Leon
Leon is traditionally the rival of Granada. Before Managua was set as the capital, these two cities faught for that right. Granada is considered to be liberal, and Leon to be conservative. Their rivalry goes far, even into the mid 1800's. In 1856, the leaders of Leon hired Willam Walker (US) to bring his army and conquer Granada for them. As it turned out, he took the entire country and proclaimed himself President.
Leon is a very busy city and really hot, much more than Granada. There are many important universities here, and lots of old and really beautiful churches and cathedrals. Students hang out by the park or near the UNAN to drink a fruit juice and chat. There is also a good share of colonial buildings and the local live is very evident here. Less touristy than Granada, it is a place with constant movement, loud streets, a heavier traffic, and some streets are not as clean.
One of the best activities here is to walk around and see the murals. They tell you the story of a revolution that took the lives of thousands of people, and severely damaged the country's economy. Most of them are near the central park, and around and inside the universities. Perhaps, a walk in the morning and late afternoon are the best, as the heat of mid day is unbearable. Like in Cuba (as I imagine), the important people in the murals are Nicaraguans who participated in the Nicaraguan Revolution, many of them considered martyrs.
Night life here is good, and close to the center of town. Most people suggest a visit to Don Señor, where locals go to dance Salsa and other Latin rhythms. I went with the best German dancer, Jana, and except for the two of us, there were no other foriegners there. There are other spots at La Zona Rosa, a strip near the central park. Since there are not as many tourists here, it is easier to hang out with the locals.
I also went to las Peñitas beach, about one hour west. The beach is very local and there are lots of places to eat along the shore. It is mostly popular among travelers as a surfing spot. I didn't see anyone surfing, but maybe it was only on that day. What I did notice is that there were only five other foriegners, including us. It is not as nice as the beaches near San Juan del Sur, but is a good spot in front of the beach to have some fruit and sleep on the hammock.
Volcano Boarding
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| Picture from the Big Foot website |
Something really cool to do here is sliding down the slope of Cerro Negro. I am still waiting for my own pictures to prove I did it, so in the meantime I am posting one that is not mine and that I found on the Big Foot website.
Getting there took two hours in one of the bumpiest roads I have been on. There are lots of small shacks, and children came out running behind the bus to say hi. In front of us, hills of a brownish color and in the middle a black mountain. The terrain closer to the volcano looks like Mars. It was like watching planet Earth on the making. Off the hook people!
Cerro Negro is the youngest volcano in Central America since 1850. It has erupted 23 times, making it the most active in the world. Luckly for us it was not in one of those days. Getting up took one hour, and getting down was 40 seconds at 47 km / hr, a total disgrace for my expectations. One of the girls hit 66, and the unbeatable record is set at 82! Well, it was a beat up to our back bones, but our mojitos were waiting for us back in the hostel. Thanks guys!!
Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua
What makes this island impressive is the two volcanos. Conception and Madera are amazing from the distance and the nature here is practically unspoiled. My best advice is to stay in Moyogalpa as your base, and rent a motorcyle to explore the island in two days. I didn't follow my own advice, but many others did, and now I am telling you... do it!
One way to climb Madera Volcano (1,361 mts / 4,083 ft) is by hiking the slope over dry land. It takes about 3 hours going up, and the higher it gets, the more muddy and rough the terrain is. The local recommendation is to go with a guide as there aren't well marked trails and it is easy to get lost. Some people just go on their own from early in the morning. Besides, how lost can anyone get going up or down anyway??? One thing, though, there are lots of farm lands, random dirt roads, and bearly anyone around to ask. So...
The other way to go up is through the San Ramon river. This place is not in the maps or in the Lonely Planet for that matter (if it is, please correct me). On the first night I stayed at Finca Ecologica el Zopilote. Everything here is organic and ecology friendly, and is a great spot for a relax time - just doing absolutely nothing, read an entire book, or learn how to prepare organic bread and other foods. Here, I got directions to the river, which were 100% accurate, thank God! The must important thing in the directions was to follow a ditch for a new water pipe almost the entire way. So, when in doubt, always follow the pipe!
Going up through the river is quite fun. I went with Ergwan, a French guy and it took us about two hours just to get to the river and another two hours to climb the canyon. On our way up, we had an amazing view of Conception Volcano and the beaches around it. Little by little, the environment changed dramatically every few hundred meters. There are fields of lava rocks, corn, coffee, and bananas; then there is the dry forest and canals of dry rivers. Also, we had a group of Magpie Blue Jays leading the way. They are locally called Urracas.
Once in the canyon, there are lots of waterfalls, and climbing them without equipment was hard and exciting. The waterfalls are not particularly impressive, but the adventure was well worth the effort. The higher we were, the more diffifult it was to climb. Others had done it before, and left rocks and large branches of trees to use as ladders. Then, we found a really tall wall, maybe 20 ft high. It was a mix of mud and rocks, and we could not trust it, and so decided to stop going up. The top of the volcano was right there, but the chances of breaking a leg and wait for more than a day to being rescued were too high. It was a great experiece, thought, and considering I have no experience doing this, the entire trip went quite well.
Hospedaje Central, a.k.a Indio Viejo is a good place to stay at. During the time I was here, there was a large group of French and French Canadians. I think I learned some after all. Across the street from it there is a restaurant with organic food and run by a group of women from France and Quebec. There are a few bars nearby, and a dance club just around the corner. The web address to the hostel is http://hostelometepe.com/.
The island is nice, and again, to really get a feeling of it, rent a motorcycle!
Ah! To stay in Leon, I recommend Big Foot. It is cheap, nice installations, and across the street there is Via Via, another nice hostal with a very busy bar.
Photo album today
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