It's so hot I can't think straight. I'm in Leon, which I've been told is the hottest part of the country, and while I'm minutes away from drowning in my own sweat, locals are casually strolling about in sweaters and jeans. It is, frankly, kind of amazing.
My trip to Nicaragua was somewhat of an impulse decision that I decided to run with. It has been in the back of my mind for a while, but I was always coming up with reasons why the timing just wasn't right. A few months ago, I finally decided to just GO already. Two days in, and it has already been one of the best decisions ever.
I started off by flying into Managua, which is a sweaty, frenetic shambles that I still found strangely appealing for the short time I was there. When I was seventeen, I travelled to Ecuador. I was floored by the traffic, the noise, the run-down buildings contrasted with beautiful colonial churches, bikes and motorcycles carrying entire families, and lush town squares. It was love at first sight, and this introduction to a chaos like nothing I had ever seen before always sticks out as my first travel experience that I have been trying to chase ever since. To me, Managua on fist sight was as close as I've been.
That being said, I didn't spend a very long time in Managua. After roughly eighteen hours of planes and airports, I staggered into my hostel, and crashed. In the morning, I walked to the UCA bus station, past graffiti, murals, utter chaos, and more than one person leaning out the open door of a speeding bus to shout to me on the sidewalk. (Were they offering helpful directions? Yes, let's go with that). The UCA terminal is more or less a large, dirt parking lot, but with drivers immediately running at you and shouting "Leon?" it's pretty efficient to find your ride.
Since I had been told time and time again that there wasn't really much to see in Managua that I couldn't find elsewhere, I didn't waste much time heading to Leon. The bus was a quick hour and a half ride, that cost me roughly $2. I was immediately lulled to sleep by the surprisingly smooth ride, and the lovely, lovely air conditioning. However, as I got out of the bus at the station in Leon, I was nearly knocked on my arse by the heavy, humid, weigh-you-down heat. My first thought?
"I'm going to need to shave my head." Yup, it was hot.
The walk to the hostel was heavy and hot, and it's probably not even fair to call it a walk, as it was more of a drag. However, the cobbled streets, old colonial buildings, and the colours were stunning, reminding my of Old Quito. This was what I had been waiting for! The city is cleaner, and more laid-back than Managua. I had been bracing myself for hawkers and catcalling galore, but it just...hasn't really happened. I've had the occasional older gentleman on a bicycle make hissing noises that I couldn't repeat if I tried, but overall, it is very non-threatening, and I feel completely safe wandering the streets.
Today, I visited the Mercado Central (all of the fruits and veggies you could ever dream of!), and the Catedral de Leon. The Cathedral is the biggest in Central America, and recommended as a must-see. The best part is being able to climb onto the roof and see the whole city, and the outlines of the volcanoes in the distance. I have somehow managed to climb onto several roofs of ancient churches in my travels, and this one was by far the best kept up, and the least terrifying.
After the Cathedral, on a whim, I decided to visit the Museum of Folklore and Legends. I'm not a big museum person, but this one was pretty cool. It's located in a building that served as a prison during the civil war (which, I hate to admit, I know next to nothing about. The plan is to learn more while I'm here!) The first part of the museum introduces the war, and the Guerillas who were imprisioned there. The methods of torture are outlined on the wall, which I wasn't expecting to see in a folklore museum. The contrast is interesting, particularly because most of the legends and stories are...pretty dark.
Most of the legends include witches, flesh-eating dogs, death, curses, a death-wagon that used to show up at street corners (which I'm pretty sure I've seen at least once when trying to cross the streets here), and just generally, utter mayhem. The part that I found most interesting was that most - if not all - of the legends stemmed from some of the first interactions between the Indigenous people and the Spaniards. I won't use this blog to rant about colonialism, but if you're interested, just email me.
The best part of the museum? Each legend has its own exhibit, complete with surprisingly eerie life-sized papier-mache
models of the characters from the legends. Honestly, this is pretty cool, as I was hoping to never sleep again anyway. Unfortunately, pictures weren't allowed, or you better believe I would be sharing the discomfort with all of you! After the tour, you get a chance to climb some narrow, rickety stairs, and walk around the top border of the building. The views of the city are incredible. I would recommend the museum tour, as it is wonderfully creepy, and a good way to spend an hour or so!
Since uploading pictures from my camera is a bit of a painstaking task, even on my home computer, I likely won't have any visuals on the blog until I'm back in Canada. Rest assured, they will be worth it. Leon is photogenic.
Questions? Comments? Criticisms? I'd love to hear them all!
the-wanderingjew@hotmail.com
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