A Sardine

Monday, Feb. 4, 2013--Esteli to Leon

I was out of the hotel at 7:30 and at the bus station at 7:56.  Two minutes later, the bus to San Isidro left.  It was actually a bus to Managua, but to get to Leon from Esteli, it is necessary to change buses in San Isidro or to take one of the two Esteli-Leon buses that leave at 5:00 and 5:45.  That was just too early for me.  But changing buses only ate up about 15 minutes of time.  We arrived in San Isidro, and the next bus to Leon left 15 minutes later.

There was cool, fresh air as we were coming down from the mountains.  I had researched the temperatures in Leon and knew that they were coming to an end.  Not only did it get warmer, but the last 45 minutes or so of the trip in to Leon, we passengers were packed in like sardines.  I had a large cowboy sitting beside me in the window seat.  In the aisle, I had at least 3 people pressing against my shoulder, elbow, legs, and knees.  I'm glad the 3 hr. 15 min. trip wasn't completely like that.

It was about a 15 block walk from the bus station to the hotel I had decided to try first.  When I got to it, they quoted a rate that was $10 more per night than their internet website had shown.  I commented that they hadn't adjusted their website with the new rates and told them I had another place I wanted to see first. The man quickly adjusted his rate to that on the Internet if I would agree to stay 4 nights which I had already mentioned as my plans.  So I am at the El Portal de 1610 Hotel for $35 per night including air conditioning and breakfast.

The high temperatures here are around 95 F (35 C).  So by the time I got to the hotel, my shirt was damp where my backpack had rested and my socks were damp inside my shoes.  I spent the afternoon inside under the air conditioning.  That's what I will do most days while here--go out in the morning and in the late afternoon/evening while spending the hot time of the day in the room.

This afternoon, I left about 16:30 to explore.  I walked down one street to the center of town and eventually came back out a second.  It was nice to realize that the hotel is in a good location.  The Parque Central/Cathedral are only a few blocks away.  A supermarket is only one block away.  An area known for its ladies cooking inexpensive food on the sidewalks starts only across the street.  Yet my room is on an inside courtyard and is quiet.

I sat at Parque Central for some time.  It has just been rebuilt in a process that, like the rebuilding of Main Plaza in San Antonio, the park has been extended so that there is no street traffic on 3 sides.  The construction continues, but it is essentially finished except for installing the old street lights on the concrete pedestals that are still drying.  I read while there, but I also looked at the buildings around the square.

Leon is the second most important colonial city in Nicaragua (after Granada).  But it has its advantages.  It feels more like an older city.  I has a nice variety of types of older buildings.  It's more alive because of the major university that is here.  It has narrower streets which I think give it more atmosphere.  However, much fewer of its colonial buildings have been restored in comparison to Granada.

Heading back to the room, I ate dinner on the streets.  At a park nearby, I got a slice of cheese and ham pizza  hot out of the oven for 60 cents.  Then across the street, I got a chicken flauta (called a "taco" here) with a large serving of cabbage salad with sour cream for 50 cents.  Although I hadn't eaten all day, together they were filling, satisfying, and pleasant.