Paid to Play Episode 15: The one where the author goes on vacation after five months of hard work and tries to find the still missing castaways from Gilligan's Island. First stop, Little Corn Island in Nicaragua.

First of all, to get to Little Corn island, one must some how arrive at Big Corn Island next door. To do that, you need to find your way to the rundown port town of Bluefields. After having spent some time in Bluefields, I can tell you there are no fields of this or any other color. What you will find is a lot of people without jobs and a vibe that borders between continuous party to slightly edgy and dangerous. Upon discovering I missed the once or twice a week boat to the islands (I'm still not sure when the hell it goes), I had no choice but to fly to Big Corn and then take an ocean going fast boat designed for drug running over to Little Corn. Little Corn Island is still the hidden paradise spot of the Caribbean. There are no big hotels or resorts and things are relatively inexpensive. It's a backpacker hotspot for cheap diving and the simple life where the island's electricity isn't available most of the day. There are no roads, just some sandy dirt paths that connect the different communities and bicycle is the fastest way to cross the island unless you are carrying something heavy... then you have to use a wheelbarrow. The people that live here make their living from lobster fishing.

But that's a whole other story...there are two kinds of "lobster" here; the one you can eat, and the famous "white lobster". Learn more about this unusual Caribbean Lottery in my coming entry from the Garifuna community of Orinoco. But first.... tracking down a lead. Just where did the cast of Gilligan's island end up... and more importantly, where are Maryann and Ginger? Let's have a look in the Pearl Keys, a famous chill out spot for centuries for the real Pirates of the Caribbean.