Lazybones in Leon

Trip Start Nov 08, 2008
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of Nicaragua  ,
Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Leon is a beautiful, but hot!, colonial town with good Gringo nightlife and lots of museums to pass the days away in. I stayed at my favorite hostel yet, Lazybones, where I . . . wait for it . . . relaxed in hammocks, cooled off in the swimming pool, and made good friends with the good Nicaraguan beer, Tona. Leon is filled with colorful colonial architecture, cool cathedrals, and hectic market places. The hostel had a beautiful courtyard, super-nice staff, and a kitty that crawled in my lap when I came back to the hostel a little tipsy one night.

On Christmas Eve, some fellow travelers and I when to check out the party in the main square, where kids rode (and stood way too close to) hand-powered carnival rides, and roving drum corps reenacted the story of Cabezon and Gigantona (see videos by fellow Travelpod blogger, ats2bad, here http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/ats2bad/1/1230143940/24th.avi/tpod.html and here http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/ats2bad/1/1230143940/1_24th.avi/tpod.html). Apparently, the big-headed, little guy represents indiginous Nicaraguans. He is smart (indicated by his big head), and he dances circles around Gingantona, who represents Spain. She is big (powerful) and expensively dressed, but he is the smart one. At least that's what I was told! The central cathedral was all lit up inside, and mass was going on despite the loud music and explosions outside.

Christmas Day I got up early to take a boat tour of a mangrove swamp near the coast. Plus I figured the mosquitoes should enjoy a Christmas feast too, so I provided it! I also swam in the Pacific for the first time (Oregon is too cold) and only later was told by our guide about all the different sharks that live in the murky waters. I saw a newly hatched sea turtle, lots of birds, and some small crocs. When we got back to the main beach after the tour, it was crawling with people, drinking and having a good time. Apparently, Christmas Day in Nicaragua is like Spring Break in the U.S.  I love Nicaragua.

Oh yeah, I also visited the Fundacion Ortiz Gurdian, which was a really good museum, far too good to be open to the hot, humid air of Leon. A skilled artisan was working on some original woodwork, and he let me take his photo. It wasn't for the museum, but I'm sure someone will enjoy it. I also went to see the Ruben Dario Museum. It was ok, but I didn't know very much about him before visiting and other than seeing the bed where he died and learning that he traveled alot, I can't say I know that much more now.
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Comments

itsandy
itsandy on Feb 7, 2009 at 06:58PM

question?
Jenny, how come there are no photos for entries 13-20? Are they just not showing up for me?, cause I think dad said he could see photos on those entries but for me there's none!

womandork
womandork on Feb 24, 2009 at 10:58PM

maybe i'm too much of a woody allen
but after all that description of how beautiful and awesome it is there, all i can think about is mosquitos. is it like florida but awesome?

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