travel news review


10 May '99
Last week 10,000 road transport workers began a nationwide strike in Managua to demand that fuel prices be lowered to 11.30 cordobas (US$1) per gallon, in line with other Central American countries. In response to more than 50 arrests and 2 deaths this weekend former president and Sandinista party leader Daniel Ortega urged the Nicaraguan people to overthrow the government. President Aleman stated that his government is preparing a package of legal measures designed to restore law and order in Nicaragua. Travellers should exercise caution when visiting city centres.

23 December '98
Thousands of teddy bears and stuffed animals have been given to homeless children in Honduras and Nicaragua. 'Operation Bear Lift' aims to restore hope to the victims of Hurricane Mitch, which killed around 11,000 Central Americans, crippled their economies and left 85,000 Honduran children under five homeless.

27 November '98
Rumblings are being heard throughout Latin America as more volcanoes come to life. In Mexico, a recent eruption from Volcan de Fuego de Colima in the state of Colima has forced local officials to evacuate residents of Juan Barragan. In Nicaragua, the federal government has issued a volcano alert for both Concepcion, on the Isla de Ometepe in Lago de Nicaragua, and Cerro el Jicote.

In the rainy aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, a landslide at Volcan Casita buried several villages, accounting for a large portion of the casualties. And in Ecuador, the Guagua Pichincha volcano, outside the capital, Quito, is still letting off periodic explosions which are getting stronger and more intense.

11 November '98
International aid and relief workers pour into Central America to help with the recovery from the devastation left by Hurricane Mitch. The two hardest hit countries are Nicaragua and Honduras and the US Department of State recommends that travellers check with local authorities regarding the status of transportation and the availability of facilities. Because of the destruction of many of the roads, towns and villages throughout the region are isolated and delivery of supplies is slow and difficult. Many areas are without adequate food, water and medical supplies and health officials are warning that a cholera epidemic is possible. In Nicaragua the northern mountain and Pacific coastal regions are completely cut off from the rest of the country.

Honduras was the hardest hit by Mitch's rampage. The three days of rain that followed Mitch caused landslides and floods that buried towns and destroyed over 100 bridges throughout the country. When the Rio Choluteca flooded, it devastated Tegucigalpa, the capital, sweeping things down river and leaving behind an ocean of mud. Transportation is extremely sporadic and unpredictable and the government has instituted a country-wide curfew, from 8 pm to 6 am, to control looting.

4 November '98
As Georges did last month in its romp through the islands of the Caribbean, Mitch trampled the Atlantic coast of Central America last week, leaving disaster in its wake. The hurricane, a class 5 at its prime, swept over Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama, causing mudslides and flooding, washing out roads and destroying bridges throughout the region. In Nicaragua last weekend, heavy rains following in the wake of the storm kicked off a mudslide at Volcan Casita that buried several villages. At current count around 10,000 people have died as a result of the hurricane, one of the strongest and nastiest this century.

14 January '98
Nicaragua has opened a new airport at the resort town of Montelimar. Former President Somoza and other government officials originally used the runway to escape during the Sandinista revolution in 1979. The government hopes the new airport will help promote tourism to Nicaragua.