Cathedral in Leon

What One Can Do in a Week

We had to take Alanna back to Managua to catch her flight but we had not finished exploring yet. How much can you fit into 10 days including having a family Christmas?
When we visited Granada we had been told that Leon was a must see; as it was the opposite in pretty much everything. Granada has the conservative, Leon the liberal.
These two cities have been opposed to each other since the beginning, sharing the title of Country Capital until it was moved to the present day Managua.
The city of León is located about 100 km from Managua and can be easily reached by the new highway. The City of Leon was originally founded by the Spanish in 1524. This city however, was threatened by the erupting Momotombo volcano in 1610 and its citizens decided to leave, to the location where it is today.
León was already a well-established city when it was attacked by pirates in 1685. The cathedral, a school, a hospital, and several churches and colonial houses were burned to ashes. The pirates left a ruined city behind them.
The Sandinista-movement was started in the area; which emerged mostly from the students who studied at the University of León. It is one of the first universities in Central America. There are still many related museums and monuments to be found in the city.
We stayed at a beautiful hotel on the main highway. Unfortunately our view of Leon was not favourable. We found the city to be very dirty and run down compared to most places we have visited. It is still worth checking out. There are many activities to pursue involving the volcano area like snowboarding, hot springs and much more but we didn’t have the time as we had to carry on to Managua.
We returned to the same hotel in Managua New Year’s Eve. Alanna wanted to do a little shopping for art or something for her new apartment from Nicaragua. We read that Masaya had a very large Artisan Market so off we went by taxi.
Masaya and its historical neighborhood Monimbó were the center of the most important indigenous tribe, the Dirianes. During the colonization, the Spanish founded a small village on these fertile lands. This village became more and more important as time went by and in 1839 it received the status of City of Masaya. The differences between the two cultures resulted in a colored and friendly city, where there are still strong expressions of traditions.
One of the most interesting attractions in the city of Masaya itself is the old cultural market. This market houses a variety of little shops where artisans, furniture, shoes, hammocks, clothes, musical instruments, and many other types of products are sold. This is a perfect place to get some Nicaraguan souvenirs. The market is housed in the original Mercado building from the 1500’s.
I now have a couple more pieces for the boat as well.
We wanted to take Alanna to a restaurant we had found within walking distance for New Years Eve. NOTHING was open. We hailed a taxi and drove all around Managua. We finally found an open restaurant which proved to be beautiful and very expensive. I would imagine the clientele would be the politicians or the very influential.
The saying “New Years Came in With a Bang” must have been invented here in Nicaragua as at precisely midnight for one hour I thought we were in the middle of a civil war. The whole city was celebrating with a bang. Fireworks everywhere.
The following morning we took Alanna to the airport and bid her farewell and welcomed our next guests. Janet and Gerry, our sister and brother in law from Pitt Meadows (Vancouver) will be staying with us for 3 weeks traveling inland and cruising to Costa Rica.
Our first destination would be to take them to Masaya as we had been quite impressed. It would be a good way to introduce them into the Central American lifestyle without to much of a shock. That evening we decided to give the government a bit of our money in the form of gambling. We found a clean casino and played the typical American slot machines. The difference however was that the quarter slots cost more like a penny. We played for hours only spending about $20.00.
We returned to the boat but for only a night and to ditch the suitcases and to repack lighter to head up North into the mountainous region just south of Honduras. This area is much cooler than the Coastal lowlands.
We started the ride by catching the chicken bus. I think a record of how many on one bus could have been broken. We then took a collective van made for 17 with 21 to the town of Leon where we were to catch another express bus only to find out there wasn’t one, so we rented a taxi.
Matagalpa is the coffee capital of Nicaragua. It is 682m above sea level. It is surrounded by mountains and is a bustling prospering town. The Germans came here many years ago and its influences are still apparent. It is not uncommon to see Nicaraguans with blonde like hair.
Matagalpa makes a good destination to go explore the coffee fincas (farms) and cocao farms.
Most local plantation owners on Nicaragua run cooperatives that pay them for their yield. The village we visited had a population of 285 persons with 25 homes.
Coffee season runs from October to January sometimes until February. The other months the cooperatives plant corn, beans, and other sustainable crops.
The coffee is usually wet-milled at the farm and dried on patios down to 12-13% moisture content and deliver it to the mill wet. The further drying takes place at a central mill. These mills were in the city of Matagalpa and the surrounding area. Farmers on Nicaragua property have learnt that care and attention to detail will produce better coffee. Since 2000, the quality of coffee produced on Nicaragua property and farms is judged at the annual Cup of Excellence contest held in partnership with Asociacion Cafes Especiales de Nicaragua.
The coffees in Nicaragua have a sweet flavor and rich aroma and the contest helps to identify the best coffee produced in the country and make these available to top specialty roasters worldwide. The unique top quality coffee beans selected as the top ten winners are auctioned to the highest bidder at significant premiums. Buyers from the United States, Europe and Japan bid on the top coffees.

Inside of a Cocao Bean

Another cash crop that this particular cooperative yields is the cocoa plants. Chocolate is now demanding $3800/ton for the beans. I was quite surprise to see how cocoa grows.
To the Aztec people cocoa was a spiritual product that brought them wisdom and strength. To the people now living in the area it is a new crop that could help in a better lifestyle.
We visited a chocolate factory in Matagalpa called the El Castillo del Cocao. It makes the best chocolate in Nicaragua using organic cacao harvested just two hours away from the small factory. Roasted and processed in a traditional manner, they mix the fine cacao with sugar, a variety of nuts and dried fruits to make an excellent selection of Bonbons and Chocolate Bars. As an environmentally conscious business they aim for 100% organic ingredients and international certification of authenticity for all their products. This was a very interesting and informative tour.
The trip back to the boat started at 0515 in the morning. First was a taxi to the bus station, then a chicken bus to Leon (not crowded), a bicycle taxi, another chicken bus (complete with flat tire) then another taxi. We arrived at the boat at 1230. Not bad for the distance we travelled.
We are busy getting the boat and ourselves ready for the next phase. Moving on to Costa Rica. The Papagallo winds are still blowing, but tomorrow seems like the best time to leave. The next blog will be through sailmail as we hope to be anchored in a nice quiet bay.
Toto fortify them on military campaigns.