An island of barely 8 square kilometers and 120 kms off the shores of the port of Bluefields on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast; Corn Island is an untouched paradise protected by a barrier reef of forty species of coral; a delight for divers; where visibility at 3 meters depth usually reaches up to 100 linear meters.

We take in the atmosphere in one of the local eateries while casseroles of lobster and plantains are fried upon the coals of rustic furnace ‘fogon’, as a beautiful mulata waitress of Miskita origin serves us an exquisite Nicaraguan rum.

Eight generations ago, the forefathers of her grandparents arrived as slaves of the British, who from Jamaica colonized these coasts. Impoverished, exhausted and without belongings; these ancestors could never have imagined the extraordinary cultural wealth that they would leave their descendants. Our waitress does not walk, one would say rather that she dances. The cadence of her steps evokes her African heritage and the rhythm of the Caribbean, hidden just a short two hour flight from Managua, the Nicaraguan capital.

If you have the time, the Archipelago of Corn Island can also be reached by land from Managua. A six hour drive over 300 kms of highway will take you to the city of El Rama, where you continue your trip by boat along the Escondido River for another 1 ½ hours to the port of Bluefields. From here it is just a short transfer to the island by boat or by air.

Corn Island has very few hotels, fewer restaurants and at best, three discotheques. The bank, a tourism office located within one of the restaurants, a health center, a modest commercial area and of course, the airport at the center of the island, complete the listings of the yellow pages.

Of the 15 kilometers that make up the roadways of the island, half is paved. Several taxis and an only one bus offer ply transportation services. We however, chose to rent bicycles.

Yes, there is a site where you can consult the Internet. Nevertheless, long periods without electricity, frequent interruptions in telephone service and cattle wandering the streets freely, will remind you that you have the privilege to be in a paradise untouched by the waves of mass tourism.

The population comprised mainly of people of Afro-American decent, successive mixes of indigenous Miskitos, Zumos, Ramas, as well as Chinese and Europeans; have produced characteristics of extraordinary beauty, where dark skin coloring is contrasted by deep green colored eyes.

The first of our four day visit has just sufficed to guess at the number of things to do and to discover during next the three days in the islands. We have yet to visit Little Corn Island, the neighboring island just 30 minutes away, said to harbor the best natural landscapes of the archipelago. Nor have we made the easy climbed up hills, with spectacular views of marshlands and rain forest bordered by cliffs and bays, nesting grounds for thousands of marine birds.

For the present, we have but to let the Caribbean breeze continue to gently sway our hammocks as we await our rum and dinner as to the cadence of reggae the sun sets in a multicolored sky; while anticipate new emotions of our first night in this paradise.