As is custom while traveling on the "gringo trail" here in Central America I bumped into my old friends Steve, Kris, and Fred yet again. None of us had plans to meet up, and it was only by chance that I even decided to go to the infamous Bigfoot hostel in Leon. I spent a few days there and saw some really beautiful churches and museums. The tours of the museums were in Spanish and so my understanding was very limited. What I gathered were bits and pieces of the revolutionary war that I mentioned before in my Esteli blog.
The city of Leon used to be located 20 miles east of the current city, but was abandoned due to a series of earthquakes. It has also been a rival city of Granada for a long time, and both competed as the capital of Nicaragua until Managua became the capital in 1852. The Spanish influence is very prominent here and there are several ornate churches, including one that you can climb on-top of in the center of the city.
I stayed in two different hostels while in Leon. Bigfoot is notorious for volcano boarding, partying, and meeting people, though I've been told that if you go volcano boarding with Quetzal Trekkers, a non-profit organization, you can go down twice for the same price. The second hostel that I stayed at was Tortuga Booluda, this hostel is further from the center of town and so you need to walk a little more to get to things. However, the hostal has a really chilled vibe and is great for making a more personal connection with people or just to spend time alone.
Overall I think that this was my favorite city in Nica. The people are friendly, it's not over-crowded anywhere, and you can find anything you need within a relatively short walk.
The city of Leon used to be located 20 miles east of the current city, but was abandoned due to a series of earthquakes. It has also been a rival city of Granada for a long time, and both competed as the capital of Nicaragua until Managua became the capital in 1852. The Spanish influence is very prominent here and there are several ornate churches, including one that you can climb on-top of in the center of the city.
I stayed in two different hostels while in Leon. Bigfoot is notorious for volcano boarding, partying, and meeting people, though I've been told that if you go volcano boarding with Quetzal Trekkers, a non-profit organization, you can go down twice for the same price. The second hostel that I stayed at was Tortuga Booluda, this hostel is further from the center of town and so you need to walk a little more to get to things. However, the hostal has a really chilled vibe and is great for making a more personal connection with people or just to spend time alone.
Overall I think that this was my favorite city in Nica. The people are friendly, it's not over-crowded anywhere, and you can find anything you need within a relatively short walk.
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