Day 9: Corinto, Nicaragua … Exploring Colonial León

Saturday, 14 January 2017
At Sea —Pacific Ocean
Temps: 81.7F (27.6C)  @ UTC 3:00a (ship’s time 9:30p)

To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.
~ Aldous Huxley ~

It’s 6:30p.  I am finally settled on the veranda.

It’s a bit warmer and more humid tonight, but perhaps there will be a breeze when the ship gains some speed after we drop off the pilot.  Considering the day’s high was 95F (35C), I’m not complaining about the 82F (28C) temp at this hour.

Sunrise colors the morning as Insignia makes its way to Nicaragua.

I skipped dinner … even though Chef Farid is grilling “fish al fresco” on the open deck at the Terrace Café.  We were told he went fishing today, which probably means he went to the fish market ;-).  The aroma wafting down from deck 9 aft is tempting my taste buds, but you’ll see why I decided to resist the temptation when you get to the end of this post.

This was our first time visiting Nicaragua … one of several highly volcanic countries on the Central American isthmus.  In fact, seven of the nine active volcanoes of the country were visible to us at one time or another today … and a few of the inactive ones, too.

We docked in Corinto, on the coast, but spent our day inland in Colonial León.  Our tour was private … just for the two of us.  We were off the ship as soon as Insignia was cleared at 10:00a.  I had to chuckle when I saw the sign Cesar, our guide from Julio Tours, was holding.  I’m the one who plans our trips, but this was the first time that we were greeted with a sign reading “Erin Erkun and Husband.”

Young Nicaraguans in colorful costumes greet us as we disembark Insignia.

“The Husband” … with Cesar, our guide.

We made one stop about halfway into the hour-long drive to León.  We thought that Cesar was pulling into a gas station to top off.  But no, he was taking us to a recently-harvested field at a peanut plantation for a better look at San Cristóbal, one of the nine active volcanos in the country.  “We call it Grandfather,” he said of the volcano that last erupted 40 years ago.  Then he pointed out Volcan Casita and told us the story of how the crater of this volcano filled with water in 1988 after days of rain.  When it gave way, the mudslide that resulted covered the area all the way to the ocean … and killed 5000 people in the process.

San Cristóbal and EL Casita serve as a backdrop for our photo op.

When we arrived in León, first we drove around for a quick look-see.  Then we went on a meandering walk of the city, which was founded in 1524 by the Spanish and served as Nicaragua’s capital until 1857.  Home to some of the country’s most prominent poets, it remains the country’s intellectual capital.

We started out with a wander through the mercado [market] ... temporarily crammed onto the city's main street while the building is undergoing restoration.  Then we visited the 18th century Iglesia El Calvario ... Cesar’s neighborhood church, as it turns out.  He had some pull with the priest and got him to let us in.  Then it was onto the cathedral — La Asunción de Maria … or the Basilica Catedral de León.  In the confusion of whether we could get in to see the inside (we did ... by donation, which Cesar paid) I completely forgot that this was the church where we could have gone up to the bell tower, taken off our shoes, and walked on the roof.  I’m not going to dwell on that missed opportunity, but I am bummed about it.

Market colors.

Iglesia de Calvario was Destroyed in 1975 — during the revolution; rebuilt 20 years later.

Beautiful ceiling detail … a highlight of the interior of El Calvario.

Thanks to the anti-seismic construction of its walls, La Asunción endured earthquakes, volcanic eruptions of Cerro Negro volcano, and bombings during Nicaragua’s civil wars.

Left: The main altar of La Asunción.

Right: The tomb of the poet Rubén Dario, one of Nicaragua’s favorite sons.

Elegant ceiling detail.

La Asunción overlooks the main plaza, where Cesar was going to give us a few minutes to wander around on our own.  Instead, we asked him to find a leather worker for us so Mui could get a few holes punched in his belt … it was either that or risk losing his pants ;-)

For about USD 30¢ Mui gets his belt punched.

As we walked around León, I was struck by the number of murals with a military or revolutionary bent.  One such mural was painted to honor five students who were killed during an anti-dictatorship protest in 1959.

   23 July — the date on which the students were killed — has been designated Students’ Day.

Lunch was our next stop — at a restaurant called Al Carbon.  A pleasant place with tables around a courtyard with a fountain in the center.  By this time the sun was brutal — the temp had probably reached the forecasted high of 95F (35C) — so the break was most welcome.  Several other groups also exploring León with Julio Tours showed up at about the same time ... it was funny, because we all knew each other.  The meal consisted of a dish Cesar described as fajitas ... but the meat here was in a creamy sauce, not sizzling like the fajitas in the US ... and it was served with rice and plantain fritters.  It was quite tasty.

Left: Toña is Nicaragua's national beer.

Right: A "Two to Travel" photo op in the courtyard of Al Carbon.

We made two more stops in the city after lunch — one at Iglesia de San Francisco, which dates back to 1643; and the other at the Centro de Arte de la Fundación Ortiz-Gurdián, billed as an art museum and gallery … no photography allowed.

With a Leonese colonial style, Iglesia de San Francisco is one of the city’s oldest churches.

The only photographs allowed at the Ortiz-Gurdián are of the courtyards.

One of the nice things about a private tour is the ability to alter the planned itinerary as we see fit.  We took advantage of that privilege to skip one of the neighborhoods in León.  It wasn't that we ran out of time.  Rather, we ran out of steam on what was a really hot day.  To make up for the change, Cesar drove us by one of the beaches in Corinto that is popular with the locals — black volcanic sand, of course.  Too bad we didn't have swimwear with us.

That water sure looks refreshing.

Now for the reason why I skipped dinner tonight.

It was 4:15p when we re-embarked Insignia.  We were feeling a bit peckish.  But we had just missed the lunch buffet; and we didn't want to order room service.  Instead, we went to the only food venue open at that hour — afternoon tea at Horizons.  We found a table overlooking the bow of the ship — with a view of some of the volcanoes we drove by earlier in the day.  It was great ... but we won't be making a habit of going on a regular basis ;-)  I did put in another mile or two of walking on deck 10 later, so I refuse to feel too guilty about the goodies that accompanied the tea we drank.

Afternoon tea in Horizons … lovely.

In closing … we asked Cesar about the canal the Chinese have proposed building in Nicaragua.  “It will never be built,” he said … with the explanation that the location on the isthmus runs through a highly popular tourist area that is the bread and butter of the local economy of the region.  I guess Panama doesn’t have to worry about competition anytime soon.

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