» Dia Un
  December 1st, 2006

I´m here! I walked out of the Managua airport into a sauna and I have been sweating nonstop ever since. I took a quick cold shower after checking into my hostel here in Leon, but started sweating again before I could dry off.

Despite the humidity, Nicaragua is amazing. The green farmlands are lush and the surrounding volcanoes are spectacular. I haven't taken a single picture since arriving because it just doesn't feel right. The poverty here is so sad. Unemployment is at 50% and it shows. Shanty towns in the capital, kids without shoes or shirts begging at stop lights, cars and busses swerve around horses with carts. Main streets are pot holed, side streets are dirt and mud. I could go on.

From what I have seen of Leon, the poverty seems about the same. Since there are very few street signs and my two guidebooks have terrible maps, I had to rely on my GPS (which I covertly looked at from the top of my open bag) to get my bearings. Even then, I still walked in circles for an hour until I found a landmark that aligned correctly with my map.

Oddly enough, the hostels in downtown Leon were filled by 11am. I found a place a block from the night hotspot and pay 100 Cordobas (US$6) for a room with three beds and two fans.

I'm going to go to bed early tonight. The sun is up as much as it is down, so I want to try to sleep while I can. I know when the sun rises at 6am, it will be too hot to sleep.

Tomorrow I am hiking Cerro Negro ("black mountain") with Big Foot Hostel, a great hostel that has gained popularity by word of mouth only (they aren't in any guidebooks yet and they just launched their website last month.)

Thanks for reading!
~K