I am not unhappy that we are already saying “Bye Bye to Nicaragua”.
We only had a small insight into this country, but we are leaving it with a pretty positive feeling. But it leaves us also with a certain feeling of trepidation.
Again and again the question from Nicaraguans whether we had been treated well at the border and again and again this caution on certain topics. Topics that people prefer to talk about very quietly and not without first looking around to see if anyone else is listening.
We visit Leon and Granada, the two visitor magnets in this country.
It is made clear to us several times that cities and their inhabitants could not be more different. The cities are opposites in that Leon tends to be progressive and liberal and Granada conservative. Granada is about seeing and being seen, even if the remaining “colonialist” is rather impoverished. Leon is about freedom and its heroes. And yet, it is not only in Granada that young people are saying goodbye to their country, but also in Leon. In both cities you can feel that they love their country, the nature, the volcanoes, the lakes, but they don’t have much hope for the future with this government.
Bye bye wealth
And indeed, the “wealth” in both cities is quickly over when you get to the outskirts. The great poverty is unmistakable. The further we get out of the cities, the worse it gets.
Both Granada and Leon are beautiful colonial cities. So beautiful that we decide to stay 2 days longer in Leon and take a car to the ferry that will take us to El Salvador. We have already booked the trip for a certain date. So staying longer means no time for cycling to the border left. There is certainly more to see and do. We didn’t visit the beaches on the Pacific coast or any of the volcanoes, but I’m sure this country really has something to offer for a vacation trip.
Granada
Granada is a beautiful, colorful city that is great to stroll through. And, of course, you can take a photo or two. One request: please don’t take one of those horse-drawn carriages that take tourists around. The horses stand in the sun all day, defecate miserably in their bags tied to the back and just have a shitty life. We went on a guided bicycle tour and understood more about this country than any travel guide book could “tell” us. We were in a cemetery, full of history and full of heroes. Young heroes who had to die far too young because of a few idiots.
And we learned on the tour that someone has always been “fighting” against someone in Nicaragua since the Spanish and English invaded the country. A fight that continues to this day. For money, reputation and power, of course. Even if there is a bit of “peace” at the moment, there is still a lot of trouble in the families and in society. There are only extremes.
And if there are no old people left to fight, then there are still young people left as cannon fodder. The cemetery here in Granada is full of them. Man, grow up for once. Otherwise it’s pointless to invest so much time, money and love in these young people. Yes, I’m angry. Look at their young age.
The view from a church tower in Granada
We were on the roof of a church and enjoyed the view of the city and we were at Lake Nicaragua.
If I didn’t know it was a lake, I would have thought I was standing on the Pacific Ocean. The lake is huge. 8000 square kilometers. A freshwater lake. And there are sharks.
Although some shark attacks have been recorded in Lake Nicaragua, the risk to humans is minimal. More worrying, however, is the decline of the shark population in the lake. Habitat destruction and the decline in seasonal rainfall pose a significant threat to the survival of these unique creatures.
They have set up a giant shark garbage can. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of garbage everywhere. What a pity.
Bye bye canal
At least nothing seems to have come of the planned canal project. A kind of Panama Canal. Time and again, there have been plans to create a link between the Pacific and the Atlantic via Lake Nicaragua – the Nicaragua Canal. However, this would mean that the lake would gradually turn from a freshwater lake into a saltwater lake as a result of the connection to the two oceans. Critics of the canal project therefore fear an ecological catastrophe.
Bye bye Granada
And then we set off again. We want to get to Leon.
There are two options for our route. Either the one where we make fast progress but which is mentally exhausting (too much, too fast, too loud traffic), or the one which is physically exhausting but greener, quieter and really beautiful. We had chosen the latter for one stage. The stage was then only 20 km long and I was done.
The next day’s stage was another tough one. I got a singlespeed bike today. The gear cable broke. And there was also a flat tire. There are always remnants of the metal from the tattered truck tires in there. They just make it through. And there’s a lot of it on the hard shoulder. We’re happy about that, of course, because it feels a bit safer. Oh dear, it’s not easy with us.
One planned day in Leon turned into three days. There was just too much to see.
And this time we took part in a guided street art tour.
There were so many “hero” stories again and our guide said: “My grandma always says to me, we have enough heroes in the cemetery, you do something else”. And he will. Hopefully he will.
These guys are sitting in front of one of their “heroes”. Better, one of the heroes in Nicaragua’s history. When the “right-wing dictator” was replaced by the “left-wing dictator”. I would give anything to see what they see on their cell phone. Heroes?
A few more impressions from our street art tour in Leon, which was definitely more of a hero’s and enemy’s tour. But well, that’s what this city is all about.
Revolutionary Museum Leon
And I’m going to the city’s hero museum. Oh my goodness. I almost feel like I’m in the trenches myself. The Smell of tobacco, alcohol and damp walls. There is something frightening about the veterans on site who are there to tell you this story. In addition to gleaming white busts, colorful oversized portraits of the heroes on the outside walls and a pictorial depiction of the course of the revolution, good versus evil, there is this revolutionary museum. Well, a place in which they have hung everything they could find in the way of photos. Some of them were duplicated, some of them incoherent, but at least one picture did justice to the women’s quota of heroes.
Of course, Che Guevara is not to be missed. After all, the sight of one of his photos makes it clear to every tourist what this Museum is all about.
Man oh man
Veterans on the ground are happy to tell you the whole story again. Not their story, of course. And of course, this ideological doctrine should not be missing on the sports field. How stupid do those in power think the younger generation are?
I find all this heroism disconcerting. In the city center, where the tourists visit the city of Leon, there is hardly a view of the city without glancing at one of its supposed heroes. You can’t help but recognize one or two of them by name after a short time.
Enemies and heroes, friends and saboteurs are “spoken” of here, and who is what depends on who is currently in power. This is how rulers can “rule” without making policy. Who would dare to contradict this image of friends and foes?
Bye Bye Nicaragua
On the evening before our departure, it rains heavily and I hope that it doesn’t spoil our tour to the border, this time by car.
We set off the next morning and 3 hours later we are frisked, on the Nicaraguan side of the exit. No idea, what they thought they would find. We had to open every bag and more then once they were looking at my camera. And a senior official said several times that it was okay. Somehow I had the feeling that they wanted to find something. Finally, we board a small boat and again 2,5 hours later we enter El Salvador. No fingerprints or photos, just a group photo with some other travelers and we are in, in country no. 28, El Salvador. That was easy.
P.S.: By the way, “Bye Bye” was often shouted at us in Nicaragua when we passed by on our bikes. It seems to me that this is used as a kind of welcome. Someone must have taught them, this is the way for greeting foreigners :-). In fact, the people were extremely helpful and friendly towards us, but at the same time reserved. Simply perfect. So if you’re looking for a new destination with a medium level of tourist offerings and a little more originality, Nicaragua really is the place for you.
Here some more impressions of Leon, since of course there is much more to see than heroes. For example getting on the rooftop of the Cathedral of Leon or visiting the art Museum Ortiz Gurdian.
