Travel Photograph Wednesday - Nicaragua

Viejo Leon, Nicaragua.

Travel Photograph Wednesday - Nicaragua

Center Square of Viejo Leon, Nicaragua.

Travel Photograph Wednesday - Nicaragua

Lake Nicaragua, Granada, Nicaragua.

  Did you know this lake has Bull Sharks, which are sharks that can live in both salt water and fresh water?

Travel Photograph Wednesday - Nicaragua

Viejo Leon, Nicaragua.

The Future of a Country

The night before the Ministry of Tourism of Nicaragua(INTUR) took us to a dinner at a hotel were we sat pool side. Just a few minuets after we had arrived the power went out and we had to wait for a couple hours to be able to eat. As we waited the guys of the group went about trowing each other into the pool with their clothing on, I just strip down to my boxers and jumped in so I wouldn't give them the joy. After we ate a youth group dance typical dances for us and then they played music so we all could dance together.

The next day INTUR took us to a few more museums were we saw more archaeological artifacts. The problem with these museums is that they are just a building with a few artifacts in them and that's all, in my opinion if they gathered all the artifacts that each museum has and make a few large national museum it would help to get more tourism and would be easier for to tourist to get more out of their visit. After the museums we were taken to a few elementary schools.

At the school the children dance typical dances for us and we had time to interact with them. I think it's great that there is a goal to teach the youth about their past and customs, maybe they can help this wonderful country be more know in the world.

Once we had finished talking to the children we were taken to a bakery were the make roscones, roscones are small round baked good made from corn some times filled with caramel or cheese. They have workers roll the dough by hand into circles and the place on a large plate to place into ovens that work by burning wood.

While we was at the bakery there was a child there, I'm guessing related to the owners or someone that works there. I was happy to see him there because it means he is learned how to make roscones and he will keep the costume going. I tried to get a good shot of him for a while until he stepped into open shade and the sun was bouncing of the cement in from of him giving me a nice fill as well as crating these wonderful long catch lights. I just had to get this shot.

Ancient drawings

The day after been in Leon we went to Juigalpa in Chontales to a the museum of Gregorio Aguilar Barea. This museum is divided into two parts, the first part consisted of the largest statuses in South America made by the natives thousands of years ago and the other part was an exhibition of deformed animals which had a fetus with just one eye place in the middle of it's forehead.

The next place we went to was El Parque de las Piedras Pintadas or the park of the painted rocks. At the park we walked up a hill going from archaeological site to archaeological site looking at ancient cravings on rocks. There was cravings every were you stepped. About every ten feet you walk you would see twenty by twenty foot wide rock with all kinds of carvings on them. Some of the carving were of animals to honer them.

Other of the carving were of people, some of shaman dancing and participating in rituals. This park still needs a lot of work, only a few sites have a roof over them to protect them from the elements and there are a lot of rocks with carvings to be found. The problem is that they don't have the money to build the roofs or to have archaeologist properly uncover the cravings. This is the second historical site they we had been to and could not be properly show because of lack of money. I feel if money could be gather to have these area fixed up for tourism Nicaragua would receive a lot of income as well as becoming very touristic and most important help conserve their history. It would be a disaster to hear that these carving made so long ago would not be there any more, proof of first human art on earth.

At one of the sites there was man made pool where we were told that the shaman told the tribe members that they had to take all the women's virginity and then she could shower in this pool and would get their virginity back for their husband.

At the top of the hill there was a great 360 view of the land around us which we were told that is full of these carvings.

During the walk there was all kinds of bugs, like ants, flies, misquotes, bees, etc. But the one that I have heard about and only seen on TV was the stick bug. So when we came upon one I just had to get a shot of it.

Living around Volcanos

The next day that we were in Nicaragua we went to Leon Viejo(Old Leon). Leon Viejo was founded in 1524 and was the country's first capital until 1610 when the people that live there moved to the new Leon. At Leon Viejo there are only ruins now, all you can see is the bases of the house that once stood there. But you can see clearly see the lay out of were the streets, houses, stores, churches, monasteries, and schools used to stand. We waked to the top of hill were the fort that was the defense of Leon Viejo. It was clear why they would build a fort there, from the top of this hill you are able to see all round you clearly. The view is so great you could see the lake of Managua as well as five volcanos that surround this area.

After learning about old Leon we went to the new Leon. There we ate honered by the mayor of the city and then had free time to relax, go site seeing, buy food or what we need, use the internet, or make international phone calls our live ones. Some thing that really caught my eye was that in between the buildings you could see the volcanos poking out, I had never seen a volcano even more them so close to a city.

Durning the free time I went to used the internet to get in touch with my family and did some site seeing. As I walked out of a church I seen this little boy riding a statue of this leon, reminded me of a Greek or Roman myth and I just had to get a shot of him.

Begin of Nicaragua

8/5/10

To cross the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua we had to walk on a cemented walk way that had fences on both sides and the top, for about 15 minutes. When we got to the end of this walk way we had to cross threw a hole in a fence. As we waited in the extreme heat for our papers to go threw immigration, the Ministry of Tourism of Nicaragua (INTUR) came our salvation to pick to us up. They had us get on school bus were they had food and cold drinks that we highly need.

From the border INTUR drove us to Granada were they took us to a museum and explained about the indigenous people that lived in the area. At the museum they also showed us these huge statues of human figures with the head of different animals on top of their heads. These statutes were found on the Island Zapatera that is located in the Lake of Nicaragua.

After they had explained about all the statues and the culture of the people that had crated them they gave us typical food and took us to a school were we was going to sleep.