Latin American Lifestyle and Art (LALA): May 2013

I start the day in a nice way. Breakfast by the pool at Hostal Mariposa and an email informing me that my shipment of textiles, wood and ceramics I sent from Guatemala 7 weeks ago (!) has finally cleared customs. The import duties are higher than I expected (about 25% of the value of the goods) for artesian products coming from within Central America. I'm concerned about the cost impact but basically just relieved that these goods will soon be in Roatan (as soon as I pay the bill of course).

I don't have any big plans for the day. Just to wander around in León and see what the city is like with people in it. On Wednesday it was almost deserted due to the May 1st holiday. I take the bus into Parque Central (only 4 cordoba!), stop for a coffee, check out my map. First thing I want to book my bus ticket back to Honduras. TicaBus has a service from Managua direct to San Pedro Sula (via Tegucigalpa) which arrives same day so I don't have to overnight in Tegus - much better. The bus route passes the outskirts of Leon so I hope I can board in Leon rather than travel back into Managua which is nearly two hours in the wrong direction. The address for the Tica Bus office is "de la Inglesia San Juan, dos cuadras al Norte" (from the San Juan church, two blocks to the North). It's a part of the city I haven't seen before and my route takes me through the Leon mercado - a couple of bustling blocks in the centre of the city filled with market stalls selling everything from mobile phones to watermelons. I enjoy the sight of a farmer with his horse and cart loaded with fruit and vegetables, waiting in the line of taxies and lorries for access to the narrow inner roads of the market. The little horse stands patiently in the heat, seemingly unfazed by the constant flow of people, baring horns and the buzz of tuk-tuk engines as the little 3-wheelers weave in and out of the crowd. TicaBus agency is easy to find. The super-polite and efficient agent says "no problemo" to me boarding the bus in Leon and even organises a taxi to pick me up from Hostal Mariposa at 5:20 the next morning. Excellent!

The highlight of my day has to be stumbling across "Museum of Folklore and Legend" just a couple of blocks south of the cathedral. The museum is housed in a prison known as "La XXI" (The 21) named for the year it was opened (1921). For 50 cordoba (about 2 US dollars) I get a personal tour guide who, after apologizing (unnecessarily) for her english, leads me from cell to cell narrating the popular Leónese myths and folklore which are depicted by funky life-size papier-mâché dioramas. Highly entertaining insights into the cultural history of Nicaragua. It's likely the stories evolved as a way for repressed or marginalized minority groups to express themselves without fear of consequence. The stories have been, in context of the time, a way for the indigenous people to ridicule the Spanish for their general ignorance of cultural and spiritual etiquette. Or for women (who until quite recently had very little freedom of speech) to tell of revenge exacted upon no-good, cheating, wife-beating Spanish husbands (usually from beyond the grave).

In between the cells are wall murals depicting the horrific human rights violations that were routinely carried out in the prison during the Somoza regime and didn't come to an end until La XXI was successfully secured for the Sandinistas in 1979. I find it sometimes a bit hard to keep up as my tour guide cheerfully switches from narrating the quaint folk stories to describing the gruesome physical tortures endured by the prisoners.

- ".... and this little Indian man with the big head will dance at your wedding. His head is so big to show the Indian man is more intelligent than the Spanish man.
"...and here is where the prisoners were hanging upside down by their feets. And here is where the head of the prisoner was held under water.
"...and this is the ghost of La Mocuana, daghter of an Indian king. She was forced to marry a Spanish man from the army. He tricked her into telling where is the gold of her father. Then he killed her.
"...and this is the ghost of the women who married a Spanish army officer. He gave her a baby, beat her and then went back to Spain. She drowned her baby in the river and killed herself and now her ghost is always searching for her baby.
"...and this is the ghost of Grabhertit who....."
- "Sorry, who?"
- "Grabhertit".
- "Oh OK".
- "Jes. Grabhertit she was a very tall women who's husband was always cheating her. Now her ghost is tricking the men by asking them to grab her tit. When they come close she crush them against her chest until they die".
- "Er, right. What a way to go".

After a really superb vegetarian lunch in the cool and tranquil courtyard of CocineArte I visit the Museo de Arte Fundación Ortiz-Gardián. A stunning collection of contemporary Latin American art displayed in the shady courtyards and spacious rooms of a beautiful Creole Civil home. I enjoy the arabic tiles and original flagstones floors, interior gardens and fountains as much as the art. Given my recent experience buying art for LALA my mind is boggling at the work that must be involved in curating such an impressive collection. I feel so appreciative for what they have accomplished.

Take an ice-cream break at this fantastic old-style ice-cream sundae bar and then head back to Hostal Mariposa for a swim, dinner and early to bed. I say good night to my hosts Severine and Mike. I've thoroughly enjoyed my stay. I hope to be back.