By Darrell Williams, This Sunday night marks the 6th attempt at a world title by a Nicaraguan fighter this year.
In La Feria de San Marcos, Mexico Nerys Espinosa (25-4) takes on WBA light Flyweight champion Ulisis Solis (27-1).
Espinosa has been waiting patiently for his shot at a title. But in Solis he faces the number one rated fighter in the division.
Solis is a slick fighter with a tremendous left hook that has speed and devastating power on it.
Espinosa is in great shape and very hungry for the title but will not be able to make any errors if he wants to be the 3rd World champion from Nicaragua this year, following in the footsteps of Roman “Chocolate’ Gonzales and Juan Palacios.
On the 14th of this month we have the return to the ring of former World lightweight champion Jose Alfaro. Alfaro has not fought since the loss of his title in Japan earlier this year.
The fight at Pharaohs Casino in Managua will headline a 10-bout card, which will include Nicaragua’s newest sensation, 16-year-old Carlos (El Chocorronito) Buitrago.
Buitrago has a pro record of (6-0) and although not blessed with the punching power of “Chocolate” yet, is as technically gifted a fighter as Nicaragua as seen for many a year. The boy is a pure joy to watch and although still only fighting four rounders, it is something not to be missed.
This event will be completely enclosed inside the big tent at Pharaohs Caretera A Masaya location. Rain or shine, the fights will go on.
World champion Juan Palacios is also back in the ring shortly, with the 1st defense of his 105lb title. He takes on Teruo Masawa in China, Nov 7th, on the undercard of Andrew Golota versus Ray Austin. This should be a comfortable night for the Nicaraguan, but he will do well to remember the fate of Alfaro, who went to Japan in very similar circumstances, only to be upset.
And finally, in one of the most bizarre situations of recent times; after 4 postponements, William Gonzalez will finally step into the ring Dec 13th for his title shot against Joseph Agbeko. William’s is often overlooked because of the trials and tribulations that have continually derailed his career. But make no doubt about it, he is an excellent fighter, and come Dec 13th, don’t be surprised if once again, El Presidente is digging in to the government coffers, for yet another house in an ever growing list of Nicaraguan World champions.

By Francoise Snobel.
Sustainable tourism is paramount to Paraiso Beach Hotel owners, Ton Bos and Mike Brower, two management consultants that left their company in Holland for a very different life on Big Corn Island. Their journey into hotelier status started out as a faraway dream that quickly become a reality after backpacking through Brazil. “We either had to stop talking about it or do it,” said Ton. And they chose the latter when their travels took them to Corn Island. The original owners of Paraiso Beach Hotel were returning to Canada and the property had just gone up for sale. “It was a real synchronization,” said Ton. “We passed the gate and just knew it would be a big turning point in our lives.” Three weeks later a deal was made. In January of 2005, Ton and Mike re-opened Paraiso Beach Hotel, a collection of Caribbean style cabanas that feel authentically “Corn Island”.

But their story does not end there, as running the hotel was just a small part of their relocation plans. Through their previous business contacts, Ton and Mike were able to gain the support of non-profit organization MITIALTO, where they raised enough funds to renovate one Big Corn Island school and build two more. In addition to this, Ton and Mike have improved the island’s education through teacher training initiatives and purchasing school materials. The next eagerly anticipated challenge for Ton and Mike is a Big Corn water project that is in the works, with the goals of clean drinking water, halting erosion and reducing garbage.
“These projects have nothing to do with reputation,” said Mike. “It’s just something you do.”
Paraiso Beach Hotel – Big Corn Island, Nicaragua
Tel: +(505) 575 5111
Website: www.paraisoclub.com
Accommodation:
15 cosy cabanas are dotted throughout the property, which is only 80 meters away from the beach. With palm tree thatched roofs and a well-maintained tropical landscaped garden, Paraiso Beach Hotel’s accommodation is a little piece of Nicaraguan paradise. Rooms are simple, but impeccably clean and very comfortable. Crisp white sheets, mosquito nets and Nicaraguan style furnishings adorn the wooden walled rooms and colourful hammocks hang outside private verandas. Cabanas are air-conditioned and have clean private bathrooms with showers.
Atmosphere:
Laid-back and friendly, the staff and guests make the Paraiso Beach Hotel experience a memorable one. The charm of the island is not lost at Paraiso, which is a big issue many developments face when introducing tourism. This has a lot to do with the owners, as they have become part of the community and want their accommodation to be authentic and non-intrusive. There is a real Caribbean feel here.
Food and Drink:
Paraiso has just recently renovated their bar, restaurant and kitchen. The restaurant, called The Buccaneer, is amidst the gardens in the open air and under a thatched roof. The menu is quite expansive and reasonably priced. Those looking for some fresh seafood can indulge in lobster, shrimp and whole fish, served Caribbean style, with garlic or with lime salt and pepper – all of which are mouth-wateringly tasty. Pizza, pasta, salads and soups are also available. A continental breakfast is complimentary for Paraiso Beach Hotel guests. The bar is stocked with plenty of drink options, from pina coladas to nica libres, guests can be choosy with their tipple.
Activities:
The Little Corn Island snorkelling trip is a must. Here guests have a scenic boat ride with plenty of snorkelling opportunities. Amazing marine life can be seen, including rays, nurse sharks, and brightly coloured tropical fish and coral. During this trip, the boat stops off at Little Corn Island, first to explore and then back again on a secluded part of the beach for some fresh coconut water (and rum, if you choose!). Those who want to kneeboard are offered a bit of watersport excitement and those who prefer a mellower afternoon can soak up the sun on the white sandy beach
The Last Word:
An authentically Caribbean retreat that prides itself on sustainable tourism – Paraiso Beach Hotel on Big Corn Island truly is a little piece of paradise.

While some residential communities have suffered as a result of the real estate recession in the USA, Rancho Santana continues to thrive with new houses going up every month.
In addition to the healthy rate of single-family construction that is going on, there are five more neighborhoods currently underway: the Seagate condominiums, 24 oceanfront luxury condominiums with unobstructed views and beach access, well located just a few steps from the clubhouse and spa. The Seagate beach village, 90 oversized single-family home lots, starting at $46,000 that comes with a choice of three building plans for a beach cottage.
These sites are set in a village environment along the picturesque Limon River and within walking distance to the beach and all the Ranch Santana amenities.
Visto Del mar, a condo-hotel development consisting of110 income producing hillside cottages with sea and mountain views starting as low as $139,000.
The Estates, a privately gated, upscale community of 50one+ acre lots with spectacular ocean valley and mountain views, and finally a new 200 acre eco-friendly mountainside reserve which will feature 100 eco-friendly cabins in a natural tranquil forest environment with stunning panoramic views.
Rancho Santana was once my dream and the dream of my American and Nicaraguan partners. But now it’s a reality for more than 350 property owners and residents who have come here to take advantage of Nicaragua’s Riviera coast. Around us other, smaller developments have popped up in recent years. Together they have created thousands of jobs for local residents and pumped tens of millions of dollars into the Tola community and into Rivas and Managua, the two cities that most directly benefit from this new and exciting surge of development.
Ranch Santana retains all its immense natural beauty in developing our community; we took plans to ensure that the natural integrity of the land was never altered. The groomed dirt roads were groomed along the cow paths. The ravines and gullies that bring the rainwater to the sea are undisturbed. The hillsides have not been leveled to accommodate track housing, as has now been done elsewhere around here.
The monkeys and parrots are thriving. The turtles come to nest on our beaches. And the waves are still amazing.
The hiking, biking and horseback riding at Ranch Santana are spectacular. But the crown jewel of our bedizened community is out five beaches. Two of these beaches are beautiful hidden coves that can only be reached on foot from within the community. The other three beaches are wide with pinks sands and a beautiful shoreline.
Because of nearby Lake Nicaragua, these beaches enjoy offshore winds about 3330 days a year. This creates two constantly great surf breaks nearly all year long; one in Playa Santana and one in Playa Rosada.
From the south end of Ranch Santana surfers have access to two more great breaks, Panga drops and Colorado are just a short walk down the beach.
All around Ranch Santana you can see signs of what the future will bring. Many of the small, wooded framed shacks that once housed the local farming families, have being renovated or replaced entirely with brick and stucco homes, that are painted in bright colors and fronted by little gardens and and colorful native flowers. In the towns of La Salinas and Limon you will find dozens of new local restaurants, serving local residents along with visitors from Nicaragua and abroad.
The children at the local schools have new bags and uniforms (thanks to donations given by Rancho Santana’s development office and many of it’s residents)
Many of the employees at Ranch Santana receive free English training. And the Roberto Clemente Health Clinic established in 2002 by the developers of Rancho Santana, services more than 1000 patients a year, on 24/7 basis.
Rancho Santana is a proven community with a 10-year history of continual expansion and improvements and a record of servicing it’s ever- growing population of US Nicaraguan and international property owners.

Piedras y Olas is a unique socially conscious hotel and real estate development project that pairs a thriving for-profit hotel business with their nonprofit partner, Foundation A. Jean Brugger. At Piedras Y Olas they continue to be an active, vibrant, welcoming and responsible member of the community in San Juan del Sur. Through their partnership with the Foundation they provide educational funds, school uniforms, a scholarship fund, on-site vocational training and long term employment for hundreds of San Juaneños and surrounding communities.
Piedras y Olas is comprised of hundreds of curving brick stairways flowing through the property, connecting statuesque Villas to rejuvenating pools, gourmet restaurants to contemplative vistas and cozy cabinas…all intertwined to offer their guests time to enjoy a sense of connection to nature and make the most out of the varied and extraordinary views glimpsed from their hillside properties.
With an attentive and friendly staff your every possible need or special request is always fulfilled. The service is superb offering the most elegant gourmet dining in town. Piedras y Olas puts quality and attention to every detail first. With breathtaking ocean views, locally hand crafted furniture, tropically landscaped gardens and high ceilinged rooms you will notice the by playing a proactive and vital role in the development and sustainability of the community, particularly in its children. Their partnership with Foundation A. Jean Brugger provides many educational opportunities for many young people in and around the community.
Their community projects include a school uniform project, a scholarship fund, school supplies and books, as well as environmental projects concerning reforestation and trash collection to name a few. They also are involved in vocational training and offer a special outing and luncheon for ancianos in San Juan del Sur. One of their recent projects concerns an art gallery, La Galeria del Sur, which acts to promote local Nicaraguan art and artists.
Another component of Foundation A. Jean Brugger and partner to Piedras y Olas Hotel & Resort is the veterinary clinic. Stones and Waves Veterinary clinic is not only dedicated to providing quality healthcare for domestic animals but is also a developing wild life center. They are striving to provide the same level of care for captive wild animals in and around San Juan del Sur with the goal to rehabilitate and re-release them back into their natural environments.
Piedras Y olas has two top class restaurants, La Cascada and Bistro La Canoa both offering unique international cuisine with breathtaking views of the bay. With happy hour from 4-8 pm Wednesday and Friday, there is no better place to sip on a strawberry margarita while watching the breathtaking sunset.
The resort has 3 infinity pools including a half size Olympic lap pool. Activities include surfing lessons and surf trips, yoga classes, fishing trips, horseback riding, ATV tours, and much more!
Piedras Y Olas is a unique tourism and development project of the highest quality, one that should not be missed on anyone’s trip to Nicaragua’s beautiful Pacific coast

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The dates are set for Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd of November 2008. Last year we had over 80 people in attendance with 50 golfers of all skill levels along with 5 professionals and this year we anticipate approximately 70 golfers and around 100 attendees! While Iguana has double in condos and homes since our last tournament we are anticipating a full house so space will be limited. Please reserve your spots now by calling Humberto Sanchez at humberto@haciendaiguana.com or calling (505) 855-7906. IF you cannot attend we are still taking donations and sponsors. Hopefully two major liquor distributors will take part this year! We already have commitments from Costa Rica teams!

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By Darrell Williams.
Near to the City of Granada there is an archipelago of more than 350 islets, which form a true tropical paradise. In Puerto Asese, 3 Km from Granada you can rent a small boat to cruise among the Islets. It’s a labyrinth in the exuberant vegetation.
We decided to take one of those tours recently with my good friend Ramon.
The 365 islands that make up this chain were originally formed when Volcan Mombacho blew its top some 20,000 years ago. The volcano’s massive cone was scattered into the lake, forming the rocky outposts you see today.
Of the hundreds of islands, the most visited are the Castillo San Pablo and the Isla de los Monos (Monkey Island). The former is an 18th century Spanish fortress, built to defend Granada from pirate attacks, although upon viewing, one would find it hard to understand how.
Monkey Island, as the name suggests, is an island that hosts a family of monkeys. Ramon seemed to be on pretty good terms with one particular monkey called Lucy and she came on board to partake in a quick snack before disappearing back into the foliage.
Many of the Islands today, are owned by wealthy residents, it almost had the feel of a tour around Beverly Hills; the Pellas family own that, the Somoza’s once owned that. But also many native Nicaraguans reside here with their families. Many of them can often be seen catching their daily needs of fish.
Across from Monkey Island is a popular bar and restaurant, where you can relax in a beautiful setting with a good hearty fill of local cooking with fish fresh from the lake.
The tour lasted about 2 to 3 hours and with Ramon passing on his vast knowledge of the Isletas the time just flew.
If your thinking of visiting Granada, I would highly recommend the trip to the Isletas with my good buddy Ramon, you won’t be disappointed.
You can contact Ramon at 655 0254 or you catch him at his second job at Zoom bar on Calzade in Granada.

The Nicaraguan Post will hit the streets every other Friday from now on instead of Wednesday.

Advertising in a newspaper is not an exact science. If you think the placing of one ad will make the doors of your business cave in with the weight of a thousand new customers,then you will be very disappointed.
Advertising is about creating name brand recognition; over a period of continuous ad
placements you will gradually see your return
in plenty.
It also very important to make sure your business is ready for an influx of new customers,you only get one chance to make a first impression and today’s customer will be tomorrow’s recommendation.
Below are 10 reasons why advertising in a newspaper can help your business to flourish, beyond your wildest expectations.
1 People with higher education are more likely to read newspapers, people in higher responsibility, higher income professional positions read newspapers more frequently than the average person.
2. Frequent advertising means you never miss out on a potential client.
Frequency builds awareness. Awareness builds familiarity and familiarity builds
trust. Conventional wisdom says that your audience needs to be exposed to your ad 2.5 times to sink in and build awareness. Just like dieting, advertising gets the best results over time. Each ad builds on prior
brand recognition.
3. Frequency offers you the best rates. Most newspapers today offer significant incentives for increasing frequency. Whether these incentives are for repeating an ad in a certain period or for contracting to run a certain amount of space over time or investing a certain amount of money, newspapers recognize the need for frequency and encourage customers to use it.
4. Today’s ad may influence a client to become aware but the next one will close the deal for a lukewarm prospect. Frequent advertising helps you beat your competition.
If you are not advertising as much as your competition does, who is more likely to reach the consumer who is ready to shop?
5. As customers we want to be led, we want to know where to stay, we want to know where is the best place to eat . By having your ad in a paper, it already gives the consumer a sense of confidence about your business.
Everyday you:
* Open your store.
* Keep your shelves stocked.
* Keep your phone connected.
* Have your staff come to work.
Shouldn’t you invite customers in by advertising frequently?
6. Coupon ads are a great way to direct consumers to your business, by running a special discounted item in your ad, it will draw the consumer to you and you will then have the opportunity to show them all the other great things your business has to offer.
7. Co Op advertising is another way to get your message out there. If you have a business in a mall or in a leisure area, say for instance Zona Hipa in Managua; you can pool your resources with the other businesses to buy one large ad that will bring traffic to your area for allof you whilst keeping your advertising cost well within your budget,
8. Shopping convenience - inserts
Newspaper inserts are a proven method of advertising for many reasons.
To consumers, thumbing through the colorful advertisements are an ideal way to
“browse the aisles.”
9. Frequency helps your advertising cut through the clutter.
Mohammed Ali did not become heavyweight champion of the world by punching 20 people one time each. No, he became the champ by punching one guy 20 times. By applying frequency to the poor opponent’s head, Ali was able to bring his message home.
Have you ever trained a puppy? Did you find yourself repeating your commands? Is that more likely to get the pup to change behavior? Repeating yourself to a target consumer increases the odds that your message will get through.

10. An ad in a newspaper can stay in the prolipheral vision of a consumer for up to 10 minutes while he is reading the news on that and the adjacent page.
Come join us at the The Nicaraguan Post;
we offer the lowest advertising rates of any
comparable news publication in Nicaragua.
The paper is free online www.nicaraguanpost.com giving your ad an audience around the world. Get to that custmer before they arrive in Nicaragua.
All customers on long term contracts of 4 weeks or more , will get a free feature article in the paper and on line about their business.
As we approach our peak season ,we are all nervous whether the melt down in the USA will affect us. This is not a time to be left behind.
At the Nicaraguan Post our goal is to help small and large businesses alike to achieve the success that is so sorely needed to bring about the growth and prosperity for everyone in this beautiful country we call home.
Call 955-0441 / 552-3053 or mail us at:
nicaraguanpost@gmail.com

Th Nicaraguan Post is starting a new advertising section for a business card size ad.

We want to give small businesses a chance to promote themselves where it has not been cost effective before.

For only $25 you can have your color business card in the Nicaraguan Post.

This is great opportunity for people in the service industry, such as auto repair, computer repair, dentists, doctors, construction, landscaping, massage therapist, web design, attorney’s and many other small businesses.

The demand in the English language community for reliable local services is very high.

We can design a card for you that will give your ad the maximum impact.

Call 955-0441 for more information or email me at nicaraguanpost@gmail.comFull Story">Full Story" alt="" width="300" height="173" />

The Nicaraguan Post is offering 25% off our lowest advertised price to all new customer for the next 4 issues.

As we all wait for the tourism season to arrive, times can be tough in business.

This is a great opportunity to get your business out there for a discounted price. Your ad will be seen in the newspaper and free in our paper online to the thousands of people that are starting to plan their trip during the season.

Contact 955-0441 or nicaraguanpost@gmail.com