» Dia Dos
  December 2nd, 2006

Checking in here in Leon, Nicaragua. Still sweating. I relied on a new hostel friend to chose a restaurant for dinner last night and he took me to a hotel's 5-star restaurant. It was classy. It was in a courtyard with a beautiful fountain. The meal came in courses - the waiter was kind and very proper, making sure all glasses and dishes were set down at the table with the utmost of care without a sound. We were the only ones in the whole place. My meal was excellent. It cost only $15 total. The American I was with loved to be able to eat out like this on so little money. I didn't tell him, but I hated it. With the average Nicaraguan making US$2-5 a day, I felt a little out of place. I would rather eat with the locals where they normally eat. In the end though I figured I was helping the local economy.

Sleeping in Nicaragua is uncomfortable. Those that have been here for a while have told me that I will get used to the heat and stop sweating, but I do not see an end in sight. The American I had dinner with last night commented on how I stopped sweating before dinner, but it was only temporarily. After I had a glass of water, I started seeping it out of my pores again.

Today has been a relatively slow day. I woke up at 5am and started to explore the city a few blocks. Unfortunately, I had to stop because a large blister had formed on my big toe last night. I do not know how I got it, but I have been doctoring it all day. I do not think it will hinder my hiking.

Speaking of hiking, I had laid out my general itinerary. I had originally hoped to summit six volcanoes while here, but that doesn't look like it will work out. There is more time involved in getting to certain volcanoes. The largest one I will be hiking on is Mombotombo. I first spotted this volcano from about 50 miles away while taking a bus from Managua to Leon. My jaw dropped. The mountain looks a lot more intimidating than in any photo I have seen. It will be quite an accomplishment if I can summit it.

The other volcano I will be summiting is Cosiguina, which is in the far NW of the country. From the top, you can see three countries.

I will be doing these three treks through QuetzalTrekkers, which donates its earnings to a group helping keep children off of the streets in Leon. I am taking a tour of the location tomorrow. It means a lot to me that my money will be going to a good cause.

Well, I´m heading back to my hostel. I moved from a small family-owned hostel to Big Foot Hostel this morning. They have a more livelier atmosphere and more backpackers stay there. Plus, the owner Darren is a very cool guy.

I have started to take photos. Since I have heard from just about everybody that Leon is a safe city, I´ve been going out more with my camera. I don´t have photos to share with you, but I do have two videos:

• 1 - Leon Stroll 01 - this is a walk down a regular street here in Leon. It is common to see people walking around at all times of the day. At the end of this video, I walk into the hostel I was staying in last night.
• 2 - Leon Stroll 02 - here´s another from a different corner. One of the main cathedrals can be seen in the distance in the opening shot. It has a striking orange color. You´ll see Big Foot Hostel in this video as well. I´m in a cyber cafe a couple yards down the street.

If you have Google Earth, click here to see where my hostel is.

Thanks for reading!
~K