leon

12/02/11

I love Leon! It is as hot as Hades here but it is so alive! Beautiful churches. Friendly people. Interesting museums. A great big clean market. After visiting the Museum of Legends and Myths in the old prison and then, the old home of Ruben Dario, Nicaragua's beloved poet, I load up on fruit and vegetables at the mercado and walk up the narrow sidewalks to my hotel, avoiding the sun as much as possible.

A young boy accosts me on the street, asking me to buy some of his tortillas. I had no plans to buy tortillas but he is so earnest that I can't resist . He wants to sell me 12 for 10 cordobas. What will I do with 12 tortillas? They are boring enough when they are hot. Cold, they are like chewing humid paper. I give him 5 C for 5 tortillas. As it is, that is too much. These are big tortillas. So I stop at a house and buy fresh cheese and make a little lunch in the park before I move on.

It is interesting to consider why people choose to live in extreme conditions. Montreal has such a cold winter and yet there we are. And here, it is hot all the time and people seem happy enough to be here. I guess the word choose is a bit grand. Most people don't get a choice.