Leon, Nicaragua

We met our second day in Leon without a plan but we picked up steam as the day progressed. We started with an early morning walk through the streets of Leon and enjoyed the bustle of the city. The combination of motor bikes, cars, taxis, and horse-drawn carts makes this place so special. Leon is beautiful, yet gritty at the same time.

After another traditional Nicaraguan breakfast at the hotel we set out to find adventure. Our first stop was a blind massage. Yes, blind. As a way to put disabled people to work, there is a massage facility that employs blind people.

We all got a great massage from Roberto and Sonia and the total cost for all three of us was under $25.

Next we wandered over to the Bigfoot Hostel, which was across from the massage place and ordered a beer. It didn’t take long to learn that Bigfoot is the center of volcano boarding and they had a trip leaving in an hour! We signed up on the spot. Our entire excursion cost $23 plus a $5 park entrance fee and included transportation to Cerro Negro volcano, a 45 minute hike, exploration of the volcano, boarding equipment, and a beer and cookie at the end.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with volcano boarding, it is one of the up-and-coming adventures on the planet. In Nicaragua it’s done on the active volcano Cerro Negro. Yes, the volcano is active and last erupted in 1999. You’ll see in our pictures that we were able to get right up next to the active vents and up to the lip of the crater. In fact, we scraped a little volcanic soil away and the ground under foot was so hot you could cook on it.

The reason you climb Cerro Negro is to slide down the western slope. On a specially designed board that gets a new formica strip on the bottom after each trip (because the heat burns it away each time it goes down the volcano), you slide down the 1000 foot slope as fast as you can/want. The speed record with Bigfoot Tours is 89 km/hr and a guy in our group tied the record. We are happy to report that the three of us didn’t come close to the record but we all made it to the bottom without a scratch (unlike others in our group). Cross that off the bucket list!

At the bottom of the volcano you are greeted with a cold beer and a big congratulations. After the group finished sliding down, the large orange truck returned us to Leon, only to be met with detours and immovable traffic. It seems that the Sandinista-led government supplied Christmas piñatas to every street in Leon. Almost every street in the city was blocked and there were children everywhere whacking away, hoping to get candy.

It was a mess in terms of traffic flow but a treat in terms of appreciating the Nicaraguan culture.

After a few complimentary mojitos back at the hostel, we enjoyed much needed showers and a wonderful dinner. Tomorrow we are off to Granada and the next big adventure. We’re not sure anything can top today’s experience, but we’re going to give it a try.

Please keep your comments coming. We love hearing from you!

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Leon, Nicaragua

Today started bright and early with a traditional Nicaraguan breakfast. We are all now fans of gallo pinto (a mixture of rice and beans), queso frita (fried cheese), chorizo, huevos, and tortillas.

The Contempo chefs impressed again with a beautifully prepared plate of traditional favorites.

Roberto and Sergio picked us up on time and we headed north to Leon Viejo (Old Leon). Leon Viejo is a UNESCO heritage site that once served, in the 1500s, as the capital of Nicaragua. The old city was the scene of many power struggles between Spaniards which resulted in bloody battles and beheadings. The town was eventually abandoned in the early 1600s and soon after was covered by the erupting volcano Momotombo. We learned about the history of this beautiful country and enjoyed sweeping views of Lake Managua.

From there we headed towards Leon City but not without a stop for a local specialty. Quesillos are a popular snack in Nicaragua and there are quesillo stands/restaurants throughout the country. A quesillo consists of a corn tortilla stuffed with a big slab of mozzarella cheese, a mixture of onion and chiles, covered with crema. It’s wrapped up and shoved into a plastic bag. You hold the bag tight at the top and shake it until the crème is covering the entire concoction. Then you eat it like a popsicle, right out of the bag. Yum!!!

The afternoon was spent exploring Leon with our guide Roberto. He showed us the Centro de Arte Fundacion Ortiz Gurdian. La familia Ortiz Gurdian owns the fabulous hotel we’ll be in for the next two nights, El Convento.

El Centro de Arte is their own private museum showcasing their extensive collection of European and Latin American art. Sam was in heaven and we were pretty impressed too. The art is displayed throughout an amazing colonial home that used to house the family. We’re not sure where they live now, but if it’s anything like the place where they display their art, it’s probably the biggest mansion in Central America. From there we wandered to the Parque Central and the third largest cathedral in the Americas, La Basilica de la Asuncion. It’s the burial place of lots of Nicaraguans, most notably Ruben Dario, the famous Nica poet. They are crazy about him here.

By the time we finished our tour we were spent. We headed back to El Convento where Roberto attempted to book our Volcano Boarding tour for tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, everything was booked. Just when we were about to give up, Roberto came up with a 7AM trip, but by then, we were tired and hungry and out of the mood. So, we passed. Tomorrow we’ll spend a leisurely day in Leon, exploring the market and neighborhoods on our own. Roberto and Sergio will be back to pick us up on Saturday to drive us to our next destination: Granada.

Tonight we wandered through the festive streets of Leon, dining at a great restaurant and enjoying a few local beers. From there we went back to the Parque Central and the Basilica for some holiday entertainment.

The square was packed with families enjoying folkloric dancing and music. There were vendors everywhere selling fruit, toys, and just about anything else you might want. We can’t confirm or deny the vicious rumors, that after a few beers, Steve is now sporting a Che Guevara tattoo on his ****. We finished our excursion with a little Nicaraguan ice cream, which Sam declared, “not as good as in the USA.” He didn’t realize it but he ordered Mint Tea ice cream…???

As we finish today’s post, we are watching ASU play Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Devils are down at half-time but we (okay, just Marnie) have hope! Go Devils!

More tomorrow!

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Our Nicaraguan adventure has gotten off to a good, but uneventful start. After an early flight from Phoenix to Miami we met up with our great friend Sam. We had just enough time for a beer and a snack before we boarded our flight to Managua.

All of our American Airlines flights have been on time and the skies have been clear. We were even able to juggle our seat assignments so that the three of us could sit together for the 2 ½ hour flight south.

Upon arrival in Managua we were met by Roberto (Bobby) who will be our guide for the next few days and Sergio, who will be our driver. Both men are English speakers and appear very professional. We feel like we’re in good hands. We’ve got our own van and Bobby and Sergio will accompany us to Leon and Granada, which are our first two stops.

Tonight we are at the Contempo Hotel Boutique, which is a gorgeous, modern hotel in Managua. As soon as we checked in we headed for the restaurant where we enjoyed dinner of brie, goat cheese salad, and sea bass.

Our server Carlos was full of great suggestions and quite a pro. If all of our meals in Nicaragua are like this, we’ll be ecstatic. We even like the local beer, Victoria.

We’ll post pictures and updates tomorrow. We are having trouble staying awake after our big day of travel.

Buenos noches amigos y familia!

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