See the link:  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/01/10/travel/2013-places-to-go.html

In the first article from the Nicaragua Dispatch, Carlos Pellas discusses his new $500 million dollar luxury project in southwest Nicaragua called Guacalito, which is a 30 minute drive from Soma. He gives some history about his influencial family,  volunteers some important insights and vision into the future of tourism in Nicaragua:

http://www.nicaraguadispatch.com/news/2012/11/pellas-nicaraguas-hour-has-come/6102

The second article comes from the New York Times Magazine.  It is a photo shoot of a variety of untouched, unique, and unusual settings in Nicaragua, many of which can be visited during your stay at Soma Surf Resort:

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/16/a-delicate-balance/

I had my daily routine of cleaning, cooking small meals, feeding and playing with the animals, and a few projects around the resort.  We did have an elliptical machine, so I could work out every day. But as the quiet days passed, the rain didn’t show. There were some minor showers, but not one big storm.  Lots of lightning and thunder, some  onshore winds, but the big one never appeared.

I heard there were a number of good surf days, small, but clean and uncrowded-2 or 3 people in the line-up at Popoyo.

Even the electricity (Union Fenosa),  notoriously inconsistent, stayed on most of the time.

So, what a different experience for a Gringo who has lived in urban/suburban areas his entire life.  Five weeks of hearing the cows and horses, birds and howler monkeys, watching the sunrise and sunset every day, by himself.

In one way, it was a treat after 32 years of teaching high school in California not to have someone asking me for something every 22 seconds. On the other hand, it was lonely at times too. And that was good, because we as a society don’t spend enough quiet times with ourselves and/or our loved ones.

I did have Claro cable TV but I didn’t watch much.  Of course I did use the internet daily to communicate with Casey, Bill, and my family. And I did watch a few UFC fights and boxing matches on computer feed.

But all in all, there was a comfort in the simplicity and serenity in being in such a beautiful place by myself, to help remember how our ancestors lived in harmony and appreciation of nature.

Of course, this past week when Casey returned and we started to prepare to open, a couple of big storms came through and one knocked the electricity out for 12 hours. But now, it’s back to normal Popoyo weather–sunny, with light offshores.

There was a beautiful full moon last night, and that helped me remember why we went through the process of building a place here.  It was the magical Nicaragua we love and the Nicaragua that our guests see, experience and take home.

Bill Morton   October 2012   Popoyo,  Tola, Rivas, Nicaragua.

When I got home, Casey and Eddie were leaving for Rivas, so I did some work on the computer and got ready for a nap. As soon as I started to walk towards the rancho, here come the 3 cats and 2 dogs. The biggest cat- OG, and the biggest dog-Rudy, climb right in the hammock with me. The others settle down underneath us. The sun was out, there was a good breeze, and soon we all were out.  Suddenly I was awakened by squirming bodies and scrambling paws all over me. It was half dark, rain was coming at us sideways, and we all were trying to get out of the hammock at the same time. I stepped on Whispy’s tail, almost fell on the slippery caoba floor, and started taking down the hammock as fast as I could.  By the time I headed down the stairs, all 5 animals were staring at me, safe and dry under the kitchen walkway, with a look like “why is that idiot soaking wet? He’s too old and slow…”

It was a brief and furious shower. The electricity went off and came back on after an hour. Welcome back to Nicaragua…

Thank you to all our guests who came to Nicaragua,  stayed at Soma and enjoyed the raw beauty, serenity and warm hospitality of this country,  made new friends and found new adventures along the way.   Looking  forward to another great year of good waves, new found friends, and more adventures to come.

Hasta pronto,

Casey and Bill Morton

A special thank you goes to my son Bill, for sharing an all-time, top 5 in my life session at sunset Popoyo. Even though I caught no waves. I will never forget you catching numerous leashless bombs, or our talk on the long walk home.

And a very special acknowledgement goes to my beautiful wife Casey, who created our dream and is the engine and soul of Soma Surf Resort.

Una vez mas muchas gratias a todos los amigos de Soma,
Bill Morton May 2012

Nicaragua is certainly not the first place that comes to mind for a luxury travel vacation, even when you narrow it down to Central America. It’s a poor country with a tourism infrastructure that is far behind that of its neighbors. This is a tourist destination on the rise though, which appeals to a lot of people trying to get away from the tried and true and experience the real deal. Soma lets you experience the real Nicaragua, while still providing the amenities of an upscale resort.

Nicaragua has gotten a lot of positive press in the past few years, with some likening it to Puerto Vallarta in the 1950s or Costa Rica in the 1970s. Things will take off here eventually, but it takes time for the word to get out. Positive word of mouth is spreading.

For now though, this country is a place to experience nature and go on adventures without the crowds. The same things that draw millions to visit Costa Rica are also easy to find in Nicaragua but without the hoards of tourists and also more affordable.: endless deserted beaches, dramatic volcanoes, tropical jungles, and hundreds of exotic bird species. Plus there are some things Costa Rica doesn’t really have: colonial architecture and a huge lake with a volcanic island in the middle, uncrowded surfing beaches, with consistent surf conditions, better priced accommodations, and a much more tranquil style and atmosphere. In many spots you can stroll down beaches for miles without seeing more than 10 other people. Nicaragua has the amazing power to lead you on an incredible journey. Come to Soma and take home a new experience.

Soma Surf Resort is perfect for adventurers, surfers, and travelers located on the Southern Pacific Coast of Nicaragua. and located in the heart of some of the best waves Nicaragua has to offer.

There are a variety of point and beach breaks for surfers of all ability levels, with more than 10 world class surf breaks all within 25 minutes accessible by car or boat from Soma. Come and surf Popoyo, Santana, Colorado. Astillero and more. This is surfing in Nicaragua at its best!

How Central America’s poorest country became one of its safest

LYING between Colombia’s coca bushes and Mexico’s cocaine traffickers, Central America is a choke point on the drugs trail. In 2010 the smugglers ensured that Honduras, El Salvador, Belize and Guatemala were among the world’s seven most violent countries. Costa Rica and Panama are richer and safer. But since 2007 their murder rates have respectively risen by a third and nearly doubled.

Amid this inferno Nicaragua, the poorest country in mainland Latin America, is remarkably safe. Whereas Honduras’s murder rate in 2010 was 82 per 100,000 people, the world’s highest in over a decade, Nicaragua’s was just 13, unchanged in five years. That means it is now less violent than booming Panama, and may soon be safer than Costa Rica, a tourist haven. What explains the relative peace?

Spending is not the answer. With a GDP per head of $1,100, Nicaragua can afford only 18 policemen for every 10,000 people, the lowest ratio in the region. (Panama has 50.) Earning $120 per month, its officers are also the worst-paid. Nor does Nicaragua spend much on prisons: it jails just 120 people per 100,000, compared with 390 in El Salvador. This may work in its favour: El Salvador’s violent mara gangs look for recruits in the country’s packed prisons.

Nicaragua’s distaste for its neighbours’ mano dura (“iron fist”) policies grew out of the 1979 revolt against the Somoza dictatorship. “We didn’t know how to be police. We only knew we didn’t want to be like the Somozan Guard,” says Aminta Granera, a former nun and guerrilla who leads the force. Officers are aided by 100,000 volunteers. They include law and psychology students; 10,000 former gang members, who mentor youths via baseball in the barrios; and nearly 4,000 domestic-violence victims, who persuade women to speak out. Amnesty International, an NGO, highlights the frequency of rape, which is made worse by a blanket ban on abortion: last year a 12-year-old was forced to give birth to her stepfather’s baby. Still, confidence in the police is the highest in Latin America after Chile.

The drug war could yet reach Nicaragua. The country’s low wages may attract kingpins just as they have wooed legitimate investment: smugglers charge under $500 to drive a car of cocaine from Managua to Mexico. The gangs may only have been kept out by the country’s ropy ports. The police say they broke up 14 drug-trafficking cells in the first half of 2011 alone, up from 16 in all of 2010 and one or two a year until 2005. Ms Granera says that such plots often include Mexicans. The Zetas, a brutal Mexican mob, could easily ignite more violence if they move in.

A cloud hangs over the police’s leadership. Ms Granera is justly popular. But like many officials in Daniel Ortega’s government, she has ignored the limit on her five-year term. That deadline passed in September, only for Mr Ortega—who himself began an unconstitutional third term this month—to reappoint her. The opposition complains that the police do little to stop the periodic rampages of mobs loyal to Mr Ortega: in 2010 a Holiday Inn was attacked with makeshift mortars while the opposition held a meeting there. Mr Ortega has already hollowed out most Nicaraguan institutions. It would be a crime if the country’s police suffer the same fate.

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