Fit for Man and Beast

With the surfboards stacked on top, we cruised along back roads to a hilltop above Madera and walked the last half-mile with our boards because Kelvim was worried the Jeep wouldn't be able to make the ascent if we got hit by an afternoon rainstorm. Because of the country's decrepit infrastructure, Madera, like most of Nicaragua's best beaches, is only barely accessible over land. Most surfers comb the coast by boat to determine where the waves are breaking.

While the setting was postcard-perfect -- the only building nearby was a beachfront bungalow, which serves tasty snacks and rents a few spartan rooms for less than $5 a night -- the surfing was a bit of a struggle. We started small, steering well clear of the giant pipelines curling a quarter-mile out from shore. We lay flat on the boards as the waves came in, paddled furiously with our arms as they passed under us, and tried to propel ourselves to our feet in one motion, as the board started to charge toward shore with the rushing water.

Most of the time, we wiped out within seconds. Despite our failings, the instructors were tireless and good-natured, offering advice or well-deserved ribbing. "Proximo," Kelvim kept saying with a smile. "Almost." But as with beginning golfers who spend most of their time in the rough but go home crowing about one great drive, we agreed at the end of the day that the few times we coasted smoothly along the surface made us want to try surfing again later in the week.

In the meantime, when we weren't stalking turtles, we took a day trip to the city of Granada, on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, Central America's second-largest lake, which is best known for the two pyramidal volcanic islands jutting from its center. A two-hour drive from San Juan del Sur, Granada is home to some exquisitely preserved Spanish colonial buildings, along with plush hotels and fine restaurants.

But San Juan del Sur, our home base, also had plenty to offer in its busy downtown, laid in a roughly 10-block grid between the hills and the ocean. A string of lively bars and seafood restaurants line the waterfront, including El Timon, which serves up traditional Nicaraguan treats for about $12. Those on a tight budget can eat much more cheaply at one of the dozen or so stalls in the town market. The closest you can get to haute cuisine is the beautiful cabana-style bar and restaurant at Piedras y Olas, serving a mix of Nicaraguan and foreign fare. Excellent ceviche and one of the signature margaritas run about $10. For night life, a few Latin-style discos are packed until the wee hours, along with a few dingy but popular pool halls.

For travelers, the town is a cheaper alternative to Costa Rica, but it also offers a more authentic Central American experience, locals say. "It's hard to find Costa Ricans in some of those Costa Rican resort towns," said Thompson, the magazine founder. "Here people look at you for who you are, rather than seeing you as just another tourist."

But the rise of foreign tourism has led to a string of new and surprisingly tasty and affordable American-style restaurants, including Big Wave Dave's, which boasts the best burgers in town, and the Canadian-owned Pizzeria San Juan. The town's first English-language bookshop and cafe, El Gato Negro (The Black Cat), opened this year and maintains a vast collection of books on Nicaraguan history and culture, along with the standard set of bestsellers. A Subway restaurant opened there this fall.

There is concern that all the development could upset a delicate balance. "All the money coming into town has a positive side and a negative side," said the Rev. Roberto Alvarez, 32, one of two priests who run the town's large Catholic church. "It means better jobs for many people, but a lot of people are selling their land and moving into the rural areas. We have to make sure we hold on to our culture."

Jonathan Finer is a Washington Post staff writer currently on leave to study law.