Hotel Austria Leon

... seen people go down on it in 20 seconds. He<br>also said that since I was small I might have to stand up and pull on<br>the rope when I ¨inevitably¨ would get out of control. And about a<br>billion other things that I should or shouldn´t do so I didn´t die. I<br>was pretty much terrified when he finished. I wish I could say I threw<br>all his advice to the wind and went down crazy fast, but I am trying to<br>run an honest business here. So, here it is: I crawled. Not literally,<br>but I ...

... gaol. Each cell was crammed with deteriorating stuffed figures &amp; associated bric a brac, each giiven a background &amp; explanation in Spanish - in the end had to say "basta" - I just could not asorb any more. The papier mache inhabitants' stories were interspersed with graphic descriptions of the lives &amp; treatment of the prisoners, including murals of the torture they recieved! Apparently the slope the fort is built on was once ...

... concerned by the group of gringos who would have clearly been otherwise out of place at the event. As part of the tour we were on, John was even able to have the chance to watch one match from inside the ring, beside the owner of the complex. In all, we saw about 6-8 fights, but we left before the evening was over. According to the owner, the event can last anywhere from three to nine hours, depending on the number of roosters on a given day. <br>

... is a relatively new volcano, having suddenly appeared in 1850 and consists of gravel basalt of a black colour which has resulted in its name, Cerro Negro - Black Hill. It has erupted a few times, the last being in 1999. Apparently about two weeks before we arrived in Leon there was an earthquake measuring about 4.1 on the Richter Scale. You only need an earthquake measuring 4.6 to set off an eruption so Cerro Negro almost had activity again! <br><br>Compared to other ...

Arrived back from the beach and checked into the hostel, researched getting to El Salvador then did a spot of sight-seeing. As per usual, this involved climbing up onto the roof of a church and taking photos of the colonial rooftops and surrounding volcanoes, but then that sure beats sitting in an office or whatever else it is that I would be doing if I wasn't in ...

... a more true description. If someone wants to prove me wrong please see me.<br>The main event in Leon is volcano boarding. It was featured in the New York Times a few years back and the hostel, which organizes the trips, displays the article proudly. A classic touristy thing to do: sledding down the side of an active volcano. After a longer than expected climb (10 minutes in Latino time= 1 hour real time) and getting some great shots of the ...

... in Central or South America unless you 100% have too!<br>We arrive in Leon and two Frenchies off the bus share a cab with us to find a hostel, 5 people, 5 backpacks and no room. Four squish in the back, i pile bags on the front seat and sit on the window sill holding onto the roof as we drive about 10 minutes into town and to about 4 different hostels to find one with room for 5 people.<br>We finally find a hostel and im pretty knackered and go straight to bed. I woke up later in the night ...

... a museum than a room of pictures and newspaper clippings. But, like in Perquin, it was awesome talking to the ex-guerrilla, who similarly claimed that the Sandinistas were a divided group ideologically (something I was certainly aware of) and he fought to end the Somoza dictatorship. Pretty awesome. <br><br>I´d might as well through in my time in Managua too. Like I´d said in a previous entry, I spent a good 7 or 8 days in San Salvador and loved it, despite everybody saying it ...

... br><br><br><br>Therefore we think it would be better to continue our explorations in that part of the country with a four-wheel drive. So again we drive to Managua and pass by the AVIS-office at the airport to change the Toyota Yaris against a Suzuki Vitara 4WD. After that we drive to the city of Chinandega, about 134 km northwest of Managua.<br><br><br>We find a very nice and clean hotel, Hotel San Jos ...

After the island, I went down to Leon. It's one of Nicaragua's bigger cities and known for it's heat and history. Like Esteli, it was a stronghold of the FLSN during the revolution. Leon is also tied to Granada as both cities vied to be the capital before the honor was given to Managua. Like Granada, Leon is a colonial city, but it is much less gringofied and shiny, and businesses tied to be Nica-owned. The two cities continue a quiet rivalry, much like that between Jackson and ...