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Well, it's definitely not getting any cooler the further I head south. It must have something to do with this is Equator thingy. Despite the rise in the heat index, I'm rather happy with my decision to continue on to Nicaragua. So far, I'm really enjoying this country. My bus ride down was quick and painless. I had the driver drop me in León so I could slowly work my way south.
León, which was once the capital of Nicaragua, is the second largest city in the country and sits in the most volcanic region of Central America. The town has streets of cobblestone, tiny parks throughout, and is home to the largest cathedral in Central America. The town is full of activities to keep a traveler occupied and at the same time, not too rough on the wallet...therefore, I've decided to stay for a while. I settled in at the Bigfoot Hostel, which is just across the street from Via Via. These two places are very popular with Backpackers and have excellent tours and entertainment. So far, I've been sledding down a volcano, surfing at the beach, clubbing with Netherlanders, taken private Salsa lessons, and attended a Nicaraguan cock
Looking Out Over León
In the distance, you can just make out a section of the Cordillera de los Maribios. A chain of 10 volcanoes that León sits at the eastern base of.fight; but I'll get more into that later. I also decided to search out some volunteer work to keep myself busy and give back a little. I talked with one of the hostel employees who directed me across town to an organization called Las Tias. As I walked through the door and over to a group of old Nicaraguan women, I had no clue what was in store. After explaining that I was here for a week and looking for volunteer work, the ladies told me that they usually required at least a one month commitment. Assuming I didn't have the job (whatever it was), I told them that I would do whatever they needed...with that said, one of the ladies had me follow her to what would be my new classroom. Starting on Tuesday, I would be teaching high school-aged kids how to speak English. What had I gotten myself into?
In search of excitement, I came across a sunset volcano tour which finished up with a sled ride down the side of it (perfect!). An Aussie (Darryn) that owned Bigfoot Hostel (
www.bigfootadventure.com) was also the guide and mastermind behind this madness. Carrying our boards, a group of
The Cathedral
León is the home of Central America's largest Cathedral. us made our way up Volcán Cerro Negro. This was one of fourteen in this region, and was the youngest volcano in the Western Hemisphere (Cerro Negro was born in 1850 and has since been one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua, with the last eruption occurring in 1999). Leaving our boards, we climbed into the crater where deposits of sulfur, salt and granite were present (all signs of an active volcano) and steam was coming from the ground. At the top, we watched as the sun set behind a distant range of volcanoes and then prepared for our decent. Protected only by goggles, we roasted down the steep incline of volcanic rock on our specially designed sleds. Oh yeah...we were moving! Everyone reached the bottom of the 500 meter slope in 30 to 90 seconds. I definitely recommend this tour to travelers. Upon our return, we got ourselves cleaned up and headed over to Via Via to listen to a local band play some of the country's traditional music. Next, I followed the ladies (Maloe and Lisa) to a local Nicaraguan nightclub. I normally avoid the late night party scene, but the girls said I had to go
Volcán Cerro Negro
The youngest volcano in the Western Hemisphere. out and celebrate Queens Day with them. This was one of their most important holidays, so what could I say but...long live the Queen! We definitely stuck out like sore thumbs as we tore up the dance floor with our improvised Salsa moves. Being that I hadn't taken any Salsa lessons yet, I let Maloe lead, but I don't think anyone noticed.
After waking in a pool of sweat from yet another unbearably humid night, I joined Darryn and the Dutch girls for a day at the beach. Darryn drove us in the back of his pick-up (Ute) for a 40 minute ride to Las Peñitas, a small beachside town just south of the larger playa Poneloya. We spent a very relaxing day on the beach with nearly no one else around. Darryn let me borrow his long board and gave me some quick surf lessons. I was finally able to stand on the board, but only for a few seconds. I still have some work to do on proper foot positioning. My day of surfing quickly came to an abrupt end on my forth attempt when I took a nice hard nose dive and broke the fin off
the back of the board...smooth move! Following my bust, I spent the rest of my time laying on the shore with the girls just watching the waves. Two other Netherlanders (Walter and Jerry) that I had recently met in town, showed up to enjoy the day. After Darryn had left, it was just me and five Hollanders, so I was forced to start learning some Dutch. The girls taught me some words to broaden my communication. All that I can remember is- Hoi, hoe zet het? Jÿ bent moy. Tot ziens! Translated - Hi, what's up? You are beautiful. See ya! This is all a man really needs to know...we'll see if it pays off in the future. It was a pleasant day that finished up with a beautiful sunset over the Pacific. The ladies were off for the Corn Islands the following day. I enjoyed their company and wish them lots of luck in their upcoming travels. Doei !
The following day was Sunday, a day of rest and worship, but not for all Nicaraguans. This was also a day for cock fighting! Having never experienced an event quite like this one, I let my curiosity get the
best of me. I don't like or agree with this type of animal abuse, but I wanted to fully experience the culture. You ladies back home might want to skip this section. I was definitely immersed into a Latin American atmosphere that many don't ever see. I tied my bandana around my head and wore my wife-beater shirt to blend in for the occasion. Everywhere I looked there were booze, bets being made, and Latinos petting their prize roosters. To make the most of the experience, I joined in on the gambling (sorry Mom) which had the locals high-fiving me and the bookies by my side. I'm not going to go into detail at all about the event, because trust me you don't want to hear about it. It was worth experiencing once, but I don't think you will ever see me at another. Let's just say we all had chicken for dinner. Oh yeah, I've probably contracted the Bird Flu. One of the managers came over and handed me his rooster while I was eating and this also wasn't the most sanitary of places. He wanted me to feel how fuerte (strong) his fighter was so I would bet
on him. He wasn't fooling though, we came away with a fierce victory. I named my new little fighter Little Jerry Seinfeld and rolled his winnings. My voice could be heard shouting over the crowd, " You're my boy Little Jerry, you're my boy!" Of course in the end, I was down 20 córdobas ($1.25) and Little Jerry was no more!
During the week, it was teach and be taught. I was an educator of adolescents by day and a silky, smooth Salsa dancer by night. Ladies beware, I've pulled together a combination of moves that puts Travolta and Banderas to shame. My personal dance instructor (Ceilyng) has whipped me into shape. I now have the posture of a matador and the grace of a ballerina...Ha! No really though, Ceilyng is great. She lets me skip over some of the moves that I don't care for and go straight to the spins and throws. The Latino style of dance is very up close and personal...oh yes it is! We meet each day at her home, which is a 20 minute walk to the outskirts of town. She's an instructor in many different styles of dance, but I have chosen
to put all of my focus into Salsa. I like it because I am able to improvise and throw a little of my own spice into the mix. Ceilyng just laughs and shakes her head at me. Now, the other part of my day deals with the sculpting of young minds. I have a small class (the #'s vary everyday) of fifteen to sixteen year old kids. God uses this time of my day to pay me back for all of the immature stunts I pulled in high school. I had to set an example my first day to show them that I wasn't a push over. I sent one of the kids out of the class for the remainder of the day. Mr. Curl was not going to have goofing off in his classroom. From the start, I was given no study plan, no book, nada! They just pointed the class out and let me go. The guys get really restless if they have to study English for two hours straight, so I also help them with their math homework to break the monotony. They're your typical teenagers. They would much rather be outside playing baseball (the most popular
Bombs Away!
I smoked it to the bottom; coming close to setting a new land speed record. sport in Nica) than studying, so I have to constantly stay on them to keep their attention. This experience has truly given me great respect for the work that our teachers do everyday. They are definitely under appreciated.
There you have it! That was a gist of what my first week in Nicaragua was like. Next, I head to Granada and possibly the crater of Laguna de Apoyo. There is much to see in this great country and I can't hit it all. By travelling down the West coast, I will be able to visit most of the popular spots, except for the Corn Islands due East. In my travels, I've met so many neat people along the way and learned so much from them. It's too bad that I always have to say goodbye so soon, and head off in a different direction...but that's travelling. Some I'll possibly see again and others not, but I'll always take a little something with me from each. I also miss everyone back home and think about you always.
I look forward to that which lies ahead and miss all I've left behind, but cherish every moment of each present place and time. Comfort fills me always even though I'm alone, porque los tengo conmigo en mi corazón. (Curl 2006)
Yeah, I guess you can tell I've had a lot of time on my hands at night. Sorry guys, I'm just trying
to fine tune myself for the ladies...you know, with some silky Salsa moves and poetry. Alright that's enough, until next time. Adios Mis Amigos!
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Dennis
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Volcano Ride
That ride down the volcano looks awesome. Is it something us old folks could do? Leon looks like a pretty town. I hope that one day Doris and I can get down there. Blessings bro!