Smoking hot in Leon ...

Couldn´t sleep last night, for several reasons, but one being that I actually had to WAKE UP at 3 a.m. to make it to the airport in time for a 6 a.m. flight to Houston, then connecting to Managua, which I barely made, due to so many people checking in for flights and security and what not. But I did make it as the last rows were boarding, and ended up sitting next to a guy named Ed from Ohio who was on his way with several of his other middle age friends to Costa Rica for a week. His connecting flight in Houston was to San Jose. Anyway, Ed from Ohio said he thinks I´m a little nutty for traveling to Nicaragua by myself. But, he´s from Ohio.
Had about a fifteen minute layover in Houston. On the plane I met a woman named Maria Cecilia, a Leonese headed to Leon as well. For not speaking Spanish in roughly three years, I think I did pretty well. We talked most of the flight, she´s an architect and was in Austin visiting a friend, mostly hanging out on Sixth Street (El Calle Seis) and shopping. She laughed at a few of my text book Spanish-isms but overall things went smoothly.
Flying into Nicaragua was nothing short of surreal. First we passed over what I think was the Honduran coast, very beautiful from the air - could see the coral reefs. Then we cruised over the Honduras-Nica border, and there was a beautiful range of mountains, with rivers and the occasional lonely freeway snaking among them.
THe whole time I could see the ominous figures of volcanos peeking up through the thick clouds. As we went further west, more volcanos appeared, and the clouds disappeared. These GIANT smoking cones rose from a flat patchwork quilt of a land. Huge lakes and deep blue hole craters dot the landscape.
Behind me, people with Texas accents talked about their mission trips and digging wells and what not.
Going through customs was a breeze. And I was greeted by Carlos, a guy who drives for the Spanish school I´m attending for the next week. Carlos, like Maria Cecilia, doesn´t speak a word of English. He was great to talk to though, patient, and friendly. A great introduction to the country. His driving was a little erratic, but so is everyone´s here. Pick-up trucks piled 20 deep with people in the back passing on corner, dodging horses and cattle. Motorcycles weaving in and out. Constant honking. Carlos is about my age, maybe older. He has an 8 year old daughter and worked in a sugar cane factory for eight years, before he took on the job of picking up tourists at the airport. He drives a five speed early 90s KIA, one I´ve never seen before. He is a big fan of Barack Obama and loves his job, because he gets to meet so many people from all over the world. He also is a poet, and recited some beautiful prose to me. I have a feeling everyone in this country is a poet, as Ruben Dario seems to be a bit of a national hero.
We buzzed through Managua, which I had heard horror stories about. But, maybe coming from the Detroit area I am a little bias, but honestly it´s not any worse than Detroit. At least there are bright colors and people moving about. Granted, I didn´t see a lot of it, but I didn´t see any abandonded buildings.
Anyway, I arrived at my school, prepared to say hi to the director and go on to get a hotel room. Instead, I was showed my room in an apartment behind a beauty salon, run by a woman named Jamila. She lives there with her daughter and granddaughter Isabella, and a parrot, but I didn´t catch his name.
The beauty parlor also is a garage, with a kitchen and three bedrooms. Mine is in the back, next to the laundry. It could be best described as spartan, I suppose. But it has a toilet and a shower, which has running water on occasion, but not right now. Dinner is at 7, then I hope to try some of this famous Flor de Cana rum I´ve been hearing about.
The weather here is hot, but it´s not unbearable and it´s a really nice change from the tundra. It´s sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and about 88 degrees. So far this is a cool town. It´s colonial, but hasn´t really been kept up as much as some colonial cities in Latin AMerica. STill, I find it beautiful. The people are nice and there´s a ton of amenities.
Big freak out of the day, no ATMs are accepting my card, although my bank ASSURED me they would. I have cash and a credit card, which seems to be working, but there are only so many places that accept credit card, and I´d rather not continue to pay with US dollars. Can´t do anything about it until Monday though.
There are a lot of gringo folks here. You can tell them because not only of their light skin, but they´re typically not as clean or dressed as nicely as the Nicaraguans.
Gotta fly for now. Or at least walk and try not to get hit by a bus.