Volcano Boarding in León, Nicaragua

Matt and I stayed in Big Foot Hostel right in the heart of town of León, Nicaragua . I have never seen so many backpacks for sale. And there were a lot of Abercrombie and Fitch close, plus more Hollister attire than I’ve seen since high school. The cathedrals in León were awesome- literally inspired aw. The architecture of the cathedrals has been one of my favorite things to see while on the trip. Here I especially took note of the sad lion guarding a saint, the big paintings of The Stations of The Cross, and how on the outside there were four men appearing to hold up parts of the building on there shoulders.

The homeless.
I have seen countless on this motorcycle trip. They have been disfigured and dirty, starving, and begging for everything and anything you can spare. The disfigurement has been the feature that will stick with me. The missing and strange body parts and burns are like out of a scary, Rob Zombie, horror movie. A little boy the other night walked up to me while I was having street food for dinner with a group of people from the hostel, he tapped me on the shoulder and when I turned, there he was, burns and scared all over, his face disfigured, smooshed and smashed out of place. I’m surprised I didn’t jump, instead I reacted with sadness and told him I had just used all my cordoba on dinner (I don’t leave the hostel or hotel with more than I plan on spending). He didn’t leave my side for a few minutes and taped me again, only this time when I turned all he did was point to my plate and shrug- I immediately handed him what was left and he scarfed it down in seconds. He seemed grateful and walked off.
There have been many other homeless and disfigured begging for money or food while one the bike or walking in the cities, but there is nothing to be done then, except for to be grateful for the life I have.

Speaking of being grateful, I am absolutely appreciative of being able to have the opportunity to take part in this amazing activity, known as VOLCANO BOARDING!  Climbing up Cerro Negro in León, Nicaragua was not an easy task. With carrying a bag stuffed with a suit and goggles, along with carrying the board to slide down on, I was struggling a little. Being at the top, feeling the heat from the black earth, seeing the smoke come from the ground, trying to stay grounded as the strong gusts of wind blow, (thinking of Mordor, because I’m a nerd), and sliding down having that adreniline rush made the climb up completely worth it. I can’t really say for the others on the tour though because a lot of people fell or went really slow down, breaking too much with their heals. Matt got rewarded with the best crash! He went rolling down the volcano after sliding down just a few feet. He doesn’t know how, but he lost control of the board and ended up getting all scratched up and hurting his leg. No serious injuries, so no worries. Here’s a picture of us in our orange suits after boarding down.

Loved it!