. The ranch has huts ......
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Monty’s Jiquilillo Surf Camp
Jan 15, 2009 - Playa Jiquilillo, Nicaragua
Opened in 2007, the Canadian- and Nicaraguan-owned Monty’s Surf Camp is located on the Jiquilillo beach. Guests can rest in ......
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Hotel del Pacífico
Jan 13, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
Set in Chinandega’s downtown, the Hotel del Pacifico provides guests with an outdoor patio garden in which to relax during ......
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Hotel El Chinandegano
Jan 13, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
Located on a street close to services and restaurants, Hotel Chinandegano has clean, simple rooms and a friendly staff. A ......
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Hotel Cosigüina
Jan 13, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
While the exterior of the hotel leaves much to be desired, the inside of Hotel Cosigüina is actually quite pleasant. ......
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Hotel Casa Verde, Restaurante Bahia Paraiso
Dec 03, 2008 - El Astillero, Nicaragua
Hotel Casa Verde offers basic accommodations close to the sea. The rooms have cement walls, tin roofs and outdoor washrooms. The ......
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Las Hamacas
Dec 03, 2008 - El Astillero, Nicaragua
Las Hamacas, a hotel right on the seashore, offers a better value than many other options in El Astillero. The ......
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Two Brothers
Dec 02, 2008 - Nicaragua
Two Brothers occupies an ideal location, on the highest hill overlooking the beaches of Guasacate, Popoyo and surrounding farmlands. There ......
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The Surf Sanctuary
Dec 02, 2008 - Nicaragua
For the all-inclusive seeking surfer, the Surf Sanctuary provides accommodation, meals, and transportation by truck or boat to the waves. ......
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Las Tortugas
Dec 02, 2008 - Nicaragua
On the road to the beach Rancho Santana, you’ll find a small, eight room hotel with an outdoor patio restaurant. ......
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Hotel Casa Maur
Dec 02, 2008 - Nicaragua
Hotel Casa Maur, located right in front of the Guasacaste beach, is a ten minute walk to the waves at ......
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Punta Teonoste
Dec 02, 2008 - El Astillero, Nicaragua
This resort has luxury two-story bungalows furnished with local wood and other materials; it features an outdoor garden washroom. There is ......
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La Bocana
Dec 01, 2008 - Nicaragua
Located right in front of the beach, La Bocana is a bare basics hostel that has views of the ocean ......
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La Tica 2
Dec 01, 2008 - Nicaragua
The sister hotel of La Tica (located in Las Salinas) La Tica 2 is a backpacker/surfer’s hostel at the end ......
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El Toro
Dec 01, 2008 - Nicaragua
Set back from the road at Playa Guasacate, El Toro is a clean and comfortable hotel with a garden, at ......
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Rancho Santana
Dec 01, 2008 - Nicaragua
Rancho Santana, located on a 3,000 acres, offers hotel rooms and house rentals. The ranch also has a restaurant with ......
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Hotel Intercontinental Metrocentro
Nov 26, 2008 - Centro Commercial and Carretera Masaya, Managua, Nicaragua
Hotel Intercontinental is an established chain of luxury accommodations that offer a wide range of services and amenities, but which ......
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Santos
Nov 26, 2008 - Barrio Martha Quezada, Managua, Nicaragua
A rustic, older hostel located across the street from Los Cisneros, Santos provides cheap, private rooms and a spacious balcony. ......
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Hotel Los Cisneros
Nov 26, 2008 - Barrio Martha Quezada, Managua, Nicaragua
Los Cisneros is the most expensive hotel in the area, but also has the most services and is still reasonably ......
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Jardín de Italia
Nov 26, 2008 - Barrio Martha Quezada, Managua, Nicaragua
While the name suggests a garden, the reality is more of a concrete courtyard with some plants. That said, Jardín ......
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Hospedaje Dulce Sueño
Nov 26, 2008 - Barrio Martha Quezada, Managua, Nicaragua
Steps away from the Tica Bus station, Hospedaje Dulce Sueño is a new hostel that has clean, comfortable rooms and ......
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Morgan's Rock Hacienda and Eco-Lodge
Sep 11, 2008 - Playa Ocotal, Around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Morgan’s Rock is a resort on 1,800 hectars of a private reserve that incorporates environmentalism with luxury to create an ......
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Don Martin's House (Casa Don Martin)
Sep 11, 2008 - Playa Majagual, Around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Casa Don Martins provides the necesities: basic rooms and a restaurant open at mealtimes. There are private rooms with bathrooms, ......
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Matilda's
Sep 11, 2008 - Playa Maderas, Around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
On the northern, quieter end of Playa Maderas you'll find Matilda’s. Matilda, the owner, has rooms tha range from private, ......
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The Surf Retreat
Sep 11, 2008 - Playa Maderas, Around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
From this property there is a bird's-eye view of Maderas beach, a view so clear that you can see the ......
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Villas Playa Madera
Sep 11, 2008 - Playa Maderas, Around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Located to the right of the entrance of the main beach, there are 10 hectares of land where Villas Playa ......
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Buena Vista Surf Club
Sep 10, 2008 - Playa Maderas, Around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
The lodge is owned and operated by a Dutch couple, who created the hotel in a secluded spot with a ......
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The Surf Shack
Sep 10, 2008 - Playa Maderas, Around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
A no-frills, no bathrooms, (outhouses only) surfer’s compound known more commonly as the chicken shack, which is steps away from ......
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Hotel Villa Mar
Sep 10, 2008 - Playa Marsella, Around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
This four-room hotel has basic accommodations and would be cheaper just about anywhere else, but the location, a stone's throw ......
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Hotel Marsella Conference and Beach Retreat
Sep 10, 2008 - Playa Marsella, Around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Resembling a fortress on a hill, the Hotel Marsella has a beautiful pool area and classy rooms. The restaurant is ......
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Restaurants

La Bohemia
Jan 13, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
Located right next door to Hotel El Chinandego, La Bohemia is a restaurant/bar open noon to midnight. Its interior is ......
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Antigua Restaurante
Jan 13, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
Set in a colonial style building with a charming inner courtyard, the Antigua Restaurant (previously called Lagos) provides fine dining ......
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Rana Roja
Dec 02, 2008 - Nicaragua
An Argentine- Italian couple own this pizza restaurant. Its thatched roof, bamboo walls and bar make for a modernly tropical ......
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See all Restaurants (12)

Activities

Iglesia El Calvario
Jan 13, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
Rebuilt by Bishop Monsignor Manual Ulloa y Calvo in 1874, this church was also destroyed in the earthquake of 1885 ......
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Parroquia Santa Ana
Jan 12, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
Parroquia Santa Ana is the church which Chinandega was built around and currently can be found in the middle of ......
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Santuario de Nuestra Señora Guadalupe
Jan 12, 2009 - Chinandega, Nicaragua
A charming bright blue church that is one of Chinadega’s prettiest sights, the Santuario de Nuestra Señora Guadalupe was originally ......
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Services

Tourism Office
Nov 26, 2008 - Managua, Nicaragua
The tourism office (INTUR) offers brochures, cultural information and detailed maps of the city. You can buy videos or music ......
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Jobs

Volunteering in Nicaragua
Jan 20, 2009 - Nicaragua
When visiting a country like Nicaragua, even for a short term, volunteering is a valuable experience and can make a ......
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El Porvenir
Jan 20, 2009 - Managua, Nicaragua
El Porvenir is an organization based in Denver that relies on donations from companies and individuals to help build water ......
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Sierra de la Ventana
Jul 19, 2008 - Argentina
Sierra de la Ventana was not my choice destination, but the bus let me off on the side of the ......
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