Saved from Another Mugging

Maybe I don't know how to sit still or maybe I just get bored easily. Whatever the reason, I am constantly on the go. Every night, I live the night owl lifestyle and recruit new birds to keep me company. Leon has plenty of action and all the ex-pats and locals congregate around a different hotspot each night. Live music can be heard 4 or more times a week. I usually go to Olla Quemada on Wed, and Via Via on Fri and Sun to hear it. Last night I went to a musical concert of female musicians from Nicaragua, Guatemala, Holland and the States.

The city is small enough to walk everywhere and because people hang out on the streets all night long, I have never felt unsafe getting home by myself. Of course, Pepper, my pepper spray, always keeps me company. I prefer to walk home than take a taxi because I think it is safer than being stuck in a moving vehicle although, in Guatemala, I always took a taxi. Leon is considered one of the safest cities in Latin America although muggings are on the rise.

My friend Rufus, walked me home late last night. I should have known better than to be escorted by a Brit who has been mugged 4x already this year. I probably would have had better luck walking home alone. Sure enough, while walking on a street that I normally don't walk down because it is a little isolated even though it is right next to my house, 2 guys on one bike stopped by us. My 6th sense mugger alert went into overdrive. One got off the bike and started to pull out what looked like a glass bottle or something from his back pocket. I immediately just started running in the opposite direction. Rufus followed suit and I noticed one of them started to follow and so I screamed as loud as I could. The two guys watched us from a far and then got back on their bike and took off. I'm perfecting the art of getting out of muggings although, it's not an artform I'm excited to continue to improve. I do have a couple stalkers that follow me around town and one even wants to buy me perfume for Christmas. I have not adopted these two who appear to be drunks and drug addicts, and if I tell them enough times to leave, they eventually will. No worries, though, Leon is still one of the safest cities I have visited on my trip.

Dia de Gracias and Homecoming Queen

Thanksgiving remains my favorite holiday because of its purist nature. It is the only holiday that has not been totally commercialized and keeps its original intentions intact of reminding ourselves of what we are most thankful for in life. Normally, my family puts together quite a feast with my Uncle Alan leading the troops while adding that traditional Japanese flair of sushi and crab to the dinner. Sadly, I missed it, and instead joined a few Peace Corps folks and we make-shift created our own dinner.

For the dinner, I agreed to make the stuffing and the salad. Uncle Alan always creates stuffing from scratch and as a good soldier, I just do as I am told to help prepare it. I had never created the stuffing on my own and especially with such limited supplies here. The night before, I dried out the bread overnight in the oven, the only place I knew where the cockroaches, bugs and ducks would not get to it. I chopped up and sauteed the onions, mushrooms and beef minus the shrimp and pork I normally would add and then threw in some chopped up celery minus the water chestnuts and mixed it all together before adding the chopped up stale bread and chicken stock. In the end, and after adding a ton of salt and pepper, the stuffing turned out alright.

The others made a damn fine pumpkin/squash pie, green bean casserole, home-made wine (incredible!), mashed potatoes and we bought pre-cooked chickens. I could not have been more impressed with our dinner and was so thankful to be spending the evening with new friends. After dinner, I met up with my party friends and checked out Leon's biggest party of the year, Chica CUUN.


Leon is a university student town and CUUN is one of the major universities. Each year, each of the departments like Medicine, English, History etc, nominates a female student to represent them. I'm sure that the criteria includes good grades and personality. Then, each of these 8 women parade around town on their own flat bed semi-truck wearing a bikini in a themed manner. Wed night, I saw a mermaid, cow girl, and egyptian. The entire student body follows these semi trucks all around town while drinking and dancing in the streets. Judges then picked the winner last night and the queen reigns over the school for the next year. Every young person within a 300 mile radius came out to join in the festivities. I don't know if I have ever waited 90 minutes in line to get into a club, but I patiently did last night. Eventually at 11:15pm, we entered into a large field filled with thousands and thousands of people dancing to the live bands. I got my groove on and danced away until the fights broke out amongst the drunks. I chose to leave at that time while my friends partied on til the wee hours. Leon is similar in nature to Xela, Guatemala, but definitely has a livelier night life.

Simple Networking

How I establish myself in each country is often a mystery to many. I simply network. Within a week of being in Leon, I had found a Spanish teacher, a volunteer job, a family homestay, a gym, and am making new friends. Jordan, a peace corp volunteer who has been in Leon for the last 5 months didn't understand my method until I took her out for a drink and then promptly introduced her to several people who could help her with her project. I also gave her the phone number of a person in Managua doing similar work as well as the phone number for my Spanish teacher. I introduced her to the friends I had made and overnight expanded her network. I like to connect people just as much as I like to meet new people. As a side job, I should work as a professional wing woman since my friends here tell me that I am really good at connecting strangers in bars.



Through a former Peace Corp volunteer with whom I connected through the owner of my hostel, I have a homestay at $5/day including breakfast and dinner. I'm living with 2 parents, a daughter my age, and 3 grand kids along with 2 ducks and 2 chickens we plan to eat next weekend for the parent's birthdays. They bought the ducks 4 months ago and have been fattening them up for this party. The ducks hang out in the small open courtyard located in the middle of the house. Our breakfast and dinner conversations disturb me since when we sit around the kitchen table, we stare at the animals and discuss how tasty they will be once cooked. I try not to befriend the animals and thankfully, the family has not given them names. I stay in a simple room and share their one bathroom with the rest of the family. The family and I connected on the first day when all generations and I started dancing to the blaring music from their living room stereo. I decided on the homestay instead of staying in a hostel or getting my own apartment for the month because I want to work on my Spanish.

Through an American I met in Managua who is staying in Leon, I found a private Spanish tutor, Iliana at $4/hour. She is wonderful to work with and the other day we even went on a tour of the local hospital. She knew of my interest in the health sector and so we went down to the hospital and requested a tour of the facility. The director personally gave us a tour of the 6 floor hospital, which surprised me by the size and shocked me by the disorganization and feeling of being in a building falling apart. They obviously can not afford the medical devices I use to market, and they only have 1 surgery room. Sick kids filled many of the rooms and I left a little depressed and less hygienic.

Within a couple days, I met with just about every NGO in Leon. Although interesting, I decided against volunteering with street kids since I wanted to try something new. Instead, I somehow talked my way into helping at Fundacion Leon 2000, a microcredit organization, that is also linked to KIVA, kiva.org the SF based lending organization connecting ordinary people to small business owners around the world. My Spanish has much to learn and so I'm not sure how useful I can be since I have a difficult time following conversations. However, I did help with a business plan by providing some input and I sat through a business proposal for financing. I think I shadow more than I help right now, and I am learning about the challenges of working and starting a new business in a developing country.

Tomorrow, I will help review business plans as part of a business plan competition for people who have recently completed a 6 month business plan training course. Additionally, I will listen to another business seeking funding. The business ideas are all the same though; they are either another restaurant serving typical food, a photo copy place, an internet shop, or a shop selling pens and notebooks. Every street has one of each of these types of stores and I still am not sure how each business survives with so much competition. In the business plans, the potential owners explain that they are different from their competition because they expect to obtain business from those located within a couple blocks of their business. I can't imagine that people are so lazy that they would not walk 2 blocks to a better shop, but what do I know.

I've also agreed to help with a Peace Corp run English camp for kids to learn English that starts shortly. And tomorrow, I'm meeting with the Director of the Internal Medicine group at the hospital to see if I can learn more about their hospital operations. I had hoped to work with ProMujer another microcredit organization, focusing predominately on women. However, with only a month in Leon, my time is a little constrained for them.

As for making friends, I have met quite a few ex-pats who have decided to make Leon their home for the last few years. One of them introduced me to her gym and although, I haven't belonged to a gym since college, I plan to try it here for only $15/month. Jordan invited me over for Thanksgiving and I've been checking out the night life with fellow tourists. I'm trying to keep my expenses to below $20/day to make up for the money spent in the US in order to stay on budget. All in all, my new life in Nicaragua has begun.

One with Nature

Quick addendum to the election coverage. While driving back to Leon yesterday, I drove past a couple of FLSN blockades. I found out today that the Sandinistas put those up because they didn't want any of the Liberals to enter into Leon for the 2pm protest. Even I was a little afraid of the blockades and put on my sunglasses to avoid being known as a tourist. During the protest, the police had to use tear gas to calm the crowds since the Sandinistas and Liberals started to clash. I missed the riots I had been looking for, but I'm sure there will be more. Considering how the country is reacting to the local mayoral elections, I can just picture how fun the presidential election might be.


Besides the people, I have also interacted with nature. For fun, I climbed a young active volcano, Cerro Negro near Leon, and volcano boarded down. The hike up took an hour and the ride down, a few minutes. Surprisingly, the volcanic rocks were small and didn't hurt much when I fell. I only face-planted once at the very end. Volcano boarding is similar to snow boarding although, I had to keep my weight on my back foot otherwise I would fall forward. To slow down, I had to drop my back hand in the volcanic rock and manually slow down. Thankfully, I had gloves to help with the volcanic rock drag. As much as I enjoyed the new experience, I probably won't do it again; checked off of my life experience list.

In Managua, I zip-lined across a lake inside a volcano in the middle of the city center. I zip-lined down the first leg by myself and got stuck 3/4 of the way. My guide had to zip line down and rescue me as I hung over the lake helpless. On the next leg, my guide turned me upside down and we zip lined together. I only wish I had a photo of this crazy stunt and I don't plan to do that again either.

Near Leon, I visited the Isla Juan Venado Wildlife Reserve of mangroves and tropical dry forest. While there, I had the opportunity to watch newly hatched turtles scamper back to the ocean. The turtles are protected in this area from potential thieves, mainly predators. The conservationists watch over the eggs until they hatch and then free the turtles into the ocean as seen in the photo below.




More nature... Mainly because I'm behind on my blog, I thought I would fill this entry with more pics than content. Over the weekend, I went up to Esteli and then into the Miraflor natural reserve where people live without showers and electricity. I stayed with a local family who allowed me to be a part of their lives for a couple of days. Of course, I didn't shower as they do with bucket water out in the front yard in the freezing cold, but I did capture a glimpse into their farm and cowboy lifestyle. They go to bed by 8pm and wake up by 4am to milk the cows and start their day. Children receive free schooling up until age 12 and then when they enter secondary school, they have to pay about $5 a month to attend. The secondary school only meets once a week on Saturdays so that the kids have time during the week to help earn money for their schooling and to help with the family chores. I'm not sure how much the kids learn in one day a week schooling, but if the family is wealthy, the children can receive schooling every day at a private school. Life is slow-paced here for the tourist like me, but the work for daily survival for the local is tough. Community tourism is helping increase their income as well as educate tourists on their culture. I left educated and covered with a million mosquito bites; hopefully not with Dengue Fever too.

Interactive Experience

Interacting with the city and the people is not on short supply. Although, as a result, I'm beginning to feel like a delicate piece of china; men constantly call out to me and yell "preciosa" and "chinita". They also say "adios" and I couldn't understand why they always said goodbye until a guy told me that they might actually be saying "a dios" meaning "to God" as a complement. Each complement is then followed by an incessant stare and I worry that they might crash their car or bike since their eyes follow me down the road as I walk in the opposite direction. I find this interaction all harmless and just part of the machismo attitude in the country. Overall, the people are quite charming and friendly. If I stop and ask for directions, the machismo attitude subsides and I become a real person in their eyes. Either that, or they are shocked that a Chinese looking woman can speak Spanish to them.

Surprisingly, while in Esteli, a few 14 and 15 yr old boys flattered me with a handmade beautiful beaded wooden bracelet. I ventured into a Sandinista bar thinking I might find some old cowboys discussing politics in a corner and instead found kids there and the walls covered with weaponry and old posters urging kids to join the political party. The kids and I took a photo together and soon after they shyly approached me and gave me the bracelet. I thought they wanted me to buy it and in fact they insisted that I take it as a gift from them while not wanting anything in return. They charmed me greatly with their generosity and I plan to send them the photos via email.




Nicas really love their photo taken as I found out today. I wandered into the city center of Leon in search of riots again and instead only found celebrating Nicas. The Sandinista or FSLN members all gathered together to celebrate their win although, earlier in the day, the Liberals staged an organized protest of the elections throughout the country at exactly 2pm. Unfortunately, I was stuck on a bus trying to get back to Leon and missed the protest. From Esteli, I had to wait until a minivan or microbus filled up completely before it would take me back to Leon. I therefore, waited 3 hours for it to finally leave. I didn't mind so much because I spent much of that time talking with a local woman who ended up waiting 4.5 hours for the bus to leave. We enjoyed each other's company and I enjoyed practicing my Spanish. I still find Colombians the friendliest, but Nicas are right up there as well.

When I finally arrived in Leon, everyone in the street wanted their picture taken including the riot police men. I definitely hold no shame in taking photos and so Nicaragua and I are meshing well on the photography front.

Fraudulent Democracy

After watching the Democratic process in the US, I found myself quite impressed with not only the process, but also the results and so was the rest of the world. Suddenly, I feel safer traveling as an American now that Obama is president. Obama's platform of change not only transcends policies, but also physical appearances from the typical white president America has always known; a change that the rest of the world can visibly see. Nicaraguans congratulate me on the election, as does every single traveler I meet. America, overnight, is no longer seen as the bully, but as a country that can implement peace in the world again. Whether Obama lives up to the world expectations or not, I am enjoying the sudden respect America has again in the world's eyes.

Nicaraguans enjoy democracy in their country as well, but it is of the fraudulent kind with the saran wrap cover of democracy labeled on the outside. The right people in power can easily change the content while keeping the same label since Nicaragua relies on the heavy past of corruption in their government to carry it forward in the same manner. Only 2 groups dominate the electoral scene because President Ortega, with the Sandinista party, made a deal with the PLC, the liberal which really means conservative, party that those parties would be the only ones to dominate Congress and even hold positions in the Supreme Court. And in 2006, Ortega managed to win the election with only 38% popular vote since conveniently, a law passed to lower the limit of % needed to win the presidency to 35%. Much of the Sandinista history can be reviewed at the Museum of Revolution that contains worn down photocopies of people and old rocket launchers and grenades. America's constant intervention is also mentioned and their dislike of Reagan because of his support for the Contras known for their brutal killings in Nicaragua, but also mislabeled and misguided as the "Freedom Fighters" in the US. The tour guide is a devout Sandinista and the men who hang out in front of the building appear to be drug addicts with the sign that reads that Bush is an enemy of humanity.

Over the weekend, the entire country held elections for the position of city mayor. Despite the supposedly democratic process in the election, the Liberals are crying fraud. The Sandinistas won major elections in Managua, the capital, and in Leon even though the majority favor the Liberals. I have heard both sides and I am quite fascinated with the passion each side has for their party. Everyone has an opinion and protests continue to occur. I had hoped to run into riots in the streets after the election, but all the police in riot gear probably prevented much of that from happening. The Liberals are claiming that the Sandinistas prevented Liberal watchers from overseeing the vote counting in some areas as well as shutting down polling places early to prevent the Liberals from voting. From Saturday to Monday at 6pm, no alcohol was served and the elections were Sunday with the party Monday night. This is to keep the rowdies from getting out of control.


Monday night, I joined the Sandinistas in celebrating their newly elected mayor. He happily hugged small children shook hands with the men while smiling at the women. The Sandinistas danced proudly in the streets while the Liberals complained loudly and then later marched through the streets ripping up the Sandinista flag. A group of Sandinista guys I met explained that they are proud of their democratic process because the people voted. Well, the government is in the process of deciding if indeed all votes of the people are accounted for, but given Ortega's position in power, I'm sure the Sandinistas will keep their positions. And history repeats itself.

Lonely Planet Writer Dream Crushed

Nicaragua has been on my short-list of countries to see for some time. I have only heard wonderful things about the people and the country and so I finally made my way down. However, my frequent flyer miles could only get me another overnight flight and so when I arrived in Managua, my stomach screamed for food. Instead of taking a shower after arriving at the hotel, I went out to lunch. I soon discovered that my lunch partner, Lucas an Australian, wrote the Guatemala guide for Lonely Planet and founded XelaWho my favorite publication in Xela. Now, he is in the process of writing the Nicaragua guide. I just happen to be one of Lonely Planet's biggest fans, however, for Nicaragua, I am having an affair with the Moon Guide book. Lonely Planet just didn't cut it, which is probably why Lucas is writing the new edition.

For some time, I thought I would enjoy being a travel writer for the Lonely Planet. I love to travel, eat, sleep and party, but after spending the day with one, I have now crossed that off my list. After eating lunch at a nearby seafood restaurant, we compared write-ups on the place. I lacked any adjectives to fairly describe the place and gave up since writing about restaurants in a sentence is really not that fun. We then toured the city together. Interestingly, I didn't realize how differently he sees sites than I because of his job. Often I felt as though we were just trying to check off the boxes and write down the opening and closing times of each place instead of getting a feel for the place and taking in the moment. Or maybe he takes in moments faster than me. After awhile, my filth overwhelmed me, and I left him to take a shower.

We met up later that evening to conquer the nightlife scene. He wanted to just go into each bar and club for a few minutes and leave. I wouldn't let him do it and insisted that we stay and dance at each place and mingle. We still hit quite a few places since many clubs don't close until 9am.

One club looked like a human bumper car scene since fire regulations probably don't apply. Hundreds, packed like sardines, swayed to the wave of music while tired fish sat atop the bar and blocked the thirsty ones from getting any of the all you can drink liquor. Thursdays are Ladies Night at El Chamman where women can drink for free all night long and men sort of subsidize the ladies by paying an $8.50 cover, but then they can drink for free. I thought it was a good deal. Another club appeared to be a teeny bopper hub and another the bump and grind crowd and all had the all you can drink theme for $2.50 for women and $7.50 for men.

Later, I convinced Lucas to play pool with me and he promptly kicked my butt. I thought he might write about the pool hall, but he has a more discriminating eye than I as to what should be in the book and pool halls are not one of them. I honestly don't remember how many clubs and bars we checked out, but I definitely had my fill and my dream crushed.

Managua nightlife is definitely varied and bars and clubs are not the only things to see. We discovered many interesting theatres and music halls as well. The next day, I even went to the circus with Bryce, an American who met his American wife in Iraq while working there and then they left their jobs to live by the beach in Nicaragua. So cool. Back to the circus... it appeared to be a Las Vegas show complete with an 80's aerobics performance, tiger in a cage magic trick, lots of leggy women dancing on stage and lively acrobatics of men dressed in flourescent chicken costumes. Still entertaining.

We timed our evening just perfectly so that we could also see the new Bond movie; we walked in just as the MGM lion roared. The Alhambra VIP theater is fanciest move theater I have ever visited. Inside are over-larged reclining seats onto which I could curl up into a little ball while watching the movie or be almost vertical. By pressing a button located next to the chair, a waiter appears to take the food and drink order. If I wanted, I could order a bottle of wine and a steak sandwich and the waiter would deliver it to my chair. The ticketer allowed me to pick my seats when I bought them and each theater only holds about 26 chairs. Oh, and Bond looked good in the movie!

I'm already behind on Nicaragua with the day activities I will write about later. Oh, and wanted to mention that I just booked an awesome job in Bolivia starting Dec. 30th. I'm trying to figure out logistics now and will write more later. Very excited though!