16th – 19th August, 2023
My time in Honduras was short but memorable; I was there for just under three weeks and yet they were some of the most rewarding of this journey. From the majestic ruins of Copan to the bird-watching paradise of Lake Yojoa, and the island of Utila – where I treated myself to some scuba diving – Honduras was a country that kept surprising me. I will look back on it fondly.
For the next few weeks, I will be travelling fast again. Nicaragua and Costa Rica were not in my original itinerary, but I added them on when I realised that I had extra time to spare and flights from San José to Mexico City are cheap. My last day in Honduras was spent in a minibus, heading south. Mostly, over the last couple of months, I have been using cheap local buses but on this occasion I booked one of the touristy shuttle services. This service was fast, air-conditioned, and for the first eight hours there were just three of us so we got to spread out and it felt very luxurious. When we reached San Lorenzo we picked up a dozen more gringos who had just transferred from another shuttle service from Guatemala.
I have often commented on how swift and easy most border crossings in Latin America have been, but this one was an exception. I will first say that it wasn’t in any way dangerous, and I have certainly endured much worse when I was travelling through Asia, but entering Nicaragua was a strange experience due to how pointlessly inefficient it seemed. First, we all had to hand over our passports and fill out a form, and then wait a while. When we received our passports back they were still not stamped. We were then told to form a queue. When each of us had our turn at the kiosk we were asked a series of questions – mostly ones that we had already answered in the forms we had just filled out but since disappeared – whilst they tapped away at their keyboards for several minutes. Then passports vanished again for several minutes to finally get stamped. It took over an hour for less than twenty of us, and the strangest thing about it all was that – despite all that processing time – they did not do what you would think would be the most important thing and scan/search our bags. Those they trustingly let us keep on the minibus during the whole affair.
I arrived at León at around 11 p.m., where I checked into my hostel, had a shower, and climbed into my bunk. It had been a long day, but that shuttle service had shot me like a bullet across hundreds of miles, saving me two days of slowly trawling my way across the breadth of Honduras in tin can buses that would have stopped every mile or so. It got me to where I wanted to be.
I began exploring León the following. It is Nicaragua’s former capital, but unlike many former capitals in this part of the world, it has endured the relentless earthquakes. By the mid-twentieth century, Managua became Nicaragua’s new capital whilst León has so far managed to cling on to being its second most populous city.
Despite this, Nicaragua isn’t a hugely populus country, so the pace of life feels slow here. It is still small enough for everything to be within walking distance. Many travel guides claim that León’s historic centre makes it a rival for Nicaragua’s primary hotspot; Granada.
Its Cathedral – La Basílica de la Asunción – is the central feature of the city and is a mixture of neo-classical and baroque styles. It is said to be the largest in Central America and is also a UNESCO Heritage Site.
León is home to several other charming churches, which I spent much of the morning wandering between. I also paid a visit to Centro de Arte Fundación Ortíz Gurdián; an impressive art museum that I regard as a must-see for those visiting. It is located in a series of buildings near the plaza, and the paintings – which span across many different styles and periods – are split between several different rooms and courtyards.
The last attraction from León that I would like to mention is the Museum of Traditions and Legends. This place is very quirky and has very mixed reviews if you look at places such as Google or TripAdvisor. I can see why. Many of its displays are tacky or a bit decayed and could do with some love, but I appreciated it. The building is actually a former prison from the Somoza dictatorship, and some of the displays – as well as artwork depicted on the walls – do pay homage to that period, as well as its victims.
But, most of the former cells – as well as the courtyard – are home to a series of paper-mâché mannequins in costumes. Many of them are depictions from Nicaraguan myths and legends.
After visiting this museum, I looked at the map of the city on my phone and realised that – in the space of one day – I had managed to see everything that I wanted to in León.
I am not saying this as a diss. And I hope that the account that I have given here – along with the pictures – does make it clear that it was an enjoyable day for me. I am just mentioning it here because – as I said before – some of the guidebooks are touting this place as a rival to Granada, which perhaps set my expectations higher than they should have been. León is a nice city. It is a place that does have some attractions to see whilst also not being overly touristy, so you can come here and feel like you have visited a ‘real’ Nicaraguan city. But I think that people trying to sell it as a ‘rival’ to Granada is a bit of an oversell. I originally saw myself staying here for longer, but rearranged my plans. If you are not doing any day trips to places outside of it, a day is more than enough time to see León’s sights.
So, the following morning, I went to Granada.
Which, as I have already stated, is much more touristy than León, but I am not one of those purist backpackers who automatically diss such places, as many of them are popular for a reason. Also, ‘Touristy’ in Nicaragua is on a much more low-key level than many other Latin American countries, and it is currently in low season anyway. The place was fairly quiet.
I spent my first two days exploring the town and its immediate attractions. Its cathedral is quite modern but charming. Unembellished yet elegant. I appreciated the murals on its ceiling.
More interesting, perhaps, are some of the churches outside of the plaza, which have endured centuries of earthquakes and are thus much older. Iglesia Nuestra Senora de Las Mercedes has a beautiful exterior.
And for a small fee, you can climb its tower for views of the city.
I think my favourite overall was Iglesia Xalteva, which has its own little plaza filled with stone sculptures.
And beautiful murals on the inside.
A place to certainly not miss if one comes to Granada is the San Francisco Convent Museum. I have a feeling that a lot of people who are either anti-religion or not too interested in history miss this, which is a shame because its name is quite deceptive. Yes, it is within the walls of an old convent, but that is not the primary focus of its exhibits. It is compartmentalised into five different museums. Some are historic in nature, but even a surprising amount of them are non-Christian in theme. It is home to a collection of pre-Colombian sculptures and pottery recovered from the local area, for example.
And as far as art goes; yes, there is a very small section dedicated to religious paintings from colonial times. I personally – despite not being Christian myself – appreciate religious art, but I was also pleased to discover that this place is home to many other forms.
I particularly enjoyed its section on ‘Nicaraguan Primitivism’; a local movement that spawned within the twentieth century, where artists began to focus on nature, folklore, and animism and combined it with fantastical elements and surrealism.
This distinctive style is one that I recognised from my visit to the Centro de Arte Fundación Ortíz Gurdián in León, and it also caught my attention then. It seems to be popular here.
I like it very much, for its bright colours and exquisite detail. It is a style that has made a big impression on me.
And that just about covers my first two days in Granada, but I am not quite done with this place yet because beyond the town itself are many other attractions that are just a stone’s throw away; all of which I will be visiting in a series of daytrips that will be covered in my next blog.
Click on these hyperlinks for more photos from León and Granada.
Tej Turner 