Nicaragua by born2travel.it

excerpt from

17.01.2013 Leon (NICARAGUA)

At 5 in the morning our adventure towards Leon begins. We cover 250 km in 10 hours! That is Central America! First a bus towards Choluteca, a little town an hour from the border where there was not even any asphalt! Just stalls and confusion. Aboard a minivan, with a Dutch couple, Martin and Maria, we reach the border with Nicaragua for the usual pleasant walk between one immigration office and another. Salida stamp from Honduras, I change the lempiras into cordobas with one of the many money changers on the street, we cross the bridge dividing the two nations when a big billboard gives us the "Bienvenido in Nicaragua".

The rude Nicaraguan immigration officers make us pay 12 dollars each for entry without giving us any further explanation, and just in time to run to the stop of the little buses to Leon… if only… we can only continue to Chinandega, a little junction town inland; from there we finally manage to reach our longed-for destination.

We stay in a small oasis, "Casa Ivana", a stone's throw from the central square, and despite the tiredness, having left our backpacks and after a relaxing shower we plunge into the lanes of this little town "with a decadent colonial charm", as Lonely Planet describes it. Everywhere murals bear witness to the recent past of the revolution and the civil war.

In the evening, at the cinema, "Life of Pi", translated into Spanish as "Una aventura extraordinaria", takes us back in time to that India we love so much.

18.01.2013 Leon (NICARAGUA)

[Stefy]: "Museo de Leyendas y mitos. A young man acted as our guide, telling us the old Leonese legends right up to the descriptions of the bloody tortures and violations of human rights that were perpetrated until 13 June 1979, when commander Tellez opened a breach in Somoza's defences, freeing all the prisoners.

We move towards the "Basilica de la Asuncion" and right in front of it stands the "Museo de la Revolucion"; we decide to stop and visit it. Marcelo, a guerrilla fighter for the revolution of free Leon, acts as our guide. Marcelo explains to us in detail the whole history of Nicaragua, starting from General Sandino — his life, his deeds, his battles and the dream of making Leon free, the love for his homeland and his people — the rise to power of the Somoza dynasty, the revolutionaries united with a single purpose, the women fighters, the barbarities, the violence, the suffering, but with them the great hope of being free, of walking peacefully through the streets of one's own country, of expressing one's own thoughts. That is why Marcelo, at the age of 16, took up arms. It was moving to see that man speak of war, a war experienced firsthand with heart and soul.

Long live the revolution, long live free Leon."

19.01.2013 Leon (NICARAGUA)

[Stefy]: "What luck! Today the inauguration of the new central square is celebrated and there is also the swearing-in speech of the new mayor! The Basilica de la Asuncion, lit up and festive, is even more beautiful! They set up a stage on which many dancers performed Nicaraguan folk dances with masks and fireworks."

20.01.2013 Leon (NICARAGUA)

We decide to stay another day to enjoy this delightful little town even more! Wake-up with no alarm, relaxed breakfast with yoghurt and fruit in the garden, an aimless stroll through the characteristic streets of the city, a quick visit to the cathedral and its dome; a little lunch at the usual place "Asados de Pelibuey" and a long visit to the "Ortiz Gurdian" Museum, famous for holding the most important collection of paintings in Central America.

In the evening we plunge into the joyful and festive Leon and you can feel in the air this desire for revenge and light-heartedness!

21.01.2013 Granada (NICARAGUA)

[Stefy]: "After a fleeting change in the capital Managua we continue towards old Granada. Shortly afterwards we are already comfortably seated in the main square enjoying an excellent "vigoron" (mashed yuca, slightly spicy vegetables and fried pork rind)!

With a "raspados" (a sort of granita with spices or tropical fruit) in hand we walk through the alleys of this pretty colonial town. The churches follow one after another, all with very picturesque facades but rather bare inside. We visit the house where Sister Maria Romero Meneses lived, the first saint of Central America. We end the day in the central square where a makeshift music group plays old songs while the homeless and various tramps dance happily. What a feeling of peace and union; it really seemed that prejudices and differences did not exist."

22.01.2013 Moyogalpa (NICARAGUA)

A classic transfer day. Various buses, a few hours of transfer and here we are at the port of San Jorge, ready to board for Moyogalpa, on the island of Ometepe.

We have lunch with "pollo asado con arroz y frijoles" in the little restaurant "Tiburon", a stone's throw from Lake Nicaragua.

We cycle around a little through the streets of this quiet little town before retiring to our oasis of peace, "Soma hotel", in the most lush greenery, to plan our next moves.

We learn that "Rincon de la Vieja", a volcano in northern Costa Rica, is in full eruption, which is why we are forced to change all our plans… but that is the beauty of travelling on the road.

23.01.2013 Moyogalpa (NICARAGUA)

We rent a scooter and set off to discover this island that will host us over these days. We decide to start from the east shore, from Playa de Santo Domingo. On the way we stop enchanted, admiring the tranquil flow of island life; hundreds of cows and free, wild horses watch us a little puzzled; so many scenes from "Old MacDonald's Farm" with piglets, sitting hens, chicks… An hour and a half later we find ourselves in the little town of Altagracia… - "Wow, we have gone a bit too far"… we ask information from the usual smiling and helpful islander and 15 minutes later we park our scooter on the shores of the choppy lake; we are at Playa Santo Domingo.

Our eyes fill with wonder: "Ojo de Agua". A true natural pool in the heart of the jungle fed by sulphurous, volcanic water, with its seabeds of colours so particular that only Nature knows how to paint. So we spend several hours in complete relaxation, dozing under a palm or enjoying this wonderfully cool water.

We skirt the slopes of the imposing Conception Volcano until we reach the Charco Verde.

A route through the wildest nature along the shores of a mangrove lagoon and the majestic Lake Nicaragua. What a feeling to sit on the shore of the stormy lake; the trees bent by the wind that plunged their tops into those murky waters made us uneasy. We looked like two castaways.

Punta Jesus Maria. The meeting of two small bays. The Conception Volcano watches us sternly from above, the waters reddened by the sun seem to dance, a small tongue of black volcanic sand juts timidly towards the distant opposite shore… a solitary heron seems to admire the sun that slowly bids us farewell…

We, enraptured, take so many photos and videos that, almost by magic, both batteries advise us to enjoy that spectacle with heart and eyes, imprinting those images in our soul instead of on film…

In the evening we meet for the umpteenth time the two friendly Dutch people (Martin and Maria) and, amid tales of African safaris and adventures among