First Day in Leon, Nicaragua
Early Departure
Our shuttle from Granada to Leon shows up at 5:40am…20 minutes early. Meanwhile our hosts are making us smoothies to go. It is supposed to be a three hour ride to Leon but we are there in 2 hours and 25 minutes.
Walking Tour of Leon
We drop our luggage off at the hotel which blessedly has a pool and air conditioning. It is a few blocks to the centre of town, less than a five minute walk. We are unable to check in until 2pm so we head to a bakery for breakfast and then a three hour walking tour of the city.
The guide is fabulous. Not only is he knowledgeable about his city but he is very honest and open regarding all questions asked.
Everywhere you go, there are signs or paintings celebrating Central and South American revolutionary figures such as Che Guevara, Simon Bolivar and Ortega. The Sandinistans, a left wing party, are currently in power. In the view of most people who have no allegiances to any side, the government operates as a dictatorship. The 
president’s wife is the vice president. The government has close ties with Russia, China, Cuba etc. The government controls the media, you do not see any newspapers or other form of news being made available in the streets. However others praise the government for improving access to education and healthcare, both of which are free
In the Market
We go to the market and our guide has us try numerous kinds of authentic Nica food. I see the hibiscus (Jamaica) fruit that is used for the drink I love.
We learn a lot about Ruben Dario, Nicaragua’s top international writer. He is a hero and the streets are being decorated because tomorrow is a day of celebration of him.
By the time the tour ends, it is 36 degrees. John and I walk explore the area around the cathedral.
The Gigantomas
There is a very tall figure of a Spanish woman and a figure of a short man in the main square in front of the Basilica Cathedral. These are large puppets called gigantomas. There are four main gigantomas of which the two in the square are the Spanish lady representing the Spanish conquerors and the short large headed man representing the short but intelligent indigenous peoples.
The temperature has risen to 37 degrees so we head back to the hotel. They let us into our room an hour early so we have a siesta.
On the Roof
At 4:30pm we head out to the Basilica Cathedral. We stand in line for tickets to the cathedral roof. It takes a while as payment and your change involves converting US dollars and Nicaraguan cordobas. You can pay in either currency or a combination of both. But if you pay in US dollars any change you get back is in cordobas.
There are only certain times that people can go up and down to the roof because the staircase is so narrow.
Once you get up to the top, you have to take your shoes off to walk on the white roof. It is almost like being on a lunar landscape. The views are fabulous. The city is surrounded 
by many volcanos (nine major ones), most of them active.
We stay up until sunset and then head to Coco Calala, a vegetarian restaurant with great reviews. My plate of nachos covered in cheese, beans, vegetables etc is so big that I barely make a dent in them. I have the leftovers put in a box to bring back to our hotel and they are so heavy. They were also really good.
