Main cathedral in Leon We spent five nights in Leon (including one night camping on an active volcano!) and loved every minute of it! After spending lots of time in the rainforest and on a beach, we thought it was time to see a little culture. Leon is pretty small but has a great market and a ton of history. It isn’t as touristy as other cities either, which made it attractive for us. We stayed at Sonati, an interesting hostel run by a volunteer organization that gives environmental tours to backpackers and educates the local children in Leon.
On our first day we split up and explored the city by ourselves. I was so stinkin' hot I decided to buy a dress that was much much cooler than my yoga pants and t-shirt. Andrew explored the markets and churches. It was a nice relaxing day.
On our first day we split up and explored the city by ourselves. I was so stinkin' hot I decided to buy a dress that was much much cooler than my yoga pants and t-shirt. Andrew explored the markets and churches. It was a nice relaxing day.
The next day we decided to take a tour with the Sonati group. Johnny, a German dude who just so happened to turn 20 that day, was our tour guide on a daylong kayak trip through the mangrove forest! Two other volunteers from the hostel joined in the fun for the day, Simon, another Sonati guide, and Emma the awesome receptionist, which made the trip extra fun.
We left around 7:00am on foot from the hostel and walked a block or so before catching a local... truck-thing… It was supposed to be a bus but apparently when they are short on busses they use pick-up trucks with canopies on the back and jam a TON of people in. So we jumped on while it was basically still moving and I nearly fell out when they gunned it, thinking we were all secure (though they do this ALL THE TIME). From there we switched to a real bus that was a little less crowded (but not by much) and had a bunch of people wandering through the aisle selling food and drinks. You can buy just about anything from your seat on any bus in Nicaragua, it seems. At bus stops sometimes people will board the bus from the front with a basket of baked goods or other treats and walk to the back trying to sell, advertising their goods quickly and loudly kind of like an auctioneer. Then when they get to the back they hang out until the next stop and get off. It is very interesting! We’ve seen them sell everything from baked things, ice-cream, corn-on-the-cob, little plastic bags of juice, razors, nail clippers, hammocks, DVD’s, SIM cards, and even pharmaceuticals.
We left around 7:00am on foot from the hostel and walked a block or so before catching a local... truck-thing… It was supposed to be a bus but apparently when they are short on busses they use pick-up trucks with canopies on the back and jam a TON of people in. So we jumped on while it was basically still moving and I nearly fell out when they gunned it, thinking we were all secure (though they do this ALL THE TIME). From there we switched to a real bus that was a little less crowded (but not by much) and had a bunch of people wandering through the aisle selling food and drinks. You can buy just about anything from your seat on any bus in Nicaragua, it seems. At bus stops sometimes people will board the bus from the front with a basket of baked goods or other treats and walk to the back trying to sell, advertising their goods quickly and loudly kind of like an auctioneer. Then when they get to the back they hang out until the next stop and get off. It is very interesting! We’ve seen them sell everything from baked things, ice-cream, corn-on-the-cob, little plastic bags of juice, razors, nail clippers, hammocks, DVD’s, SIM cards, and even pharmaceuticals.
Exploring the Mangroves Anyways, I digress, so we get to the kayak place around nine, get in our kayaks and off we go! It was so gorgeous! But after an hour or so we started thinking it might be fun to check out some of the little channels that branch off of the main river, something Johnny had never done before, and it turned out to be super awesome! We dragged ourselves through the narrow mangrove channels by pulling on the roots ahead of ourselves and came out into some neat ponds with birds, bugs, crabs and even a raccoon in one spot. At lunchtime we made it back to the main channel and stopped off at a beach spot to chillax, eat a bunch, and swim in the ocean. It was an awesome day! And to top it off, when we got back to the hostel, everyone that was staying there, and more (probably 20 people or more!) decided to throw Johnny a surprise birthday party! Emma and I made up a delicious chickpea salad thing, and Andrew did a couple of beer runs to contribute (20 cordobas, about $0.80 for a LITRE of beer!). The dinner was great, and the company was even greater! After dinner and a bunch of drinks I decided to call it a night but Andrew stayed out and played Flinky-Ball, a German drinking game that sounds a lot like dodgeball.
Posing in front of Telica The next morning we got up and packed our bags for a two-day trek up Telica, an active volcano in the area. People were a bit hung over so we got a later start than we had planned, but we picked up a few more hikers, which was great! We had Johnny and Simon again, our friend Devon who we had hiked La Conception with on Isla de Ometepe a few weeks earlier, and a girl named Anna who arrived at the hostel the night before and after some consideration we had convinced to come along.
It was a 15min walk to the bus station, then an hour-long bus ride to the starting trail. The hike was incredible! We started out at some boiling mud pots that smelled like sulfur then headed up a dried riverbed/ cattle trail and up over some farmland. It wasn’t until after lunch that we started the climb. I made a bad decision to eat two peanut butter sandwiches even though I don’t like peanut butter, because I was so hungry by the time we stopped for lunch. Unfortunately the steep hill with a nasty peanut butter filled stomach was not so pleasant. I managed to keep it all down but couldn’t stand the sight of peanut butter for the rest of the trip, and that’s almost the only thing we brought… (I traded for other things). Once we made it to the cone, the view was surreal! A massive smoking cone sprouting out of the hillside and a frozen lava river spilled over the top. We quickly set up our tents as we had less than an hour before sundown, and then headed up to check out the cone! It was loud, like a jet engine but muted. The cone was about 1km across and maybe that deep. We stood and crouched on the edge, literally where the ground cuts deep into the engine below. Yes we did acknowledge how dangerous it was there, but how could you resist! Deep in the center of the pit was a fiery glowing red hole with smoke spewing out. After staring at the lava hole for some time, mesmerized, we got up and walked to the other side of the cone to watch the sunset before heading back for dinner (a delicious homemade Dutch veggie mush dish made by Simon and Johnny) and topped it off with some roasted marshmallows at the campfire.
It was a 15min walk to the bus station, then an hour-long bus ride to the starting trail. The hike was incredible! We started out at some boiling mud pots that smelled like sulfur then headed up a dried riverbed/ cattle trail and up over some farmland. It wasn’t until after lunch that we started the climb. I made a bad decision to eat two peanut butter sandwiches even though I don’t like peanut butter, because I was so hungry by the time we stopped for lunch. Unfortunately the steep hill with a nasty peanut butter filled stomach was not so pleasant. I managed to keep it all down but couldn’t stand the sight of peanut butter for the rest of the trip, and that’s almost the only thing we brought… (I traded for other things). Once we made it to the cone, the view was surreal! A massive smoking cone sprouting out of the hillside and a frozen lava river spilled over the top. We quickly set up our tents as we had less than an hour before sundown, and then headed up to check out the cone! It was loud, like a jet engine but muted. The cone was about 1km across and maybe that deep. We stood and crouched on the edge, literally where the ground cuts deep into the engine below. Yes we did acknowledge how dangerous it was there, but how could you resist! Deep in the center of the pit was a fiery glowing red hole with smoke spewing out. After staring at the lava hole for some time, mesmerized, we got up and walked to the other side of the cone to watch the sunset before heading back for dinner (a delicious homemade Dutch veggie mush dish made by Simon and Johnny) and topped it off with some roasted marshmallows at the campfire.
Volcano yoga The next morning was equally awesome, we woke up early to see the sun rise (4:30) then hiked back up to the cone for another look before cruising around to a bat cave that Simon found one time when he was guiding another group up there. It was neat-o! And then we headed back down the volcano. The hike back was fun and quick, but everyone’s legs were happy for the break by the time we got on the bus to go home.
So while our cultural visit to Leon itself was a little short, we got to see some super neat things, meet some new friends, as well as an “old” friend, Devon.
After Leon we hoped back on the Chicken Bus and headed to Jinotega to stay on a finca/ nature retreat called La Biosfera, about two and a half hours north of Leon. We found La Biosfera on helpx.org while looking for another place to do some volunteering, and chose it partly because there is a bat cave there, and partly because it sounds very unique!
Hope everyone is well at home! I would like to congratulate my Dad and Carolyn on a successful hunting and fishing year! They finally got two moose and 27 Coho salmon! Of course it isn't all for them as there were others in the group to split with, but the freezer is full this winter which is awesome! We are also getting excited to spend two weeks with Donna and Jim (Mandrew's parents) who will be heading to Costa Rica on Nov 11th! Can't wait to see you!!
Love,
Chelsea
So while our cultural visit to Leon itself was a little short, we got to see some super neat things, meet some new friends, as well as an “old” friend, Devon.
After Leon we hoped back on the Chicken Bus and headed to Jinotega to stay on a finca/ nature retreat called La Biosfera, about two and a half hours north of Leon. We found La Biosfera on helpx.org while looking for another place to do some volunteering, and chose it partly because there is a bat cave there, and partly because it sounds very unique!
Hope everyone is well at home! I would like to congratulate my Dad and Carolyn on a successful hunting and fishing year! They finally got two moose and 27 Coho salmon! Of course it isn't all for them as there were others in the group to split with, but the freezer is full this winter which is awesome! We are also getting excited to spend two weeks with Donna and Jim (Mandrew's parents) who will be heading to Costa Rica on Nov 11th! Can't wait to see you!!
Love,
Chelsea
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