leon, bluefields.

OK the two cities have nothing in common, nor are close, but that's where I've been the past two days...since I couldn't post yesterday because I was exhausted, and I was traveling all day today, I will combine both places into one post.
Yesterday, since I had already seen Granada, I took a day trip to Leon, the other colonial gem of Nicaragua, which for years and years (maybe centuries?) was in conflict with Granada...there is a lot less tourism there, which I liked, and it seems much more "authentic", not contaminated by fancy "international cuisine"-type restaurants and stuff...it looks a little bit more run-down, but it has tons of churches and places to visit, like the biggest cathedral in Central America, and one of the oldest churches in Central America...it is also a Sandinista stronghold, so I visited this run-down building by the cathedral that is run by Sandinistas,...it looks like a squat from the outside, but inside are friendly men eager to tell you the whole story (from their own point of view, of course!)...they have photocopied pieces of newspapers and books hung on the walls in a big room, and they call it a museum...it was very very interesting though!
I also got the chance to sample a bunch of stuff from the local market, and on my way back to the bus terminal I got to ride one of those trucks which bed is made into benches and covered with a tarp, and people get packed in there...it was an experience! On my bus back to Managua I also finally got the true meaning of the word "chicken bus"...I thought it was because people are packed in there like chicken...but it't because people do bring chicken on the bus! The kid across the aisle from me had a chicken in a potato bag...and since it was very hot he made sure to buy a little package of water...the chicken would come out of the bag and drink water straight from the plastic bag!
Today I left Granada bright and early, apparently too early, because on my minibus to Managua, since we were packed like crazy and I was still half-asleep, I managed to lose my flashlight...bummer!!! Then I finally got on my bus to Rama, which was kinda fun, although definitely not a direct bus! I got to talk to all sorts of people, and besides two other guys, I was the only tourist on there! I got to eat all sorts of food that chunky women would come onboard to sell, and it was pretty good too! The last friend I made was this guy Juan, who lives in the middle of nowhere (La Esperanza, near Rama) and is dying to learn English...so I would translate sentences for him and help him repeat them...it was pretty cool...the guy helped me all the way to my boat, and then hung around with me till it took off!
The best part about that bus ride was talking to people about life in Nicaragua, about the Sandinistas, about their family members who made it to the US illegally and are now legal (some of them at least are)...it was very interesting...they do openly say "my brother went to the US as a wetback" (mi hermano se fue de mojado)...I found out they pay $6-7k from here all the way to their destinations in the US...the "coyotes" escort them all the way in a trip that can last up to over a month...it's incredible!!!
I love the people of Nicaragua though...I know it does sound cliche, but it's very pleasant here...my guide Naim said "Nicaragua, un pais con corazon!", which is supposed to be some tourist slogan...but it's very very true!
So the boat I caught in Rama brought me here to Bluefields, a town on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua that's the jumping point to a lot of places, among which the Corn Islands, where I am going tomorrow! It's supposed to be a true Caribbean paradise!
Bluefields is a typical port town with a Caribbean twist to it...so there are a lot of people of the West Indies, which means they're black and speak some creole of English, French and Spanish...most of them also speak Spanish like the rest of the people here, but their true identity is that patois they speak...which I am always trying to overhear, since it sounds interesting! We got off the boat and we were in the middle of all these covered alleys, it definitely looked like a labyrinth! I thought the town was all going to be like that, till we finally made it to a street, and now it does look "normal"! It's still kinda seedy though, since it's a port town, so I am staying in a room with the other two foreigners on the bus to Rama, which turned out to be an Aussie and a Swede. Tomorrow I need to wake up early to go get tickets for the boat ride into the Caribbean, which is supposed to take around 6 hours and is supposed to be the ultimate seasickness test...I hope I can stomach it!