On the surface, the Nicaraguan cities of Granada and Leon seem to be really similar. Old colonial atmosphere? Check. Pastel-painted colonial houses and cobblestone streets? Check. Nearby active volcanoes? Check. Plenty of places for travelers to congregate and speak English? Check. But here the similarities end.
In Nicaragua, there is a healthy rivalry between the north and the south. Sound familiar?
Actually, the rivalry between Nicaragua's north and south bears some resemblance to the north-south rivalry of the US. The South is traditionally conservative, while the north has all the good universities and more of a liberal bent. The people of the south pride themselves on gracious living and manners, while northerners are more upfront and gregarious. They even fought civil wars in the 1800's. For almost a hundred years after independence, Leon and Granada, the principal cities ofthe north and south, repectively, fought for control over the country. Each was the capital for a while, until the whole matter was settled by declaring Managua, in the center, the captial.
So why am I boring you with this history lesson? Good question. The answer is that I have just spent the last five days in Leon and then Granada, and both the similarities and contrasts are striking. The good news is that the competition seems to have settled into a good-natured peacetime rivalry over which city offers the better quality of life, somewhat like the rivalry between, say, New York and LA.
Leon is a lively university city, full of students, music and relics of the Sandinista revolution. Leon has always been the "proudly liberal" city, one of the staunchest bastions of Sandinista support and very hard hit by the waning Somoza dictatorship in the years leading up to the revolution: you can still see bullet holes in some of the walls.
It's a visually amazing city: everywhere you turn there are gorgeous political murals. Some are left over from the 80's, some are brand new. They are visual representations of the city's fighting spirit and artistic flair.
The people are indeed gregarious and friendly, and will make sure to tell you why their city is the best, especially when compared to Granada. It's hot as hell during the day but rains every night at about 7, which keeps everything green and lush and makes sleep possible.
I spent 3 days in Leon and then made my way south to Granada, where I found myself smack in the middle of the vanguard of Nicaraguan tourism. In general, the South seems to have more tourists (spillover from Cota Rica?), and in Granada it's really pronounced. There are travel agencies, internet cafes, and funky hostels everywhere. I splashed out for something a bit extra, and for $6/night at the Hostal Oasis, I get an unbelievably comfy (and cleeeeeean!) dorm bed, unlimited free internet access (hence the long post!) access to cable tv and dvd player and, get this, a pool.
After two weeks of being really excited to find someone to speak English with, I now find myself in the position of searching for someone who will speak Spanish with me! Or at least, a more meaningful conversation than "how much does this cost?" or "which way is the lake?"
Granada seems to be a more sedate town than Leon: it gets dark at 5:30 here, and by 8:00, the town is dead. However, it is a lovely, beautifully preserved town and it's hard not to like it. The people may be more reserved, but they are still Nicaraguan, which means that once you get them talking, they'll chat your ear off.
Tomorrow I go to Masaya, home to Nicaragua's best crafts market, and then I head to Ometepe, the largest inland (i.e., in the middle of a lake) island in the world...