Well, I am here in Leon, Nicaragua. I left SFO last night at 12:30 AM and took a flight to San Salvador. I had gotten myself a first-class ticket for not much more than the regular price when I bought the flight, so I traveled in style. We arrived in San Salvador in the morning, then I transferred to another flight to Managua, which was only 30 mins. I got to Managua, got my bearings, then took a taxi through town to a bus station. There, I hopped in a crowded van that drove us to Leon, a smaller city about an hour and a half north of Managua. Managua didn´t seem all too appealing to me, but Leon has been great so far. On a friend´s recommendation, I found a great inexpensive little hostel that´s family run not far from the center of town. I had lunch in Leon´s central market, which is full of all kinds of little stands selling delicious food like beans, rice, stews, soups, tortillas. I´m a little worn out from traveling, and it´s a little overwhelming here--a lot to take in. There´s all kinds of Nicaraguan versions of Christmas music playing out on the noisy street, and it´s hot here--a nice break from the frigid mornings in my unheated house in Oakland. My plan is to stay a couple nights here, then head to Lagartillo, the village where the language school I am going to is located. Should be an adventure. I also had to get my glasses fixed, since the frame broke about 15 minutes before I had to leave last night. That was easy though.
I realize it's been a while since I've posted, so I thought I'd fill in those of you who read this on some snippets from my life of late... Books: I just finished a fantastic book called Lost City Radio, by Daniel Alarcón, a Peruvian-born author who now resides in Oakland (and from his description of the neighborhood, probably not far from me). I'm not really in the game of writing literary reviews, but I would say the book is an excellent, though at times, difficult read. The story is set in a fictional South American country that bears many similarities with Peru: a dry coastal capital city, a mountain region and a jungle area. The book delves into the violence and disappearances that tore the country apart during a civil war. Of note, the author does an incredible job weaving recollections into the storyline. I highly recommend reading in; in fact, I bought the book, so if you're in the area, you're welcome to borrow it. Hikes: I've spent some t...
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