Tag: Managua

Managua to Leon! – 20220818

Today I checked out of the Airbnb in Managua and headed to Leon. The collectivo to Leon cost 78 córdobas($2) and I used Ray on my phone to grab a taxi which cost like 150($4) for the ride to the hostel from the station.

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Collectivo ride

I’m staying at Poco a poco hostel which cost 32 per night for the private room. I got here, walked around, ate something, and ran into a free walking tour that happened to be going on right then.

The tour was fantastic. Maybe the best one I’ve ever gone on. The guy talked about the history of Leon and Nicaragua. How there were some great poets created here in Leon but enormous struggles for Nicaragua.

https://goo.gl/maps/gyVKTvPCU8bGwQCP8

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Iglesia al Calvario

Iglesia la Merced

One of the most the things I found most interesting was the guide talked of how Nicaragua has always been in talks of creating a canal like the Panamá canal. Apparently China wants to build it. That would be a huge deal if they did. It would go straight through Ometepe.

Free Salsa night. But there weren’t even any chips

I then went to free salsa night at the hostel which was alright and went out with the hostel goers to a bar called geckos right nearby. It was loud music and we danced and drank some until around midnight when I called it a night.

Ride to Managua, the Big City – 20220812

Today I got up in Sebica and left around 11 am. It was a pretty nice and easy ride to Managua except that I didn’t have the helmet plastic or the sunglasses that could block the dust. So I teared up and blinked through dusty eyes the whole way.

I arrived around noon and are the best pollo asado I’ve ever had in my life and then headed to my airbnb.

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Best pollo asado of my life

I took a nap and then went to go eat and to the supermarket where I bought some fruits, yogurt, and wine. I need a few days of just rest and no driving and near death experiences.

Another Day at Finca Don Chico in Penas Blancas – 20220809

I decided to stay an extra night here in Penas Blancas because it was just too nice to pass up.

I got up and ate breakfast with the family I met the night before. My plan was to do a long hike and after much confusion I finally went on my own with some oral instructions from Don Chico. I hiked down the cow pasture to the edge of the woods where I found the path that would start climbing up.

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I was so sure I was going to get soaked the whole hike

It very well may have been my favorite hike I’ve ever been on. The greenery was unbelievable. There were some majorly sketchy parts of the hike. One where I basically had to shimmy next to a tree while holding onto branches to not fall hundreds of feet below.

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Incredible view of the houses below

Sketchy climb

Somehow for most of the hike it didn’t rain much. The entire rest of the day it would pour every 10 minutes. It’s really unreal how much it rains here.

The hike went up to a waterfall and then I followed the ridge along to try to get to the top of a mountain. I had some amazing views on the way of just sheer dropoffs.

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Gorgeous waterfall

My cozy little cabin

I couldn’t quite make it to what I assumed was the end but it was probably for the best as I kept getting lost. I tracked the hike on my phone though so kept walking back to intercept the drawn line on my map. I headed back down where I would rest a little bit at the cabin unable to think as the rain pummeled the roof every 10 minutes.

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Looking out at the coffee fields

Tomorrow I will start the journey towards Managua. I’m not sure where I will go yet tomorrow but I’ll stop somewhere on the way.