Nicaragua has become a favorite place to travel and visit. It is a beautiful country, vibrant in color and happiness, and I’ve come to know a bunch of great people there. It also doesn’t hurt that the cost side of things is relatively low, and the weather is almost always beautiful (though sometimes a little too hot). Having spent almost 1.5 years in Nicaragua, once I consider all the different trips added together, I’ve been to most of the typical tourist destinations, so when I knew I needed to plan another visit to keep up with my friends down there, I brainstormed what kind of quick activity or place I could add to my experience list. I ended up deciding to go over Easter, to spend the first two days of my trip in Leon, where (on Good Friday), street artists craft colorful carpets depicting aspects of the story of Easter using dyed sawdust and other materials. It also didn’t hurt that Leon has some of my favorite multicultural restaurants in the country – Imbir (Polish/Sri Lankan), El Bodegon (Cuban) and Kiss Me (ice cream!) – as well as beautiful architecture and easily walkable streets. We also ventured up a new-to-me volcano (Telica) to catch the sunset. It was hard on my second day acclimatizing to 39 degree weather (according to the car), but oh so worth it! I didn’t do a ton of picture taking during the remainder of the trip, but I’ve included a random smattering of other shots. Anyway, enjoy!

PS. I’m determined that if/when I go back next time, to explore the Rio San Juan area. And revisit the Corn Islands. Want to join me on either of those trips? Let’s get planning!

PPS. With the crowds at the carpets, and my heat exhaustion, it ended up being much more of a documentary-style approach rather than creative 🙂