1 post tagged “leon”
After another two busses we made it to Leon. We went to a hostel called Big Foot as it was the only place in town that offers Volcano Boarding. They take you up a volcano and then you board down it...mum and i were stoked to go. We talked to the owner and were going to sign up but he wouldnt let us. He told us he wanted us to see a video first, which he needed to go and buy and not to worry as there were heaps of places left. He gave us a map and told us to go around town.
We went around town and this young pregnant woman approached me. She struck up a conversation and started telling me about her 3 year old daughter who was in hospital. She said she didnt want money but just needed formular for her. I agreed to help. We followed to woman and her friend into the market where they showed us the formular they needed. The price... $25 US. I hesitated and looked at mum who didnt like the situation. She told me to ask the woman in the next shop the price which I did. It was only $10. I asked if we were being scammed and she said we were. We walked straight out of there. I was upset at being so naieve. I would have given her the money if mum hadnt been there. I hate being taken advantage of. For the rest of the afternoon we saw the girl talking to other foreigners but everyone she went near, i went up and told them the scam. She didnt make any money that day. I was still upset tho.
We went to the museum of Heros and Martyrs which was made by mothers of the children killed in the war in Nicaragua. The woman who took us around lost two children and told us the stories of the peoples pictures who were in the museum. Her mandate was so that people wouldnt forget the people who gave their lives for justice and equlilty in Nicuagua. She was an amazing woman with a courage and resilience that eminated from her. She wasnt bitter... just resilient. We popped into a travel agency to get a map and ended up chatting to a guy called Julio who told us his experiences in the war... but more about that later.
When we returned to the hostel the tour was booked. We only had one full day in Leon so we went to ask why we werent on the tour. He started abusing my mum telling her it was our fault and we should have signed up when we got there. Mum was almost in tears... so was so looking forward to doing it. When the owner talked to me he told me that he didnt let us sign up because he thought mum was too old which is rediculous. My mother is fitter and stronger than me. It was blatent discrimination and we wasted an entire 2 days in Leon as we only went there to do the volcano boarding.
We left the hostal that morning, deflated... dissapointed and just really sad. The aussie owner had been so horrible to my mother, and seeing that effect her was horrible. If i went back i think i would beat him up... in that lovely Christian manner. hmmm... I did consol her saying that we never know why that door was closed, and leaving Leon a day earlier gave us a day somewhere nicer. Our collective bad experiences made our escape look good.
