Travels in Nicaragua - Leon, Managua, San Juan del Sur, Ometepe

I´ve been making fairly quick work of Nicaragua, relative to my time in Costa Rica. After Granada I and some new friends went to where the revolution began, in Leon. The best part about Leon is learning the history, and if not for the museums and galleries it wouldn´t seem like much special. As it turns out though, when the FSLN overthrew the government in the 70´s, they began by taking Leon. After, they began marching towards Managua, and by the time they arrived the president of Nicaragua had fled in fear. Without a commander, no fighting was necessary. The Nicaraguan army did not resist the encroaching revolutionaries.

After Leon we went to Managua for a music festival that consisted of some well known local musicians. We may have been the only white people there. Following, I split off from the group, as they were heading north to Honduras immediately. I instead went to San Juan del Sur, a touristy beach town that I wouldn´t normally want to see, but a part of me felt it was necessary. After I got their I ran into many Americans, particularly Californians...particularly San Diegans. One of them had got himself thrown in jail for having a small quanitity of weed (less than a gram of the stuff, I´m told). He was held for around a week before they finally let him go, after a court hearing and other legitimate proceedings.

I didn´t spend much time in San Juan del Sur before I was ready to move on, so I left and headed for the island of Ometepe, in Lake Nicaragua. Ometepe is a rural spot for travelers, mostly consisting of shacks and huts that break up the impeading jungles. An island built by it´s two volcanoes, many choose to spend their time hiking to the peaks for hours on end just to arrive, lookout amongst thick clouds and then turn back around and descend. I chose not to, and instead spent my days walking from village to village. I did hike up to a nice waterfall, and also spent way too much to rent a kayak for a few hours and paddle up what they call a river...what I call a bog. Now I´m in a small internet cafe on Ometepe, catching up on my blog before I catch a ten and a half hour ferry that will take me to San Carlos. From there I´ll take a lancha for about 5 hours more up Rio San Juan to "El Castillo".

Masaya, near Granada, Nicaragua

Mural in Leon, Nicaragua

Mural at the Revolutionary Museum in Leon, Nicaragua

They love Che

A U.S. made bazooka and helmet - Nicaraguan made molotov cocktail and some tennis ball sized incendiary grenade

It´s times like these I feel like a giant

Leon, Nicaragua

Leon, Nicaragua

Santa Ana float during birthday celebrations

Ometepe, Nicaragua

Everythings bigger in Central America

Go here if the volcano erupts

Guard-deer...you might escape the ferocity, but the lyme disease is sure to get you.

Still in use

Nice waterfall

I didn´t believe the sign until I tested it

Was hoping to see an alligator, but was let down.

The larger of the two, slicing and dicing clouds.

I ate every meal here while on Ometepe, other than a couple I cooked myself. $1.90 gets you big portions of gallo pinto, fried eggs, platanos, plantains and a coffee. A dollar more gets you a big fish to go with it.